11.5 truck camper needing to tow also

[hackengineering]

I am looking of any information from guys that might have a experience bumper towing with a 11. 5' camper. I have found a camper that i think would work and the price is right but i also need to be able to tow my jeep on a small flat bed. I do have a class V hitch but what have people done to extend the hitch a bit and what can i expect as far as issues. I figure i can keep the jeep centered as much as possible to help with weight but i am still sketch extending that hitch to far.

Thanks

CH

 

[wcjp]

I'm running a 32" extension on my truck/camper to tow my Jeep/trailer. All Torklift accessories. I have multiple friends all running Torklift extensions. Very safe and rated for what you're looking to accomplish.



I bought some of my stuff on Craigslist. The rest from Gibb's RV through Ebay.





eBay Store - TORKLIFT: SUPERHITCH, ROADMASTER, TOWBAR

 

[wcoomes]

No problem with the Torklift hitch & 48" supertruss. I think Reese has something called a Towbeast that works w/ a Class V. I see you are in CO, you might call Jay @ 5 star RV outside of Denver, he may have one. You have many more Truck Camper dealers there than we have in Indiana, that's for sure. What kind of tiedowns down you plan to use?

 

[ray1933]

Bumper /.Stinger extenison

I had the local welding shop make mine when we were carrying a 10 footer.

It is made with 3 inch steel tubing and 8 inch channel steel for the bumper.

The stinger is made with the same size steeling tubing. It would stick out about 4 inches behind the camper .



He welded sleeves on the regular truck hitch that the extension slid into.

I had it made for our 95 when we had it and he just put the same type sleeves on the hitch of our 03.



We pulled a 3 horse trailer many times with it with no problem at all.

Now it was one heavy sucker so I just used the tractor to pick it up so all I had to do was slide it into place.

 

[SBall]

You're planning to haul an 11. 5' camper and pull a jeep trailer with a 2500?

 

[Bill Stockard]

You're planning to haul an 11. 5' camper and pull a jeep trailer with a 2500?

Yep, I was wondering about that too.



Bill

 

[SSell]

Seen it done with the superhitch, also seen some cool custom-made hitches, (dual receiver tubes like superhitch but added struts running from end of extension to sides of truck bumper-claimed it eliminated side to side lash).

Properly balanced trailer with good brakes, some GOOD Erated or better truck tires(aired up) & it shouldn't be a big problem.

 

[Grizzly]

I am looking of any information from guys that might have a experience bumper towing with a 11. 5' camper. I have found a camper that i think would work and the price is right but i also need to be able to tow my jeep on a small flat bed. I do have a class V hitch but what have people done to extend the hitch a bit and what can i expect as far as issues. I figure i can keep the jeep centered as much as possible to help with weight but i am still sketch extending that hitch to far.

Thanks

CH

Towing a trailer behind an 11'-6" truck camper is not the problem, if the camper is a good well constructed unit, such a Lance and several other well made campers. The hitch extension is bolted to the rear bumper of the camper.



The problem is, as others have already said, your 2500 truck. I had a 3500 DRW and a 11'-3" Lance camper. My 3500 handled the large heavy camper fine, however my RV Consumer Group Guide stated that the camper required a Class IV truck, which is a 4500. Putting that much camper on a 2500 SRW truck is like playing Russian Roulette with a loaded hand gun.

 

[ray1933]

2500 & 11.5 camper

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that I would not try to haul anything over a light 10 footer with a 2500. We did that for years <2500 & 10 footer w/ no slides> and never had a problem but would never attempt hauling anything larger.

 

[Grizzly]

An 8' light weight truck camper is the most a 2500 truck should carry safely according to RV Consumer Group. I believe those recommendations. Overhead Campers are very top end heavy and will sway side to side making the ride dangerous and uncomfortable. Another consideration is tires. A 10' camper can weigh 4000 lbs when fully loaded and with the load shifting side to side, it can over load the rear tires. Also that much weight on the rear axle can lighten and raise the front axle, depending on center of gravity of the camper, causing dangerous steering.



ray1933, I'd rethink loading a 10' camper on any 2500 truck. If your 3500 is a SRW, I wouldn't put it on it either. A DRW would be best.

 

[ray1933]

camper size vs truck

Grizzly

<<ray1933, I'd rethink loading a 10' camper on any 2500 truck. If your 3500 is a SRW, I wouldn't put it on it either. A DRW would be best. [/I]



I did not advocate doing so, just saying we did haul the light 10 footer on a 3/4 ton and never had a problem. Guess our rabbit foot hanging on the mirror kept us out of trouble.



Our next one will be a 9 1/2 footer with slide as soon as we sell the 5th wheel.

 

[zb39]

When properly set up a 2500 can carry a 11. 5 footer no problem. It is a matter of knowing all weight ratings( axle, tire, GVW, etc) and knowing how much you are actually carrying. IE weigh the rig a few times with full tanks and all your gear. Truck campers may look top heavy but all the heavy stuff( tanks, etc) is in the bottom. It is on the floor of the pickup bed. Most people get into problems because they don't know thier weight ratings and simply don't understand how it all goes together.

