Truck camper payload question?

[rrliljedahl]

I have a truck camper payload question.

We recently put a deposit down on a flatbed Northstar Escape Pod 900 SD hard side truck camper (9 x 7 ft) with an estimated dry weight including our options to be 2300 pounds.

Additional wet weight will include water (40x8.3=332 lbs), people (275 lbs), LP tanks (2x25=50 lbs), batteries (2x55=110 lbs), plus any food and gear easily adds up to 1200 pounds.

I estimate my payload to be at least 3500 pounds.

My thoughts on truck selection include:
Cab creature comforts so that wife is happy
pre 2007 federal diesel pollution requirements making travel to Mexico easier.
Single rear wheel and 4x4 as we want the ability to go off road.

I found a 2007 Classic GMC 3500 LBZ diesel crew cab 4x4 (I will have to install a flatbed).
70000 miles.
SLT trim level
LBZ Duramax 6.6/Allison 6 speed transmission
Heavy duty trailering package
heavy duty locking rear differential
Transmission cooler
3.73 rear axle ratio
GVWR of of 9900 pounds
GAWR RR 6500 pounds
GAWR FF 4800 pounds
Tires are Michellin P265/75R16 LTX E2 (3400 pounds at 80 PSI).

The dealer says that there is no sticker on the door as to payload capacity of this vehicle but there is a sticker in the glove box stating camper should not exceed 2200 pounds. In cruising the Internet, some suggest that the payload as specified by GMC might be as low as 2800 pounds.

I will have to travel 500 miles to see this vehicle.
Before doing so, I hope to get a couple of questions answered here:
Does anyone know how to find the payload capacity for this vehicle?
If the payload is truly only 2800 pounds, is this truck from a practical standpoint capable of handling this camper? If so, what modifications will need to be made?

I do not want to have a discussion of merits of Ford Versus GM versus Dodge.

Thank you in advance.

 

[incognito]

Hy,
all trucks i've saw had a sticker on the door. if it hasn't maybe it was involved in an accident and repaint. Maybe a carproof report will tell better. small accidents don't scare me but bigger ones depends who did the repair. this is only in case it was involved in a accident.

there are three big things to consider when putting a truck camper on a truck: tires, suspension and insurance.
first tire should handle the weight. I saw people with Gmc 2500 with Michelin LTx who did USA tour with a Bigfoot 2500 a 4000 lbs camper, saw a f350 with Bigfoot 3000 a 5000 lbs camper and they did Canada tour. But tires should be in very good condition
Suspension i've added a leaf in the rear and just installed the Firestone ride rite kit 5000 lbs.this will help*a lot the rear suspension on my dually . i have a 2200 lbs camper and a 1000 lbs service box + 800 lbs equipment
payload issue you should call and discuss the issue with your insurance before you buy. heard histories they are allowed to refuse payment in case of accident if towing or putting bigger weight that the truck legal limits . keep the confirmation emails in case they agree.also my insurance wants to be informed of any modifications i've made to my truck, like my service box.
now the off-road issue: in my personal opinion going off-road with single is possible with pop-up campers, less weight and weight is not very high in the air. less sway.
with bigger weight going off-road it could be better with dually.
hope this helps
good luck
incognito

 

[rotti]

That camper payload is reduced by five seat belts at 150 pounds each or 750 pounds. So your payload, no people, would be close to 3,000 pounds. That seems low though for a 3500. My truck in sig, a 2500, has a payload of 3,000.

Personally I would grab that LBZ (the gold standard of diesels in that era) and not look back. Make sure the tires are good for your weight, drive it and see what you think. No suspension mods may be needed.

 

[redthies]

Payload has nothing to do with number of seatbelts, axle weight ratio or tire ratings. It is very simple. A. What is the GVW as stated on door sticker? B. What does the truck actually (you should scale it) weigh? Subtract B from A and you have your payload.

If B plus weight of cargo (any cargo, be it humans, your new camper or a huge bag of Oreos) is greater than A, you are not legal. Probably 75% of trucks with hardside campers on are legally overweight. Not a big deal as long as the law doesn't get involved. Get scaled by the DOT or involved in a fatal wreck and it might become a very big deal.

