I carry a Lance 825 on my light-duty 3/4 ton, 6.0 gas and 3.73 gears. The camper loaded scales at 2600, puts my combo right at GVWR. The truck has no mods and carries the weight just fine.
If I was towing with the camper on, I would definitely want more power. I also tow a 9000 lb trailer with this truck - it works fine but right at the edge of acceptable.
2wd gas trucks are lighter. Add 4wd, add diesel, add larger cabs, the truck gets heavier and you lose payload.
2003 Silverado 1500HD with Quadrasteer
2005 Airstream 30 Classic Limited
I carry a Wolfcreek 850 per the tag (23xx lb's loaded with water, two batteries, propane). My truck is a 2008 Chevrolet 2500HD Crew Cab Standard Bed 6.0 GAS 3.73 gears. The truck handles the weight perfectly fine, the 6.0 has plenty of power behind it and I wouldn't have any problem having a smaller trailer behind it with some toys on it.
I had a Diesel truck, a 2008 F250 Extended Cab Standard Bed XLT and it's Payload per the sticker was 18xx lb's. The truck also weighed in over 8200lbs at the scales, my chevy is right around 6200lbs. Dropping the diesel and going with the chevy the payload on the door jam is 29xx lb's. So far driving 31 miles to and from work with the camper on, in mountain terrain I average 9.5mpg loaded with the camper. Unloaded on summer blend I am seeing 15.2mpg hand calculated.
If I were looking for a new truck I would go for a 3500HD 6.0 Gas and depending on driving habits either a 3.73 or 4.10 gearing. The new Chevy / GMC upped their tank size to I believe 36 gallons. The new payload's are around 4,000lbs for SRW Ford / Chevy / GMC trucks. For some reason the SRW Dodges have toned back on their SRW payload numbers.
For a used chevy truck I would go with a 2007.5 or later, since they have the 6-speed transmissions. For ford I personally like the 6.8 V10 with the 5-speed Tork-Shift transmission. We use the V10's at work with full utility boxes and pull around some heavy equipment. I have had one guy say his personal rig gets 15mpg unloaded with it, then another guy says he get's 10mpg. One thing to think of, if your planning on going Gas for the payload numbers and you ever think you will be hauling an 8,000lb travel trailer I would go for the 6.8 V10 from 2005+ on with the 3V heads. That 450ish FT/LB TQ is hard to argue with, and I have driven the Tork-Shift transmission.. it's amazing.
These are just based on what I "know" about Chevy / GMC as the poster asked.
* This post was
edited 05/17/12 06:48pm by an administrator/moderator *
2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD 6.0, 3.73, Firestone Air Bags, CCSB LTZ
Also, keep in mind that in 2008+ the difference from a 2500/3500 or F250/F350 is a sticker on the door and a different leaf spring/overload spring setup. Otherwise the trucks are identical. From what I was told by multiple Ford/Chevy/Dodge dealerships is in some states F350 (10,000lb + GVWR) had to title and registered as a commercial vehicle. Some people will beat the GVWR sticker to death, others are more concerned with axle load limits, to each their own.
Just thought I would toss that in there, as you will most likely find a LOT more 3/4 ton trucks on the used market as I did.
donn0128 wrote: Forget a 3/4 ton from anybody! Get a 1 ton SRW. That 1800 "dry" number will blossom to 24-2500 pounds in a hurry and there is no way a 3/4 ton can handle that much without a lot of work.
Seriously? So you're saying one of the lightest hard side TC's out there still needs to be on a One Ton truck? So how are all the rest of the folks here carrying a 4000# plus camper on their one ton? No sarcasm, just trying to understand the logic.
It is very simple. I had a second gen D/A 2500HD. Scaled ready to travel it was 7500 pounds. GVWR was 9200 pounds. That means in plane terms that I had 1700 pounds left before I exceeded the manufacturers GVWR. The Op's camper has a mystical dry weight of 1800 pounds. So if and that is a big IF he could actually get the camper and it actually weighed 1800 pounds he would be over the GVWR by 100 pounds before he added and water, propane, batteries, accessories, clothes or food. Adding those things plus who knows what else will make that 9200 GVWR 2500HD GM offering scale ready to camp at well over 10,000 pounds. Now, if you or he choose to ignore the manufacturers ratings, then by all means forget my comments as the rantings of a crazy old man who does not know anything. Also remember the RAWR dictated by the tires on second gen GM products is only 6080 pounds. And most of a campers weight will be placed over the rear axle. From what I have seen, Fords are not much better. Their loaded ready to travel weights are higher as are their GVWR numbers. So basically it is a wash with all the manufacturers.
That may all be true but my 2009 F-250 6.8L V-10 has nearly 3000 pounds of payload. Not all trucks are created equal
donn0128 wrote: Forget a 3/4 ton from anybody! Get a 1 ton SRW. That 1800 "dry" number will blossom to 24-2500 pounds in a hurry and there is no way a 3/4 ton can handle that much without a lot of work.
Seriously? So you're saying one of the lightest hard side TC's out there still needs to be on a One Ton truck? So how are all the rest of the folks here carrying a 4000# plus camper on their one ton? No sarcasm, just trying to understand the logic.
