Hello all. I am new to the forum, however, I have been stalking as a non-member for a long time. I love seeing everyone's builds! My wife and I want to get out more and go camping/exploring. I figured a more dedicated vehicle for this would make things a little easier. I want to build a rig that is self contained (no trailer). Living and exploring in the mountain state, we find ourselves down a lot of very narrow mountain roads and forest roads where turning a truck around is sketchy at best. I can't even imagine dealing with a trailer in these places. Our current camping vehicle is a 2018 Ram 1500 Sport regular cab 4wd. It has no real modifications done to it. I had line-x put in the bed, got some weathertech floor mats, and tinted the windows. I love this little truck. Of all the trucks I have owned, this one is probably my favorite. I want to retain the ability to use my truck as a truck if need be, so we are leaning in this direction: decked drawers, softopper, xtrusion overland rack, wedge style rtt. Those are the basics, however, bumpers would be nice, the stock front bumper comes way down (actually decided against a creek crossing yesterday because of this). I don't think I really need a winch, so something like a pre-runner style would likely work (just want to get better approach angles). There would obviosly be suspension upgrades as well, but since they dont increase payload capacity, I won't go into that at this point. This vehicle is technically my daily driver, but my wife and I work at the same place, so we can take her Jeep Grand Cherokee most times. After finding our direction for this build, we were quite excited and ready to make things happen. I had been watching Youtube videos on overland stuff, just trying to learn every little thing I could before we embarked on this journey of putting together a rig, when I stumbled across a video on gvwr and running over on weight (I believe it was on the outdoor auto channel). This of course prompted me to go check my B pillar sticker and I was somewhat surprised by what I found. My payload capacity is only 1248 lbs. This is probably not panic inducing for most folks, but my wife and I are not small people. I am 5' 11" and 350 lbs (I am working on this, lost 3.5 pounds just this week actually!) and my wife is around 230 lbs (dear lord don't tell her I posted that on the internet). So after taking nearly 600 lbs for just occupants, that leaves me with 648 lbs for all the added stuff. I do tend to be minimalistic in my approach to camping, but even then, I feel like we are going to go over weight regardless of what we do. I could fit most of our stuff in the decked drawers. Large items would include a cooler, aluminum camp table, 2 chairs, shower tent (for anything longer than a weekend), a chuck box, and 1 or 2 NATO style 5 gallon water cans. We also want to use this rig to do some 1 to 2 week road trips out west once or twice a year. I don't plan on doing any serious offroad. The truck will be used mostly on mountain roads, gravel roads, and highway. I have no problem with easy trails and shallow creek crossings, but I'm not going to be doing anything that would potentially end in complete destruction of my truck. So the question is, should I even bother starting down this path? Can I make this work or should I hold off and look for a 2500? I am also curious to know if a wedge style rtt can support our weight (or any rtt for that matter). We like the wedge style for quick tear down of camp, especially in a road trip type scenario where you pull in, make grub, catch some shuteye, and hit the road at first light. I do realize that a rtt is not absolutely necessary, but if possible I would like to get up off the ground. I have attached a photo of my B pillar sticker, not sure there is any other useful information there though. Thanks in advance for any guidance y'all can provide!
Ram 1500 build ... should I even bother?
- Thread starter Olde_Kyng
- Start date
rruff
Explorer
If you want to use it as a truck, an easily removable pop-up camper and air bags would make sense. I'd recommend better shocks also with a mild front lift, and heavier duty tires a little larger than stock. As for the bumper, a sawzall should work well on the parts that hang down too far...
Yes, you will be "overweight" like pretty much everybody else... GVWR is the manufacturer's liability and warranty #. It isn't illegal to be over it.
Yes, you will be "overweight" like pretty much everybody else... GVWR is the manufacturer's liability and warranty #. It isn't illegal to be over it.
LOL. I was so worried about making sure I got all the information that I thought would be pertinent in there that I didn't realize I had written one very large paragraph. Duly noted!Most likely your rig will be over. If it's easy for you to change up the truck that would prob be a good call long term.
Seem to me tho much of the stuff you mentioned (clip 1 and 3 below) could be transferred over from old to new truck IF the box length and size stays the same.
So if some of those items would, "make things a little easier" I'd say it's worth the bother of starting. You'll soon figure out which items work and what doesn't and that might be useful beta going forward that could save you some heartache.
