Truck + camper + trailer & car

[Rusted Iron]

I thought I'd ask a question of someone who isn't trying to sell me something:

We are retiring the '88 ford 3/4 ton diesel and Alaskan camper for a long list of reasons. We bought a similar truck that is 15 years newer. Now we have to decide on a new camper. Used of course.

We've been looking campers with loaded weights of 2200 lbs and 2600 lbs. Everyone assures me that the truck can handle bigger campers along, with the mutated vehicle top the flatbed trailer that it has to tow. (the trailer is about 16' and the base car of the MV is a Honda wagon. I have to take them to the scale at the dump to weigh them.) When the truck isn't going to Burning Man, it will still have heavy things to tow I'm not as worried about going up the mountains as down them though the truck's brakes test out fine.

If anyone has experience with any of the above, I would appreciate your advice on how big camper we could safely carry.

Thanks.

[ygmir]

I drive a 93 Dodge W350, and, it handles the new/used camper (2400 lbs, 11.5') just fine.
it's a dually, which helps with "sway" but, as far as brakes and such...just fine.
I'd think, as long as it's 3/4 ton, or better, it'll do fine.
It'd be nice to have overloads/airbags for the rear, with that camper.
Otherwise, I'd say, IPBA.

well, this year, the camper will be coming out on a different truck.
But, my pickup does fine the rest of the time.

[Rusted Iron]

Great. The truck has rear airbags already. We are going to test it's towing capacity by towing an old truck on the trailer, before we add a camper.

Thanks.

[motskyroonmatick]

The trailer has electric brakes? I found that I felt 3 times safer pulling a trailer with brakes than without. Safety is worth the effort. I'd cautiously test worst case scenario so that you know the limitations of the Truck+camper/Trailer combination.

[Rusted Iron]

The trailer does have electric brakes which does make me more comfortable with towing with an automatic transmission.

(The old truck is a 5 speed, which saved our lives last year when two belts broke just east of Truckee, taking the power brakes out with them. I don't want to have that kind of fun again...)

[Rusted Iron]

We ended up buying a fairly light camper, just over 1600 lbs, dry weight. It's pretty aerodynamic, for a hunk of house hooked atop a truck.