11' Camper, F250 w Air Bags
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| djweiser |
 Feb 21 2008, 01:15 PM
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#1
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Group: Members Posts: 3 Joined: 21-February 08 Member No.: 2,844 Favorite Truck Camper(s): Alpenlite Type and Brand of Truck(s) Owned: 95 F 250 7.3 TD Type of Tiedowns used: None right now Truck and Camper Setup: used to own a 96 American Flyer  |
Hello,
I own a 95 F250 7.3 Turbo Diesel and I have my eye on a few used 11' campers in my area. What I am wondering is this too much for my truck? I am going to install airbags before I go any further than my driveway. Thanks DJ |
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| LindaH |
Feb 22 2008, 03:35 AM
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#2
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Group: Members Posts: 57 Joined: 25-January 08 Member No.: 2,829 Favorite Truck Camper(s): Eagle Cap Type and Brand of Truck(s) Owned: 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 Dually (Cummins engine) Type of Tiedowns used: Torklift w/Fastguns Truck and Camper Setup: Eagle Cap 950, 2 100-watt solar panels, 2 6-volt AGM batteries, 1000-watt pure sine wave inverter, Motosat Executive satellite TV dish, Torklift 5-step Glow Steps. |
I suspect an 11' camper would be too much for a 3/4-ton truck, but you need to do the math to be sure.
Load your truck up like it would be for a trip with a full tank of fuel, you and everyone who will normally travel with you, and all the gear that will normally be loaded into the cab of the pickup. Now take it down and get it weighed. Once you have the *real life* weight of your truck, subtract it from the truck's GVWR. How much is left over? That's the maximum loaded weight of any truck camper you should be hauling (note I said "loaded" weight, not dry weight which is a meaningless number since you're not going to be hauling a totally empty camper). While airbags will help with the ride and keeping your truck level, it won't change the GVWR of your truck. |
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| kcabpilot |
Apr 1 2008, 03:47 PM
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#3
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Group: Members Posts: 7 Joined: 1-April 08 Member No.: 2,859 Favorite Truck Camper(s): Lance Type and Brand of Truck(s) Owned: F-350 Type of Tiedowns used: std Truck and Camper Setup: F-350 Lance 990 |
It is too much but I did it for over 10 years with a '78 F-250 Camper Special and a Lance 990. I put Air Springs on but had to weld in reinforcements to the brackets as they were bending. I also put 33x12.5 16.5 tires on. The truck had a 460 and got about 8-10 mpg back when fuel was around a buck a gallon.
Overall it performed well and always felt safe. The big tires made it look right as well. Most trucks with an 11 ft camper on them that don't have dual rear wheels look precarious to say the least on standard sized tires. I just replaced my truck with a '97 F-350 dually Powerstroke diesel. Haven't put the camper on it yet but I'm looking forward to it. This is the truck that will make the Alcan road trip next summer. I took the air Springs off the old truck but don't think I'm going to need them. |
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