We have a 2015 Chevy 3500 DRW, duramax crewcab, tires are E rated with max load single 3085 lbs, max load dual 2835 lbs.(anyone know why the dual would be less than the single?) Sticker in the glove box says TC load info Cargo wt rating 3931 lbs, sticker on door jamb says combined wt of occupants & cargo not to exceed 4830 lbs. This is our first TC and the one we like is the Eagle Cap 1160. The sticker says the TC weight is 5100 lbs, but by the time its loaded, it will be closer to 6000 lbs.. We are concerned this camper is too heavy for our truck. If we were to put this camper on our truck would we overweight or would we be legal? Is there anything that can be done to make our truck legal to haul that weight if it is not? The dealer says we are fine (they claim they would pass on the sale if it wasn't safe) but with some mods we should be able to get the weight rating increased by the DOT. Has anyone had any experience with doing that? Any advice or input would be appreciated.Becky

The type of wheels, SRW or DRW, you have affects the stability of the truck camper more than it does the payload.

Yea, you really will want a smaller camper. Duallies can handle a lot of weight, but a 6000 pound camper really puts you into class 6 truck territory.

Those specs are NOT "legal" limits. The DOT does not care what your owner's manual says. The DOT has its own rules about what is legal and it's all about tire size, number of axles and spacing of the axles. What you need to worry about is your tire ratings. And you have plenty. The only reason they list a lower weight rating in a dual application is because they want truck makers to spec a tire size that will be adequate to hold up in the event of a blowout when the dually suddenly becomes a "singley".

That's a lot of camper for any class 3 truck, but even at 6klbs you'll still be slightly under what AAM rates the axle for and under your OE tire limits as well. The truck itself, frame, brakes, everything except suspension will handle it safely and the truck is made to pull or stop a greater effective weight on the drivetrain than that camper. Suspension wise, the OE springs will need some help with that much weight. You can find any number of things to help this. Ideally these large campers are better suited for a class 4 or even class 5 truck, but that sort of defeats the purpose of your truck being a dual purpose hauler and daily driver. Class 6 as mentioned above? Lol. Never heard the weight cops on this site get into air brake, cdl required, can't put a camper on it or you'd be 15' tall type of reccomendation!Not until today anyway......You can haul an 1160 on a new dually of any flavor in comfort, and style.

burningman wrote: What you need to worry about is your tire ratings. And you have plenty. The only reason they list a lower weight rating in a dual application is because they want truck makers to spec a tire size that will be adequate to hold up in the event of a blowout when the dually suddenly becomes a "singley".If that were true the tire would have to have twice the weight rating as a single as it does as a dually , which it does not , it is only about an 8 per cent difference . It has to do with heat that the duals can't dissipate as efficiently as a single and the geometry of the dual configuration in turns and going over bumps .

TC weight too heavy? | Good Sam Community

jimh406
Explorer III
May 21, 2017
Congrats smrjjarrett. Pictures are required when you get it. :)
Bedlam
Moderator
May 21, 2017
1. If you plan to tow behind your camper, get the SuperHitch now so you can use the SuperTruss.

2. Decide if you want to put a 7-blade connector in your truck bed or use the one off your receiver. All the new Host models should now have long enough umbilical cords to reach the bumper.

3. Make sure you ordered your Cascade with front swing out mounts - I assume you are putting this on a DRW.
smrjjarrett
Explorer
May 21, 2017
hi!
So, went & toured Host. they had one Cascade with new floor plan. we got the tour and looked at that. Decided that was the camper for us. went through the local dealer and ordered one with what we wanted. As equipped, weight should be about 500 lbs less than the Mammoth. expect it in late july. now getting our stuff for the truck...here's our list...torklift steel tiedowns, long range fastguns, stableloads and bed mat. being our first TC, are we on the right track with our truck? any other advice, recommendations or experiences would be appreciated.

thanks to all
B
3_tons
Explorer III
May 19, 2017
People (drivers, homeowners, smart phone owners and smokers) screw up all the time, but that in and of itself is not any reason for an insurance company to deny their claim....

