weight of a camper

[tatonka]

been looking for a camper for my 3/4 ton and some of the ads have the weight of the camper ,one was 1620 lbs . If I load upand add the water needed I will be over on the weight. Should I go for smaller camper?



Moderator note: I edited the spelling of the subject so I wouldn't cringe. Sham....

[FIGJAM]

2500 pounds or under and you should be fine.

Just makes the ride smoother.

I've hauled 2 tons regularly for 20 years on my 3/4 with no problems.

[tatonka]

great , thks , was wondering about that .

[TT120]

Make sure your tires are in good shape if you're going to run heavy like that. I had a rear tire blowout on the freeway with an overloaded work truck. Wasn't pretty.

[Captain Goddammit]

Weight of campers... good question!! And I can tell ya all about it!
First of all, do not believe advertised weights, they're never near the truth.
A camper that has everything (bathroom with shower, fridge, hot water, waste tanks, etc.) is gonna weigh 3000 if not more. Mine weighs 4000. A camper that scales at 1620 for real, well that will be a mini-truck camper with not much more amenities than a tent.
So - the reality is a good sized camper with full camper amenities is a heavy thing - but your F250 can do it. You do need good-sized tires with a high load capacity, and maybe a set of "helper" springs or air bags. Sway bars are a great idea too.

In '01 I carried a 4000 pound camper and towed a 3000 pound trailer to Burning Man with a '73 F-250 with 33x12.5 tires and air bags and it was fine. I'd also swapped in F-350 rear springs... the original F-250 springs from that truck are now in the Land Yacht's front suspension

Go here http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fusea ... rum/27.cfm
This is a message board just like ours but it's all about truck campers. Most of the people there have stupid-expensive late-model trucks and campers, but there's a few "regular" people and tons of good info.

[FIGJAM]

Load range E tires!

[mgb327]

I recently found out something that made a big difference for me....my Jayco trailer weighs in around 2000+ pounds, single axle. Towed nicely, but had regular 13 inch "trailer tires". I had a set of very good new 13" car/auto-type tires installed, a world of difference in how it tows. Big difference for the better, a completely different "feel". I will be towing it 6000 miles to and from BM. I will tow it empty of all water til I get to Nevada. I think the better towing will also be less abusive on my Suburban. It (the car tires) really made a big difference.

[trilobyte]

I suspect the 3/4 ton that the pickup's rated for is a carry capacity, which would be different from a tow capacity. As long as you're following the excellent advice above you and the truck should be fine.

[Captain Goddammit]

Just to clarify a common myth, the "half ton", "3/4 ton" and "one ton" nicknames for pickups aren't literal, they're holdovers from about 100 years ago.
Also, not all pickups within a particular type are rated the same, it depends on a bunch of other specs the particular pickup has.
But the good news is back in 1972 when your truck was born, they didn't make "light duty" 3/4 tons, yours is good and stout with a full-floating axle (the kind you want for heavy work).
The other good news is modern loaded-up diesel pickups often weigh most of their rated capacity even when empty!
Old rigs like yours aren't so damn heavy, so more of it's capacity is actually useable.

The chassis parts in your truck are stout enough for a big camper, you just need to read the sidewalls of your tires and see how much weight they are good for, that's really your limit for safe use. It's pretty easy to overload the rear tires with a camper on.
Find a scale... the big rig scales on the freeway work great. You're not allowed there when open, but when they are closed they usually leave the window shades up so you can read the display and check yourself.
If your tires are good for, say 2700 pounds, then you've got 5400 pounds total you can have on the rear. If the truck weighs 2000 on the rear empty, you've got 3400 left. You'll just have to see what you've got and how much you weigh. Get some bigger tires on the back if you need more.
You really gotta scale the thing.

[tatonka]

Just to clarify a common myth, the "half ton", "3/4 ton" and "one ton" nicknames for pickups aren't literal, they're holdovers from about 100 years ago.
Also, not all pickups within a particular type are rated the same, it depends on a bunch of other specs the particular pickup has.
But the good news is back in 1972 when your truck was born, they didn't make "light duty" 3/4 tons, yours is good and stout with a full-floating axle (the kind you want for heavy work).
The other good news is modern loaded-up diesel pickups often weigh most of their rated capacity even when empty!
Old rigs like yours aren't so damn heavy, so more of it's capacity is actually useable.

The chassis parts in your truck are stout enough for a big camper, you just need to read the sidewalls of your tires and see how much weight they are good for, that's really your limit for safe use. It's pretty easy to overload the rear tires with a camper on.
Find a scale... the big rig scales on the freeway work great. You're not allowed there when open, but when they are closed they usually leave the window shades up so you can read the display and check yourself.
If your tires are good for, say 2700 pounds, then you've got 5400 pounds total you can have on the rear. If the truck weighs 2000 on the rear empty, you've got 3400 left. You'll just have to see what you've got and how much you weigh. Get some bigger tires on the back if you need more.
You really gotta scale the thing.