It is very simple. I had a second gen D/A 2500HD. Scaled ready to travel it was 7500 pounds. GVWR was 9200 pounds. That means in plane terms that I had 1700 pounds left before I exceeded the manufacturers GVWR. The Op's camper has a mystical dry weight of 1800 pounds. So if and that is a big IF he could actually get the camper and it actually weighed 1800 pounds he would be over the GVWR by 100 pounds before he added and water, propane, batteries, accessories, clothes or food. Adding those things plus who knows what else will make that 9200 GVWR 2500HD GM offering scale ready to camp at well over 10,000 pounds. Now, if you or he choose to ignore the manufacturers ratings, then by all means forget my comments as the rantings of a crazy old man who does not know anything. Also remember the RAWR dictated by the tires on second gen GM products is only 6080 pounds. And most of a campers weight will be placed over the rear axle. From what I have seen, Fords are not much better. Their loaded ready to travel weights are higher as are their GVWR numbers. So basically it is a wash with all the manufacturers.
The 6080 lb RAWR is more than adequate when you consider the unload rear weighs less than 3000. If you consider RAWR the more critical spec., that works just fine with the OP's target camper.
Also, 2500 with overload springs added is a 3500, not counting the tires/wheels. If the original tires aren't overloaded, they're fine too. It may be a lot easier to find a 2500 used. Overload springs are not "a lot of work".
jamminalong wrote: Hey folks we're getting ready to get back in the game.
Ford folks same with you. Tell me what to avoid on the F250 & the goods.
Dear jamminalong-
I am the owner of a 2006 F250 with a 5.4L V8. I chose the small gasoline engine for several reasons, but reliability issues with that year's ford diesel wasn't one of them. I liked the lighter weight of the gasoline V8 for camping on the beach, for one. I liked the better automatic transmission. I liked the coil springs in the front.
The problem with any turbocharged engine (for me) is that the vehicle will sit in my driveway for weeks on end. Turbochargers, I believe, do not like to sit without having their bearings oiled.
If you want to see what people are recording for their mileage, go to www.fuelly.com. I keep track of my mileage there (average 11.9 mpg) too.
Another good technique for evaluating vehicles is to lurk the owner websites, e.g., http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum30/. I am sure there is a similar website for GM truck owners. Here you will get a more or less objective view of how well owners like their vehicles, and what problems they are having.
I wanted a diesel and for that reason looked primarily at Ford and Chevy. I ended up with a Chevy as I was able to get a much better deal then I could find for the Ford trucks. In the used diesel truck market the Ford trucks were $5000 less for low mileage 2-3 year old trucks than equivalent models from Chevy.
I would want a large gas tank, a 4.10 rear end, a 6-speed transmission, a limited slip rear differential, a heavy duty tow/haul package, high capacity rear axle, and a super cab or extended cab. Then it comes down to what you can find on dealers' lots. People special order trucks all the time but that costs them an extra $5000 or more as compared to a truck that a dealer would like to move from their existing inventory.
Once I knew which models and options were worth having and which were not worth the cost (like a nav system or leather seats or satellite radio, or air conditioned or heated seats or rear camera) then I scouted out truck listings within a 250 mile radius from my house. I made it a point to go directly to the sales manager or fleet manager at each dealership to avoid paying the salesperson's commission. I always start the negotiation the last week of the month when they are more interested in moving additional units to make their quantity tiers with the factory.
Once I have a deal on the truck I start asking for discounts on extras or free items. I got the dealer to swap out the mirrors for camper mirrors, add 6' oval side bars, a bed liner, and a tool box, for no charge and had I bought these extras the cost would have been over $2,000. I also got the manager to agree to provide the truck with its 36 gallon tank full of diesel which was another $120 in savings. It all adds up and it never hurts to ask.
donn0128 wrote: Forget a 3/4 ton from anybody! Get a 1 ton SRW. That 1800 "dry" number will blossom to 24-2500 pounds in a hurry and there is no way a 3/4 ton can handle that much without a lot of work.
Seriously? So you're saying one of the lightest hard side TC's out there still needs to be on a One Ton truck? So how are all the rest of the folks here carrying a 4000# plus camper on their one ton? No sarcasm, just trying to understand the logic.
For a few $$ the additional rating is a slam dunk. Why the resistance to a 350/3500 SRW?
donn0128 wrote: Forget a 3/4 ton from anybody! Get a 1 ton SRW. That 1800 "dry" number will blossom to 24-2500 pounds in a hurry and there is no way a 3/4 ton can handle that much without a lot of work.
Seriously? So you're saying one of the lightest hard side TC's out there still needs to be on a One Ton truck? So how are all the rest of the folks here carrying a 4000# plus camper on their one ton? No sarcasm, just trying to understand the logic.
For a few $$ the additional rating is a slam dunk. Why the resistance to a 350/3500 SRW?
Not a resistance, just didn't think I needed a 3500 for a 2500# wet camper.
So if 3500 is the way to go....send me in the right direction for SHORT BED. I know one of the big three had 3 different lengths for the bed (one being too short).
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