Questions about truck camper and towing my 520 Ranger

[Ranger185Pilot]

You are going to need a bigger truck. Towing capacity is not your issue, payload capacity is. Even the lightest pop ups are right at the edge of your payload capacity. Half tons can carry a light camper or pull a boat, but doing both is a bad idea. I went though the exact consideration a few years ago. By the time you do all the necessary upgrades to your truck to get it to carry a camper (tires, shocks, airbags, etc), you could have a nice down payment on a 3/4 ton.
I have a Northstar 650 and it is well built. It is an extreme improvement over sketchy motels. Mine is only 7 feet wide, so I can see both sides of the boat while towing and launching. Lots of campers are 8 feet wide, and you will have a hard time seeing your boat. PM me if you have any questions.

[Faststreak]

I have had a lot of experience with truck campers. My arctic fox 811 was had hard side with a slide out. It fit my 2500 short bed with some simple suspension mods. The one I have now is Artic Fox 992 on a 3500 single rear wheel. It is incredible and pulls my bass at like it's not even there. The mods on my truck are simple and not expensive. The truck has stable loads and camper Timbrens. There are very few campers that can fit a 1500. We absolutely love our camper and go all over the country and pull the boat. I work out of the truck every day and did not want a dually. It is not needed for my application. I forgot to add that I did put a sway bar on the 3500 and it elimanated any sway in wind or turns. My camper has a slide out a dry bath, queen bed, generator and much more. I do get about 13-14 mpg with the camper and have a transfer flow 63 gallon tank. When we camp for more than one night we drop the camper in 15 minutes and use it off the truck and can run around in the truck. Mine is probably the biggest you can put on a non dually. Arctic fox makes a high quality camper and you can get some good buys on them. Adventure owns eagle cap and they make a very nice camper but may be a little more expensive. Soft sided campers can raise there roof and are little lighter but not quite the niceties of a hard side. Did I say we love our camper and use it frequently. My wife plans on retiring in a year and we plan on seeing our great country while we are healthy. Good luck with you plans.

[Faststreak]

I I will try to posts some pictures

[Faststreak]

I I will try to posts some pictures

Tried to post pics from 2 different macs and won't work. Try again later

[transamz9]

Or you can get a bigger truck and take the hotel with you like I do.........

[Bandwagon]

Thanks for the feedback Ranger185pilot, I have started to search for a 3/4 ton or 1 ton if it meets my budget. Looking to make a decision in the next 60 days so I can spend two weeks at Christmas in Clewiston with it.

[Bass AHolic]

Those who use a slide in, and have small kids. few yrs ago 3am, south bound rig, was chased down and stopped 25 miles from a fatality incident. Apparently the youngest woke up from sleep to use the rear corner bath room. opened the rear door by mistake and fell onto the Interstate. Parents in truck Cab didn't even know, Consider this possibility for safety thanks

[alli ss]

Those who use a slide in, and have small kids. few yrs ago 3am, south bound rig, was chased down and stopped 25 miles from a fatality incident. Apparently the youngest woke up from sleep to use the rear corner bath room. opened the rear door by mistake and fell onto the Interstate. Parents in truck Cab didn't even know, Consider this possibility for safety thanks

Is it even legal to be in the camper while driving? I know you cant be in a pull behind camper legally.

[Jocephus]

http://earthroamer.com/xv-hd/

I follow these guys on Instagram for when I win the lottery.

Me too. If I win I'll buy you one.

[BassGriz]

This is a Northwoods Wolf Creek on my F-250 with airbags. This is a non-slide out camper and we really enjoy it. Sorry the picture did not show up.

[mike464]

Montana style. 8 foot Alaskan camper, Bass Cat Puma FTD.

[2100bee]

