Which truck for slide in camper?

[Byrdseye]

I'm having trouble deciding between a 3500 SRW or a dually for a mid sized slide in camper (with a slideout). I also plan to use the truck as a daily driver and the duallys I've had in the past can sometimes be a pain parking etc..... So, would a SRW with a rear swaybar do the trick or should I stick with the duals? Whats the consensus>>

 

[Regcabguy]

I'm having trouble deciding between a 3500 SRW or a dually for a mid sized slide in camper (with a slideout). I also plan to use the truck as a daily driver and the duallys I've had in the past can sometimes be a pain parking etc..... So, would a SRW with a rear swaybar do the trick or should I stick with the duals? Whats the consensus>>

Get a dually! Panic stops or emergency lane changes will be safe and predictable. I drive a cabover dually truck at work and the difference between it and my srw is night and day!

 

[Foil Freak 1211]

What's the weight of the "mid-size" slide in? Do you think you will want a larger one before you want a new truck? If the weight is within the GCWR of the SRW, and you don't think you will outgrow the camper, I'd go SRW. If you have doubts about what you will do in the future, go DRW.

 

[SBall]

Been there ....Done that.

Don't make the same mistake I did. I don't know which camper you are considering, but rest assured if it is a slide-out it's gonna be relatively heavy. Keep in mind that when that camper is full of water, propane, and "stuff", it's going to gain a lot of additional weight.



As for parking, my previous truck (W250 club cab CTD SRW 4wd) was much harder to park than my current truck (3500 standard cab CTD DRW 2wd). In my case, the longer wheelbase and poor turning radius of the 4wd club cab made parking a real chore as compared to the ease of parking our standard cab 2wd dually.



I had to trade in my SRW CTD for a dually because despite the modifications I had made to reduce sway, (air bags and Helwig sway bar), driving the rig was a nightmare in cross winds. Our camper is only a 9 1/2' Lance Squire with an advertized DRY weight of 2353 lbs. , but is pushing 3000lbs when packed and ready to travel.

 

[Byrdseye]

The campers I'm considering are 9 1/2 to 10 1/2' Lance/Bigfoot/Arctic/Alpenlite... ..... I had a fair bit of top heavy sway with a SRW and a relativly light pop up Hallmark. Guess I'm leaning toward the duals though it may be harder to sell to the "boss".

 

[klenger]

I'm a SRW kind of guy, but for a slide-in camper, I think a dually is the way to go.

 

[Darrenf]

Personally, I wouldn't have a hard side camper without a dually. Even with my 1300# pop up and windy mountain roads I'd kinda like to have a dually. If your just going back and forth to your favorite lake on the weekend, an SRW might be fine. But for extensive road travel, no doubt, dually. Just plan on getting some excerise when you have to park in the boonies at Wal-Mart.

 

[azpete]

Hauled my 9 1/2' on a '94 2500 with camper package. The drive home from the sales lot was a nightmare. Installed air bags the next week and the truck carried the load well for a number of years. When I got the dually, swaped the air bags to it and hauling the camper is a far more relaxing experience.



Finding a parking spot can be tough at times. I drive a F450 at work and it's company policy to back into a parking spot at all times for safety reasons. This way gives you alot of practice in manuvering the beast and it's always an easy out of the space. Once you get the hang of it, it's no worse than a full sized car.

 

[Byrdseye]

That's kind of the way I've been leaning... ... ... looks like it'll be another dually.

 

[TurboCanScoot]

Truck Slide-in Camper Combo

Byrdseye,



Most of the guy's have nailed on the head. Dually is the way to go. Even though the truck is rated at about 5-6k lb in the back of the truck I run with air-bags. It rides a lot better. Plus the safety factor of having more rubber on the road. Yeah, it is a pain as far as parking but I don't mind the walk to keep the dings out of the doors.