Edit: I just did a little google research, and if it is all stock, your prospective GMC should weigh around 6400 lbs empty. With a 9900 GVW that leaves you with 3500 lbs +/- for total cargo, occupants, modifications etc. Unless you add a whole bunch more stuff to your list, with the numbers you provided, you should be ok.

 

[incognito]

Hy, probably the glove box sticker is right because 2200 lb was the payload for dodge ram 3500 srw i've wanted to buy. finally due to payload i've went with dually and don't regret a bit. 2005 dodge ram 3500 has a payload of 1987 kg or 4382 lb on the door sticker. full of diesel and with me inside on the commercial truck scale had 1800 kg or 4000 lb as available payload. there is another interesting thread about srw:http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...r-yours!-SRW-vs-DRW/page3?highlight=f350+sway . check the second page about sway good luck incognito

 

[Regcabguy]

Collision avoidance with srw's and hardsided campers is pretty sketchy. I've witnessed firsthand the difference in handling driving south of Vegas on I-15 with a very stiff side wind. Mine did pretty well with the popup but that day the srw's were in the righthand lane with their flashers on. Drw's were minimally affected with big ******** campers.
You'll want to add extra filtration to any of the CR's. My neighbor's '03 Duramax went down with bad injectors @ 69K and many,many Mexican miles. 22 hrs book labor to replace them and lots of money. Some of them stuck open washing down the cylinder walls. The oil when drained looked like paint thinner. Luckily compression was good. Locally re-maned injectors,thermostat,coolant,oil and filters and it runs like a top.

 

[incognito]

Hy,

i agree dually handles the loads better. bought a DRW just for the payload, ignoring the rest.
But now i don't regret the choice.
took some mesurements. Dually is much stable platform for the simple fact that the rear axle width with dually tires is 96 inches wide. On Srw axle measured from outside tire to the other one is 80 inches. Also my Bigfoot 1500 is 96 inches wide and sits high 3 feet off the ground level. this really doesn't help*the sway.

but to put a 96 wide load on a 80 inch wide base and going off-road ( and deflate tires in order not to create cracks all over the camper) could be risky
I'm not an expert, just sharing my choices based on common sense for off-road with a hard side camper
good luck
incognito

 

[wirenut]

Having your truck and camper weigh more than the truck's GVWR is not illegal. There is no law being broken. DOT doesn't care. They go by tire and axle weights which you'd better not be exceeding. Also, you need to be careful about your registered weight. A truck with a 10,000 pound GVWR, loaded to 12,000 pounds and tagged for 12,000 is perfectly legal. A truck with a 10,000 pound GVWR, loaded to 9,000 pounds but only tagged for 8,000 will get you a ticket.
My rig has a GVWR of 11,400. Fully loaded I weigh 13,200. I'm tagged for 14,000. I'm not over my tire or axle weights and I have thousands of trouble free miles behind me. It's nearly impossible to haul a large, well optioned hardside camper on a standard pick-up and not be over the GVWR. The vast majority of TC haulers are over.
OP, I'd buy that truck! That '07 can't be beat. You may need to upgrade to 19.5" wheels and tires to not be over your tire weights but you should be good otherwise.

 

[IdaSHO]

Does anyone know how to find the payload capacity for this vehicle?

Simple. Weigh the truck with a full tank and people in it. Then subtract that weight from the max GVWR.

 

[rrliljedahl]

Simple. Weigh the truck with a full tank and people in it. Then subtract that weight from the max GVWR.

That would be easy if I owned the truck. I am looking to buy the truck but it is 500 miles away.

 

[IdaSHO]

Well, thats the ONLY way to find out for certain.

It is what it is.

 

[incognito]

Hy again,

i just looked at my Gmc 2003 Sierra duramax 4x4 Slt dually. The glove box sticker says recommandation regarding the use of a slide-in camper cargo weight rating 1671 kg or 3684 lb but it is a DUALLY. so cannot have same payload with a SRW, dually is much higher. by the way guys it is for sale without or with a Kodiak fiberglass camper( for 10000$ extra )
14000 $ repairs last year, injectors ,transfer case , batteries, tires, oils etc. perfect condition .4000 $ worth of aditional equipment, 16900$. if you are in Canada
http://quebec.kijiji.ca/c-autos-et-...MC-Sierra-3500-Camionnette-W0QQAdIdZ536815085
good luck
incognito

 

[bob91yj]

Holy crap, I just ran out to check what the sticker in my '06 GMC 2500 crew cab, 4x4, Dmax said (essentially the same truck as an '07 Classic)...damn near scared me, and I'm fearless...1489 pounds!

