The payload on my F250 is 3623 lbs. Not too bad for a F250.

 

2WD gasser is about as good as it gets for payload.

 

So what exactly does the camper package do? I've read fords explanation but I don't fully understand as I'm still a young guy and donnot under stand the full anatomy of a truck.

It it says it adds a sway bar. What is that ?

 

A slide-in camper can present a substantial long-term cargo load to a pickup, and the tall camper raises the combined vehicle's center of gravity.

It's my view that the camper package's purpose is to reduce long-term suspension "dive" and/or "squat" (front and rear respectively) when the truck is fully loaded with occupants, the camper, and gear. Ford's maximum slide-in camper weights are listed on page 12 in the 2017 RV and Trailer Towing Guide.

Depending on the truck model (F250, F350 SRW), the camper package (option code 471) adds up to three mechanical items plus the camper certification. Here's my take on each of these items:

The "camper certification" is a document uniquely generated for each truck based on its final build configuration and is intended to identify maximum camper weight (assuming all truck seats are occupied), and to "bracket" the recommended location for the camper's fore-and-aft center of gravity with respect to the truck's rear axle. The camper CoG should be directly over- or slightly ahead of the rear axle to prevent "unloading" the front axle.

Front Springs:
4x4 F250 and F350 SRW: Maximum one rating step upgrade
4x2 F250 and F350 SRW: Maximum two rating steps upgrade (to help minimize excessive wheel & tire camber, IMHO)

Rear Springs:
F250: Upgrade from three-leaf packs to four-leaf-packs (to reduce excessive rear suspension squat and maintain useful suspension travel)
F350 SRW: No change, already equipped with four- or five leaf spring packs

Rear (Anti) Sway Bar (aka Anti-Roll Bar):
Added to both F250 and F350 SRW. The ASB helps reduce dynamic side-to-side roll due to increased vehicle weight and raised CoG.

I left out the F350 DRW and the F450; I don't know enough about their configurations.

HTH,
Jim / crewzer

 

I had the camper package on both my previous F250 and my current F350. I think it did more for the F250 that it did for my F350, mainly because the main thing you get on the F350 is the sway bar.
That being said, I haul a slide in truck camper as my RV and I wanted the truck camper certification that comes with it. Call me overly cautious in this area but being in the transportation/trucking industry, safety is of high importance. When I found out my year old F250 was way over the legal limits to haul my truck camper, even though I knew it would haul it just fine, I traded it for an F350 whereby I would be within all of my weight stickers.
If I am ever involved in an accident while hauling my camper and it is my fault, one thing the lawyers will fail on is getting me for out of spec truck to camper weight ratios etc. etc.
I think the camper package option is less than $200 dollars upcharge so to me, it is a no brainer option. Gosh, a Hellwig Bigwig sway bar will cost you more than that just for the bar. Then, you have to scratch your head trying to install the darn thing.

 

Does the Camper Package on an F-250 increase the rear tire PSI requirement from 65 to 80 PSI?

 

Not on mine.

 

Officially, no. The camper package doesn't change the F250's rear GAWR (6,340lbs.).

Are you asking specifically about the optional LT275/70R18 A/T tire? The 65 psi pressure spec provides a single tire with a 3,195 lb. load capacity, so twice that (6,390 lbs.) corresponds nicely to the rear GAWR.

HTH,
jim / crewzer