TC John
Chihcago
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weighed my truck today......2008 GMC 2500 HD long bed
6780 Pounds......full tank of gas...Wife and Baby & myself
3000 pounds on the rear
Looking at a TC that has a dry weight of 2800...no batteries /no gear etc
9600 pounds already exceded the 9200 GVWR
I figure it would be over 10,000 pounds ready to Camp
The only thing this truck is good for is a pop up!
I noticed the single axle 3500 hd has a GVW of 9900 pounds and all they did is add one leaf spring..
I guess I will put some air bags on an let her rip..really dont want a DRW truck..looks like a lot of folks on here have heavier campers than the 2800 pounds I want to put on the truck.....this is actual dry weight. Looks like nothing but a Ford or any Dually is the only think to use if your a serious truck camper and want not to exceed the GVW
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wnjj
Cornelius, Oregon
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TC John wrote:I noticed the single axle 3500 hd has a GVW of 9900 pounds and all they did is add one leaf spring..
Unless the new ones are different, they also put on load range E tires (which you can do too).
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Steve_in_29
29 Palms (SEMPER FI), CA 92277
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Joined: 01/08/2004
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TC John wrote:....Looks like nothing but a Ford or any Dually is the only think to use if your a serious truck camper and want not to exceed the GVW Well unfortunately the plusher ride of the GM products doesn't come free.
2007 F350,SC,LB,4x4,6.0/Auto,35" tires,16.5 Warn,Buckstop bumpers
2007 Outfitter Apex9.5,270W solar,SolarBoost2000e,2 H2K's,2KW inverter,2 20lb LP on slide out tray,4 Lifeline AGM bats,Tundra fridge
95 Bounder 28' ClassA sold
91 Jamboree 21' ClassC sold
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TC John
Chihcago
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My truck came with load range E standard....3195 pounds the way the truck sits...31 inchs tall or so....it is a 2500 HD so that makes sense..
going to go to a 3750 pounds load range E but have to lift the truck a small amount in front..3750 load range come at a price...33 inch dia
If you have a 2500 truck for the most part if you have a hard side you are overweight!
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sparks426
Sparks, NV
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The other change 2500hd to 3500 was 265 tires instead of 245. Both e-rated, but sounds like you've went above that. The extra capacity just happens to math out to the difference in capacity between the tires...
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kohldad
Goose Creek, SC
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Joined: 07/20/2004
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When looking for my TC, I have done a lot of calculations. Quickly realized that staying within the GVWR won't happen. So I decided to look at the axle limits and stay within them. Front axle limit on my truck is 5,200 and rear is 10,300. Front axle is within the tire, rear axle exceeds the tires so I reduce the rear axle to the tire limit of 6390 (3195*2), giving me a total of 11,590 pounds. I then weighed the truck and heaviest trailer loaded (2000# trailer plus 4000# vehicle) I would be hauling to get the loaded axle weights. As a realty check, the 11,590 + 6,000 = 17,590 which is well below my 21,500 GCVWR.
Lastly, I set up a spread sheet that lets me play with adding passengers, cargo, liquids, and different campers. The spreadsheet takes into account position of each item being loaded to make the numbers closer to actuals. I use the advertised weights and COG plus add for any options. This lets me see how the different setups affect the front/rear axle both with and without the trailer.
While a Lance 815 works best with the trailer, if I make a solo run, my front axle is overloaded. A Lance 915 works within my specs, but only if I leave two folks or the trailer home. However, the Lance 835 works just about perfect with all the scenarios. Plus, I'm under the rear axle tire limit by almost 1,000 pounds and very close but slightly over the GVWR if I go without the heavy trailer. And since I usually won't haul the trailer with four folks, I'll usually have even more safety margin.
Another thing to remember is that same model TC has gotten heavier each year. A 2000 Lance 915 sticker list it's wet weight at 2400, while just the dry weight of a 2008 Lance 915is listed at 2450. Part of the reason is that optional features have become standard, like fiberglas exteriors.
Yes, I'll be overloaded in regards to the door sticker, but I'll be comfortable with the weights and my research. Lord know I'll be much safer than my fathers old 69 Dodge Power Wagon with five folks in a 1970 Franklin 11 footer.
2004.5 Ram 3500 4x4 Quad-Cab SRW CTD 6-spd PacBrake, FASS 150/95
2005 Cougar 314EFS
1982 CJ-8 Scrambler - well built and preserved
Loving wife, two horse crazed daughters, two horses, two cats
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wnjj
Cornelius, Oregon
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sparks426 wrote:The other change 2500hd to 3500 was 265 tires instead of 245. Both e-rated, but sounds like you've went above that. The extra capacity just happens to math out to the difference in capacity between the tires...
I guess that's what I meant to say. Not a load range difference, but stock size difference between the 2500 and 3500.
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TC John
Chihcago
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My 2500 HD has the same tire on it that a SRW 3500 hd came with.....the only difference I can find in thse trucks is 1 leaf spring....thats it..I would like to hear if anybody knows anything different?
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FF1063
LI, NY
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Joined: 08/04/2004
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* This post was
edited 10/15/08 06:19pm by FF1063 *
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Hoss427
Washington state
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Here is a bit different look at TC weights and what it MIGHT mean to you.
First let me say without any reservation you can NEVER have too much truck for any TC...buy bigger than you think you need.
Now for the realities of overloading...I went to the horses mouth for this because I didn't want someones opionion I wanted the RULES from the Washington State Patrol WEIGHTS AND MEASURES GUYS at the weight station. I made a phone call to the state patrol first they would not answer my question but referred me to the weight station at the Washington, Oregon border. I called them and also stopped by on to talk with them as I wanted to hear the story AGAIN.
This is what the officers told me about an overloaded pickup with a camper or anything else for that matter. They have NEVER issued a ticket for a overloaded camper....EXCEPT... when a truck and camper were in an accident and that accident was determined to be caused from the pickup being overloaded/improperly loaded and this overloading was the direct cause of the accident. Then two things happen to the truck/camper owner. You are of course held responsible for the accident and ticketed accordingly and your insurance company sticks it too you. Beware of overloading was the message. Many do it ...only a few pay....but the ones who pay...pay dearly.
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