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Toshi

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,640
8,685
Adventurous said:
Camper dry weight is 2,400 lbs, I have a payload capacity of 4,480 lbs total with 4,100 lbs of that of that being the max rear axle load. Should be well within the rating once gear/water is added.
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Cool. What I found jives with that for crew cab, long box, 4x4, srw, Cummins: 7k rear GAWR, 2970 base weight so about 4k to play with for the camper. Crazy that your truck weighs nearly 8000 lbs!

http://www.rambodybuilder.com/2017/docs/ram/rammlup3500.pdf
 
Toshi

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,640
8,685
Just remember to air up those rear tires to somewhere commensurate with how close you are to the rear GAWR when you have the camper on!
 
Adventurous

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
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Crawlorado
Toshi said:
Just remember to air up those rear tires to somewhere commensurate with how close you are to the rear GAWR when you have the camper on!
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Current tires have 3,680 lbs of capacity per @ 80 psi, but I'll be ditching those shortly in favor of some better all terrains that offer 4,080 lbs a piece. Given their importance I want to make sure I'm over-tired for the load.

8k lbs and I was still achieving high teens MPG wise cruising along on flat highway at 60. Not to mention I cruised up to the Eisenhower from Silverthorne at 60 without the truck breaking a sweat.
 
eric strt6

eric strt6

Resident Curmudgeon
Sep 8, 2001
24,323
15,047
directly above the center of the earth
If you look up the rear axle from the MFG you will find that it is rated way higher than what is on the door pillar tag. Why you ask. Because the Truck MFG lists a Max rear axle weight that does not exceed the load capacity of the OEM rear tires/ rims to keep from getting sued and to keep registration costs down and sales to the consumer up.
 
Adventurous

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
10,826
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Crawlorado
Took the camper off the truck tonight, maybe it’s just first time jitters but oof was that a bit nerve wracking. Probably wouldn’t be so bad if my driveway didn’t have a down & side slope, so it took some finagling. Gonna be fun getting that back on. :fie:
 
johnbryanpeters

johnbryanpeters

Hero
Sep 27, 2001
36,775
18,284
Making moss sad in New Haven, Vermont
I'm getting in a big fight with fresh water plumbing where it makes into low point drains. There's a small leak in one of the lines in a complicated tangle of both hot and cold water lines conveniently located under drain from galley sink and all gummed up with foam intended to seal hole in floor. Still in tearing down and swearing mode.
 
Full Trucker

Full Trucker

Frikkin newb!!!
Feb 26, 2003
11,100
8,699
Exit, CO
Truck camper and/or travel trailer people: Did you install airbags / air spring helpers on the rear of your truck, and if so which ones? Why? Local 4x4 place is recommending the Firestone Ride Rites, which seem to be the most spendy but also the most baddest-ass.
 
eric strt6

eric strt6

Resident Curmudgeon
Sep 8, 2001
24,323
15,047
directly above the center of the earth
Airlift ultimate 5000,s plumbed separately with inflators on passenger side out of traffic and i don't have to get under the camper to reach them. I chose these because thy have internal jounce bumbers so unloaded I can run the bags with no air pressure in them and not cause any pinch damage. All the other bags require that you keep a minimum of 10psi in them even with no load in the bed which makes for a shitty stiff ride. Run all airlines inside the frame so that debris or a blown tire doesn't rip them out. Personally better than airbags are torklift lower stable loads then are the bomb in cross winds and to eliminate sag and sway

https://www.torklift.com/rv/stableload
 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
42,973
15,049
Portland, OR
Full Trucker said:
Truck camper and/or travel trailer people: Did you install airbags / air spring helpers on the rear of your truck, and if so which ones? Why? Local 4x4 place is recommending the Firestone Ride Rites, which seem to be the most spendy but also the most baddest-ass.
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I had Slam Specialties bags in my C10. I ran 25psi around town and 65psi with a ton of hay in the bed. It sat like it was empty and rode like a dream.

Same concept as @eric strt6 setup only mine was sans springs, just bags with internal bumpstops.
 
eric strt6

eric strt6

Resident Curmudgeon
Sep 8, 2001
24,323
15,047
directly above the center of the earth
Just finished swapping out the crappy OEM cabinet latches for some heavy duty Push/ Pull latches. 5 minutes per latch. I got tired of stuff opening nd spilled contents on rough roads. I did one before the last trip and it worked great. I did the rest today. I do you hook on the cabinets with breakables or heavy stuff just to be sure that they stay closed.

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Adventurous

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
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Crawlorado
Full Trucker said:
Truck camper and/or travel trailer people: Did you install airbags / air spring helpers on the rear of your truck, and if so which ones? Why? Local 4x4 place is recommending the Firestone Ride Rites, which seem to be the most spendy but also the most baddest-ass.
Click to expand...
I have a set of Air Lift Ultimate 5000s on my work bench at the moment, precisely for the reason Eric stated. The Firestone bags, unlike the Air Lifts, need at least 5 psi in them at all times or you risk damaging the bag. I'll also be adding in a wireless compressor system to fill them, as much as I wish I could go with the ARB dual chamber compressor, I can get a 100% duty cycle compressor and wireless, independent control of each bag for around the same cost.

When/if you do get some, be sure to plumb them separately. Bit more of a PITA, but you can compensate for off center loads, level the rear end of the truck when camping, and won't experience accentuated body roll (when plumbed to a single line, the bag loaded in a corner will want to evacuate the air to the other, less loaded bag, functioning kind of like an anti-anti-sway bar).

