Looking for better payload truck (getting rid of Ram Rebel)
- Thread starter VentureDad
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Todd n Natalie
OverCamper
That could work depending on the slide in camper that is used.
Todd n Natalie
OverCamper
More so how you would transport it home if the box was taken up by the slide in camper.
VentureDad
New member
A cooler would fit in the backseat or on the floor of the camper. Or….. a hitch basket as demonstrated!
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ChasingOurTrunks
Well-known member
The other option is you can just hunt like I do.
Go for a long walk through the bush with the gun, usually at stupid o'clock in the morning when it's -25 Celcius, and be super, duper quiet so you don't distract yourself from watching the deer running away from you in the distance. With this special technique, you can be assured that you will end the hunt empty handed, so the key thing here is having a good hunting buddy with more luck who will share his meat as long as you help him pack it out of the bush.
No carcass for me to haul, but I don't miss out on all the miserable parts of hunting, so it's a win/win, and this system has been flawless for over a decade now for me.
Glad I could contribute my idea to this community in this way, makes me feel special.
VentureDad
New member
There has been many a year I have taken my gun for a cold walk in the woods. It does make “packing out” the carcass of your failures and broken dreams a lot lighter and easier. No need for a cooler then that’s for sure!
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I am in a very similar situation to you. Bought my first truck in 2020 - RAM Rebel quad cab with the ecodiesel and air suspension. At the time I knew little about trucks, and didnt really give payload much thought, as I believed the truck would have more payload capacity than I would ever need.
I added a decked bed drawer system and a cap on the back which used up about 600 pounds of the payload capacity. Then loaded up with another 400 pounds camping gear and 600 pounds of passengers. When I went to tow the new Winnebago hike with a 800 pound tongue weight I thought it would be no issue. But I found the truck felt overloaded in the rear, and even triggered the overload alert on the air suspension when I arrived at the campsite.
At first I couldnt figure it out, until I started to add up all the individual items and realized I was over the payload capacity. I absolutely love the Rebel with the air suspension, but it really cant load that much stuff in it before it feels like it is bouncing down the highway. I think it has to do with the effective spring rate being lowered automatically when the truck goes into aero mode on the highway. In any case, it didnt feel safe to me, and it was stressful to drive. So, I decided to build something more heavy duty, and started my 2017 5500 build. Once it is ready, Ill probably have to sell the Rebel.
2017 RAM 5500
Definitely not as pretty
But built like a tank
I added a decked bed drawer system and a cap on the back which used up about 600 pounds of the payload capacity. Then loaded up with another 400 pounds camping gear and 600 pounds of passengers. When I went to tow the new Winnebago hike with a 800 pound tongue weight I thought it would be no issue. But I found the truck felt overloaded in the rear, and even triggered the overload alert on the air suspension when I arrived at the campsite.
At first I couldnt figure it out, until I started to add up all the individual items and realized I was over the payload capacity. I absolutely love the Rebel with the air suspension, but it really cant load that much stuff in it before it feels like it is bouncing down the highway. I think it has to do with the effective spring rate being lowered automatically when the truck goes into aero mode on the highway. In any case, it didnt feel safe to me, and it was stressful to drive. So, I decided to build something more heavy duty, and started my 2017 5500 build. Once it is ready, Ill probably have to sell the Rebel.
2017 RAM 5500
Definitely not as pretty
But built like a tank
ChasingOurTrunks
Well-known member
And yet, despite our shared experience of "failed" hunts -- "A bad day in the bush beats a good day most other places", doesn't it?
All hunting talk aside, for your truck situation, I will play devils advocate to the recommendations for a bigger truck and suggest that thinking critically about your desired outcome, and what build will get you there, might give you other options. For example, what does "4-season camper" mean to you? Would you consider an Alucab/GFC-style Canopy Camper with a wood stove or fuel-fired heater in it be adequate for winter, enough to take the edge off of a below zero night, or are you wanting the typical Elkhart, Indiana-style white plastic box with poor quality finishings and an overreliance on spray foam to "winterize" it? For an occasional weekend or two-party hunting trip you might find the wedge campers to be a solid option especially considering they are sometimes 1/5th the price of the Elkhart campers and far, far lighter so that they would work on a 1/2 ton truck.
