mkirsch wrote: Common practice with an SRW truck is to ignore GVWR and concentrate on GRAWR. You can carry a lot bigger camper that way.
Take for example a typical GM 2500HD truck. GVWR is 9200lbs. GRAWR is 6084lbs.
Empty, nearly every 2500HD I have come across weighs 2800-2900lbs on the rear axle.
Simple math tells you that you've got ~3200lbs before you hit the axle/wheel/tire limits on the rear. Step up to the 3500HD SRW, and you've got another 700lbs of payload capacity.
This is just with STOCK trucks and the same holds true for the Fords and Dodges. Some will tell you that all you need on a 3/4 ton truck is to change the tires to the next larger size to turn it into a 1 ton SRW, and gain the extra 700lbs of payload capacity.
As you can see, by using the ratings to your advantage, you have PLENTY of payload capacity for a really nice camper in an SRW truck.
I think its true that many reference GAWR instead of GVWR but I believe in some States and provinces that is illegal. I can't speak for other locations but the only legal way to do it in BC for example is using the GVWR. It definitely dampens the sales of campers the size of the 1140 and 1150 as they can not go legally on most trucks and it jeopardizes the sales licence of the salesman. Nice campers though. They feel like a big motorhome inside.
2003 Revolution 40C Class A. 2002 Vanguard 22 foot Class C. Diesel smart car Toad or pulling a 2009 Timeout Tent Trailer.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but rather by the moments that take our breath away.
There are no states or provinces that uses the vehicle manufactures GVWR to figure loads on the truck axles/tires. There are some states/provinces that may require a truck to be registered at a certain GVW or gross or a GVWR as determined by the state/province.
My last TC was a 9.5' that weighed 3100 lbs fully loaded. Most of the time we ran at 2800-2900 lbs. The truck had a 6084 RAWR and came in at 5700 lbs. I added heavier shocks and the factory rear stabilizer bar.
"good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" ............ Will Rogers
'03 2500 QC Dodge/Cummins HO 3.73 6 speed manual Jacobs Westach
'97 Park Avanue 28' 5er 11200 gvwr two slides
I have an '03 F350 diesel SRW longbed with a lance 815. Empty my truck with a full tank and two people weighs right around 7800-7900 lbs. GVWR on it is 9900 lbs so I have around 2000 lbs to play with. I don't remember offhand what the dry weight is on the lance but I recall its around 1500 lbs (Lance markets it for 1/2 ton trucks). On a longbed the 815 has no overhang which I specifically wanted because I quite often am towing a antique car and I didn't want to have to go to the expense of upgrading to a class five hitch. I haven't bothered to weigh it with the camper loaded and car hauler hooked up. I figure I may be slightly over GVWR but I don't think its by much. The truck is barely on it's overload springs and looks and feels fine. The only thing I've done is add a rear sway bar.
JIMNLIN wrote: There are no states or provinces that uses the vehicle manufactures GVWR to figure loads on the truck axles/tires. There are some states/provinces that may require a truck to be registered at a certain GVW or gross or a GVWR as determined by the state/province.
My last TC was a 9.5' that weighed 3100 lbs fully loaded. Most of the time we ran at 2800-2900 lbs. The truck had a 6084 RAWR and came in at 5700 lbs. I added heavier shocks and the factory rear stabilizer bar.
Good morning. In BC the weight sheet a dealer fills out when loading a trailer or camper on a vehicle clearly states the vehicle can not be loaded beyond its GVW. From what I understand it is based on provincial regulations (and I am not an expert on provincial regulations) It is also taught and stressed on the MVSA (motor vehicle sales authority) course all salesman must take and pass. It may be different for other places.
I have the rig in my signature. You can be overweight with a DRW if you carry a lot, tow, and have a bigger camper. Frankly, many with Crewcab can have less than 1000 lb advantage compared to a Supercab SRW which is easily reached if you don't watch it. Crewcabs generally cost you 300 lbs. Long beds put more of the weight with the same size camper between the axles.
