Will a 2003 Okanagan Camper 96db work with my F250?

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westsidern

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Ok. So I own a 2000 F250 7.3L Crew Cab LB, SRW. Camper Package, and have just put on air bags in the rear. I'm really interested in purchasing a 2003 Okanagan 96DB with a slide dinette that weighs 2,700 dry weight. It is a 10 footer. My first question is, will my truck be able to handle this camper? Secondly, your thoughts on this camper? Looks clean.  Thanks for any thoughts or advice!!! :)
 
10 footer huh? might be a little cramped in there. what is the GVWR of the camper? dry weight means nothing.
 
Since this is a truck camper, it is pure cargo. What is the cargo carrying capacity and axle maximums of your particular truck?? Compare that to the GVWR (maximum loaded weight) of the proposed camper. AND verify the overall length of the box versus the length of the proposed camper. You don't want a lot of overhang as it affects the rear axle-front axle weights and balance.
 
2700 lbs dry is probably up around what the F250 can handle, even with camper package. What is the truck's payload rating? Rear axle capacity?  It would probably be wise to drive to a scale and weight the truck, axle by axle, to get an idea of what how much capacity is actually available.

Have you had a truck camper before? They are all top-heavy compared to most pick-ups loads, so the handling is affected more than a little.

All that said, your F250 is probably as ok as any truck except for the F350 (the dually axle can carry more weight). Newer ones have higher payload ratings, though.
 
The other advantage of a dually is the outer wheels make for a wider rear axle stance compared to singles.  Unlike larger trucks where the rear axle is shortened so the outer tires follow the same track as the front tires, the rear axle on a dually is the same width as the single tire axle, so the extra 2 tires track outboard and add width.

Don't forget to add the weight of water and fuels to your total.  Water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon, so a full 45 gallon tank will add about 360 pounds to the dry weight, whether the water is in the freshwater tank or has been transferred to one of the waste tanks.  A 5 gallon propane tank will add another 30 lbs or so.
 
captsteve said:
10 footer huh? might be a little cramped in there. what is the GVWR of the camper? dry weight means nothing.

Ooops.  Box length 10'1". Width 8'1", Overall ht 8'0", dry wt 2,699 lbs.  The payload on the truck is 2,780. I don't have a number for the GVWR of the camper. Just the dry wt, I think I have to figure on 1000 lbs or more with all the cargo, which takes me well over 2780. I'm hoping the air bags will help to handle it. 
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
2700 lbs dry is probably up around what the F250 can handle, even with camper package. What is the truck's payload rating? Rear axle capacity?  It would probably be wise to drive to a scale and weight the truck, axle by axle, to get an idea of what how much capacity is actually available.

Have you had a truck camper before? They are all top-heavy compared to most pick-ups loads, so the handling is affected more than a little.

All that said, your F250 is probably as ok as any truck except for the F350 (the dually axle can carry more weight). Newer ones have higher payload ratings, though.

This is our first time with a TC. The payload rating is 2,780. Rear axle cap is 6084 in back and 3000 in front. GVWR for the truck is 8800. Air bags add something like 5,000 lb.  I'll see about taking it to a scale to see what the weight of the truck is.  Thanks! :)
 
The air bags may help keep the rear suspension from bottoming out, but at 2699 +1000 lbs of gear, the axle and tires are still way overloaded. And it's still going to be grossly top-heavy, so lots of body roll and wind-steer. Enhanced anti-sway (roll) bars would probably be a wise addition, and you probably need to upgrade the tires too. Check the max load stamped on the tire sidewall (xxxx lbs @ yy psi).

You seem to have already decided to do this. I don't think "insane' would be too strong a term for that much overload, but I've seen other trucks carrying campers that are far beyond their capabilities. Maybe I'm just conservative...
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
The air bags may help keep the rear suspension from bottoming out, but at 2699 +1000 lbs of gear, the axle and tires are still way overloaded. And it's still going to be grossly top-heavy, so lots of body roll and wind-steer. Enhanced anti-sway (roll) bars would probably be a wise addition, and you probably need to upgrade the tires too. Check the max load stamped on the tire sidewall (xxxx lbs @ yy psi).

You seem to have already decided to do this. I don't think "insane' would be too strong a term for that much overload, but I've seen other trucks carrying campers that are far beyond their capabilities. Maybe I'm just conservative...

Ok. This is going to be too much of a safety problem, and don't want to damage my truck.  Will focus more on a lighter camper. It seemed too good to be true, that our truck could handle it.  Thanks for the reality check.  :)
 

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