Newbie question

[westfi1]

          I am a new member and this is my first post.  I have a 2004 Dodge 1500 pick-up that I would like to find a used slide in truck camper for.  It is half ton with a crew cab and a 6.5 foot bed.  It is a 4x4 with the hemi engine.  It has the towing package with heavy duty everything-springs, shocks, axles, cooling system, battery, etc. It has a removable tailgate, stabilizer bar, and transmission fluid cooler.  The GVWR is 6650 pounds, and the GAWR front/rear is 3900/3900 pounds.
     What I need to know is whether or not I can put a slide in truck camper on it, and if so, how much can it weigh ?  Thanks very much in advance for responding.     

[RoyM]

Welcome aboard. This place is addicting there is a lot of experience here.
What camper are you looking at and what would be it's weight fully loaded? You don't want to exceed the GVW for your truck. The other issue with your standard bed 1/2 ton crew cab is the centre of gravity. Most campers are at least 8' so much of the weight will be shifted rearward over or even behind the axle. This can make for an extremely unstable combination. Our federales are out with the portable scales and will get tough with improperly loaded pick ups.

[1joester2]

I would take the truck to a local dealer (preferably a larger dealer with a large inventory) and see what they suggest.

If I had a truck like that, I would be leaning towards a smaller 5th wheel and not have the top heaviness to deal with.

If your intent is/was to offroad camp, you would need to be extremely conscious of the terrain. Having driven a pick up truck with a slide in, I can easily picture your truck on it's side in a creek bed.

Joe

[lets go]

Hey gang looking forward to talking and maybe seeing you all out camping...i have a ford f-350 with a lance 11+ on it.....on the 7 pin OUT of the ford the 11 o-clock pin is unused.....my 11 o-clock pin out of my lance is my interior lights on the camper....Question? is there a way on the ford to "switch on" the unused pin 11 o-clock pin from the ford to power my interior lights? or do I have to double up a connection at my lance to get them? Every thing else is working great>>>>>>>>

[lets go]

 Just purchased a cabover camper for my ford 350 ...rigg has a set of solar panels and charge controller...the battery was bulging from the sides and leaking acid from the top ...My guess? over charging ? control charger seems to be working... no indication its not...how do I trouble shoot ? and does anyone have any suggestions for a new battery ?

[Lou Schneider]

Hi Westfi - welcome to the RVForum!

Two points you have to consider are the camper's weight and how that compares to your truck's load capacity, and the center of gravity of the camper.   The camper can't weigh more than what your truck can carry (especially the rear axle weight) and it's center of gravity must be on top of or in front of the rear axle.  If the center of gravity is behind the axle the camper will remove weight from the front axle, not a good thing.

Six-Pac Campers has a list showing which of their campers will fit a given truck.

If you're going to do a lot of off-pavement camping, consider something like Northstar's pop-top camper.  The canvas walls around the pop-top give it a lower center of gravity than a similar hard sided camper.

Lance also has a lightweight model designed for a half ton truck.

I'm sure there are others out there, these are just examples to get you started.

Good luck with your search and don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions!

[Lou Schneider]

Lets Go -

Try turning  your ignition switch to the "accessory" position and see if that energizes the 12 volt line to your camper.

[lets go]

OK Im not at my truck until latter today if that works what does that mean?

[lets go]

ignition trick didnt work whats the next step

[shermand34]

Hello,
 
What are you looking for in a truck camper?  What are you wanting to do with it?  Are you going to be going to campgrounds all the time?  Or will you be doing like I do, and that is getting lost in the middle of no where in Wyoming and Montana's back country.  I can tell you that I use a Palomino pop-up slide in truck camper.  I have a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 short bed and standard cab.  The camper is 8' long on the bed floor, then overhangs above the cab about 4'.  I actually have mine listed on here for sale now.  It weighs right around 1000 pounds empty.  If you are interested in a used one, let me know and I will send you some pictures.  My e-mail address is shermand34@yahoo.com.

Thanks,
Dennis

[beddows]

Look at the Adventurer 80GS, a new hardsided camper made for light trucks. It even has a slide.

http://www.amlrv.com/campers_model_80GS.php