Trucks and all of this overloading stuff get expensive fast. There are so many set up choices and so much jazz online you really have to focus on what works right for you and your situation.
btw, welcome to the forum !
... and don't be shy to use paragraphs
I had not thought about transferring stuff from my current truck to a new truck at a later date. I will definitely look into that. I figure if I do go with a bigger truck at some point, I will likely get something like a Ram 2500 Big Horn 6.4L , crew cab, with the 6 foot bed. I will have to find specs on these and see what, if anything, would transfer over.
Yes, this stuff does dig deep into the wallet. It is for this reason that we are being very cautious about our approach and really trying to think ahead about how we want to use it. I know we won't get it 100% on the first attempt, but I would like to get as close as we can. We can afford to piece this together a little bit at a time, but we can't afford to totally miss the mark and waste thousands of dollars on stuff that won't work or we don't REALLY need. We could swing a new (used) truck, I just really don't want to do it with interest rates being what they are right now.
Thanks for the warm welcome. You have given me some things to think about.
I was leaning toward a Bilstein 6112/5160 setup and just level out the front. I was thinking about getting the factory 20's off of there and going to a 17 or 18 inch wheel with a tire in the 34 to 34.5 inch range. I am absolutely open to suggestions though.
I have not looked much into campers other than the GFC one with the integrated rtt (not sure this really qualifies as a camper). What kind of camper would you suggest? I don't know a lot about air suspensions, other than my old rebel had air ride and it was cranky as all get out when the temperature got down below freezing. That was pretty much my reason for trading it in on the truck I have now. That, and I couldn't stand that tiny bed. You put a cooler and two camp chairs in there and it was nearly full (I'm exaggerating a bit, but you catch my drift).
If everyone is running overloaded ... I guess my next question is, how much is too much? I obviously don't want to make my truck unsafe or make it handle in an unpredictable manner. I also assume that taking it to the dealer for service with 2 tons of extra stuff on it could cause me some headache in the warranty department as well?
ThundahBeagle
Well-known member
The Rams are usually allowing a higher "chin strap" under the front bumper but you may be able to take yours off. I know my GMC air dam comes off.
If you "level" the front and plan to pack a lot of stuff in the back, raise the back up an inch or so as well. The bilstein 5100 series rear shocks are made for an extra inch. You will be glad you did.
Instead of a RTT, when you do the decked system in the back, consider a hard topper like a Leer, and bed down on top of the Decked system. Or build a frame of 2x4's and cover with plywood so you can roll some totes underneath and use that as a bed platform. A lot cheaper than Decked, and you can just yank it out when you want to use the rear for cargo. That will save you a lot of weight instead of the RTT. and as long as you have a 6.5 foot bed or longer, you wont really want for space, except for head space.
A Leer comes at can height, 4 inches higher than cab, or another measurement even higher than that. I have the 4 inches of extra headroom (Leer 180, I think).
We camped out of the back of my truck like this from Boston to Big Sky and back for 2 weeks, hitting the Badlands, Big Sky, Yellowstone, some places in Colorado, etc.
If you "level" the front and plan to pack a lot of stuff in the back, raise the back up an inch or so as well. The bilstein 5100 series rear shocks are made for an extra inch. You will be glad you did.
Instead of a RTT, when you do the decked system in the back, consider a hard topper like a Leer, and bed down on top of the Decked system. Or build a frame of 2x4's and cover with plywood so you can roll some totes underneath and use that as a bed platform. A lot cheaper than Decked, and you can just yank it out when you want to use the rear for cargo. That will save you a lot of weight instead of the RTT. and as long as you have a 6.5 foot bed or longer, you wont really want for space, except for head space.
A Leer comes at can height, 4 inches higher than cab, or another measurement even higher than that. I have the 4 inches of extra headroom (Leer 180, I think).
We camped out of the back of my truck like this from Boston to Big Sky and back for 2 weeks, hitting the Badlands, Big Sky, Yellowstone, some places in Colorado, etc.
ThundahBeagle
Well-known member
Save the roof of the Leer for a rack and things that will matter a little less if they take a fall from that height. Queen size air mattress fit nicely, sleeping bags keeping us warm. Space under platform was the right height for a couple of short, long, wheeled totes. Stacked 2 deep in each channel. Used a woodworking clamp to grasp and pull out the front most tote.
