Ram 1500 with a cabover camper

[Houser]

I am planning to put my Lance 825 on my new Ram 1500..
Anyone know what kind of suspension upgrades Ill need.

 

[Regcabguy]

I wouldn't count on stopping power with the 1500. A Lance 825 is way over the load capacity for a 1/2 ton. Emergency avoidance maneuvers are going to be sketchy at best.

 

[Bill Lins]

I believe the upgrade you'll need is called a Ram 2500, if not a 3500.

 

[Bob4x4]

I am planning to put my Lance 825 on my new Ram 1500..
Anyone know what kind of suspension upgrades Ill need.

there should have been a printout in your glove box telling you if your truck was ok for a slide in camper and if so the recommended balance point and weight capacity.

 

[Grizzly]

I am planning to put my Lance 825 on my new Ram 1500..
Anyone know what kind of suspension upgrades Ill need.

I would never put a truck camper on any 1/2 ton truck no matter how much you beef it up. Get a 2500 or a 3500 single wheel. Do the right thing and avoid a possible disaster.

george

 

[Houser]

Guess i forgot to push to post button.
I already have 2 3/4 ton cummins dodges. They seem like overkill for such a light
Camper. The lance 825 is rated for a half ton short bed camper. It has the correct CG for 6.5' bed.
The guys at Hills RV in Yakima say all ill need is a set of
Rear air bags and ill be good to go. The truck has big brake rotors and front and rear sway bars.
I dought it will rock around any more on the 1500 than it does on the 2500. The front springs may mush
More on hard stops but i wont know till. I give it a go.

 

[Simplysmn]

I' de Never Listen to a Camper supply place in the first Place they would sell a Mouse a Elephant if they could get away with it .Because after all it's not there Insurance that is going to cover the mess When it Happen's .

 

[CBari]

Ok here is the tail of the tape. 1500 payload spec. 1900lbs. Lance 835 dry weight specs. 2011lbs, lance 815 dry weight spec. 1620lbs. I figure you have an 835 that is why you asked about it. I gave you the specs on the smaller 815 cause it would be an actable option. I know some have complained about the handling on the new 2500 with the four link coil and air bag suspensions. I would bet that a 1500 at the load your wanting to carry might be the same deal. With that being said if I was in your shoes I would try it see how it handles. It isn't like your putting it on permanently.

 

[Houser]

I have an 825

Ok here is the tail of the tape. 1500 payload spec. 1900lbs. Lance 835 dry weight specs. 2011lbs, lance 815 dry weight spec. 1620lbs. I figure you have an 835 that is why you asked about it. I gave you the specs on the smaller 815 cause it would be an actable option. I know some have complained about the handling on the new 2500 with the four link coil and air bag suspensions. I would bet that a 1500 at the load your wanting to carry might be the same deal. With that being said if I was in your shoes I would try it see how it handles. It isn't like your putting it on permanently.

You must have misread my post..I have a Lance 825 its about 1750lbs.
Also I wanted to add for the guy who mentioned braking distance. Yes the 2500 has heavier brakes but the 1500 is about
1200 lbs lighter than the 2500.. so its probably a mute issue. yes the stopping distance will be longer than if the truck was empty put probably about the same as the 2500 loaded with a 1750 lb camper.. the 2500 brakes will be stopping 1200 lbs more than the 1500..

Mike

 

[jhenderson]

Seems to me I remember a lot of 1/2 ton pickups with slide in campers in the 70's and 80's. We've all convinced ourselves nothing less than a 2/3 or 1 ton will do what we want. Some folks justify owning these trucks to haul the same size camper my old man used to with a 68 Chevy beach wagon. If it's within the payload cap of 1/2 ton I see no problem. Air bags will tighten up the suspension for a higher C/G.

 

[Regcabguy]

It's more than just weight. The COG is much higher than a load of rocks in the bed. The camper's leverage exerts a lot of forces on the body.
My wife and I were on I-15 southbound from Vegas and encountered a super stiff sidewind from the dry lake to the east.
The srw 2500 trucks with hardsided campers were in the right lane with flashers on going maybe 40 mph.
I was death gripping the wheel with my popup.
The dually's were sailing on with their giant campers straight as an arrow.
Lot's of variables out there.

 

[GaryOwen]

You might want to consider mounting your camper on a utility trailer. Just a thought.

 

[jhenderson]

I thought I mentioned air bags because of a raised CG. As for wind; when it snows in the mountains those without 4x4 or chains wait out the weather. Why shouldn't folks with campers?

 

[sag2]

The payload on my quad cab long bed 4x4 Ecodiesel is 1225 pounds. I doubt your Lance is actually 1750. It might be dry but loaded it has to be over 2k. So at best you are 500 pounds over and that is before you add two people and gear to the truck (remember the 1225 includes people and gear). My guess is you are going to be near 1k over the rating of the truck. If you ever get into an accident you will be in a world of trouble. Also remember anything you add to improve the ability to carry weight does nothing to increase the legal weight limit of the truck. These are light duty trucks. Just because they have lots of power does not mean they will do what a 2500-3500 can do safely.

 

[Houser]

Sounds like you are much better of with the larger truck.

 

[ridgid]

I drive a Kenworth and an 06 Ram 3500 w/5.9 Cummins. I recently bought a 2014 Ram 1500 w/Ecodiesel and drove from Virginia to Wisconsin through West Virginia mountains and Ohio, Indiana and Illinois flat farmland returning through downtown Chicago. When I pulled in my driveway after the 2100 mile round trip the trip mpg was 31.5 and I was delighted. Yesterday I bought a 22' deckover flat trailer which weighs a littte over 3000 lbs. I needed to make a 160 mi. round trip to pick up the trailer. I thought this would be a perfect trip to determine the towing capacity of the Ecodiesel. In the future I will take the 3500 if I have work to do and the Ecodiesel will only do light duty. This is not a tow vehicle, be safe.

 

[Houser]

If you have ever seen a one ton Duelly carrying an 11 of 12 ft camper its probably close to or more than 2K over weight. But some how the driver of the vehicle manages to carry the camper safely. most likely he had added air bags or overload springs to up the carrying capacity of the vehicle. and then it carried the load safely. Right? Are you still with me? My question is, What do I need to do to My Ram 1500 to make it carry a 1750 lb camper safely down the road. If you dont know dont answer.
Remember, Its much safer to stay in the house watching the TV than playing out side in the snow but not nearly as much fun.

Mike W.
Palmer, Ak.

 

[jgillott]

Hauled a pallet of rock salt yesterday ~2400# with ours. No comparison to the height and center of gravity of a truck camper, but it handled it quite well.

 

[Bob4x4]

If you have ever seen a one ton Duelly carrying an 11 of 12 ft camper its probably close to or more than 2K over weight. But some how the driver of the vehicle manages to carry the camper safely. most likely he had added air bags or overload springs to up the carrying capacity of the vehicle. and then it carried the load safely. Right? Are you still with me? My question is, What do I need to do to My Ram 1500 to make it carry a 1750 lb camper safely down the road. If you dont know dont answer.
Remember, Its much safer to stay in the house watching the TV than playing out side in the snow but not nearly as much fun.

Mike W.
Palmer, Ak.

Replace the frame, axles,brakes,suspension,and tires and you'll be good to go

 

[Houser]

Sounds like the kind of advice i would get from a power choke drver.
What have you got against Dodges buddy.
I am looking into tires though. Those "P" rated tires are way to whimpy
For hauling a camper.