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Questions concerning adding a slide-in camper to my truck

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JimKIII

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See signature for truck details. I'm looking to put a 2025 Wolf Creek 850 camper on the truck. This Wolf Creek is one of the lightest modern campers available. Here are some weight specs for camper, truck, and passengers:
1. Total wet weight of camper with solar panels, batteries, and options = ~3,000 lbs
2. Weight of 30gallons of fuel = 252 lbs
3. Two riders = ~300 lbs (160lbs for me, much less for wife)
4. Various camping stuff plus generator = ~500lbs
5. Total approx weight = ~3,800 lbs.

See the images for sticker weights.

Questions:
1. The "Tire and Loading Information" sticker states 2999lbs is the max for occupants and cargo. Including the camper, my total weights comes to ~3,800 lbs. (Since there are no stupid questions, here goes) - does this mean that the camper I want is too heavy by 800 lbs and therefore not recommended for this truck?

If that's the case, I have no idea what kind of camper I can get, other than a really light no-frills pop-up camper, that would fit within the limits defined by the "Tire and Loading Information" sticker.

Yet I see RAM 2500/gas trucks with slide-in campers on the road every day.
[edited to remove weight of full tank of gas]

Vehical tire inflation sticker.jpgVehical weight sticker.jpg
 
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You’d be ~1000 pounds over the payload rating, assuming those weight you have for the camper are accurate. They almost never are. The truly important number though is your rear axle weight rating. Whether you’d be over or not depends on how much weight is sitting on that axle when you’re empty. Almost all of the camper weight will be on the rear axle, so you need to figure that math out. That said, you’d likely be right at if not over that with the camper you’re talking about.
 
A Lance 850 will save you a couple hundred pounds, but you'd still be over payload. If your axle rating can handle it as @jsalbre mentioned, you might be able to throw on some airbags to keep it from squatting too much. You might also consider a small trailer that you could throw the generator and camp gear in to keep that weight off the axle. I'm not saying it's right, but I see folks way over payload all the time. I did it in my 1500 until my last big trip cracked both my rear rims (crap brand of rims didn't help) but it opened my eyes to how much pressure I was putting on the rear axle so have a 3500 now.

Also a Lance 825 is down around 2200lbs fully optioned.
 
Also, if you look at trucks that actually are built with the camper package, they typically have different suspension/sway bar setup to help account for the additional weight that will be above the truck's own COG. And, they have the ability for you to remove the tailgate and therefore rear backup camera without making the computer onboard think something is wrong.

Seems like the best solution here is to buy the camper you want and then get a truck that's built for it.
 
I looked into in bed truck campers back when I had my 2017 3500 srw with a 4300lbs cargo capacity. Ultimately concluded every srw truck you see on the road with one is probably overloaded. I wouldn't get one unless I had the dually just due to body roll and the redundancy of having an extra tire. Just because it can, doesn't mean you should.
 
Assuming your is a long box?
Check out the Northern Lite and Bigfoot campers, they're fiberglass shell, no frame, less likely to leak and generally lighter than other campers, also their stated weights are pretty spot on.
As long as you're not over the rear axle or tires weight ratings, you'd be fine with adding airbags.
Also the full tank of fuel is already calculated into the available payload, that should free up a few hundred lbs from your calculations but as stated, campers weights are rarely accurate, most manufacturers show the basic weight with no options.
Shoulda got a 3500
 
MegaRed said:
A Lance 850 will save you a couple hundred pounds, but you'd still be over payload. If your axle rating can handle it as @jsalbre mentioned, you might be able to throw on some airbags to keep it from squatting too much. You might also consider a small trailer that you could throw the generator and camp gear in to keep that weight off the axle. I'm not saying it's right, but I see folks way over payload all the time. I did it in my 1500 until my last big trip cracked both my rear rims (crap brand of rims didn't help) but it opened my eyes to how much pressure I was putting on the rear axle so have a 3500 now.

Also a Lance 825 is down around 2200lbs fully optioned.
Click to expand...
We bought a Lance 915 Squire Lite back in 1999 it said it was around 1800 pounds per the tag (dry). I actually use when weighing it was right at 3000 pounds.

The point is the pounds pile up quickly.

I hauled it with a 1997 GMC K3500 SRW with a 8 foot bed. I seem to remember the weight tag saying 1700/1800 pounds of payload.

That setup made 3 trips either to or from Alaska without issue plus another trip just as long in the lower 48. We had that setup until 2013 when that 6.5TD died with +270k miles on it.
 