Mekcanix
Camper
I have a 2016 Ram Rebel, air deleted.
I really love this truck, I do at times wish it was HD, but I only need a HD every once in a blue moon. We camp contantly with our, but pull a smallish camper.
I do love the truck, but you have to be aware of the limitations of any rig. I run a cap with a bed slide. I do stupid truck stuff more time then my body likes.
I really love this truck, I do at times wish it was HD, but I only need a HD every once in a blue moon. We camp contantly with our, but pull a smallish camper.
I do love the truck, but you have to be aware of the limitations of any rig. I run a cap with a bed slide. I do stupid truck stuff more time then my body likes.
dstefan
Well-known member
Well, it depends . . . on a lot of things. Known weak points of the truck, where and how you drive it, how much you drive it overloaded vs not, where the overload is (eg, is it your HD springs, suspension, airbags, tires, wheels or other things to make it better able to handle off-road conditions and loads, or all sorts of heavy things up higher that create other issues and weight weaker parts of the rig) and finally, how in control of your rig you can be with the weight.
What I’ve settled on personally is I’m not gonna let it get over my combined axle ratings, which are about
You’ll find thousands of threads and posts about this and everyone has their opinions. Nothing you do is without some risk, but usually, you can manage it within reason.
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rruff
Explorer
Your suspension and tire thoughts sound fine. I'd suggest keeping your front lift to 1.5-2". Any more and you'll need to lift the rear, probably need UCAs, and front end parts will wear out sooner.
I'm not well versed in campers, but the light pop-ups like Four Wheel Camper are pretty well liked. I was thinking that a camper you can completely remove easily would make the most sense, since you want to use it for truck stuff. Scout is a non-popup that is pretty simple. It seems that old campers were often lighter than the newer ones, if you can find one in good shape.
If you take it to the dealer, the camper will be at home, so...
Air bags (and cradles are a good idea also), are just adjustable boosters for the rear suspension. Firestones are common... I bought Torque brand which were half as much, and no problems yet.
If you make appropriate tire and suspension upgrades, and drive like an intelligent person who knows he's carrying a load, the axle ratings are usually a good limit. However, these aren't necessarily based on axle strength, rather shocks and springs and tires might be the limiter. Even better, check other people's experiences with hauling a camper with truck models similar to yours, and see if durability issues have been noted.
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rruff
Explorer
That is a 950 lb difference on mine.
dstefan
Well-known member
Yeah, come to think my GVWR is 7100 and the axle rating is just a bit over 8000.
rruff
Explorer
First time I saw one I LOL'd... that ladder looks very precarious, and inconvenient. And especially with what Olde_Kyng and his wife weigh... no way. Being up high would be kinda nice I guess... but if you think that will protect you from predators, grizzlies won't have any trouble getting up there, and I don't think anything else is a threat. Grizzlies aren't a threat unless you are in their territory, which is quite small in the US. Am I missing something?
There are very nice ground tents these days that basically erect themselves. Sounds like a good way to go...
mountainsports2002
Observer
Go buy a load of firewood, and haul it and see how it handles under weight, lol.
Todd n Natalie
OverCamper
I've always kind of wondered what the appeal of an RTT is. Like you said, it's always attached to your vehicle, you have to climb in and out of it, more expensive than a ground tent and usually smaller. Ease of set up is what I always thought. But as you said, there are easy set up ground tents now. I'm not discounting RTT's, I've never used one so maybe there is something I'm missing. Maybe easier to level a vehicle than find level ground for a tent?First time I saw one I LOL'd... that ladder looks very precarious, and inconvenient. And especially with what Olde_Kyng and his wife weigh... no way. Being up high would be kinda nice I guess... but if you think that will protect you from predators, grizzlies won't have any trouble getting up there, and I don't think anything else is a threat. Grizzlies aren't a threat unless you are in their territory, which is quite small in the US. Am I missing something?
There are very nice ground tents these days that basically erect themselves. Sounds like a good way to go...
ITTOG
Well-known member
I have never had one but when I was considering them the primary benefit was being off the ground. That was 75% of why I wanted one. The biggest negative was what to do with your shoes after climbing the ladder and before you entered the tent. A long story short, I instead decided to build a slide-in camper.