Lance 825 on 3/4 ton truck?

c7train

Observer
I posted this in the domestic full size section as well since I wasn't sure if it was a truck question or a camper question.

I have a 2003 Dodge 2500 cummins 6 speed manual with 95,000 miles on it. I LOVE the truck and am thinking of putting a truck camper on it. The top choice is a Lance 825, and in the description of this camper it says, "you can live the dream in a genuine Lance camper with your short bed* Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan or F-150/1500 series truck." The payload of all these trucks is less than 2000lbs (minus the F150 in some models), and the stated wet weight of that camper is 2150lbs. My truck actually has a similar payload as some 1500's due to the heavy cummins engine and manual transmission as a 1500 series truck, but the axle ratings are much higher.

My question is this, with the Lance 825 fully loaded, my wife, our kids, the dog, a full tank of fuel, etc, etc, we are going to be over the 1990lb payload (at least that's what the internet says) of my truck, by about 500lbs I bet. The truck has airbags and such, which I know doesn't change my GVWR, but can help with stability and safety. I'm not concerned with the liability of insurance claims and such, if we only worry about that we will never leave the house. I just want to ensure my truck doesn't snap in half or break while on a road trip. I plan to get E rated tires unless someone says something about a better option on here?

Am I missing something or can my truck handle a 2100lb camper?

Thanks for the help on this.
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
Your truck can handle that camper fine. We had a camper that size on a 1986 F250, with AC, no awning though.

I just can't get past that Lance 850's are $30,000. There's got to be a camper out there just as good, with a lesser name. Supply and demand, and all that. If Lance can charge that, there's got to be someone wanting a piece of that action. I think I'm going to re-evaluate my needs and take a 2nd look at TT's. A 23' TT is $16,000. Even if I have to ditch it at a parking lot-ish campground and expo without it. LOL. Like this:
https://www.rvtrader.com/dealers/Co...isting/2016-Keystone-Hideout-232LHS-118010699

I have little doubt about that, with the air bags. Be smart about tires and tire psi. And travel dry as often as you can. Paper plates and cups. No heavy dishes, no tons of clothes. Be smart about cargo. Pretty safe bet that 90% of slide in camper folks are way farther over their rating than you'll be.

There's alot of fat in that camper that can be trimmed away. Lose the Tv, microwave, table, jacks, stove cover thing, sink cover thing if it comes with one, etc. etc. etc. Every ounce counts, it all adds up. If it has the stupid cupboard, high over the dinette that folds down so smallish kids can sleep in it, those weigh a ton (at least our ancient campers version did) and the hinges pop off easy enough to leave that door at home. Especially if you have the heavy AC option.

I once had my friends scale their 25' TT, 5000# wet. It was near it's max around 7,300. That's alot of dishware and clothes. Every bit counts. They had three cast iron camp fire pannini makers and 2 pizza pocket ones. 8 rain jackets, more dishware than I've ever owned at home, an entire camp fire ring, etc. etc. And decorative awning lights, got to have at least 3 strings of decorative awning lights.
 
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ripperj

Explorer
With air bags and a rear sway bar you should handle just fine, but fully loaded with the fam and dog I bet you will be 1000# over(or close)
 

Theoretician

Adventurer
There should be a sticker in your driver's door jamb specifying the payload for your specific truck, minus the weight of things you've added like bumpers and bigger tires. More specific, you should be able to go to any weigh station on the highway, or perhaps a junkyard that prices by weight, and get the wet weight of your truck with a full tank of gas and such. GVWR minus current weight is your available payload, although you may want to record the current weights of the front and rear axles as well.

With a 13 year old truck that has 100k miles I'd be really wary of exceeding the design limits of the truck that were set when it was new. It'll probably handle the load without complaint for a while, but you're cutting into safety factors that might become really important when you have to perform an emergency stop because of an ************ in front of you in traffic.
 
