SRW 3500 Dodge work with a Arctic Fox 811

[Beaver_Thunder]

I have a 2015 Arctic Fox 811 short box camper, I'm thinking about upgrading my 2005 Ram 3500 (SRW) with a new 2021 Ram 3500. I really like the 811 but it is a very heavy camper, so my 05 has had a lot of upgrades to handle the 811 and pull my 18' aluminum boat. Looking at the new trucks and the payload capacity, looks like the truck with the equipment I want will have a payload capacity of 3900. The 811 is around that or more depending how much I'm hauling. Looking at the payload capacity for a 3500 mega cab with a DRW, that should be able to support the camper but I really don't want a DRW.

My question, does anyone have a 811 and a newer dodge crew cab 3500 short bed (cummins) as a combo? If so did you have to add supplemental suspension? Does the truck sit level?

[ADA6969]

GRIT DOG. Amen You hit it right on the head.

[TxGearhead]

My story...I had a 2016 Ram CC LB 4X4 Cummins SRW. I bought the Bigfoot and installed a Big Wig. Driving back to Houston from Maryland wasn't too bad. But when I loaded it up for an extended winter trip it wallowed and tilted. I stopped at a scale and I was way over payload (4100#) and up against GVW and tires. I dumped a full load of water at the scale. When I got back home I ordered the 2018 dually. I transferred the Big Wig to the dually. The difference was like a 1977 Olds Delta 88 and a 2021 Corvette.
I would order a 6.4 gasser DRW with the Aisin if they offer it. Also definitely the optional 55 gallon gas tank . Maybe the self leveling air suspension too. Put a Big Wig on it and call it good.

[Grit_dog]

ADA6969 wrote:
O I see. So you are saying it handled bad. I drove it after I bought it to swap on to my truck it was fine buy the way was a 96 dodge 4wd 3/4 ton 360 V-8

And everyone’s opinion is different. I’m with you, no problem hauling heavy for the most part. Hauled a AF 860 on a Dodge 2500 for years.
Some folks aren’t comfortable with anything less than race car handling and can’t sleep at night if their Cat scale ticket isn’t lower than their door sticker. And some would put my camper on a F150.
And most of us are somewhere in the middle, either through knowledge and experience or ignorant bliss!

[ADA6969]

O I see. So you are saying it handled bad. I drove it after I bought it to swap on to my truck it was fine buy the way was a 96 dodge 4wd 3/4 ton 360 V-8

[Geo_Boy]

ADA6969 wrote:
I Bought a 2002 990 A/F from 2 lady's it was on a 2003 Ram 2500 extra cab long bed. had air bags and Michelins. They Bought the truck and camper At same time never took camper off the truck. the truck had 102,000 miles on it.

If they didn’t know the difference between the way a properly set up rig handled and the one they had handled, they just went with it.

[ADA6969]

I Bought a 2002 990 A/F from 2 lady's it was on a 2003 Ram 2500 extra cab long bed. had air bags and Michelins. They Bought the truck and camper At same time never took camper off the truck. the truck had 102,000 miles on it.

[rhagfo]

bwlyon wrote:
I have a similar set up. S85RS Ascent camper on our 2015, 6.4 gasser Megacab 3500 SRW. Just like the Arctic Fox 811, the ascent is a SB camper with a slide, and it is heavy just shy of 5K fully wet and ready to camp. Now the 811 is a few hundred pounds lighter though, but only a few hundred fully wet and ready to go. You are going to be over every where with the exception of the steer axle. The 811 like my camper really needs to be under a dually. Like you we get by with the SRW, but our next truck will be a dually. Our weight fully loaded and ready to go is as follows. 13000lbs GRoss weight. With 8700lbs on the rear axle. That’s 1600lbs over GVWR, 1700lbs over rear axle capacity, 1300lbs over tire weight rating for the pair of rear tires.

I sure don’t want to be on a road anywhere near you when moving! You are a rolling lawsuit!

[billtex]

Hard to read the chart but it looks like 800# delta. Which is just about the weight of a diesel vs gas engine.
Still don’t understand where all that payload goes?
Maybe Ram uses some pixie dust?

[srschang]

billtex wrote:

srschang wrote:

billtex wrote:
Go with a gasser and gain 600# payload.

This is a common misconception. Here's the data from Ram. The RAWR is the same diesel to gas, the FAWR is higher on the diesel, and the GVWR and Payload are higher on the diesel.

Don’t know much about ram, do they have that data showing same tranny in gas and diesel? Apples2apples would be netter comparison.

It’s it interesting as the base weight of gasser is so much lower. Where does the available payload go? Typo?

I assume they beef up the front suspension (springs, shocks, etc) to accomodate the heavier diesel. Maybe they overcompensate a bit and that results in the higher payload and FAWR of the diesel?

[billtex]

srschang wrote:

billtex wrote:
Go with a gasser and gain 600# payload.

This is a common misconception. Here's the data from Ram. The RAWR is the same diesel to gas, the FAWR is higher on the diesel, and the GVWR and Payload are higher on the diesel.

Don’t know much about ram, do they have that data showing same tranny in gas and diesel? Apples2apples would be netter comparison.

It’s it interesting as the base weight of gasser is so much lower. Where does the available payload go? Typo?

[srschang]

billtex wrote:
Go with a gasser and gain 600# payload.

This is a common misconception. Here's the data from Ram. The RAWR is the same diesel to gas, the FAWR is higher on the diesel, and the GVWR and Payload are higher on the diesel.

[JIMNLIN]

Just like driving a srw with that camper on it is “no big deal.”
You guys do realize the OP has already been hauling the camper on a srw truck, right?
Guessing if he had issue with it, his thread would be about a dually.

The OP says..... "my 05 has had a lot of upgrades to handle the 811 and pull my 18' aluminum boat."
Most folks would assume he has upgraded wheels/tires and rear spring pack help for carrying the 811 as the '05 3500 SRW can have a 6200/6500 RAWR.
Granted it may have 18" or 20" OEM tires and wheels but the older trucks were a bit short on rear spring pack capacity vs the newer gen SRW rear spring pack.

[Kayteg1]

Grit dog wrote:

billtex wrote:
Go with a gasser and gain 600# payload.

And 0# on the rear axle where all the load will be.

+ low traction on front wheels when you get TC with COG behind rear axle.

[specta]

ticki2 wrote:

specta wrote:
Regular cab, 6.4L Hemi, 2-wd 5170 payload.

Is that for a drw ? There was no configuration for a 3500 srw that went that high on the Ram site .

I have no idea if it is or not.