MEGA HO said:
Assuming your is a long box?
Check out the Northern Lite and Bigfoot campers, they're fiberglass shell, no frame, less likely to leak and generally lighter than other campers, also their stated weights are pretty spot on.
As long as you're not over the rear axle or tires weight ratings, you'd be fine with adding airbags.
Also the full tank of fuel is already calculated into the available payload, that should free up a few hundred lbs from your calculations but as stated, campers weights are rarely accurate, most manufacturers show the basic weight with no options.
Shoulda got a 3500
Click to expand...
Thanks. Yeh, in hindsight a 3500 would have been the right truck, but I wasn't thinking hauling a camper when I bought the 2500.
 
jsalbre said:
You’d be ~1000 pounds over the payload rating, assuming those weight you have for the camper are accurate. They almost never are. The truly important number though is your rear axle weight rating. Whether you’d be over or not depends on how much weight is sitting on that axle when you’re empty. Almost all of the camper weight will be on the rear axle, so you need to figure that math out. That said, you’d likely be right at if not over that with the camper you’re talking about.
Click to expand...
Doing some searching, I found that SuperSprings coil Sumo springs might have been a solution, but they don't have a product for the 2022 RAM 2500. It seems that RAM changed the rear coil springs in 2021 to larger variable-rate ones, so there are no coil Sumo springs for the newer RAM springs.

However, I did find replacement rear springs for my RAM 2022 2500 that advertise a 35% capacity increase.
https://www.hdcoilsprings.com/produc...variable-rate/

Since the max cargo weight of my truck is 2,999 lbs, a 35% increase puts that at 4,048 lbs.

Am I correct in thinking that installing those springs will indeed increase the max cargo weight of my truck to 4,048 lbs, thereby making the fully-loaded weight of the Wolf Creek 850 (~3,000 lbs) not a problem for this truck?

Or am I way off base?
 
WXman said:
Also, if you look at trucks that actually are built with the camper package, they typically have different suspension/sway bar setup to help account for the additional weight that will be above the truck's own COG. And, they have the ability for you to remove the tailgate and therefore rear backup camera without making the computer onboard think something is wrong.

Seems like the best solution here is to buy the camper you want and then get a truck that's built for it.
Click to expand...

Weren’t 2nd gen trucks the last trucks to have a camper package?
 
JimKIII said:
Doing some searching, I found that SuperSprings coil Sumo springs might have been a solution, but they don't have a product for the 2022 RAM 2500. It seems that RAM changed the rear coil springs in 2021 to larger variable-rate ones, so there are no coil Sumo springs for the newer RAM springs.

However, I did find replacement rear springs for my RAM 2022 2500 that advertise a 35% capacity increase.
https://www.hdcoilsprings.com/produc...variable-rate/

Since the max cargo weight of my truck is 2,999 lbs, a 35% increase puts that at 4,048 lbs.

Am I correct in thinking that installing those springs will indeed increase the max cargo weight of my truck to 4,048 lbs, thereby making the fully-loaded weight of the Wolf Creek 850 (~3,000 lbs) not a problem for this truck?

Or am I way off base?
Click to expand...
Nothing you do can raise the "payload capacity" of your truck. A stronger spring may reduce the sag under load, but that's it. Though as stated before, the payload capacity isn't really as important as the rear axle weight rating. You cannot exceed that, which this camper would likely do.
 
jsalbre said:
Nothing you do can raise the "payload capacity" of your truck. A stronger spring may reduce the sag under load, but that's it. Though as stated before, the payload capacity isn't really as important as the rear axle weight rating. You cannot exceed that, which this camper would likely do.
Click to expand...
I hear what you're saying and appreciate it.
One last question, then I'll quit beating the dead horse. In the link I supplied above about the larger coil springs, the description states:

"CargoMaxx Heavy Duty, Dodge Coil Springs, Ram 2500

2014-2023 Dodge Ram 2500 Rear Coil Springs (Pair) | 2WD/4WD | +35% Capacity | Variable Rate"​

Is their "+35% Capacity" miss-leading?
 
A Class C motorhome would likely be safer and more comfortable then pushing your 2500 to the max.
 
JimKIII said:
I hear what you're saying and appreciate it.
One last question, then I'll quit beating the dead horse. In the link I supplied above about the larger coil springs, the description states:

"CargoMaxx Heavy Duty, Dodge Coil Springs, Ram 2500

2014-2023 Dodge Ram 2500 Rear Coil Springs (Pair) | 2WD/4WD | +35% Capacity | Variable Rate"​

Is their "+35% Capacity" miss-leading?
Click to expand...
Yes. There are a number of different springs on 2500s, so saying it’s “+35%” is only useful if they say what the spring was it was tested against, and from what year. And again, the spring may be stiffer, but that doesn’t increase the payload capacity.
 
Throw a set of air bags on it and it will be more than capable and stable to handle the load. I would not think twice about it since you should be under the max RAWR but regaurdless AAM rates the axles at 10,900lbs and ram uses the same axle for the 2500/3500 the 2500 is rated at 6k and the 3500 at 7k.
Aslong as your within the tire weight ratings and have a set of air bags I would not hesitate. Air bags give the most stability upgrade to help with the higher COG.

And yes payload capacity can be LEGALY increased by a truck/coach upfitter. Of you wanted to go that route
 
AAM doesn’t rate the spring, shock, and control arm mounts attached to the axle.
 
The other issue is swaying and with the 2500s having their coil springs inboard vs the 3500s leafs outside the frame.

I think his 2500 will sway really bad.

The Ram 2500s are also tall and that also makes sway bad.

After market air bags mounted outside the frame may help control the swaying.

The other issue is if you ever pop/blow a rear tire it’s a bad day. One of my cousins laid a truck with a slide in truck camper on its side due to a blown tire.
 
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