dwilliams
New member
I've currently got an 2015 Arctic Fox 990, on a 2015 SRW 3500 Duramax. I've got 72000 miles on this setup so far. Overall, I've been very happy with the setup. The Arctic Fox is a heavy camper once fully loaded with water and gear, however. The nameplate sticker has it as 3500 or so lbs dry, but it's really pushing 5000 wet. The truck hauls it around like nothings there. The truck stops with no issues at all. The exhaust brake and tow haul mode downshift and control the weight flawlessly on highway grades. It accelerates great, holds highway speeds well, and will pass many other vehicles going up a grade.
The one problem I've had is tires and wheels. About 3 years ago, I cracked two wheels on a trip to Utah. Switched to a different wheel, and haven't had an issue since, 6X,XXX pdd miles later. I just returned from a trip to Tucson, where I had a few more tire/wheel issues. Had two tires separate on me, and 1 wheel crack. Now, the tire separation could have been going on for some time. I just rotated my rear tires to the front before this trip, and that's when I noticed a bad vibration due to the separation. They could have started separating anytime in the last 10,000 miles or so, and the weight of the camper may have overpowered the vibration while on the rear of the truck.
The tire's I'm running are Toyo 285/65R18's load range E. Rated for 3640 lbs at 80 PSI. The wheels are rated for 3500 lbs I believe.
I'm curious what others with larger, heavier campers are running. Most of my miles are highway due to long distances being traveled from Washington state to the southwest, but I put plenty of dirt road miles on the setup as well. I'm considering trading this truck in for a 3500 DRW. I'm also considering a forged wheel, or maybe even a 19.5 wheel with a commercial tire.
What are the pro's and con's of these options? I'm sure a DRW can go absolutely anywhere my SRW would go with this setup, as the camper is the limiting factor here, not the truck width. I know in certain snow situations, DRW can have a tough time getting traction, but you can always chain up, or pull the outer wheel off until you're out of it. Any other pro's or con's to consider? Any other good options out there I haven't mentioned?
I'm pretty well committed to the heavy Arctic Fox camper, so I'd like to match up a truck/tire combination to mate well with it. I am absolutely sold on the huge capacities that the 990 comes with. 60 gallons of fresh water, 30+ gallons each of gray and black water holding tanks. Dual batteries and propane tanks. Plus a slide out for lots of interior room. This has proven to be a great setup for me on 2-3 week long trips into the southwest. I can leave Washington with a full water tank and propane, and never need to fill up or dump my tanks for the entire duration of the trip. I'm sold on the convenience of this. I just want to match it up to something that's not going to leave me on the side of the interstate changing tires when I should be exploring and vacationing.
The one problem I've had is tires and wheels. About 3 years ago, I cracked two wheels on a trip to Utah. Switched to a different wheel, and haven't had an issue since, 6X,XXX pdd miles later. I just returned from a trip to Tucson, where I had a few more tire/wheel issues. Had two tires separate on me, and 1 wheel crack. Now, the tire separation could have been going on for some time. I just rotated my rear tires to the front before this trip, and that's when I noticed a bad vibration due to the separation. They could have started separating anytime in the last 10,000 miles or so, and the weight of the camper may have overpowered the vibration while on the rear of the truck.
The tire's I'm running are Toyo 285/65R18's load range E. Rated for 3640 lbs at 80 PSI. The wheels are rated for 3500 lbs I believe.
I'm curious what others with larger, heavier campers are running. Most of my miles are highway due to long distances being traveled from Washington state to the southwest, but I put plenty of dirt road miles on the setup as well. I'm considering trading this truck in for a 3500 DRW. I'm also considering a forged wheel, or maybe even a 19.5 wheel with a commercial tire.
What are the pro's and con's of these options? I'm sure a DRW can go absolutely anywhere my SRW would go with this setup, as the camper is the limiting factor here, not the truck width. I know in certain snow situations, DRW can have a tough time getting traction, but you can always chain up, or pull the outer wheel off until you're out of it. Any other pro's or con's to consider? Any other good options out there I haven't mentioned?
I'm pretty well committed to the heavy Arctic Fox camper, so I'd like to match up a truck/tire combination to mate well with it. I am absolutely sold on the huge capacities that the 990 comes with. 60 gallons of fresh water, 30+ gallons each of gray and black water holding tanks. Dual batteries and propane tanks. Plus a slide out for lots of interior room. This has proven to be a great setup for me on 2-3 week long trips into the southwest. I can leave Washington with a full water tank and propane, and never need to fill up or dump my tanks for the entire duration of the trip. I'm sold on the convenience of this. I just want to match it up to something that's not going to leave me on the side of the interstate changing tires when I should be exploring and vacationing.