Quote: dndj: Are theose Alcoa mags on your truck? Thanks
Yep. They're Alcoa Hotshots. GM changed from a 6" to a 6.5" wide wheel on their 1 tons in 2001, so the choices were pretty limited since I wanted to stay with stock width, diameter, and offset.
For $5,000 you can get www.dynatrac.com to put a beefed up Dana 80 at the rear to replace the 10.5" Sterling in your SRW truck. Then for $3000 you can get 19.5" Alcoas from www.ricksontruck.com with 5000# "H" rated tires. You will need to put a small lift kit on the truck to clear the tires for $1000. Then AirLift bags, rear anti-roll bar and Rancho shocks $1500 and your ready to go.
Or simply get a drw 1 ton and still be right at the load limit based primarily on the tires/wheels and still needing Ranchos and Airlifts.
It really takes a F450 to haul a 1161.
Lance Lite 915 w/ factory LP generator on my 2000 F250CC LWB PSD Lariat 4WD truck. Ziebart undercoat, interior carpet replaced with color matching bedliner, Wet Okole Seat Covers, 4" Lift with DR's Edge Kit, 6 Bilsten 5100 shocks, Rear SD AirLift Bags, Helwig Rear Stabilizer bar, 35" x 12.5" x 16.5" BFG AT KOs on Weld Super Singles. Detroit Soft Locker in rear with Detroit Truetrac Limited Slip in Front and 4.10 gears. QuickAir3 for airing up tires. 2000 watt inverter run off my dual alternator equipped truck with Aux. Idle Control.
I disagree with your statement that it takes an F-450 to haul the Lance 1161. Fully loaded with fuel, gear, and a half tank of water, I'm still 200 lbs under the GVWR for my truck.
I have all the goodies except solar. I bought the 3500 for payload capacity, where a regular cab chevy/GMC gasser out shines both Ford and Dodge trucks.
While buying an F-450/550 will add significant payload capacity to the truck it ignores the simple fact that truck campers where not designed to be use on ulitity bodies. Several camper models will work fine on low profile body but extended length campers in the 11' and larger range require modifications to the tiedown system.
I've seen pictures of the Lance 1121 on a utility body. The front tiedown location was moved to the lower front jack bolt, replacing the hex head bolt with an eye bolt. The rear tiedowns were removed altogether and the rear tiedown point was bolted directly to the top of the utility body on a welded on L-bracket.
Frankly, tiedown modification is where the problem is for me. Lance is fairly particular about maintaining the correct angles between the happijac tiedowns and the truck frame. Once I saw the 1121 on a utility, I briefly considered upgrading myself. However I was discourage when I saw the price tag for an F-450/550 with another $8,000 plus for a low profile utility body. At those prices I could have purchased a modest Class A and towed my Dually 3500 behind.
Besides mounting to the utility body rather than the frame puts a whole lot of sheet metal in between the hard steel frame and camper tiedown points. That kind of flexing can't be to good for the utility body. I'd rather replace worn out tiedowns every five years or so than replace an out of square utility body.
If you need a crew cab or extended cab truck to haul the "family" around, then the 1161 is possibly to much camper for your truck, DRW or not. It would all depend on the extra gear you plan to carry. The F-550/ Lance 1121 setup I mention earlier was for someone fulltiming in their Lance so they were carrying everything with them. They already figured out that the added weight of the utility body meant an F-450 would have been to small (GVWR) for their needs.
However, I'm not fulltiming, but if I were, adding a small utility trailer or upgrading to a smaller fifth wheel would probably be more cost effective than buying a whole new truck.
2002 Silverado 3500 4X4 8.1 liter. Soon 2005 Cedar Creek 37RDQS Custom
Truck Camper Wanderer,
OK, can I jump in here? I purchased a 2001 GMC 3500 4x4, specifically to haul a Lance camper. Not knowing what model I was going to get.
I decided on the Lance 1161, loaded.......
Am I going to be ok? Most of the time it will be just me, but I am going to be on the road for about 6 month's. I'm a little concerned about the weight, should I be?
Thanks for your comments.
AKDream
Hmmm... a quick visit to lancecampers.com and the "build it" page. I built a loaded 1161 (every option). 4234 lbs dry! If your dually has a GVWR of 12K, then the truck can only weigh a little under 8K (what 4x4 dually weighs less than 8k, especially a diesel?) to be within spec. Then on top of all that, you've got to account for water, fuel, groceries, propane, dogs, cats and you.
As for diesels, I wouldn't buy one because they eat into payload too much. The fuel is heavier and so is the hardware. With an Lance 1161 its all about the payload. The big gas engine will take you anywhere on or off road you want to go.
So lets take your figure of 4234 lbs add 30# of propane 136# of water(half tank) 200# of gear, which brings the total to 4600 lbs.
bringing the gross weight of the rig to 11,145 lbs. BTW the GVWR is 11,400 lbs not 12,000lbs as you suggested.
NETtim, please double check my math. Just move the black feathers out of the way. Sorry Ford and Dodge guys I didn't collect weights and measurement for those models, but all the 350/3500 models I looked at were over 6,500# curb weight.
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