Except the manufacturers GVWR isn't a law. It can't be enforced by LEO's so there is nothing for them to crack down on. The Manufacturers GVWR on my truck was 10,100 but my registered GVWR is 13,000. I could have gone as high as 14,000. That is the weight that you can get ticketed for exceeding.

 

Lots of opinions, but try this. Put the camper on and go to a scale. Weigh it and check the load rating @ pressure maximum of your tires and you will have your answer.

 

Good point, I've got mine plated to 12,000.

 

I dont think that any cop is going to pull you over and check your GTWR or your GVWR, and as long as your not towing for profit your not a comercial vehicle so they cant do anything to you anyways, (i have talked with a lot of different LEO's from alot of different states.) Now if your rig is about ready to tip over or is unsafe they can pull you over and ticket you for an unsafe load but the odds of having them pull the portable scales out is SLIM TO NONE. I just weighed my truck and trailer today and i am about 5500 lbs. over what the truck is rated for and it works just fine. The load rating they put on these truck is just a safe working load and im sure there is about a 5 to 1 ratio on them, and the limit they put on them is not a LAW it is a recomendation on the ability of how the truck will perform. As long as your not a retard and you haul your camper within your safety limits and your truck is safe i would not worry about a thing. just my .02 cents.

 

Took my rig from Washington to California about a month ago, 8'6" Lance and a 21' Allison bass boat. Stopped on scales on way down there just for fun, 5000 front axle, 5800 rear axle, 2500 boat axle. Truck did awesome! Lots of windy roads thru the hills where I was going and had no problems. I used to run this setup with no airbags and it did just fine, but before I went to CA, I put the Firestones on, and wow did that make a difference! Was a dream to drive!

 

Sorta contradiction in statement........IMHO.
Where do you travel/tow with this set-up....??
Byron

 

On my 97 I have a 4k Lance camper. 19.5 wheels and tires good for 4500lbs. Add a Hellwig sway bar and air bags. Everytime I drive it I'm amazed at how well it does in the wind and turns.

 

There is a BIG difference between an overhead camper and a 5th wheel. I think some of you are confusing the two.

A dually with a camper feels a lot more stable due to the top heaviness of the slide in camper. Also a dually is rated to carry more weight in the box vs a SRW 3500 that can pull a bigger 5th wheel because it has a higher GCVW due to being a lighter truck.

For slide in campers duallys rock. However SRW work fine too as long as its not TOO big of a camper. I had a '92 CTD 3/4ton SRW that had air bags and carried an older 10.5ft camper and towed my jeep on a trailer just fine.

Some manufactures offer a "camper special" package which includes a beefier rear sway bar. Perhaps your truck's documentation says to to carry a camper because it didn't have that option?