I need to upgrade my truck to a 250/2500

[Todd n Natalie]

That's easy to say, until you're overloaded by a ton or so, doing 70 down the interstate when a deer pops out in front of you! Little knee jerk reaction, top-heavy and overloaded, brakes over worked, suspension overloaded- handles like a pig, and poof, you're down the side of a mountain, bouncing off vehicles on the highway, whatever the truck decides because you certainly won't be in control!!
Boy Scout from 60 years ago, Be Prepared seldom if ever fails you...

So unless you're an idiot, stay within the design parameters of the vehicle- and a few driving lessons won't hurt either!!

Exactly. Or instead of the side of the mountain you over correct an d end up in on coming traffic.

Manufactures put limits on their vehicles for reasons. Pretty sure they do a lot of testing to come up with those figures as well. It's not like they just arbitrarily pick a number out of the sky...

Had we been overloaded, or in a single rear wheel, I may not have maintained control and the rig could have rolled. Instead we walked away. Please match your rigs properly.

9 Lessons From A Truck Camper Accident - Truck Camper Magazine

Nine months later Truck Camper Magazine reflects on what they learned from a major truck camper accident.

www.truckcampermagazine.com

This is indented for commercial vehicles, but the same logic applies:

https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/dangers-of-overloaded-truck-accidents-63062

 

[rruff]

That's easy to say, until you're overloaded by a ton or so, doing 70 down the interstate when a deer pops out in front of you! Little knee jerk reaction, top-heavy and overloaded, brakes over worked, suspension overloaded- handles like a pig, and poof, you're down the side of a mountain, bouncing off vehicles on the highway, whatever the truck decides because you certainly won't be in control!!

Like I said.... unless you are an idiot... your brakes won't be overworked, your suspension overloaded, and handling like a pig. The necessary upgrades are not hard to make.

 

[rruff]

Manufactures put limits on their vehicles for reasons.

In the US on 1/2 tons, it's warranty and liability limits for the manufacturer. That's it. No government agencies are involved.

They come from the factory with street tires and soft springs, and a prudent driver will upgrade those things to carry a load.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

In the US on 1/2 tons, it's warranty and liability limits for the manufacturer. That's it. No government agencies are involved.

They come from the factory with street tires and soft springs, and a prudent driver will upgrade those things to carry a load.

Agree to disagree. I'll stay within the capacities my truck is rated for.
If I feel I need to modify the truck in order to handle the weights / payload, I'll get a truck that was designed to carry / tow those weights. Personal choice.

I towed 'at limit' previously at it was not fun. Traded that vehicle in asap.

 

[jbaucom]

In the US on 1/2 tons, it's warranty and liability limits for the manufacturer. That's it. No government agencies are involved.

They come from the factory with street tires and soft springs, and a prudent driver will upgrade those things to carry a load.

Or you could just buy the proper vehicle to begin with.

There's a big difference between trying to talk someone out of the proper decision to upgrade to an appropriate vehicle for their load and helping them make an educated compromise in order to select a combination of lightweight camper and necessary vehicle upgrades to make an existing borderline vehicle sufficient for the task.

 

[rruff]

Agree to disagree. I'll stay within the capacities my truck is rated for.

Nothing wrong with that!

Or you could just buy the proper vehicle to begin with.

If that is easy to do and there are no other significant differences, I agree. But the upgrades are not a big deal, and most us would do similar mods (suspension, tires) to a 1 ton as well. Bone stock, the 1 ton will perform better with a load, no question.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

Or you could just buy the proper vehicle to begin with.

There's a big difference between trying to talk someone out of the proper decision to upgrade to an appropriate vehicle for their load and helping them make an educated compromise in order to select a combination of lightweight camper and necessary vehicle upgrades to make an existing borderline vehicle sufficient for the task.

If that is easy to do and there are no other significant differences, I agree. But the upgrades are not a big deal, and most us would do similar mods (suspension, tires) to a 1 ton as well. Bone stock, the 1 ton will perform better with a load, no question.

It is that easy to do. Just purchase the truck that is designed for those capacities right from the factory.

Is the issue that Toyota does not offer anything more Heavy Duty than a 1/2 ton Tundra and some people don't want GM/Ford/Ram?

