When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
So, I am looking at a couple of campers, a 2002 Lance 845 and a 2009 Lance 845.
I know, generally speaking, it is best to choose the camper first and then pick the truck to go with it, which is not an option for me.
So, I have a 2014 Ford f250 Crew Cab 4X4 Short Bed, which measures 6 3/4 ft with the tailgate up. My understanding is that the 845 should fit this, no problem.
This is a stock 250, meaning it does not have the camper package, so no helpers, sway bar and no extra leaf. It is the 10,000 lb GVWR version.
Max payload, according to the door sticker is a little over 2996 lbs.
What I have added to the truck, that would have possible positive effect in terms of a slide in camper, are:
Rancho 9000 adjustable shocks on all 4 corners.
295/70 18 tires all the way around, which I believe have a max rating of 4100 lbs, give or take.
Other than that, I don't have anything else on or off the truck related to a slide in.
So, what will I absolutely need, specifically, to safely carry one of these campers?
I plan on having this on the truck quite a bit and plan on doing a lot of traveling.
Our truck in signature is a lot older but one of the more beneficial tow mods was the Hellwig front sway bar.in place of the OEM one.Our ArticFox 811S is 4500lb loaded, so I added a lot of tow mods.
You would be better off going with actual truck weight at a CAT scale with full fuel tanks. That would give you a more realistic payload weight. I would even make the sale contingent on weighing it at the scales before handing over any cash.
A Lance is not a light camper so you would have to figure out its weight, then add at least 500 lbs to that for water, propane, food, clothing, misc. junk and any passengers. My concern would be you will end up way over your 10,000 lb GVW. The camper might have a very optimistic weight plate on the outside somewhere to help figure out the weight.
As far as making your truck carry more than the maximum GVW, I caution against it. You can add big Hellwig bars and some type of add-a-leaf or airbag system but in the end, if the campers both prove to be too heavy, you might want to rethink this. You will find pop-up campers are quite a bit lighter.
Just offhand, I'll bet the 2002 Lance is the lighter of the two.
I recommend you put together a realistic list of everyone and everything you want/need to carry, and compare that against your truck's rated capabilities.
Heres's the math we went through for a relatively light truck camper.
Dry weight of that camper is 2412 lbs. Unfortunately, that measurement is almost completely worthless. You need to add in water, propane and ANY other cargo that is placed in the camper (dishes, food, clothing, etc). Then you have to consider the cargo you put into the truck (back seat, front seat), that also has to be deducted from your truck's cargo capacity.
You're going to be quickly over your cargo capacity I suspect.
My brother had a slide-in camper on his 3/4 ton GMC. He hated it. He said every outing was a white knuckle ride. It wouldn't surprise me to find that he was at or over his cargo capacity.
Just wanted to say thanks to all of you for the info.
I have been scouring the web about payload capacities and have come to the conclusion that there are a ton of folks out there that are well beyond the legal limits of what they can carry, it seems.It makes me afraid to even get on the road!The max payload capacity that I have come across in my search was about 4500 pounds, and generally, that is limited to duallys or very stripped down base model trucks, in Ford's case, an XL with nothing in it.I was also shocked to learn that diesels, generally, have a lower payload capacity, because of the added weight of the motor. In that sense, I am glad I have the gas motor!I am just amazed at all the folks dragging around 4500-5000 pound truck campers and these monstrous 5'er's that I see all the time. The pin weights are incredible. Load up the family and dogs and a very dangerous situation!I am also amazed that manufacturers and dealers make these things as big and heavy as they are.I have a fairly common truck, which I see all the time hauling these things around with no care in the world.It seems that an F450 class or higher should be a minimum requirement to be able to carry a truck camper that exceeds 2000 pounds or a mid to large size fiver.I also don't understand why anyone would spend money to add a leaf, install torklifts, add airbags, upgrade tires and rims or add heavy duty shocks, when you can't legally exceed the max rating for the truck.So, my conclusion is, I will be looking at campers that are under 1000 pounds.With the family, dogs, supplies, water weight, etc., it should be close to my max payload, and most importantly, keep me legal and safe!I will say, my choices are pretty limited with keeping the weight of the camper low and some seriously expensive square footage.Again, thank you for all of your feedback and help!
I agree with most of what you've said but I think you may be carrying it a bit too far.
If your sticker payload is 2996 pounds as you've said you can certainly afford a camper that weighs more than 1000 pounds.
I would think that you could safely and legally carry a camper that weighed up to 2000 pounds and still be legal.
Now as to the various things we add to our truck it is to make the ride and handling better (at least for me). If you look at what Ford does for their camper package it is basically an overleaf spring and a rear anti sway bar so why wouldn't you do that? In my case I also added air bags to level the truck which in my humble opinion, will allow the truck to handle better. One of the things I discovered after I purchased our Hallmark is that the weight of the camper is not evenly disbursed and in my case the left side is considerably heavier. I think many other manufacturers do the same thing.
I added Torklift Stable loads (lower) Roadmaster swaybars front and rear( didn't have a rear from factory and 5k airbags with individual fill pressures at onboard compresssor. I drive it home 600 miles before doing the above after picking it up and didn't like the sway without the bars and Stable loads. Handles like a dream now. Ours is a 2012 F-250 6.7L with a Lance 855S. I also pull a 34 ft gooseneck at times and the airbags make that a very smooth ride also!
12-31-2017, 09:01 PM
