F350 Truck camper

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OutdoorFT

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 20, 2015
Posts
398
Location
Syracuse, NY
Im still looking at my options of how much or little we need.
Upon looking, though, seems like my truck is not a good fit for it.

My payload is 3602. It is a long bed as well.

Am I be TOO cautious with numbers or is that a decent amount to start with?
I do not want a soft side TC.

Thanks.
 
Take whatever the camper weighs and add 800-1200 pounds for the fresh water, gray & black water, all the stuff (food, clothes, tools, etc) and the additional weight of the passengers and be sure you don't exceed the GVWR for the truck.
 
Hello OutdoorFT,

After spending the last few years planning on a 5thWheel, we recently started looking at truck campers (long story as to the "why"). Like you, our preference is also for a hard-sided TC.

We were also planning on a SRW CCLB truck like the one you already own, but have noted that some of the heaviest campers would really need a duallie in order to be within the truck's rated rear GAWR: beyond total payload, ie GVWR minus your ready-to-drive weight (ie, considering driver and passenger weight, fuel, and anything else you carry in the truck) you should also consider final loading on each of the truck's axles, and from what we researched so far, rear GAWR could be much more of a problem with a TC than with a 5thWheel.

We don't know much yet, but we've found a few models that should be within your truck's stated payload: the lightest Arctic Fox TC which is the 811 model (at 2873lb) and many of the Northern Lite Sportsman models (like the 8'11" QC at 2160lb) would be within those 3602lb you stated, even after (in the Northern Lite case) adding the 800-1200lb that AStravelers recommended. But again, you should not just trust the total payload,  and should consider the individual GAWRs too.

As we mentioned, we are still in the very early stages of our research re: truck campers, but we've already come across a concern which seems to be unique to them (ie, don't happen with 5thWheels or TTs) which is the position of the COG (center of gravity) of the TC in regards to the truck; seems the truck manufacturer specifies a rather limited area within which  the TC's COG must be located in order for the truck to keep its balance. For e.g. 2015 RAM trucks, see  p. 3 of this PDF here: http://m.ramtrucks.com/download/pdf/manuals/2015-RAM_15_25_35-Camper-Guide-3rd.pdf
(we haven't come across a similar document for your Ford yet, but I'm pretty sure it exists).

The above is pretty much what we've learned re: TCs so far; I hope it helps, and that more experienced TCers will chime in with their knowledge so we too can learn more.

Cheers,
--
  Vall and Mo.
 
Hello AStravelers,

AStravelers said:
Take whatever the camper weighs and add 800-1200 pounds for the fresh water, gray & black water, all the stuff (food, clothes, tools, etc) and the additional weight of the passengers and be sure you don't exceed the GVWR for the truck.

Thanks for these numbers, they will really help in our own research. To avoid hijacking the OP's topic, we've just posted a new one asking more about this and similar points: http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,104081.new.html

Cheers,
--
  Vall and Mo..
 
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