5500 campers real life experience

tim87tr

Trails
Cool. More of a trailhead basecamp jeep tow vehicle. That's even easier to build for.

These guys make removable motorcoaches. Pops off just like a camper. They'll build whatever, just need your truck for a bit.

http://www.powerhousecoach.com/Pickup Truck Campers.html
Yes, but not sure I even want to tow the Jeep too often or at all, I'd rather just take it out West a couple times a year, or possibly leave it out there at a friend's home. It does real well driving on the highway, has 37" bfg ko2s/5.13s/6 sp but I don't plan on having it with me all the time.

I'd just noticed those powerhouse coaches recently, look nice...and expensive?. Will check them out as we do like some comfort items?
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
Finally found a pic of a big Pheonix:
dodge-1-e1407769679907.jpg


......and looks like my idea of just dropping a cheap simple travel trailer on the back of HD trucks is catching on. I mean, if a f550 flatbed tow truck, can tow a truck or trailer on it's back, why not a camper?

TheBombUnimog.jpg


Homemade-RV.jpg
 
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tim87tr

Trails
You sure you need such a truck?

Us "little" 3/4 & 1-tons can get on with it pretty well, without the problems associated with larger trucks.

Wheel/tire combos, registration and insurance issues, etc...

Either way, good luck with your build. Lots of good folks here to draw input from.

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Kenny, I looked again at the 3500 SRW Ram Limited chassis cab payload and found 4580 lb for the quad cab diesel. I thought it was less so if that's correct, I will investigate SRW more, you got me looking at a bigger picture. It'd be nice to have some 35s like you've put on your rig. What is your wheel and tire setup, and camper brand? I have BFG KO2s on my Jeep and really like them after running Goodyear MTRs prior.
 
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IdaSHO

IDACAMPER
Kenny, I looked again at the 3500 SRW Ram Limited chassis cab payload and found 4580 lb for the quad cab diesel. I thought it was less so if that's correct, I will investigate SRW more, you got me looking at a bigger picture. It'd be nice to have some 35s like you've put on your rig. What is your wheel and tire setup, and camper brand? I have BFG KO2s on my Jeep and really like them after running Goodyear MTRs prior.

Wheels are a Les Schwab special, they are 18" raceline's, with a max load capacity of 3650lbs per wheel
They are among the higher load rater wheels that Schwabby sells, that dont look terrible.

I went 18's because of the tire I wanted. Last few sets of truck tires, that have completely converted me over to a Toyo buyer, are AT2's

I wanted the highest load rated AT2 I could muster in a 35" tire, so I decided on the 285/75r18.
It has a max load rating of 4080lbs, allowing me to run at a substantially lower pressure for my needs.

The combination is a pretty solid setup that doesnt weigh a ton.
Each combo weighs less than 100lbs

42333579740_4f49d458fc_b.jpg


The camper is a custom camper I built myself back in 2012. It is the equivalent of a true 4-season 10' truck camper,
built specifically for a SRW flatbed (narrow) and weighs about 2000lbs dry.

It originally was fitted to my old Powerstroke, only in the past year or so have I been pushing it to the much newer SuperDuty

I have had a renewed number of people comment and ask questions about it, some begging for me to create a build thread for it here on Expo, perhaps I will soon.

30275792398_772106e37c_b.jpg


48047551301_8e6b6ac7e5_b.jpg
 

tim87tr

Trails
Wheels are a Les Schwab special, they are 18" raceline's, with a max load capacity of 3650lbs per wheel
They are among the higher load rater wheels that Schwabby sells, that dont look terrible.

I went 18's because of the tire I wanted. Last few sets of truck tires, that have completely converted me over to a Toyo buyer, are AT2's

I wanted the highest load rated AT2 I could muster in a 35" tire, so I decided on the 285/75r18.
It has a max load rating of 4080lbs, allowing me to run at a substantially lower pressure for my needs.

The combination is a pretty solid setup that doesnt weigh a ton.
Each combo weighs less than 100lbs

42333579740_4f49d458fc_b.jpg


The camper is a custom camper I built myself back in 2012. It is the equivalent of a true 4-season 10' truck camper,
built specifically for a SRW flatbed (narrow) and weighs about 2000lbs dry.

It originally was fitted to my old Powerstroke, only in the past year or so have I been pushing it to the much newer SuperDuty

I have had a renewed number of people comment and ask questions about it, some begging for me to create a build thread for it here on Expo, perhaps I will soon
Wow, you have skills. I have a basic grow up on a farm and work on some vehicles skills, but that's impressive. After watching a video on how they built the artic fox, I know that was an in depth and rewarding project.

Thanks for the tire info, I'd like to air down on a trail or run less than the maximum on highway depending on the load and tire charts, within reason. I'm a big fan of that with the Jeep, and have some Interco bird dog rims with an inner bead that allows 10 psi on my 37" ko2s and I went even lower on some MTs. They're rated 3000 lb in 17x9 and wish they made them HD in many truck sizes, but not sure they're made anymore.

I will work on researching and looking at in person, campers to fit a SRW 3500. This thread info really helps me see a lot more travel and trail options.
 

Darwin

Explorer
[QUOTE="tim87tr, post: 2652962, member: 112159"

I will work on researching and looking at in person, campers to fit a SRW 3500. This thread info really helps me see a lot more travel and trail options.
[/QUOTE]

I went a similar direction as IdaSho, I considered long and hard about 5500 and almost pulled the trigger on one, but my use is a different than yours and is not designed as a "basecamp" type set up. I really needed singles in the back over dually, and a 5500 up front with single rear wheel conversion would have put my width pretty wide up front. I still haven't decided yet totally if I made the right choice or not on 3500 vs 5500. I ended up buying a 3500 cab chassis dually and converting it to SRW. Right now I am only limited by the capacity of the tires at 8000 lbs total on the rear.

My wheels are rated at 4,500 lbs a wheel and the tires 37x12.5x18 are rated at 4000 lbs. The flatbed is custom, with a 'captive spring mount' up front for offroad with the camper on the back.
 

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IdaSHO

IDACAMPER
Still in the process of making the change. So not yet really.
A bit more to address on the truck, as well as a mini-make-over on the camper, then should be good to go (y)
 

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