The camper I have has a slide out. 9'11" I checked out on the internet most of the models you have listed and I preferred the Lance the best. No I am not a dealer! And no I am not getting a kick back, just a happy camper! But I do like to spread the word about the dealer I purchased mine from. I have received A-One service. I found a dealer in Yakima Wa. that sells campers like Dave Smith sells trucks. Hills RV 1-800-349-3131 ask for Dwight or Mike. I priced the camper here in Anchorage and for what I wanted they quoted me 34k. I bought it for 5k less in Yakima. I thought that Lance had all of the options I wanted. Great floor plan, entertainment system, generator, awnings, thermopane windows, 20k-15k BTU heater, 2*7 gallon propane tanks automatic transfer, 40 gal fresh, 30 gal grey 30 gal black, all tanks are heated for winter use. Fantastic vent, Aluminum construction, remote control jacks, Don't buy wood, I have used it it 0* weather and stayed perfectly cozy. One of the things I like is the amount of time it takes to winterize. The old camper I would have to monkey around for an hour the new one takes about 15 minutes to winterize. I've got the Lance Max 981. Go to http://lancecamper.com/ When you order it you get it built your way.



The Microwave cratered. The normal procedure is to have the Maytag man stop by and fix it. They don't service them up here in Alaska. Per the warrantee I would have to send it back to the factory to have it fixed. That, I'm sure, would have taken a few months. I called Hill's rv and they had the factory ship a new one second day ups. I am sure the bill for shipping was worth more than the microwave and they also took care of the return shipping for the defective micro.

 

[LukeJohnson]

Slide in Camper

We have a 1998. 5 3500(DRW) bought a 5er to retire in it was a diaster. Bought a used 1998 Lance 11ft 3in Legand 980 its heavy about 4k lbs. It has a Gen, AC, Heat, winter package, dry bath. We love it, Lance recommended Air Bags which we had installed. We live in the San Diego Area, 2004 drove to FL, back to AR & home with a stop at Grand Cyn. 2005 San Diego to mid Ca to AR & back to San Diego. We can park in family driveways or yard. Shopping center parking is a problem, I'm overweight & need the walks. 2006 is TX, AR(grandkids) & whatever we are not to tired for. 2007 looks like a Detroit trip.

I'm very glad I installed a !fuel pressure gauge!, transmission temp, Pyro, Boost, all from Geno's. We belong to Escapees & have stayed at many of their parks.

--Luke--

 

[BILLUA]

Dually Dually

 

[GFritsch]

Ran our same camper (Bigfoot) on a SRW before, and a dually now. I would highly reccomend the dually. The downside of parking and buying two extra tires is to me more than offset by the added stability and load carrying capacity.



The size camper you are looking at you will be definately overloaded with a SRW.



As far as selling to the boss, women are usually sold when it comes to safety!



Have fun, Bigfoot and Alpenlite are two excellent choices. Having talked to a few with a slide out problems, I would spend some time on RV forums and see which has the fewer problems, or consider a non-slide.



Greg

 

[tandersen]

I have had big campers with duallies and single rear wheels. You are wasting time and money and risking your life with a srw and a slide-in camper.

 

[GBaines]

Just a interesting note, if you are planning to travel to any of the larger cities in Mexico with your camper and truck, they consider dually a comercial vehicle and they are prohibited from the center of the city ,except for making deliveries. They will ticket you, and escort you out of the city!

 

[Byrdseye]

Thanks for all the advice. I just made a deal on a 2006 4x4 quad dually!

 

[Grizzly]

Thanks for all the advice. I just made a deal on a 2006 4x4 quad dually!

That's a smart choice you won't regret.

 

[geusterman]

Well... 10 cents here on SRW. I use a 9. 5 Bigfoot NON-slider that when loaded can hit 4K. I use 19. 5's. Same brakes, springs and axles. Sway is between frame and axle. I avoid dualies because of getting around, deep snow and mud on mountain explorations and snowmobiling and I like to see all 4 of my tires. I run a flat bed with folding sides. Just my thing. Even my stock BFG E series never got very warm with the load. George

 

[Texas Diesel]

Thanks for all the advice. I just made a deal on a 2006 4x4 quad dually!

You'll be glad you got the DRW! My first DRW and now my wife wants one. She is hooked on the stability & safety margin. Minor parking difficulties are small compared to a hosptial stay or worse if (when?) you have a rear tire failure with a camper loaded.



With a high COG load the duals are the right way to go.



Post some pics of the new rig!

 

[GAllen]

Thanks for all the advice. I just made a deal on a 2006 4x4 quad dually!

Congratulations! Just another "good choice" comment here. I've had both SRW and DRW and the dually is hands down the most stable. My first choice for a truck is a crew cab short bed, but this is my third dually.