JaredWPhillips wrote: Just got a 04.5 Dodge/Cummins 3500 Dually 4x4 NV5600 6-Speed. Always been a Cummins fan and owned several, but this is my first dually.
Shopping for a used Truck Camper, and trying to get cheap and functional. I don't mind some TLC, as I like customizing things anyway. I've seen some mid-90's TC's with wet bath's go on eBay for $1500-$2500. Decent condition, just needed a bit of love.
My question is, what realistic weight can I haul on my dually without adding extra airbags, springs, etc? I don't want to max it out either. My instincts tell me to find something UNDER 2000 lbs dry.
Any other 3rd-gen dually owners know the payload rating?
For completely stock, I'd stick to staying under 4K in total loaded ready to camp weight. My AF 1150 basically is 5K loaded ready to camp but I've done airbags, stabiloads, and adjustable shocks which all work great.
And less if your going to tow much more then a small utility trailer or boat.
2011 Dodge Ram 3500 4*4 Black dually Laramie 4.10 gears
2011 Arctic Fox 1150 Drybath
2009 Polaris RZR w/fun parts
2011 Polaris Sportsman 550 XP EPS w/stuff
2006 Polaris Sportsman 500 w/stuff
1977 K5 Blazer 1 ton modified
2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid (her car)
I have an identical truck to yours. As you can see from my pic, it handles my Eagle Cap 995 just fine. I think the 995 is rated at 3300 lbs dry, so probably around 4000-4500 ready to roll. This is my fourth CTD and is, all around, the best truck of the bunch. You have lots of capacity if you are only looking at a 2000 lb TC.
I would say 3500 to 4000 pounds payload easily, buy something to take the squat out depending on the load, keep the overloads engaged to prevent rolling side to side, (Torklift stable loads etc) you will be good to go..
My 2005 with our 10.6 Bigfoot scaled at 12,350 lbs loaded for the weekend with full water on board. Thats 150lbs over my GVWR She just engages the overloads. The tc scaled at 4K lbs. I do have air bags but don't put much air in them. I use them more for leveling when camped. I also have the stabil loads which alow me to run 20 lbs of air in the bags & still keep the overloads engaged. Hope this helps.
Have an 02 Dodge 6 speed with an AF 1150 around 5k loaded. Drives just fine...have air bags and an on-board air controller. This would be the top end. If your in the 2 to 4k range you wouldn't have to do a thing.
I have a 2003 DRW Dodge with a 10 1/2 foot camper that weighs in at ~3300 lbs dry weight. When fully loaded, I am just a bit over GVWR but OK on Axles and tire. Have air bags, but the truck does alright without them as well. I would say I was at max load.
Yeah, 2000lbs won't even bring the truck down to level.
There are two main reasons I'm running such a light camper on my DRW:
1. Towing a heavy trailer. I've got a 7-ton trailer that can have as much as 2000lbs on the tongue.
2. Overhead clearance in my pole barn. The doors are only 10' high, and a hardside camper with AC on the roof won't clear.
2002 Chevy 3500 DRW 8.1L/Allison
2000 Palomino B1500
...and the reason why I need a DRW to haul a Palomino:
2004 United 7x14 tandem axle enclosed toy trailer
2011 PJ 8x20 7-ton deckover equipment trailer
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