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KnightEagle

Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2025
Posts
7
Location
North Texas
I'm new to this forum but been running with TC for two decades. A lot has changed over the years. We got spoiled and want to take home with us. That has bite us in the rear. More you add to a TC or your truck the heaver the rig gets. There is a limit each truck can handle safely. Try not to go over it. Lets begin Each truck has a max weight. Can add air bags, stabilizer's overloads overload shocks, etc. all those add weight And with a 1/2 ton that starts to push you out of a hard side TC fast I had a Weekender it weighed in at 2850 it was over the weight for my 1/2 ton also the 78" wide was fine. So I bought a 3/4 I made a mistake of listing to the sales man he was just looking at saleing the 3/4 ton for the commission he would get. I wanted a 1 ton. 3/4 tons can carry a good amount of the TC out there but you will need the add ons, shocks, stabilizers, overloads. no matter what you add never get away from sway can cut down the sway some what. You get into 1 Tons they pretty much can easily carrier all TC out there. All the add ons are the same adds to your weight but adds peace of mind will have less sway than a 3/4 ton but its still there. Then the heavy trucks the dually the 350's 450, 550. most all TC can be carried on these trucks the 78 inch wide campers have a problem going on these trucks need to add with plates of steel to push the jacks out 3" per side. They need 84" Campers they are perfect for side door models. I have all the add ons even my own build 4' hitch extender. I tow a heavy trailer it will put me at my limit easily. That I don't recommend its don't do what I do . Back to the start all trucks have limits on weight length and how wide. Don't put a long bed TC on a short bed truck. They make TC for them. Then the pop up TC there ok for all trucks except dual's because of how wide they are unless you extend the jacks out. SO pay attention to weight size ask questions of those that own them. Dealers just want to sell you what trucks they are told to push. The dealers at TC and TT are a little better at screening out what they sell to us. Dealer I go to is 300 miles from us. They meet our needs they ask the right questing's. When we bought our TC they told us we needed what size of truck as a min. Also did the same when we just purchase our TT sence we our living full time in the TC.
 
Pretty much what gets preached here. I am on TC #5, started in 1997, learned most things early on and not all the hard way. Right now 2007 Chev 2500 with Fleetwood Angler on it. Interesting thing, at least on this year Chev, the 2500 and 3500 share same frame, engine options, trans options wheel/tire options, mainly suspension. 5 leaf to 8 leaf.

You mentuion no long campers on short beds. True, but some campers are designed to fit either baased on COG. (center of gravity). I have the standard bed but a 9’ camper, however it was designed to also fit a standard bed. My COG is 2” in front of axle.

Not sure how mobile you are now, but there will be a TC Rally in Quartzsite starting middle of next week.
 
I was looking for them to start thinking about staying with Std features and helping the quality of there ride. You can add all kinds of crap to the ride to carry say my Adv 116 DS on a 1/2. In looking at what each item does on paper would help but i'm not going to ride in it be very unsafe. A 1/2 ton (1000lbs) closer to 2k with legal speak they back it back to 1k. Like your truck Bill I had what chev called the heavy half had extra leafs as well. I think they all up the payload by adding heaver axles and tires and leaf springs. All that gets added on say thats ok, but what gives me a thing to worry about is only good as the weakest link.
 

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