Just speculating.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Another thing i find odd thats NEVER discussed here is the OFFROAD factor with the GVWR.

GVWR is calculated on the stresses in every day use, aka street driving.

Add the strains of offroad use and the stress on components (steering, brakes, suspension parts, etc...) multiplies.

This is a simple common sense factor that is basically ignored here.

Anyone arguing their rig rated to 10k "weighing in safely at 9500" and then going offroad, is an utter buffoon and quickly added to the ignore list.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Is the issue that Toyota does not offer anything more Heavy Duty than a 1/2 ton Tundra and some people don't want GM/Ford/Ram?

100% Absolutely

I've been a Toyota guy my entire life and owned one of almost every single model except for the 55 and 200 series.

It was a HARDDD decision to go Domestic for my current setup, but there simply werent any other options

 

[rruff]

Is the issue that Toyota does not offer anything more Heavy Duty than a 1/2 ton Tundra and some people don't want GM/Ford/Ram?

That's about right... and the fact that heavily loaded Tundras are easily made to perform well and be reliable. And when I bought the truck I stupidly didn't think I'd be over GVWR... ? If I had it to do over I'd probably get a 1-ton mostly for the boxed frame... and domestic 1-tons tend to be more reliable than 1/2-tons which is another benefit.

GVWR is calculated on the stresses in every day use, aka street driving.

I think the primary determinant is the number of warranties for failures. They realize some people will stress the chassis much harder than others, and if driving fast offroad while loaded resulted in these trucks falling apart, a lot of people would be disappointed. They are way overbuilt for sedate street driving... unless your roads are full of bomb craters...

 

[calicamper]

My neighbor has been a big truck camper guy for probably 100yrs. LOL
His current rig which he’s had for 15yrs is a Duelie standard cab 3500 dodge with a huge rotten Lance camper. He’s in it about 4 months a year sometimes longer. He’s had just about every variation over the years.

He definitely says the duelie is key. He’s not particularly happy with the diesel. He does remote stuff and has had difficultly finding fuel at times. One thing he says for sure campers are heavy as hell and just assume you’ll be 1000+ more than your rough figuring on weights.

 

[TexasSixSeven]

Agree to disagree. I'll stay within the capacities my truck is rated for.
If I feel I need to modify the truck in order to handle the weights / payload, I'll get a truck that was designed to carry / tow those weights. Personal choice.

I towed 'at limit' previously at it was not fun. Traded that vehicle in asap.

View attachment 749393

Towing well below limit with that vehicle would suck far more than towing at limit with an actual truck. I log 25-30K a year towing anywhere from 5K to 25K and I’d much rather be well above legal capacities for a cross country trip on a Super Duty than tow 2K anywhere with that thing.

 

[deserteagle56]

He definitely says the duelie is key. He’s not particularly happy with the diesel. He does remote stuff and has had difficultly finding fuel at times. One thing he says for sure campers are heavy as hell and just assume you’ll be 1000+ more than your rough figuring on weights.

He's right about the dually. Been using a cabover camper for many years but on a SRW. When I finally went dually I was very surprised at how much more stable the ride was.

I wonder where he goes "remote" camping that he has trouble finding diesel? Out here in outback Nevada you can always find diesel, gasoline not so much. But that's because in the outback (ranches/farms/mines) everyone runs a diesel pickup.

 

[Slocral46]

For a lightweight camper you have a lot of choices. I have seen that new Tundra TRD hybrid pulling some heavy loads. It would be my choice for your application. I just ordered a Ram 2500 Diesel since I'm pulling a big travel trailer. I seriously considered the tundra though. As you know they are hard to beat. Good luck with the new rig.

 

[jbaucom]

For a lightweight camper you have a lot of choices. I have seen that new Tundra TRD hybrid pulling some heavy loads. It would be my choice for your application. I just ordered a Ram 2500 Diesel since I'm pulling a big travel trailer. I seriously considered the tundra though. As you know they are hard to beat. Good luck with the new rig.

The OP isn't talking about a camper that you tow behind the truck; the OP is talking about a truck camper that sits in the truck bed.