Looking for some help understanding my options since I don't math so good... I don't really understand the payload + tow+ hitch extension

I currently own a 2016 f250 6.7 srw w/6.5" bed. No camper package

What are my best options for a Slide-in camper for my truck but it's required that I can tow my 16' car trailer and heavily modified Jeep at about 6500lbs. I'm always towing I to mountains so tow performance and safety is a big factor. Not in a rush to get anything but curious about what my truck can handle.

This is my current setup and it would be awesome to have a camper with sat least 1 slide out, ac, bathroom, etc

 

install the Ford camper package springs and rear anti-sway bar to the rear axle, for In Bed camper.

I think on your drivers door. is total towing weight.. diesel might be 11,000 pounds. depending your gear ratio.

 

Any decent sized truck camper will hang past your bed at least 2 feet with your short bed. The problem is to will need a hitch extention to hook up a trailer. The extention add a LOT of leverage to the hitch.
One on the popular extention system is the Torklift super hitch and supertruss.
I would call them (Torklift) and tell them what you want to do and get there recomendation.
Then start looking at what is the minimum size of camper you can live with.
My opinion, I don't think you will be totally comfortable unless you have a long bed dually.
I just got rid of my 06 f350 SRW long bed for a 11 f450 dually because of the weight of the truck camper we bought. The total weight on JUST THE REAR AXLE was 8,500 lbs, and that was no towing anything. That is with a 12' Lance 1181 camper.

 

Based on the weight you said you will be pulling, towing should not be an issue. However, the size/weight of the truck camper (TC) you can accommodate with your set-up will have its limits.

I agree that you will need to supplement your rear springs. Many ways to do this ... add additional springs to your existing spring pack, replace existing spring pack with heavier springs, add overloads, add air bags or add Sumo Springs etc. Personally I had the camper package already so I just needed some additional rear end spring help so I went with Sumo Springs and they did exactly what I needed them to do in an economical way.

With your tongue weight, I also suggest checking out the Super Truss set-up. I had a custom hitch extension fabricated but I only carry about 300 lbs. tongue weight from a cargo trailer on my hitch extension. You'll be 2-3 times that amount of tongue weight and as far as I know, the Super Truss line-up has options to handle that much weight.

You may also need a weight distribution device. I have little knowledge of these and defer to other members much more familiar about those devices.

Regarding wanting at least one slide out, this may not be possible depending on the total weight you have available for your rear axle to carry. I advise you to weigh your rig, with and without the trailer connected, so you have a good idea of the weights you are working with. Make sure you also know your actual tongue weight. As suggested above, you can then reference the door sticker and see what kind of capacity you have left for a TC.

Tires are very important. You will need at least "E-rated" tires. Some people with heavier TC's go with 19.5 rims and wheels (either Rickson = USA or Vision = offshore). They add lots of weight carrying capability.

The suggestion you may be needing/happier with a dually is a reasonable one depending on the TC you want and your overall weights. Conventional wisdom says first you pick the TC you want, then you match the truck to carry it. Going the other way puts a fair amount of restrictions on what you can/should do.

Lastly, go over to rv.net and access the Truck Camper Forum. Lots of good people wiht great advice there. Some of them are also FTE members and they may chime in here too.

RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Truck Campers

Good luck and let us know whatt you end up doing. Cheers, BugJr ~

 

A lot of good info guys, thanks! Since I just bought my truck trading it in for a dully is not an option and will need to see what can work with my setup and adding suspension upgrades and distribution hitch. I can live without a slide out but not a/c. Worst case is, if I'm not happy with the TC I'm able to haul then I'll stick to tent camping. It's not worth the investment to me if I'm not happy.

I looked at at the torx hitches on etrailer and they seem pretty solid with the dual arm set up. Looks like a lot of pro fishers use that set up.

I'll need to take a visit to the cat scales to see my real numbers for Towing and tongue weight. Then I can work backwards from there with passenger, cargo weight, and what's left over for TC wet weight.

I'm still open to more recommendations if anyone has any.

 

Ziggy, our non-slide unit (Adventurer 90fws) has a great layout for us and we know a slide-out would have been way too much weight for our SRW set-up. The TC factory sticker says it was shipped from the factory at 2,630 lbs. with all options installed, including air conditioning. We've added an awning and with our camping supplies and personal gear, I'm guessing (haven't weighed it since the awning was installed), it comes in around 3,200 lbs. Our F-250 with the camper package, E-rated tires and additional rear Sumo Springs handles it and the 3,000 lb. cargo trailer (loaded) really well.

My point is, I get what you're saying about another truck not being an option ... it was the same with us. There are lots of TC's out there, that don't weigh 2+ tons, that have great layouts without being behemoths ... size or weight wise. And with a few strategic, though not necessarily cheap, mods to your truck, you can bolster up your truck to handle and perform safely. Remember, you can always carry a good part of your gear in your Jeep or on the trailer ... thus reducing the amount of stuff you put inside your truck or TC.

You're on track in starting with your weight numbers. These will determine much of what you can/can't do TC wise.

 

Install a Superhitch. Buy the camper you want, then measure from the hitch to the end of the camper. Then buy whichever Supertruss hitch extension you need. Bonus is the Super hitch comes pre-drilled for camper tie downs.

SuperHitch Original 20K Frame Mounted Truck Receiver Hitch rated up to 20 Thousand LB Towing Capacity | Torklift International

 

I put a super hitch on my truck and will get the extension as soon as our camper comes in and they know how long it should be. Torklift International makes great products.

 

I've seen guys have the trailer tongue extended to work with a slide in.

Depending on the clearances, that might be an option on par with the torque lift options.

 

Your overall limit, Gross Combination Weight Rating for a MY16 F250 SRW with the 6.7 Liter Powerstroke is as follows, based on Axle Ratio.

3.31 GCWR 23,500
3.55 GCWR 23,500

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Look on the door pillar sticker for the GVWR for your truck, and also the Front & Rear GAWR. With an overhanging slide-in camper, the rear axles really get loaded heavily, and the trailer (without a weight distributing hitch) will make it even worse.

 

I forgot about this at first, but it would actually be a solid option, if you are handy enough to build one

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...le-option.html

 

One other thing to consider is where are you going to put all the tools you want to take with you. I had to really cut down on what I brought with me with the camper on. I am considering a small trailer just for all the stuff I cant fit into the camper.

 

I'd probably add a trailer tongue box for odds and ends but for the most part all the tools I bring fit in the bag in the back of my jeep.

 

I should add, you don't need the Super hitch/Super truss. I had a local hitch installer fab up a 24" extension for my truck and slide in. I tow a small 4x8 trailer with my motorcycle on it. Total trailer weight is less than 1000lbs, and tongue weight about 50lbs. I've towed a 20 some odd foot boat a short distance too. My hitch wasn't setup properly for the height of the trailer tongue, because it was an emergency tow, but there were no problems.

 

The Original Poster stated that the trailer being towed was a tandem axle jeep hauler that weighed approximately 6500 pounds. I would want a hitch extension that was rated for at least that much weight, maybe a little more if that trailer ends up with a tool and/or storage box on it.