โDec-27-2013 10:55 AM
โDec-29-2013 09:14 AM
HJGyswyt wrote:
Robert, you are getting close to making a usable setup for your towing needs, however if you do buy an 11.5 camper my best guess is you will need to go all the way to 48" extension to clear the rear bumper of the camper and not have "collision" issues when turning.
Secondly, I would highly recommend going with equalizer type hitch. I don't care how tough your truck is, pulling a trailer that is leveraged about 8' behind the axle puts a ton of stress on things, and by using an equalizer hitch you are transferring the torque load way forward and eliminating tongue weight. I tow my 8000lb trailer with 750lb bars cranked super tight.
You can see in the story I have on my web sight my old rig at 18,000GCW, no air bags in the picture, factory suspension and everything was almost within limits but the truck rear axle was right at 6500lbs. See the last picture in the story "Wood Cutting". Wood Cutting
I'm glad you saw that Curt hitch, I was so impressed I ordered a front hitch also so I can carry my Honda Trail 90 with me into the hills for trail riding and also plug a big winch into front and back receivers. I bought my hitches from the Hitch Store and didn't pay any shipping or tax, and their prices were better than I could source locally. (I do try to support my local merchants)
And one last thing, finding a solid older camper is difficult at best. Please inspect your camper very closely, so many of that vintage are on their last legs even though they look good on the outside. If there is any sag under the cab-over portion, run, don't walk away. Look for any water marks on the inside. Any de-lam issues outside means trouble. If the people selling it have air fresheners in it they are hiding the stink of rot. I would turn the heat on for a full day and have the windows closed, if it's sweating on the inside there is probably a lot of moisture in the walls and roof. I know, I just hauled my beautiful Vacationeer in the pictures to the dump because it wasn't worth fixing it was so rotted, even with aluminum constructed walls. All the best. Hans
โDec-28-2013 11:52 AM
โDec-28-2013 08:35 AM
โDec-28-2013 04:09 AM
โDec-27-2013 10:04 PM
โDec-27-2013 05:41 PM
โDec-27-2013 04:38 PM
brholt wrote:
I'm not so sure you will be under your payload. Let's play with numbers:
Camper: not sure of weight but for an 11.5 ft camper lets call it 3,500 lb.
Stuff in camper: water, propane, batteries etc. one rule of thumb is to add 1,000 lbs to the a per dry weight.
Stuff in truck: 2 people, dogs? Etc. call it 500 lbs.
Total those and you are at 5,000 lbs leaving you only 133 lbs under your GVWR.
Now, some of these numbers maybe off a bit but the only way you can be sure is to start weighting stuff. Add the weight of the hitch itself and then the tongue weight of what you are towing and you rapidly run out of GVWR.
โDec-27-2013 04:18 PM
username taken wrote:
I currently have a 2012 GMC 3500HD diesel dually that I will be using it for the TC. Capacities are as follows:
GVWR - 13k lbs
Payload - 5133 lbs
Trailer - 18k lbs - tongue capacity??? 1800 lbs???
5th wheel - 22,400 lbs
We are looking at a 1998 Caribou - 11.5ft (Owner is unsure of model M11G or M11K) Either way, we should have enough payload for the camper with room to spare for a trailer for boat or toys.
โDec-27-2013 03:21 PM
โDec-27-2013 03:09 PM
username taken wrote:btggraphix wrote:
Here it is.....might interest you
Wow - that looks overbuilt to say the least. Could it be returned to stock or is that permanently mounted to the frame?
If I had a chassis cab or flatbed I'd do this in a heartbeat, but I'd have to run without the bumper and/ or bed to get this involved. The truck still has to look somewhat stock to function as a driver unloaded, and I'd like to protect resale by keeping the cutting/ welding/ drilling on the truck frame to a minimum.
โDec-27-2013 03:01 PM
โDec-27-2013 02:53 PM
โDec-27-2013 02:44 PM
โDec-27-2013 02:24 PM
btggraphix wrote:
Here it is.....might interest you