I have been looking at slide in campers for my dodge dually. It seems that there are quite a few used ones for sale. Are they just not all that great , like compared to a trailer as far as usability. Or do they just make the truck too top heavy and handle bad? It is alot of money to spend to find out I made a mistake. I would like to be able to pull a 2 horse bumper pull , while useing the camper. Thanks for your opinion.

 

I have a fairly large camper - about 4500 lbs loaded - and an '05 SRW. I find it quite stable and I sit level after the mods to the suspension I made. If you have a dually you should be OK stock unless you pick up one of those Lance 11-6 monsters in which case you might want to add a leaf and/or overload spring pack plus Timbrens.
If you're pulling on top of that, watch your GCVWR and figure out pin weight plus camper. Go conservative on the camper and you should be OK. I have a friend that has a 11-6 slide in and pulls a boat - weights in at some 17,000 lbs and has made suspension mods. Truck can pull just about anything.
As to the camper, we have two small kids and really like our slide in- lots of versatility and for us, going into the back country in the mountains, I'd not want to tow a 'fiver or a TT since we can back into just about anything.

 

Don't wish to hijack this thread, but it seems appropriate. I have just been reading some of the paperwork that came with my 05. One sheet of paper says that it is NOT recommended to put a camper in the back of my truck. Anyone know why this is?

John

 

It's called "liability"....the ability to put a slide-in camper was why I bought the 1-ton. If it were such an issue, you probably couldn't buy insurance for truck campers - I have my camper insured with the same folks as the truck...no problem. Just need to watch the GAWR - tires tend to be the weak link.

 

I have a 11.5' Coachmen slide-in I use with my 3500 that weighs in at the 4000 lb mark and I tow my Jeep on a tandem axle trailer which is about 7500 lbs between the two. I do use Airlift air bags to help support the weight......as long as you have appropriate rear shocks, a rear swaybar and appropriate load assistance for the rear suspension, your dually will handle a big slide-in and be able to tow a trailer just fine.

 

Ihave a 2005 Arctic Fox with a slide out, and can honestly say its the best rv set up I've ever had. I can go any where I want, don't have to worry about dragging the back of a trailer over obstacles, lots of room and super versatile. added a 3" bump stop extension and the truck stays level when loaded, run toyo open country mt tires to handle the weight, truck handles it with no problems even with a loaded weight of 4900lbs in a quad cab short box srw 4x4 3500.

 

on the natcoa.com website, in the forum area under Dodge, there is a good discussion about the quad cabs with a diesel and a long bed having a paper in them that states they are not recomended for a camper. something about the frame cracking...I have had trailers and currently a camper, and think the camper is the best for getting wherever I want to go.

 

Just make sure the roof shingles are on tight, the doors and windows are locked, and all the animals are tied up before driving away.

 

........the "FOR SALE" sign is the best part.