hello, I just purchased my first camper, a 2003 Arctic Fox 990. I am putting it on a 2006 Dodge 2500 Quad cab 4x4 5.9 Cummins. I have Firestone airbags, everything else is stock. I also am going to be towing a Chaparral 21' boat weighing in around 4800lbs including trailer. Camper says it weighs 3300lbs loaded. What are your recommendations for the truck to insure a nice safe trip with this setup. My hitch is heavy duty and was told by the factory it could hold 18000lbs, not so sure about that though. Truck is rated at 12000 for hauling. front axle weight around 4200, rear around 3500 I was told. As far as GVWR it sounds to me like I am way over, but I am not sure how they calculate that, is it just tonge weight or entire package? Any other recommendations you have for a newbie would be great.
Thanks again
My guess is that you have the stock 16" rims and might have the stock tires rated at 3,042 pounds each. So if the stock rims are rated at 3050 at 90 PSI cold, and someone installed 265 MM wide rear tires rated at 3,215 pounds each, you still can not have over 6,000 pounds on the rear axle.
Now you plan is to tow a small boat with perhaps another 300 - 400 pounds of hitch weight, with the hitch ball about 60" beind the rear axle. So with a 180" wheelbase (yours is slightly shorter than that, but as an example) with 450 pounds pushing down on the hitch ball, and being 1/3 of the distance behind the rear axle as the wheelbase is long, then you would transfer about 150 pounds off the front axle, and place another 600 pounds on the rear axle when the trailer is hitched up.
If the empty truck weight is 7,700 pounds, split with 4,200 on the front and 3,500 on the back, adding 600 pounds to the rear axle will not overload it, and taking away 150 pounds from the front axle will not effect steering at all. However if you add the 3,300 pound camper to the truck, and the center of gravity on that is about 39" from the cab to COG, then you will put about 180 pounds of the camper on the front axle and 3,500 or so of the camper on the rear axle (with water tank full, closet with stuff in it, cookware and some food). That will add 3,500 pounds to the rear axle that already had 3,500 pounds on it, and hitching up the boat will add 600 more. Can we say "I need a dually"
The 2005 and later F-350 dually can carry about 5,500 pounds of cargo and hitch weight, but if you are going to change trucks, you really should only consider the F-450 with it's 14,500 pound GVWR, and something like 6,500 pound cargo rating. Then a 3,500 pound camper with 400 pounds of camping gear in it, and 750 pounds of hitch weight will be no problem! Heck you could even carry 600 pounds of passengers in the crewcab!
I suggest taking the truck and camper to a scale, but DO NOT fill the water tank. Also inflate the tires to 90 PSI and don't exceed 55 MPH, the rear tires are probably overloaded a lot! I would check both rear tires - one at a time, or check the rear axle weight, then check one tire weight, so you will know if one tire is heavier than the other, you can re-balance things, or know if one tire is over it's weight rating.
My guess is both rear tires will be over it's rating. Your best thing to do is find a lighter camper or heavier truck. Even the Rickson Truck rims will not help out much, you are probably way over the GVWR of this truck.
4 wheel drive, crewcab and diesel engines are each a 450 pound option, add them together and you have your empty truck in the 7,700 pound weight rating, with a GVWR only a few hundred pounds higher, and passengers will probably fill that amount!
Fred.
Money can't buy happiness but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche or Country Coach!
OK, this is where the "weigh 4 corners" stuff is coming from.
Weigh your LOADED package, and be sure the steer, drive, and trailer axles are on individual platforms of the scale.
This will give you 4 weights. The individual axles and a Gross.
Use the AXLE weights to determine where you are according to the sticker.
1/2 of the axle weight goes to each side.
There is NO need to weigh each "tire" as that all changes with road surface cant/crown, winds, curves, and speed.
Look at the GVWR for the truck. Then weigh the truck and camper ready to go, not an empty camper without water, stuff, etc. I think that will help you decide that the 2500 may be a little light in the carrying department for the camper you have selected. My camper is 3000 pounds empty, 4000 loaded and ready to go and I have it on a Dodge dually and still needed air bags and energy suspension bumpers to make it ride right. I suspect your camper is heavier than mine. The 450/550 would be a good choice.
'05 Dodge Cummins 4x4 dually 3500 white quadcab auto long bed airbags overload springs bumpers
'00 Elkhorn 10V w/basement
I agree with the above advice; weigh it to see where you are at. I would bet that most AF990's are on SRW trucks, but I personally would not want to haul that camper on an SRW, especially if I was also planning on towing something substantial. Please post your weight results when you get them.
I had my AF990 on a 2002 Dodge 2500 4x4. Same suspension as the dually for that year model. It handled it fine with the mods I made, but even with the 285/16 tires rated at 3740lbs each, I was slightly over the tire rating. Never had a problem, just was always in the back of my mind that I was pushing it. The AF990 is heavy. Mine is right at 5k loaded. With my truck in signature, I have 8200lbs on the rear tires. Thats why I went with the dually. Your tires are going to be overloaded as they are rated for about 3100lbs each. Definately need to upgrade there. I'd recommend the 19.5's.
Rich
'07 Dodge/Cummins 5.9 3500 Quad Cab DRW SLT Big Horn 6 speed manual, Pac Brake Exhaust Brake, Timbrens & Overload Bump Stop Spacers; Tork Lift Super Hitch, Tiedowns and Fastguns
'04 Arctic Fox 990
You are most definitely overweight. My 2007 Dodge 3500 QC 4x4 Longbox SRW has a GVWR of 10,100 lbs, and I would be overweight with your camper in the back, never mind the 5000 lb boat trailing behind......
Check the GVWR on your driver's door. That's the most your truck can legally weigh, and that includes any cargo(or a camper) you've got in the back. Your truck probably weighs around 7000 lbs. Your camper's tag "says" it weighs 3300 lbs loaded(it's probably heavier than that).
7000 + 3300 = 10,300, and that's without any gear. Fully loaded with water and supplies, I'm willing to bet your GVW will end up being closer to 11,500. Now compare that number to your GVWR.
I feel your pain, brother. I'm in the same boat as you when it comes to the weight issue. Luckily, though, I did my homework BEFORE buying the camper, and am still in the market for something my truck can legally handle.
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