Looking to purchase a pop-up cabover camper for my 2500 quadcab. The camper weighs about 1200 dry. I will also be towing a 17 foot tracker, don't know the exact tongue weight. Since this is more of a theoretical question it shouldn't matter. I figure with me and the family, all our gear, water and the boat we will be pushing if not exceeding the payload.

I've searched and seemed to get a mixed message so...

Does anybody with a similar set up run airbags, shocks or similar? Do you run them because you absolutley need them or because you wanted them? Just want to be prepared for haggling with the dealer. If need them I will get them as part of the deal. Better to get them up front than install them myself later when I decide I need them. But if I don't then I'd rather bargain fro a few more bucks of the trailer.

Thanks!

 

I work with a guy that has a dually that he hauls a pop up in bed camper and I think it is a four horse trailer. He seems to pull that set up very well with out airbags. But that is with a dually.

 

You will have no problems at all. On the subject of popup overhead campers, I ran into one problem. That parks like Yellowston and such won't let you camp unless it is a hard side camper. We had to leave and camp outside because of the soft side's. I later went to a hard side 10ft and pulled a heavier boat than yours with no problems. Goodluck,Rick

 

Never had any weight issues or hauling/towing issues with my Sunlite pop-up on my '99 equipped with the factory overload springs and towing pkg. I now have an 8'3" Lance hard side. As it weighs MUCH more than the pop-up, so I installed air bags a couple of weeks ago, but have not loaded the camper yet.

 

I do have the towing package, but I thought the camper package isn't available or just part of the towing. I can't remember.

I forgot to mention it is a 4x4. I just assume everyone knows that for some reason.

 

You are going to think this is a weird answer, but the biggest problem anyone will have when hauling a camper and towing trailer is with the front end of a 4X4 Dodge made before 2003. The truck's rear suspension is fully capable of handling the camper you describe and you will never even know the boat is there.

On a 4X4 built before 2003, what will happen is the track bar will take most of the strain as it tries to locate the front axle as the combined vehicle weight shifts around flexing the front springs. The other area of severe load is the lower bearing on the steering gear box. For an illustration of how this happens, take a pencil and draw two lines on a piece of paper in front and behind the pencil. Then grab one end of the pencil and move it upward while holding the other stationary. The pencil moves to the inside of the lines. This is also exacty what the Dodge front track bar does, except it pulls the axle to one side or pushes it to the other. When the weight shifts forward on a bump the axle will pull the frontend toward the driver's side, and away from the passenger's side. When the weight shifts back, the axle shifts back to the passenger side. Each time the axle moves the load is transferred to both the lower bearing on the steering gear box, and to the upper joint of the track bar. A track bar kit and lower steering gear bearing stabilizer are much more important on a 4X4 than anything else when pulling like you describe.

 

Luckily I have a 2005.

 

Leave your suspension stock height,upgrade shocks to perhaps Bilsteins and install aftermarket swaybar or airbags. With the tongue weight of the boat airbags probably would benefit you. I've got the KORE Chase and leveling the front end redistributed the load rearward and raised the center of gravity,not the greatest combo for hauling my popup(1800lbs.) I understand the 3rd's hydroformed frame minimizes the need for a swaybar. I do like the popup though,good point raised on Yosemite about popups,thank you.

 

I have a 11.5' slide-in that is nearly 5000 lbs wet and I tow my Jeep on a tandem axle car hauler which weighs in at just over 7000 lbs. The GCW is 19,300 lbs all loaded up and ready to go. The only non-stock suspension parts I have on my 3500 are Airlift Superduty bags and Rancho 9000 shocks and the truck handles the load beautifully.

 

CTD NUT, you say that on some of the RV boards and they will form a lynching party.

Nice Jeep. Mine is down to tthe frame at the moment, but that is one reason, besiedes the boat, why I wanted a cabover. To haul my jeep around someday.

 

Thank you for the compliment.....just out of curiousity, what did I say that would promote a lynching?

 

Some of the guys on the RV sites are weight *****. If you are over you published payload by 1 ounce they have a hissy. They swear by the published payloads, minus fuel, options, passengers as if the manufactures don't use these for marketing and/or lawsuit protection. I have seen them berate peole who are over by a couple of hundred pounds. If they saw your set up they would freak!

 

It should be noted that the rated payload typically does not apply to camper load ratings from the manufacturers. If you look at the camper ratings from the truck manufacturers you will notice that they usually don't correspond with the payload rating of the truck. In my particular case, I am well under the max on the tow rating for my truck and the GCWR too. The GAWR's are still within spec, also. Lets face it : If a 1 ton dually can't accept my pick up camper, just what is it supposed to fit in? I don't see how the pick up camper manufacturers could make a living manufacturing campers that could not legally be hauled in a pick up.

FWIW, it makes no sense to subtract passengers, fuel or anything else from the payload weight.....you will not have an accurate gross weight of the vehicle that way. Total payload is the GVWR minus the curb weight, period. If you have a 12,000 GVWR truck and a curb weight of 7500 lbs, the total payload is 4500 lbs. The "REAL" weight ***** will not care what comprised the actual weight of the truck when loaded if you are deemed over weight. Fuel, passengers or anything else all count as payload when adding up gross weight.

 

Ok I do not have a 2005 Dodge ( I have a 1992 Dodge ) but this set up I used for towing before I got my Dodge had a bed camper and I towed a trailer and it was night and day between non air bag towing and air bag towing..

as you can see in my pics I needed them to lift the rear of truck.. but my buddy does not and he loves having them when he has his camper on his truck..

the comfort and ride is 100 times smoother with the air bags... if you can get them I suggest you do..

My old set up in the pics below was total = 15,000lbs...

I have not had a chance to load camper on my dodge and see how it does but I will be putting air bags on just for the comfort and smooth of ride with them on..

IE: my camper wieghts 1200lb fully loaded..