I work at a GMC dealership, I'm going to double check that number.

Just did some digging. I can't find published numbers other than what is posted in each individual truck. This is all I could find on camper loading from GMC owners manual.....



vehicle specific Truck-Camper Loading information label is attached to the inside of your vehicle's glove box. This label will tell you if your vehicle can carry a slide-in camper, how much of a load your vehicle can carry, and how to correctly spread out the load. Also, it will help you match the right slide-in camper to your vehicle.

When you carry a slide-in camper, the total cargo load of your vehicle is the weight of the camper, plus the following:

Everything else added to the camper after it left the factory
Everything in the camper
All the people inside
The Cargo Weight Rating (CWR) is the maximum weight of the load your vehicle can carry. It does not include the weight of the people inside. But, you can figure about 150 lbs (68 kg) for each seat.

The total cargo load must not be more than your vehicle's CWR.

Refer to the Truck-Camper Loading Information label in the glove box for dimensions A and B as shown in the following illustration.


Object ID: 808840Click here for detailed picture of the image.
Use the rear edge of the load floor for measurement purposes. The recommended location for the cargo center of gravity is at point C for the CWR. It is the point where the mass of a body is concentrated and, if suspended at that point, would balance the front and rear.

Here is an example of proper truck and camper match:


Object ID: 808842Click here for detailed picture of the image.
Camper Center of Gravity
Recommended Center of Gravity Location Zone
When the truck is used to carry a slide-in camper, the total cargo load of the truck consists of the manufacturer's camper weight figure, the weight of installed additional camper equipment not included in the manufacturer's camper weight figure, the weight of camper cargo, and the weight of passengers in the camper. The total cargo load should not exceed the truck's cargo weight rating and the camper's center of gravity (A) should fall within the truck's recommended center of gravity zone (B) when installed.

You must weigh any accessories or other equipment that you add to your vehicle. Then, subtract this extra weight from the CWR. This extra weight may shorten the center of gravity zone of your vehicle. Your dealer can help you with this.

If your slide-in camper and its load weighs less than the CWR, the center of gravity zone for your vehicle may be larger.

Your dealer can help you make a good vehicle-camper match and help you determine the CWR.

After you have loaded your vehicle and camper, drive to a weigh station and weigh the front and rear wheels separately. This will tell you the loads on the axles. The loads on the front and rear axles should not be more than either of the Gross Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR). The total of the axle loads should not be more than the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR).

Open the driver's door and look at the Certification/Tire label to find out your vehicle's GAWRs and GVWR.

If your vehicle has gone over the weight ratings, move or take out some things until all the weight falls below the ratings.

Secure loose items to prevent weight shifts that could affect the balance of your vehicle. When the truck-camper is loaded, drive to a scale and weigh on the front and on the rear wheels separately to determine axle loads. Individual axle loads should not exceed either of the gross axle weight ratings (GAWR). The total axle loads should not exceed your vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). These ratings are given on the vehicle certification label attached to the rear edge of the driver's door. See “Certification/Tire Label” under Loading the Vehicle. If weight ratings are exceeded, move or remove items to bring all weights below the ratings.

When you install and load your slide-in camper, check the manufacturer's instructions.

If you want more information on curb weights, cargo weights, Cargo Weight Rating and the correct center of gravity zone for your vehicle, your dealer can help you. Just ask for a copy of “Consumer Information, Truck-Camper Loading.”

 

[JHa6av8r]

Holy crap, I just ran out to check what the sticker in my '06 GMC 2500 crew cab, 4x4, Dmax said (essentially the same truck as an '07 Classic)...damn near scared me, and I'm fearless...1489 pounds!

The crew cab and Duramax eat up a lot of payload. That's why I went to a 3500. Its payload is 4,200 lbs and this bore out after putting it on the scales. My slide-in camper rating is just under 3,200 lbs with the CG over the rear wheels.

 

[wirenut]

Keep in mind that the sticker in the glove box assumes you have a 150 pound person sitting in every seat position. If it's a 6 passenger truck that's 750 pounds beyond the drivers weight that may be available for a camper if you're not hauling passengers.