I've been looking through the 2008 Lance brochure for campers that could be accommodated by my '01 Chevy Silverado 2500HD SRW truck.
It boils down to two models.....the 835 or the 915.
I did the "Get Quote" thing online in their website.
First, the 835 dry weight (according to the website/brochure)is 2160 lbs; the 915 dry weight is 2505 lbs.
I added the same options to each, of which there are about 37 factory and dealer installed options. (I picked what seems would be "popular" options that most truck camping people would want to have onboard.
Now, the 835 doesn't have a generator option, so I left it out on the 915 to see the comparison. (there are very slight differences)
Results 835: Base weight 2160,factory options 395,dealer 48=2603
915: Base weight 2505,factory options 404,dealer 48=2957 Now, if you add 30 gallons of fresh water: 8.3 lbs/gal X 30 gal= 249
2603 + 249 = 2852 (835) 2957 + 249 = 3206 (915)
Now lets add another 250 lbs of stuff such as lawn chairs, food, clothes, lanterns, etc., you will have:
3102 lbs for the 835, 3456 lbs for the 915.
My truck after weighing it with full gas tank, two passengers was 6400 lbs. GVWR is 9200. 9200 minus 6400 = 2800 lbs.("payload")
With all this said, my truck, with even the small unit (835) would be over by about 302 lbs and the (915) by 656 lbs!
I am struggling with buying a camper for the truck I own outright.
Yeah, I know, "sell it and get a 1 ton dually". I don't want to have to do that!
By the way, it looks like the generator and battery group 31 weigh about 354 lbs. Also, what is the battery group 31?
Thanks for putting up with all this! Hope it makes sense.
I had an 820 on my 2002 2500HD CC and it weighed in at 4000 lbs fully loaded which of course is overloaded. I added 19.5s, air bags, ranchos and it handled just fine with the upgrades. You have to go with what you are comfortable.
Alan, I also own a Chev 2500HD 4wd reg cab. I have a Lance 9SC, which is the 915 in the Sportsman model....It hauled it around just fine without airbags or fancy shocks....I did eventually add airbags and shocks because I had plans of hauling a trailer. The 2500 has plenty of capacity to haul the 915..My total weight is 8300lbs. with water and fuel,,,,,,,,1700lbs front and 2500 rear.....TD
I have a similar truck. I went through the same process you are going through with the exact same campers. I ultimately settled on a Northstar 8.5 Arrow rather than a Lance. Lots more storage than the Lances, and extremely well made. My camper is optioned up pretty nicely but the truck, see profile, handles it great. I am about 300 lbs over GVWR fully loaded but under on both axles and tires. I have recently installed the Hellwig sway bar but did not really need it.
So unless you are set on getting a Lance, I suggest looking at the Northstar campers.
Don't carry all the water. Weight the tailgate and subtract that. Carry a few less things. couple hundred pounds over puts you in good shape compared to many. It all depends on your comfort level. As I said in another post, the weight ratings are where the manufacturer is comfortable with the load, all things considered. A switch doesn't go off, and with the addition of 200 lbs you go from "totally and completely safe" to "You're gonna die..."
Brian
2003 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab, Hemi, 5 speed manual, 3.73 gears, Tow Beast hitch with 24" extension.
28 ft race car hauler, Lola T440 Formula Ford, NTM MK4 Sports Racer
2004 Travel Hawk 8' Truck Camper - Roll at 16K combined weight
alan s wrote: .....By the way, it looks like the generator and battery group 31 weigh about 354 lbs. Also, what is the battery group 31?
Skip the gen and go for a Honda2000 it weighs a lot less and costs less then half what a built-in one will.
The group31 option is simply a larger battery. Check local pricing on batteries before paying the dealer. Also a better upgrade would be to get dual 6V golf cart batteries.
2007 F350,SC,LB,4x4,6.0/Auto,35" tires,16.5 Warn,Buckstop bumpers
2007 Outfitter Apex9.5,270W solar,SolarBoost2000e,2 H2K's,2KW inverter,2 20lb LP on slide out tray,4 Lifeline AGM bats,Tundra fridge
95 Bounder 28' ClassA sold
91 Jamboree 21' ClassC sold
I have a 2000 Chevy 2500 srw long bed and my 835 does just fine. The truck is stock with E rated tires. I tow a 4000 pound boat also. But I would upgrade to a 3500 truck for the 915 due to the boat weight.
Hi, I have a table showing all the weight info for my Chevy 2500HD SWR with Lance 810 camper here.
My Lance 810 has a published dry weight in the same ball-park as the campers you are looking at. My truck has stock tires and wheels, better shocks, aftermarket rear anti-sway bar, and airbags -- and it handles great.
While I am not recommending you exceed your GVR, with a SRW truck and a deluxe style camper it is really hard not to. Many focus on not exceeding their front and rear axle ratings (the sum of which is higher than the GVR), and make suspension mods to make sure the truck handles OK (rear anti-sway bar, better shocks, air bags, and similar). You will no doubt find that a limiting factor for your truck with a camper onboard is the load rating of your rear tires.
Hope you find this info helpful, and good luck on choosing a camper. You are certainly doing the right thing researching this topic before buying a camper.
alan s wrote: ...Yeah, I know, "sell it and get a 1 ton dually". I don't want to have to do that!...
Don't get a 1 ton dually ! Feel better now
IMO, your max allowable payload is going to be determined by your two rear tires as they bear the load of the TC. Figure out the empty scale weight on your rear axle, and go from there.
I would look at the axle rating first. It's in the door jamb. Larger load rated tires will not affect this value.
Offline