As others have said....You will probably need a bigger truck unless you get one of the lightest truck campers.
I used a GMC 1500 to tow a 21' bumblebee and a 825 Lance for a few years. The Lance weighed 1950lbs. The bumbebee weighed 1300lbs. I did add air bags and 10 ply tires. The air bags were nice! I mainly used it for short trips. I did take the rig to Falcon Lake a couple times (2100 mi round trip). It did ok flat land and not so great in the mountains. The rig never felt unsafe, but it was at the limits. I eventually upgraded to a 2500 and it is MUCH better. I still have the Lance and pull a ZX250 with no issues. I love the truck camper! It is one of the best purchases I've made. I'm surprised more fishermen haven't got into truck camping. It has saved me a LOT of $$$ on lodging. I often stay in the parking lots of hotels, Wal-Mart and a few boat ramps.. If I'm staying more than one night, I will get a campsite so that I can charge the batteries. Once you get a tc, you will find that you can spend a lot of $$$ on gadgets and gizmos for your rig. Electric jacks are worth the money. If you get manual jacks, you can make it go faster by using a cordless drill to operate the jacks. I also have a small solar panel and generator but I never use them.
The Torklift frame mounts and Fast gun tie downs are the way to go. Be sure to get a good extension for your hitch. Don't haul your tc on a plastic bed liner.
If you buy a used camper, check for water damage. Truck campers are made very cheaply and are notorious for leaking. I think my manual recommends to caulk them annually...I don't do it. I have had mine 10 yrs and caulked it twice.

[BILL LO]

Montana style. 8 foot Alaskan camper, Bass Cat Puma FTD.

boy you travel some nasty roads

[mike464]

Bill, this is what's at the end of that road.

[BILL LO]

Bill, this is what's at the end of that road.

Yes I would travel those roads for that also

[Bandwagon]

As others have said....You will probably need a bigger truck unless you get one of the lightest truck campers.
I used a GMC 1500 to tow a 21' bumblebee and a 825 Lance for a few years. The Lance weighed 1950lbs. The bumbebee weighed 1300lbs. I did add air bags and 10 ply tires. The air bags were nice! I mainly used it for short trips. I did take the rig to Falcon Lake a couple times (2100 mi round trip). It did ok flat land and not so great in the mountains. The rig never felt unsafe, but it was at the limits. I eventually upgraded to a 2500 and it is MUCH better. I still have the Lance and pull a ZX250 with no issues. I love the truck camper! It is one of the best purchases I've made. I'm surprised more fishermen haven't got into truck camping. It has saved me a LOT of $$$ on lodging. I often stay in the parking lots of hotels, Wal-Mart and a few boat ramps.. If I'm staying more than one night, I will get a campsite so that I can charge the batteries. Once you get a tc, you will find that you can spend a lot of $$$ on gadgets and gizmos for your rig. Electric jacks are worth the money. If you get manual jacks, you can make it go faster by using a cordless drill to operate the jacks. I also have a small solar panel and generator but I never use them.
The Torklift frame mounts and Fast gun tie downs are the way to go. Be sure to get a good extension for your hitch. Don't haul your tc on a plastic bed liner.
If you buy a used camper, check for water damage. Truck campers are made very cheaply and are notorious for leaking. I think my manual recommends to caulk them annually...I don't do it. I have had mine 10 yrs and caulked it twice.

Thank you, some good information I did not know.

[sdbrison]

. Don't haul your tc on a plastic bed liner.
.

Thanks for all of the info. I have a plastic bed liner so curious why this would matter?

[2100bee]

Thanks for all of the info. I have a plastic bed liner so curious why this would matter?

I've read that it isn't recommended. "They say"... it can bounce a little because the plastic is not strong enough to suppprt the camper. I'm not too sure I believe the bouncing deal, but I could see it being more likely to slide or shift around. I had a plastic liner and stuff would always slide around in the bed. I replaced it with a rubber mat. I figure the more friction the better, and that is less pressure put on the tie downs.

[sdbrison]

I've read that it isn't recommended. "They say"... it can bounce a little because the plastic is not strong enough to suppprt the camper. I'm not too sure I believe the bouncing deal, but I could see it being more likely to slide or shift around. I had a plastic liner and stuff would always slide around in the bed. I replaced it with a rubber mat. I figure the more friction the better, and that is less pressure put on the tie downs.

Would agree with the sliding around. That makes sense as the hard plastic is slick

[Bob B]

You can probably find a lightweight popup camper with a small wet bath that you could put on a 1500 .....but you would get tired of it quickly.

I hauled a 11' hard sided non slide camper on my 2500 350 gasser for a lot of years, but it was never as stable as I liked. I now have a 3500 diesel dually with a payload capacity over 5000 lbs....got a bigger dry bath camper with a full wall slide and really like the setup .... but, with this camper full of water, gas, passengers a LOT of stuff and boat hooked up, I am still almost over weight with it.

I would skip the 2500 and go directly to a 3500 dually diesel.....put a lot of solar on the camper. Some of the double or triple slide models might even require a 450 or 550 to be safe. Shop this time of year and you might find a deal.

Depends on how many people are going to be in the camper whether a slide is worth it or not.