Another thing you may check into when going the airbag route are Daystar airbag cradles. You don't have to affix the bag onto the axle with the cradles, so it will allow you to fully droop out the rear end. Might be handy if performing chase truck duties. :)
 
Toshi

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,640
8,685
"Off center loads", right. You know you just want to make the bed dance

 
Full Trucker

Full Trucker

Frikkin newb!!!
Feb 26, 2003
11,100
8,699
Exit, CO
I have Firestone Ride-Rites on order, talked with some folks at High Country 4x4 and they recommended these for my particular truck because A.) they fit and B.) they see fewer issues with these in terms of durability / breakage than other brands. I did a fair bit of looking about, and the only air springs from Air Lift that fit my truck are the RideControl and the AirCell. Not that I couldn't probably figure out which Ultimate kit is "close enough" and then make it fit via Ye Olde Angle Grinder and / or Weldermajig...

Adventurous said:
Another thing you may check into when going the airbag route are Daystar airbag cradles. You don't have to affix the bag onto the axle with the cradles, so it will allow you to fully droop out the rear end. Might be handy if performing chase truck duties. :)
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This looks like a pretty reasonable idea, and it appears I can add these later if I want. My truck (while lifted a bit) is still stock travel so I'm guessing these are less of a critical thing and more for piece of mind... or for when I do add a long-travel kit. ;)
 
kidwoo

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
Aug 25, 2003
42,149
13,358
Squirtin ketchup n' mustard on charred flesh
stevew said:
making a pop top out of a utility shell....

Click to expand...

I just bought a flatbed for snowmobiles in the winter and saw this not too long ago with ideas to do something similar for a summer camper to fit it.

Also this


http://www.casa-trotter.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=7838

I need to find that paneling. Pretty cool design.


Like adventurous said, not paying tens of thousands of dollars for the white people specials that are just glorified tents. Want pop up for driving. Want hardsides for wind, rain, and loud people.


I sent an email to All Terrain campers asking if they'd do a popup like that and they had zero interest. Not to mention way too much money for a flatbed footprint that's actually even less welding since the walls are solid and it's just a big box.

Talking to a few fabricators about just doing an aluminum frame and building it out myself.

Anybody know if those four wheel or atc aluminum frames fatigue/crack over time? I mean they have to right?
 
Adventurous

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
10,826
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Crawlorado
kidwoo said:
I just bought a flatbed for snowmobiles in the winter and saw this not too long ago with ideas to do something similar for a summer camper to fit it.

Also this


http://www.casa-trotter.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=7838

I need to find that paneling. Pretty cool design.


Like adventurous said, not paying tens of thousands of dollars for the white people specials that are just glorified tents. Want pop up for driving. Want hardsides for wind, rain, and loud people.


I sent an email to All Terrain campers asking if they'd do a popup like that and they had zero interest. Not to mention way too much money for a flatbed footprint that's actually even less welding since the walls are solid and it's just a big box.

Talking to a few fabricators about just doing an aluminum frame and building it out myself.

Anybody know if those four wheel or atc aluminum frames fatigue/crack over time? I mean they have to right?
Click to expand...
Yea, gotta imagine those aluminum framed jobbies will fatigue and crack over time. What that time is I have no idea.

You checked out Alaskan campers (http://alaskancampers.com/) yet? You'll get a pop-up, hard sides, and while not super abundant, they can be found on Craigslist or through the classifieds on their website used.
 
stevew

stevew

resident influencer
Sep 21, 2001
41,123
10,077
kidwoo said:
I just bought a flatbed for snowmobiles in the winter and saw this not too long ago with ideas to do something similar for a summer camper to fit it.

Also this


http://www.casa-trotter.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=7838

I need to find that paneling. Pretty cool design.


Like adventurous said, not paying tens of thousands of dollars for the white people specials that are just glorified tents. Want pop up for driving. Want hardsides for wind, rain, and loud people.


I sent an email to All Terrain campers asking if they'd do a popup like that and they had zero interest. Not to mention way too much money for a flatbed footprint that's actually even less welding since the walls are solid and it's just a big box.

Talking to a few fabricators about just doing an aluminum frame and building it out myself.

Anybody know if those four wheel or atc aluminum frames fatigue/crack over time? I mean they have to right?
Click to expand...
this guy built this out of a commanche pick up....

 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
42,973
15,049
Portland, OR
I too am interested in the engineering behind slide outs. If I built a solid internal frame, split the box in half and have it near double in size when parked.

Like that crazy teardrop trailer that triples in size, only 50/50.
 
kidwoo

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
Aug 25, 2003
42,149
13,358
Squirtin ketchup n' mustard on charred flesh
Adventurous said:
Yea, gotta imagine those aluminum framed jobbies will fatigue and crack over time. What that time is I have no idea.

You checked out Alaskan campers (http://alaskancampers.com/) yet?
Click to expand...

I have. I'm having a hard time finding limited foo foo (I'm not shitting in my camper, don't need amenities), low weight, fits a flatbed, doesn't cost as much as a down payment on a house.
 
stevew

stevew

resident influencer
Sep 21, 2001
41,123
10,077
kidwoo said:
Is that a popup? Looks like no room for bikeys.

Where are you finding all these pics? Part of the fun of catching up on this thread is all your photos. :D
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instagram.....that green truck was from someones facebook.....

about a month a go there was a blemished hightop fiberglass roof for a 15 passenger ford van on ebay with a buy it now of 1200.....shold have bought and stored it and found a old church bus with no modern amenities other than ac and pop and switched tops....
 
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