Camper ?

braveops · June 29, 2009

well we are thinking of getting rid of our 21ft motorhome and going to a camper again but we want a slide model now my 2500 shortbox crewcab says cwr 1994lbs and most of the campers are around 2500lbor more, eagle cap850l or okonagan811sl or ??? .i have a set of air bags that i think will fit my truck. how big of campers do you run and how much over are you on lbs? i also have a 19ft wells cargo fun wagon for our atvs 2 fullsize,2 kids 50cc,110cc .can i pull this off or do i need more truck??

steiny93 · June 29, 2009

if you go off of what the manufacturer says you'll be pulling a pretty little trailer with your 2500

i personally am not to worried about the cwr and go off of what seems appropriate for the vehicle, basing appropriate on stopping ability, how it handles the side winds, towing ability being last criteria

i double tow a mountaineer 298rls with a ranger 621 behind that

all up gross i'm over 20k

on the flat lands where i tow I have zero concerns, if i was in the mountains I wouldn't be double towing that large of a boat nor would I be in a gaser due to the stopping and power needs

1320quick · June 29, 2009

I would recommend to check with the folks over on the RV.Net truck camper forums. I'm a lurker over there and they seem to be a wealth of knowledge on campers, what they weight and what might work best for your situation. I have a GMC 2500HD longbed with the 8.1L and I haul a 9.5' Viking hardside camper. I have no problem pulling my 2500lb bass boat behind it but I'd be a bit leary to haul too much more as I have to use a hitch extension to get out beyond my camper overhang. How much does your Wells Cargo trailer and all it's contents weight? I know people get away with pulling pretty heavy loads with a hitch extension but that makes me nervous. Torklift makes a super hitch and super truss extension setup that looks very heavy duty and depending on the lenght of the extension, is rated to haul considerable weight. You can check that out at http://www.torklift.com/p.php?w_page=supertruss. I bring that up because you have a shortbed, I would expect that you will need some type of overhang on the camper for it to be a decent comfortable sized camper.

weymard · June 29, 2009

I can not help you well , but to give you an idea : I have a camper weight loaded (water, food etc..) is around 2200, I carry it with my silverado extended cab 1500 6,0L, I added torklift tie down and rear firestone ride rite. The truck run well, smooth, stable, and brakes very well, the mpg loaded is around 14 according at the roads profile.

As say 1320quick go to rv.net and you will have a better and specific informations.

builderpaul · June 29, 2009

well we are thinking of getting rid of our 21ft motorhome and going to a camper again but we want a slide model now my 2500 shortbox crewcab says cwr 1994lbs and most of the campers are around 2500lbor more, eagle cap850l or okonagan811sl or ??? .i have a set of air bags that i think will fit my truck. how big of campers do you run and how much over are you on lbs? i also have a 19ft wells cargo fun wagon for our atvs 2 fullsize,2 kids 50cc,110cc .can i pull this off or do i need more truck??

Lots of people will chime in and tell you how much they have carried with no problems. This post is what you need to be within the manufactures specs you need two numbers:

8600lbs is the Gross vehicle weight for a 2500. This is the maximum your truck can weigh. It includes all cargo people fuel etc. Go over a scale empty and subtract that from the GVW and that is what you can carry in the truck.

The next number is the GCW. This is the gross combined weight of everything including the truck, trailer, cargo, passengers, etc. that you can weigh. It depends on your rear end a 3.73 rear has a 14000 lb gcw and the 4.10 has a 16000lb gcw.

markw8 · June 30, 2009

well we are thinking of getting rid of our 21ft motorhome and going to a camper again but we want a slide model now my 2500 shortbox crewcab says cwr 1994lbs and most of the campers are around 2500lbor more, eagle cap850l or okonagan811sl or ??? .i have a set of air bags that i think will fit my truck. how big of campers do you run and how much over are you on lbs? i also have a 19ft wells cargo fun wagon for our atvs 2 fullsize,2 kids 50cc,110cc .can i pull this off or do i need more truck??