 

[Grizzly]

zb39, you are so badly misinformed. You're taking your life in your hands and those of your passengers and and whoever else you may run into with that large of a camper on a 3/4 ton truck. It is not so much the weight on your truck, but the stability of a 2500 to handle the side to side motion. You're forgetting that any cab-over-camper is a big sail in the wind, which causes the instability. I had an 11' 3" Lance camper that weight 4500 lbs when loaded for travel, which was within my 3500 DRW truck rating. Those extra wheels make a big difference in stability.



You also have to consider the rear tires. Granted, a LR "E" is rated at about 3000 lbs, but how much weight are carrying on a tire when the truck and camper are rocking side to side, or when you're driving with strong cross winds and the camper is leaning to one side. Passing an on coming 18 wheeler on a two lane highway at 60 mph can be white knuckle, hair raising experience with that much camper on a 3/4 ton truck.



I will never forget what a wise man ones told me when I was buying my first camper. You have to put the right truck under a camper.

 

[zb39]

There is not a lot of side to side motion under 45mph. I don't run on the interstate with this rig. It is used for local stuff. load range E tires are great, but I use 19. 5 wheels and tires. You have to know all your weight ratings. I am not over my axle, wheel, or tire ratings front or back. When going on a long distance trip I take my 45 ft Tiffin Zephyr, GVW 44. 700, 500HP ISM. Check the search threads, there is a long running one about a guy going 12k miles with this rig,(2500 and camper) no problems. Of course he doesn't run 80 mph down the road either. To be honest, I sold my truck last year when a guy showed up at my wifes garage sale and saw it. He offered me enough $ I could not say no. It wasn't even for sale. Still have the camper though. I will agree with you on 1 thing. Most RV's, all kinds, are over loaded going down the road. IE, over 1 of their ratings or another. Happy trails.

 

[HBarlow]

When properly set up a 2500 can carry a 11. 5 footer no problem. It is a matter of knowing all weight ratings( axle, tire, GVW, etc) and knowing how much you are actually carrying. IE weigh the rig a few times with full tanks and all your gear. Truck campers may look top heavy but all the heavy stuff( tanks, etc) is in the bottom. It is on the floor of the pickup bed. Most people get into problems because they don't know thier weight ratings and simply don't understand how it all goes together.

For the sake of anyone who is relatively new to Dodge-Cummins ownership and reading this thread while considering the purchase of a slide-in camper to haul on a 2500 I will go on record as also disagreeing with the opinion expressed in the post above.

IMO the only safe way a 2500 truck can carry an 11. 5' slide-in camper is when the truck is parked and the frame is resting on jackstands.

"Knowing the weight ratings" is not very helpful when the rear tires and rear axle are overloaded by 1000 pounds or more.

 

[GaryOwen]

I'm with Harvey on this one! The extra width of a dually also is a great help with stability.

 

[zb39]

HB, as I stated, my tires, rims, and both axles were never over their limits. Yours may vary. Some campers weigh les than others and some people pack more than others. I was the only user of the TC. If the family went we took the DP. Regards.

 

[LILHauler]

We have been down that road with a 2500 through the Rockies.
Wife insisted on a Dually when she was on the side looking down into the Valley.
No more claw marks on the ceiling and a much more relaxing drive for me.
Love the Dually every time we drive through the Mountains.
Check out my photo gallery for what we use for our TCer.

 

[Regcabguy]

For the sake of anyone who is relatively new to Dodge-Cummins ownership and reading this thread while considering the purchase of a slide-in camper to haul on a 2500 I will go on record as also disagreeing with the opinion expressed in the post above.



IMO the only safe way a 2500 truck can carry an 11. 5' slide-in camper is when the truck is parked and the frame is resting on jackstands.



"Knowing the weight ratings" is not very helpful when the rear tires and rear axle are overloaded by 1000 pounds or more.

Couldn't have stated it better. High winds and an inevitable emergency collision avoidance maneuver plays havor with srw trucks and heavy,tall slide-ins. My wife was clawing the ceiling just following some rigs out there. A reg cab 3500 drw with the right springs,shocks and 19. 5 tires can carry a lot of weight. A 4500 would be better still with it's huge brakes.

 

[macdaddy]

Insane

When properly set up a 2500 can carry a 11. 5 footer no problem. It is a matter of knowing all weight ratings( axle, tire, GVW, etc) and knowing how much you are actually carrying. IE weigh the rig a few times with full tanks and all your gear. Truck campers may look top heavy but all the heavy stuff( tanks, etc) is in the bottom. It is on the floor of the pickup bed. Most people get into problems because they don't know thier weight ratings and simply don't understand how it all goes together.

There has many many posts on 25 honey's being overloaded with campers. There should be laws regarding this. What erks me is the salesmen at the RV dealers knowingly doing this for the sake of a sale.



I always thought that anyone with the knowledge of buying and owning a CTD would know about such common terms as GVWR.



Mac