3 tons
Bedlam
Moderator
May 19, 2017
Ford specifications have been wrong before. There are still errors posted about my former 2005 F250 that were never corrected.
3_tons
Explorer III
May 19, 2017
smrjjarrett wrote:
We have a 2015 Chevy 3500 DRW, duramax crewcab, tires are E rated with max load single 3085 lbs, max load dual 2835 lbs.(anyone know why the dual would be less than the single?) Sticker in the glove box says TC load info Cargo wt rating 3931 lbs, sticker on door jamb says combined wt of occupants & cargo not to exceed 4830 lbs. This is our first TC and the one we like is the Eagle Cap 1160. The sticker says the TC weight is 5100 lbs, but by the time its loaded, it will be closer to 6000 lbs.. We are concerned this camper is too heavy for our truck. If we were to put this camper on our truck would we overweight or would we be legal? Is there anything that can be done to make our truck legal to haul that weight if it is not? The dealer says we are fine (they claim they would pass on the sale if it wasn't safe) but with some mods we should be able to get the weight rating increased by the DOT. Has anyone had any experience with doing that? Any advice or input would be appreciated.

Becky

The reason for the 2,835 is because DRW tires are sized slightly smaller than SRW tires, but you have twice as many, so the actual rating is much higher (x 2) than a SRW...The rear axle is not a problem, but you'll have to upgrade your rear leaf springs (supersprings or equiv) to keep the truck level or add tembrens or air bags... There are lots of 1160s on 3500 DRW trucks similar to yours...

3 tons
Threebigfords
Explorer
May 19, 2017
Hmmm...that's interesting. I haven't seen any that actually had the 110. I know Ford had it listed as a 110 in all the early literature, so it would stand to reason that they were indeed planning on using them.

Wonder if it has to do with build date, or a supply issue? I verified mine after purchase and it is indeed an S130. My 2015 F450 has a build date of 6/14.
Bedlam
Moderator
May 18, 2017
Boatycall wrote:
Threebigfords wrote:
Boatycall's analysis of the 2015/16 F450 was spot on except for one minor detail that gets missed quite often. The rear axle is actually a Dana S130 not the 110, and it's rated for 16k pounds from the manufacturer not 14k.

Some did, some didn't. Luck of the draw I guess. I crawled under mine and verified the tag not long after I got it, mine's a 110.

When I was shopping for my truck in 2014, I could only find the Dana 130 in the F550 with the max tow option and 4.88 gearing. The rest of the F550 and F450 models used the Dana 110. 2017 model F350 and F450 pickups and F350-F550 chassis cabs all use the 11.8" Spicer M300 rear axle. This axle is rated by Ford from 9750-13,660 lbs based on application. Spicer rates this axle 11,500-16,000 lbs - The reports are the lighter version of the M300 is used on F350 pickups and chassis cabs with a 1.47" axle and the heavier version with 1.85" axle is used on larger trucks.

2012 Dana press release: http://dana.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=26450&item=136719

Ford Truck Enthusiasts: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1454071-new-dana-axles.html
jimh406
Explorer III
May 18, 2017
My 2010 is supposed to be a S110 as well, but it's huge compared to a normal 350 DRW.

More info about the S110 from Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_S_110

General Specifications
Ring gear measures 12.25" or 311mm.
Axle shaft spline count: 34 Spline

Ratios
OEM ratios range from 3.07:1 to 6.50:1

Common Applications
2005-2008 GM 4500
2005-2008 GM 5500
2005-2013 Ford F-450
2005-2013 Ford F-550
2008-2013 Dodge 4500
2008-2013 Dodge 5500
2008-2010 & 2015-2016 F-450 Pick up trucks

Model year 2011 - 2014 Ford F-450 pick up trucks, Class 3, use the Dana 80 axle

Various other heavy duty commercial applications
Boatycall
Explorer
May 18, 2017
Threebigfords wrote:
Boatycall's analysis of the 2015/16 F450 was spot on except for one minor detail that gets missed quite often. The rear axle is actually a Dana S130 not the 110, and it's rated for 16k pounds from the manufacturer not 14k.

Some did, some didn't. Luck of the draw I guess. I crawled under mine and verified the tag not long after I got it, mine's a 110.