And the reason I'm bringing all this up, is that as you chase higher payload, you almost inevitably also catch higher vehicle weight, and heavy vehicles are always at a disadvantage off road. Even a "mild" HD truck will be a couple thousand pounds heavier than a half ton (Just the weight of the empty vehicle is a thousand pounds difference, plus all the extra stuff you can bring). You may find that the hassle of that extra weight takes away from your experience more than a more minimalist build on a lighter vehicle would, depending on the types of places you like to go.
You will not fit a family of 5 with a typical 4-season Elkhart-style camper in anything less than a large HD truck in my opinion, but if you are wanting to hit up some trails on occasional weekends, your family might have more fun in something like an F-150 with a high payload package -- giving you F-150 weight (and durability, which is good but not as good as an HD-level truck) but with 3,000 lbs payload -- and a lightweight wedge camper build, and most wedge campers are very versatile on the interior so you can easily outfit them differently for hunting versus family trips. Depending on the size of your kids though not everyone will fit inside the wedge, but you can do an awning and room combo or a ground tent for the 'overflow'.
Whatever you go with - build it all on paper, every component - and make sure you are getting the right rig for the job. But being honest with your needs could save you a lot of money and result in a better product at the end of the day for what you love to do most.
Todd n Natalie
OverCamper
Family of 5 = Super crew F150 with the HDPP. Most of the SuperCrew F150's with 4x4 and HDPP that I've seen the payload stickers of are usually around the 2,200 - 2,400 lbs payload mark.
ChasingOurTrunks
Well-known member
Thanks Todd - I googled the HDPP number but I'm sure the one I got was for a single cab short bed 2WD or something; it makes sense the supercrew with 4x4 would be a bit less than that 'ideal' number.
A fully kitted Alucab canopy comes in at 550 lbs, so that leaves a useful payload of 1700-1900 lbs.
250 lbs dad (No offense intended if this is way too high, Venturedad, just trying to be conservatively realistic on the numbers!), maybe 150 lbs for Mrs. Venturedad, and say 75 lbs each for 3 kids uses up another 625 lbs.
That leaves over a thousand pounds left for stuff - decent off road bumper will be 200 lbs, a full extra tank of gas is another 200 lbs, a fridge and food for a week (with beer) is another 200 lbs, and so that's 400 lbs left over for sleeping bags, camp gear, an awning with a room for any folks who don't fit in the camper, etc. In other words, this is a very doable configuration and still stay under GVWR of the F-150 HDPP with the wedge camper.
ChasingOurTrunks
Well-known member
As far as I know Ford is the only manufacturer that offers a heavy duty payload package on their 1/2 ton trucks. Trucks without that package are much closer to the payload you have identified. I had a fullsize Chevy 1500 WT with only a 1900 lbs payload (and it was a bare-bones truck; not a lot of weight-eating features to it like no heated seats, no tow package, etc.)
Typically more "off-road" oriented OEM vehicles will have a lower payload - they tend to come with more suspension travel (as opposed to load-bearing suspension), as well as skid plates and such that reduce available payload. So, an F-150 can have up to 3k payload; An F-150 raptor maxes out at 1700 lbs though (and real-world payload numbers are often under 1500 lbs).
Explorerinil
Observer
Why not look for an f250-f350 SRW with the 6.2 or 7.3? Easy to work on, reliable, cheap to maintain, parts are everywhere and the high pinion dana 60 axle is about as bulletproof as you can get. Get one with a locker and 4:30 gears and your set.
FYI, the F150 with the HDPP is not very easy to find. And they only come in the longer wheel base (super crew with 6.5' bed). It's not available in the super crew with 5.5' bed or the super cab with 6.5' bed. It would probably be easier to go with an F250 at that point unless you happened upon a good deal on an F150 with HDPP.