I drive a 2005 Chevy 2500HD short bed and I've got a 2005 Bigfoot 9.4 camper on it. In addition, I'm towing a Jeep Wrangler. 13 years later and only one problem. I'm usually on the road for months so I pack a lot of stuff. Typically it's just me and two large dogs, but sometimes with a friend too. I run 19.5" wheels and 14 ply tires. For suspension upgrades I added Firestone air bags, Rancho 9000 shocks, & an additional leaf spring. My rig has about 230,000 miles on it. I've taken it to the Arctic in Alaska, and all over the US & Canada. Plenty of off road forest service road type stuff. My only issue over 13 years was brakes overheating on a coastal mountain road which I shouldn't have been on anyhow. Typically I drive slower, I keep plenty of space between me and the vehicle ahead, and I'm cautious. That being said, I drive that way everyday no matter what I'm driving so that's not really an issue. I can tell you that there's plenty of guys out there doing the same thing.
 

c7train

Observer
Based on what was said here and in the full size domestic area of the forum we went ahead and put down a deposit on a Lance 825 for our truck. I couldn't be more excited. The truck goes in for new tires tomorrow, then I'll wire it for a camper. Any tips on where to locate the plug in for the umbilical cord of the camper? I am considering doing the Helwig Big Wig as a first mod for the suspension. Thanks for the help thus far! I'll post pics when we pic it up in early March!
 

Regcabguy

Oil eater.
Chuck the garbage stock shocks if you haven't already. A 2.0 reservoir shock will improve the safety and white knuckle factor. Airbags will level the load and a Hellwig Big Wig will help with the swaybar.
Proper dampening of the mass is imperative.Also an E-rated tire with 3ply sidewalls like Toyo's or the ST Maxx will yield much better handling.
Don Thuren's shocks come to mind. He'll valve them custom for the camper.
 
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c7train

Observer
Pics of rig

Well we went and got the camper and started with a 3 day riding adventure in Fruita. The trip was a BLAST! I have a buddy down there (also an expo member) who served as our trail guide down there while riding and took us to some of the best riding on a bike I've ever enjoyed. It was a great time and the camper is super nice. The sale went perfectly, and the seller I now consider a friend. I'm now starting the process of getting the truck and camper system dialed. I have a few kinks worked out, but a few more to go. Here's a few pics of the rig thus far. Thanks to all who helped coach the purchase on here.
 

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Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
Nice. How much? The #'s just don't work for me. I can't spend $29,000+ on a camper either.
 

c7train

Observer
We paid 17,000 for it which is more than we wanted to spend, but it got us exactly what we wanted/needed (need is relative obviously).
 

c7train

Observer
Jut wanted to give a little update on the truck camper. We had a 4x4 camper van with a CCV poptop, like a sportsmobile, just without the logo/price tag. Then we went to a Pleasure Way Class B, sold it and got this truck camper. Thus far it has been the best platform for camping we have yet to own. With our family of 4 and a 70lb dog, this thing handles the group so well!

We have only 12 nights or so in it since purchase in March, but it was the best 17,000 I've spent in a long time. The condition of the camper was amazing, and it functions so well. The truck handles the load pretty well too. I could use some heavier duty shocks, but the springs seem to be well matched to the load.

So, plusses of the truck camper over the vans as we have encountered them are: No more scraping a thick layer of frost off the windshield and side windows after a cold night of camping before we want to drive. Not that it's a huge pain, but we no longer need to swivel a chair around for seating. We never have to set up or make a bed, and never have to un-setup the bed when it's time to drive. The cockpit stays setup with kid seats all the time and is ready to go. The truck drives better than both vans did, in fact it's quite nice to drive on road trips. I did extensive suspension work on our 4x4 van and it never drove this nicely. We no longer shuffle car seats around before bed time, we no longer need a place to store our bedding since the bed is always made. This camper has heated tank areas and is 4 season ready (the other vans were not). We have larger holding tanks for fresh, grey, and black water. Climbing gear now goes in the truck when not in use and isn't taking up storage in the camper. The dinette is always made since we don't need to make a bed out of it to sleep on, so we have more counter top space using the table when cooking. There is more countertop space in this camper than both our previous vans, The shower is bigger in this than the Pleasure Way (Our SMB-like van didn't have one). Lastly, the cost. A guy can get a heckofa camper and truck for pennies compared to a camper van that will do the same.

The platform is great for us. Of course there are compromises, the biggest being that we have to "get out to get in" which I thought would be a big deal. It's such a non issue that I can't believe I sold myself on that idea for so many years. In fact it's really nice having the camper be separate from the driving space. Since when we are not in the driving space it can store things if needed, and vice versa when we are driving we can toss a few packs on the floor of the camper with no issue. Our plan is to upgrade to an aluminum flatbed at some point.

In short, it's a total to each his own scenario, but we are happier than we thought we would be with the truck camper platform. If you're thinking of getting some form of camping setup do not write off this idea. It's popular for a reason!

Cheers and thanks for the help Expedition Portal and contributing members!
C.
 

cthom

New member
Thanks for sharing your experiences!! Helps hearing other's perspectives as input for my own decisions.
 

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