First, let me say that yes I've read other threads where this is discussed. Thank you very much.

Truck specs are in my sig. Cargo rating per the sticker is 6,114 pounds. I'm considering getting a slide-in truck camper that, when fully wet, and with my family, dogs, firewood, cargo, etc, the truck would be 'overloaded' by ~500 pounds. I would be installing Stableloads and airbags.

Setting aside legal concerns on if I get in an accident when overloaded, I'm currently of the mind that the truck would handle it just fine. More than fine, actually. What do you think? Hit me with your raw opinions, pro or con, it's all good. TIA.

 

Truck will handle it fine, there's a lot of room for error. But I personally wouldn't do it, the liability just isn't worth it to me. Even more so than the liability though, I'd rather have a lot more room for error. I like to be overbuilt for the situation so I'm not constantly worried about some minute detail. That crap is exhausting for me, when I'd rather be enjoying my journey.

Peace of mind for me.

 

The only way to know for sure what your weight will be is via a certified scale. You can be sure published weights provided by camper manufacturers will be lighter than actual. It could be that you will be more than 500 pounds over. I agree with Tricon's comments. I feel If you are overloaded, there is nobody that can say it is ok, despite the fact the truck will likely handle it fine. Best to look for a lighter camper, or so it seems to me....

 

No problemo, just cut some cargo weight out. Empty the camper in the driveway. You'd be startled what you can cut back on. My missus had an entire dinner set. Why do 2 people need 4 mugs? Etc. etc.

Firewood? Where in the world do you store firewood with a slide-in camper?

Weight ruins the fun of camping. (especially fat girls)

 

My rear GAWR is 9900 pounds. I assume yours is the same. Stableloads and airbags will help with the springs. Leave the water tank empty and don't carry firewood with you and you'll be under the limit (assuming numbers are accurate). I'd like to say I'd go for it, but I'd probably be stressing about it the entire trip simply because the numbers are so close.

 

I would feel better about it if it had 4.X gears

I assume you have the anti sway package

do the load ratings of your present tires exceed the weight you want to put on the rear axle

I once towed 25K with a 3.0 ford windstar. it did it.....but developed a crank slap.

 

Go for it.

 

You said you've read other threads, so you already KNOW the truck will handle it. The truck won't all of a sudden start falling apart, but it will wear a little bit faster and harder than if that 500 lbs wasn't there (I would agree it's very minimal). You won't be able to stop as quickly or as short if it wasn't there, but I assume you already know that. To me, you're really looking for whether you want to be in the majority or minority when it comes to being okay with some excessive wear, extra risk or being a rule follower and that's really a personal and individual decision. I also don't believe there is a majority/minority on this topic on this forum, it seems pretty evenly split in my opinion.

Personally for me, I pull a 10K lbs camper with about 1,400 lbs tongue weight. I originally pulled it with an F150. I once drove that combo from Michigan to Maine and back and the truck handled it really well, but when loaded with the family and gear it was technically over the trucks axle weight rating, payload rating and max towing rating. I chose to upgrade to an F350 mostly so I feel better about not causing excessive wear and not having extra risk (especially with my kids). Remember, when it comes to accidents, it's not always about you, it's the a-hole driving down the road on his/her phone that will probably cause the accident. And that a-hole will find a slimy lawyer that will figure out you were 500 lbs over capacity and knew about it.

You've already got the truck, so if I were you I'd either find a lighter camper, or carry a little less gear. But, the thing is, I'm not you, so your call. No judgement here, we already know you're a decent guy since you own a Ford.

 

 

I think you would be fine. If concerned, get a small trailer to tow firewood and other extra items. Then you'll be well within the weight ratings and be legal.

 

Since your load (when loaded) will be pretty consistent, I would give Timbrens a look as an alternative to bags. You bolt them on and your done. I prefer them in this situation because they increase lateral stability much better than air bags (air bags do nothing for lateral stability), and they are much more reliable (extremely reliable with no maintenance required), and they bolt on in 10 minutes..

If you go way over your load rating at times, have you considered a small trailer to carry some weight when you need it?

 

Good call - I agree. We do try to be as minimal as possible but every now and then we find ourselves packing everything including the kitchen sink.

Yes, it has the sway bar which came with the camper/snowplow package. It does have the load range E tires on it and between the 4 rears, we wouldn't be overloading the tires at all. Definitely a good thing to keep ay eye. Thanks.

Thanks, I appreciate that! Been a Ford guy for most of my life. If we go this route, we would consider only filling the fresh water tank half way, or just carrying a couple 5 gallon jugs for drinking/cooking. Not filling the fresh water tank at all saves us 500 pounds (!!).

That's a heck of an idea on getting a small trailer. I didn't even consider that due to tongue weight still taking away from overall payload but I think you're right, done properly it'd put us well within limits. I'll definitely check this out more.

Not even heard of Timbrens. I'll check them out, thanks! And yeah, as noted above the small trailer idea may be just the ticket. I wouldn't want to go too large - the whole idea is to keep as much contained on the truck as possible so we are mobile and can get into tighter places. The trailer idea for long trips to camp sites, is really a great one. When we plan to be off the grid in the Alaskan wilderness, we can just not fully load the fresh water.

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the ideas, thoughts, and opinions.

 

People overload trucks by far more than that everyday.
People get raped in court, sometimes justifiably sometimes not, for negligence everyday as well.

Putting aside legal concerns in the litigious time we live in seems short sighted.
If you've got attachable assets it's not a wise move. If you've got nothing to lose, other than a few thousand to file bankruptcy then that's up to you.

 

 

If you want to see how Ford (and all manufactures look at the subject of how options affect payload, its about as clear as mud on the attached You can read until your eyes bleed and it is still confusing.

Its is called ARC, or Accessory Reserve Capacity and it has much to do with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards set forth by the federal government. Start on page 29 for this subject, but the whole document is very informative.