I am considering purchasing an Arctic Fox camper for my shot bed 2500 04 Ram diesel. It weighs about 3000 pounds dry. Is that too much weight for a 2500? Any suggestions?

 

I had an Arctic Fox 860 for a few years, also a short bed 2500. really liked the camper but couldn't deal with the weight. With air bags the truck actually handled it fine (except on dirt roads, just don't go there with a camper in the back) but with the camper and truck loaded for a long trip i was over the GVWR and that is not a good thing. If you were to get in an accident and the truck was overloaded your toast and insurance will not cover anything. and without air bags the body roll with the high center of gravity would be scary. so, the truck has the power to handle the weight and with air bags on paved roads the handling is ok, but legally i think you are in the danger zone...

 

I'm sure that the weight caricteristics are a little different between a LB, & a SB, but I run a Okanagan 90W in my LB with no troubles. I drive it on rough roads hunting every year. My weight is well over the sticker, but with the Helwig sway bar, & bags it is a nice ride. Pics are in my profile if you want to look.

 

Emergency handling and braking are going to be terrible with that much weight and high cog. I've got a higher payload package than yours and with Carli/Thuren suspension upgrades and much lower cog(popup camper) the truck handles real well. I've seen srw trucks with big slide ins on I-15 in the wind and it's not a pretty sight. I've got a friend with a 2007 Chevy 2500 4wd. He's got Bilstein's all around,airbags,e-rated tires maxxed out and a Hellwig antisway bar. His Lance 855 camper mounted on there scares him to death.

 

You've opened a hornet's nest with this question. The answer is: whatever you feel comfortable with. Can you do it? Heck yes! Should you? It's up to you. Do you have the camper package (3500 rear springs and rear sway bar) If so, you would be fine with that weight. As far as insurance goes, you'd have to call your company. I, along with many others, believe that your insurance company will cover you if you felt your truck/camper was within prudent safety limits, whether or not they are printed in your owner's manual. That's what insurance is; it covers you when something goes wrong. Otherwise claims would never get paid. Do you get coverage when you run that stop sign inadvertently and smash into another vehicle? Do you get it when your bald tire finally blows and you smash into another car? I would say, "yes" to both. The limits are generally what your axle and tires can carry. Add it up. If you are under your tire limits and can put airbags on you will probably be fine. YOU have to be comfortable with it, but the truck engine, frame, and suspension will do the job. Just remember, that 3,000 pounds dry weight is about 500-1,500 pounds below what you will actually carry, depending on how much of a pack rat you are.... If you want a good, light, self-contained camper, just buy my '09 Northstar 850SC XB....

 

Arctic Foxes are heavy. With a 3000 lb dry weight you can figure on another 500 to 1000 lbs when loaded with fresh water, propane, & cargo incl. passengers in your truck. The dry weight on my 10.6 Bigfoot is 3200 lbs. Loaded up for a weekend of camping I have scaled it at 4000lbs. I carry it on a dually & wouldn't even consider a sb 2500 with my tc.

 

Thanks for all your replies. I have always found these forums helpful and informative. From your comments, I have decided to stay away from such a heavy unit. My current camper is a slide in self contained pop up, and my truck handles it very well. It ain't broke so I guess I had better not fix it.

 

Best decision you could have made. That camper was too much for your truck & is better left to a DRW 1 ton.

 

Artic Fox makes very good campers but they are heavy. The 2500 with CTD is a pulling machine but a dry weight of 3k before you load up water and supplies IMO your best to not go that heavy. I'm looking at a pop up truck camper myself for my 2500.

What brand pop up do you have?

 

In 2001 I bought a Artic Fox camper model 990 with generator and all the goodies. After I made all the suspension and tire modifications recommended by Artic Fox, I loaded it on my 96 Dodge 2500 SRW in Phoenix for the trip to Mexico. I drove it as far as Tucson. The handling scared me so bad that I traded in my SRW 2500 in Tucson for my 99 dually which I still have. When I sold the camper I advised perspective buyers against buying it if they intended to load it on a SRW pickup. Artic Fox is a great camper but it is heavy, weighing in at nearly 3600 pounds when full of liquid, propane and equipment; they belong on a dually.