Again, the DRW vs SRW isn't exactly a sure win for the DRW...it depends. It depends on what you carry, how heavy your people are, how much you bring with you, and how much the camper weighs.
I bought a SRW because I needed one to be able to park at work, and generally like the way they look. My goal was to stay within the payload for my truck, and I've done that by having a Supercab and keeping my gear on the low side. Granted, I haven't felt abused, but doing smart things like keeping the black/grey tank empty helps a lot since they are usually on the rear of the camper.
My truck handled the camper fine stock, but handles it even better with my mods and gives me more room for error with respect to tire capacity. Many here have tuned their SRW rigs which includes optimum air bag pressure, shock settings, and tire pressure. I'd take one of these tuned rigs over a generic Crewcab DRW with 11 1/2 camper.
That being said, there is more than one way to accomplish carrying a camper...and not one perfect way.
'06 F350 Lariat Supercab SRW, 6.0 PSD 4x4 Long Bed, Intake Elbow, Walker Big Truck Muffler. '06 Host Rainer 950 Double Slide, Fastguns. Firestone Air Bags, Rancho 9000s, Vision 19.5s with Hankook DH-01 245s, Energy Suspension bump stops.
SRW Dodge with Northstar as described in sig. Real world weights as shown below. Mods include higher LI tires on stock steel wheels, 9000XL, Helwig, and custom made spring perches to engage overloads sooner. The combo handles great!
1) Truck only, full tank diesel, no tailgate, no passengers:
front = 4,540
rear = 2,960
total = 7,500
2) Truck only, full tank, 1 driver, tools & gear just before purchase:
front = 4,920
rear = 3,340
total = 8,160
3) Camper on after picking it up on purchase with: full tank diesel, dry camper except for 2 full LP tanks, some gear (tools & wood for camper bulkhead blocking):
front = 4,860
rear = 5,940
total = 10,800
4) Camper on, full tank diesel, fully loaded and wet, full cassette reservoir, generator, gasoline food, beer, gear, guns, ammo for a week out:
front = 4,980
rear = 6,540
total = 11,520
Conclusions:
COG on this particular camper dry is probably closer to the center line of axle depending on cargo. My only "pseudo dry weighing" was weighing #3: with some gear that I brought to assembly the blocking in between the truck and camper. Both LP tanks were full and they are located at the rear of the TC affecting COG weights of a "half-wet" camper. COG per mfgr. is about 3" forward of the axle WITH full water which I did not have on this scale measure.
Real world camping out- to- the- woods camping weight is reflecting in weighing #4. Some weight will transfer over time as the forward mount fresh water tank gets used and gets deposited to the gray tank in the rear.
If my camper were any heavier or I did not go off-road as much as I do I would be considering more the idea of 19.5's... but my setup handles the load pretty well... I was a little surprised at the CAT slips and what kind of weight I am carrying once it is all loaded up.
2005 Dodge 3500 SRW, Qcab long bed, NV-6500, diesel, 4WD, Helwig, 9000XL,
Nitto 285/70/17 Terra Grapplers, Honda eu3000Is, custom overload spring perch spacers.
2008 NorthStar Arrow short bed.
One thing I noticed between my truck and the newer model (2008 & 2012) was the change in the GAWR. While the front increase significantly (due to the diesel engine??), going from 3350# to 4850# (6000# for 2012), the rear GAWR really didn't change much, going from 6830# to 7280# (same for 2012), an increase of 450#.
Last night, I was trying to get the spec's on the Dodge but their site kept freezing.
1999 Ford F-350 4x4 CC SRW Shortbox, V-10, 4:30 limited slip, Camper/Trailer Tow Package, Rancho RS9000X shocks, Bridgestone Dueler 265/75R16 ("E") A/T Revo
Camper - in the market
2004 Lowe 1860 SC Camo Roughneck w/ Yamaha 4-stroke 90/65HP Jet
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