This is FWIW. I have a 2000 920 Lance with most options. I carried this for 9 seasons on a 2000 Silverado 2500 ext cab long bed. The truck had airbags and Rancho shocks. Fully loaded for a two week trip, two people, full tank of gas, the truck grossed 9810#. The gvwr was 8600#. 5710# frt and 4100#rear. I was never over axle or tire ratings.`

I never had a single issue or tire problem in 55-60,000 miles. Now that being said, I would not ever have considered pulling a trailer behind mine. I was 1200#s over the GVWR, and the truck did fine, but I wouldn't even add a bike rack to that. I think you need more truck. I will miss my 2500 at times, but I'm about to find out what it's like to have more truck than camper. I just bought an 08 GMC 3500 DRW CC D/A. Still setting it up, haven't had the camper on yet.

Mark

likinit2 · July 1, 2009

I went with a 8' Real-Lite that weighs about 1300 empty. Older camper and it only cost me 1500.00 but is built with an all aluminum frame and a sandwiched foam exterior and quality throughout. I have pulled my 4 place enclosed sled trailer behind it and all was just fine. I am also running a 3500 one ton single wheel long box crew with 4:10 gears. The 6 liter gas has some power and does a good job.

braveops · July 2, 2009

thanx guys. if i do a camper again i want a slide but my shortbox is a downfall for me

braveops · July 4, 2009

well guys thanx for the help i went to the rv dealer and end up getting a 07 okanogan 811sl.now i just need to dump my moho quick

96chevy7.4L · July 13, 2009

I hope you got a 5th wheel. Your truck will pull better and stop better with the 5th wheel over the tag along at any weight.

RCH · July 17, 2009

We like our Four Wheel Pop-Up camper. weighs in at about 800Lbs. Leaves enough to carry kayaks and bicycles.

terryk · July 20, 2009

My 2000 2500HD weighs 5890 wet (ext, 4x4, LB). That leaves me about 2700 lbs for stuff. The spec on the truck is 2134 in the bed. Those are some rough numbers you can work with.

The GVW and load capacity ratings are what engineering figured the truck could handle and not be a warranty or safety issue (right or wrong). I sure marketing was trying to get that number raised to beat the competition and at some point engineering said either warranty or the lawyers will have to take responsibility. I can make 25000 lbs move but it won't do it.

Do everyone a favor and stay under the limits.

96chevy7.4L · July 23, 2009

If your worried about weight. Hook up your camper travel trailer etc. and go to a local truck stop and get on the scales. Check the sterring, drive and trailer axle weights that they give you versus the tag on the drivers door. As long as your axle weights are okay your all right provided you have trailer breaks. Don't get crazy and pull some obscene weight. As long as your stay right on axle weights DOT won't have much to say. And if there was an accident that will be one of the things they look at.

jake111 · July 25, 2009

Don't forget tires. Depending on the model, the mfg max weights are due to the tires (e.g., a 245-D on the 2500HD vs. 265-E on the 3500 SRW).

In the diesel models, the engine, transmission, driveline, and brakes are identical. From the 3500 SRW to the DRW the difference in capacity is from having 2 more tires in the back (even though they're smaller).

deerhunter · July 25, 2009

I just put a Northern Lite 9-6 Q SE camper on my 2500HD. Thought I might need airbags, but perhaps not. It does not sag in the rear and a test run after dark showed that my headlights are on the road, not searching the trees for 'possums. I'll see how well it works with all the "stuff" in it and a full tank of water and some in the holding tanks. I think I'll want airbags at that point. The truck handles it quite well, though, and I am surprised at the power of the 6L engine -- it gets right up and moves with the camper loaded. It's nice to have one's purchase decision validated.

My reference point is my '91 F250HD with a 351. I have had two campers on that and it did OK, but I had airbags on it (Firestone Ride Rite) and tires that had more capacity than the 6,000 lbs that was typically on the rear axle. The 351 with a 5 speed manual would do 50 MPH up over the Cascades if I ran it in 3rd at about 3600 RPM. I'll test the GMC soon.

I think most of the hard-side campers out there are overloaded if they are on SRW pickups. The camper manufactures keep making them heavier and heavier. The Arctic Fox 865 that I really liked had a dry weight of about 3,300 lbs. That was a deal breaker. The Northern Lite dry weight is about 2,500. Big difference.