Ok , I went out and checked the tires on the rig are Lt 265/75R16 119/116N 1360 Kg (3000 Lbs ) 450 kpa (65 PSI ) cold and my spare that I just bought out at the junkyard is a 120/116S 1380 Kg (3042lbS) 80 PSI cold . I have a scale about 5 miles from my house will check it later. Also thanks for haveing me look at the sidewalls ,in the drivers side front is a divet , the sidewall is sunk in a bit for about a inch. Will have to replace

[GreyCoyote]

I recently found out something that made a big difference for me....my Jayco trailer weighs in around 2000+ pounds, single axle. Towed nicely, but had regular 13 inch "trailer tires". I had a set of very good new 13" car/auto-type tires installed, a world of difference in how it tows. Big difference for the better, a completely different "feel". I will be towing it 6000 miles to and from BM. I will tow it empty of all water til I get to Nevada. I think the better towing will also be less abusive on my Suburban. It (the car tires) really made a big difference.

Warning: when a bias-ply tire self-destructs in transit, it comes off in many mostly harmless pieces. When a radial tire comes unglued, it comes off as a big, heavy and mostly monolithic chunk.

The difference? $400 for a new fender. That big piece of radial has a LOT of energy at 70 mph. I found out the hard way towing horses. So now I am back to using over-priced bias-ply trailer tires. Not so great on ride, but the wheel wells were getting expensive.

Note: in some states it is actually illegal to put a car tire on a trailer. If you get a cop who is a dick, these can be an expensive ticket.

[Captain Goddammit]

I did just the opposite - my trailer had a set of car tires on it and I replaced them with proper trailer tires, mostly because the car tires didn't have enough load capacity - that's the other good reason NOT to use car tires, unless your trailer is really light.

[mgb327]

I understand the tire difference, and really was after simply finding a tire that was "round". I couldn't seem to find a decent trailer tire that would be both truly round and balanceable. I am towing 6000 miles round trip. I am running them at 50 PSI. My trailer is very light, a 12' Jayco pop-up, with most the of the unneeded heavy accessories removed. AC was the first to go. I think it should come in at around 1500-1600 pounds. Only what is needed for BM will be in it. Any "weighty" objects (the 120 pound bacon cooking unit, coolers, etc) will be inside the Suburban. I am going to drag it a few hundred miles around here first to see how it goes. So far, they seem to be much better than the trailer ones. I may be wrong here, but the towing is so much better with these, and I didn't buy the cheapos. Nothing is carved in stone here, but so far, I think I will be OK. The lightness is my main advantage.

[Captain Goddammit]

In your application, it sounds like you did the best possible thing and I doubt you even need to worry about the bacon cooker if it's loaded forward. Most of us pulling trailers to BM are loading the bejeebus out of them. Mine scales right around 10,000!

[mgb327]

I just went out and took a good look at the numbers on the tires after doing some more research online. There certainly is 2 schools of thought online on the matter, almost like the political/religious rant/discussions. (I'm right! You are wrong! No, I am right! You dumass! kind of stuff.) Anywho, all the weights will be in the towing vehicle, and the tires are rated at 51 pounds pressure, I have 50. The load limits on each is just over 1,100 pounds. I am carrying a spare. And a jack. And a lug wrench. I just wanted a smoother tire, as I couldn't get the trailer types in a true round tire, let alone a good balance. Certainly made me do some research, I am glad I learned what I did. If I was towing a 10,000 pound trailer, it would have something like the tires on the rear of semi-trailers' have. I would have liked to have gone up to a 14", but my trailer has a little "suspension", so clearances become an issue. The trailer will have nothing extra in it, weight-wise. I will take my regular load stowed in the Suburban as usual, the trailer is simply a very fancy tent on wheels. It is a pop-up, so the great part is that you can easily see the car behind you in the rear-view mirror. Priceless, no blind spots, no wind resistance.

[Rusted Iron]

We have had a lot of cab-over campers, changing them when a better one was found. They are a great way to go when you have to tow a utility trailer rather than a camping trailer. But don't under estimate how different your truck will handle with a giant turtle on its back. Weight is one factor, the cab-over and any other overhangs, including the sides and rear, will also affect the way the truck handles.

We have one of the lightest non-popups made, a Northern Lite, with a dry weight of under1700 lbs. The anchient 3/4 ton diesel that it sits on still notices it. So do we when we drive it. Lots of drag from the bed on top. We had it on a newer diesel last year. It barely noticed he camper but then it blew its head gaskets just east of Reno. (Damn Fords...)

The best camper that we ever had was an Alaskan; a hard-sided popup that cranked down to a pretty low profile. Very sturdy, without the mesh or plastic that most popups have. It was wrecked when it was being put into storage and we're still looking for an affordable replacement. If we find one, the Northern Lite will go on Craig's List and the Alaskan on our truck.

If you are buying a used camper, check I out well for leaks of all kinds; roof, water lines, gas lines, seals, etc.

Good luck.