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Man I would welcome some expert advise on a new load rating for my PW. 1500 pnds was not enough to haul much and the much must have a potty.I added a set of 7000 pnd air bags on the rear and upgraded the tires to BFG 35 12 50 18s rated at 3150 each at 65 psi. Now we are going to establish a new max gross for PW. I am thinking about 3500 pounds or so any ideas ?
Ron Kinman
Your actual payload rating won’t change even after installing the modifications you mentioned. It will help with how well it can haul a camper, but that’s it.
What camper are you thinking about getting? With your modified Power Wagon I wouldn’t put anything larger than a Lance 650 or Capri Retreat on it. The ideal match would be a pop-up camper like the Four Wheel Camper Hawk, the Alaskan 6.5, or the Bundutec Wild.
A few folks over on the Truck Camper forum of RV.net have attempted to put a truck camper on a PW and have been mostly disappointed. Why? The suspension is very light and made for flexibility to allow the 4 wheels to stick to rocks, the ground, and other axle contorting positions. This style suspension is diametrically opposed to the SRW 2500/3500 truck’s suspension. If you have the funds, you can replace the rear springs entirely with more and thinner leaves to be able to carry, say 3000 pounds of loaded camper. Remember, you only need to replace the rears as 99% of the weight of the camper eventually loads on the rear axle. Then there are the inevitable Stable Loads; upper overload springs; bigger anti-sway bar; and much better, adjustable shocks. These must all fit into the equation. Because of recoil and sway, i’m not a big fan of air bags. Which camper depends on your bed length. If you have a 6.5 foot short bed there are a few lightweights that fit that bill, several of which Mike has mentioned. If it’s 6 feet or shorter the list of ‘fits’ will also become shorter. So, the question is, do you stay with the PW and go through the time and expense to make it a true 3/4 ton, or do you bail and get a factory built truck that will handle the camper you want.
jefe2020 Ford F-350 XLT FX4 4WD SRW SB SC 7.3L Godzilla Gas TorqShift 10R140 397 amps dual Alt dual batts Frnt Dana 60; Rr Dana M275 E-locker 4.30's 4580/4320/4066# payload 7243# curb wt. 11,300# GVWR 5-er prepped. 2020 Northstar Laredo SC, 12v compressor fridge, cassette, 320w Solar sub zero insulation.
Thanks for the advise guys. I just ordered my Hellwig sway bar to help with that issue. I agree that heavier springs would solve most of the needs of hauling a slid in camper. Im thinking of a 15 foot host with 2 slides no just kidding, I am looking at a NorthStar 850sc that will cover most every need for a long weekend for Carolyn and I potty potty potty. At 1700 pnds + or- should work well on the PW. If it doesn’t Ill add more suspension parts then. I don’t care how much the truck doesn’t articulate but with heavier than the stock 2500 rear floating axle with 4.11 gears and lower transfer case ratios, lockers ft rr, down hill assist and bla bla I’m thinking it should work great. I picked the 850sc based on advise that NorthStar makes nice equipment from this other old retired W-3 that seams to know a lot about the subject. Thanks again I’ll let you know how it works out Dwain.
Ron Kinman
A few folks over on the Truck Camper forum of RV.net have attempted to put a truck camper on a PW and have been mostly disappointed. Why? The suspension is very light and made for flexibility to allow the 4 wheels to stick to rocks, the ground, and other axle contorting positions. This style suspension is diametrically opposed to the SRW 2500/3500 truck’s suspension. If you have the funds, you can replace the rear springs entirely with more and thinner leaves to be able to carry, say 3000 pounds of loaded camper. Remember, you only need to replace the rears as 99% of the weight of the camper eventually loads on the rear axle. Then there are the inevitable Stable Loads; upper overload springs; bigger anti-sway bar; and much better, adjustable shocks. These must all fit into the equation. Because of recoil and sway, i’m not a big fan of air bags. Which camper depends on your bed length. If you have a 6.5 foot short bed there are a few lightweights that fit that bill, several of which Mike has mentioned. If it’s 6 feet or shorter the list of ‘fits’ will also become shorter. So, the question is, do you stay with the PW and go through the time and expense to make it a true 3/4 ton, or do you bail and get a factory built truck that will handle the camper you want.
jefeMan I wish it were that simple. 🙂 It strikes me that no matter which truck we buy, the majority of us end up adding a bunch of parts in order to make it handle in a fashion that is suitable for a truck camper. It reminds me of the early motorhomes which handled so poorly in stock form that it was said the sale of aftermarket parts alone for the GM chassis paved the way for Camping World’s success. We used to talk about “unintended lane changes” when behind the wheel and it was darn near true. Just my two cents. 🙂
Steve and Andra
2012 F350 6.2 gasser SRW LB
Fab Fours front and rear in case we run into a rhino
2019 Northstar Laredo SCWOW I forgot what a difference a Big Wig makes, that was an hour well spent easy as it get on a Ram. Thank you guys
The biggest difference for us is our truck feels like a more stable platform when the camper is on board, but it also firms up when empty. Both my wife and I could tell an immediate improvement, but there is no way I would tell anyone installing a Big Wig on a long bed F350 is an easy install.
Steve and Andra
2012 F350 6.2 gasser SRW LB
Fab Fours front and rear in case we run into a rhino
2019 Northstar Laredo SC
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