truck campers on 1/2 ton trucks

hi i was wondering how many of you haul or have hauled truck campers on a half ton truck, is it legal? because i have a 1997 gmc z71 and cant find out the awnser am wanting one around 1050lbs to 1600lbs thanks

[pickrel pat]

legal. used to be anyway.

[SonnyJ]

We did it years ago without any problems..

[artie]

There are many threads on this forum talking about that problem. It seems you need to compare the weight of the camper to the GVW of the truck. If the camper weighs more then it is no go. I know a fellow who wanted to put a camper on a 3/4 ton diesel and found that the camper exceeded the GVW so he bought a trailer.

[SonnyJ]

Originally Posted by artie

There are many threads on this forum talking about that problem. It seems you need to compare the weight of the camper to the GVW of the truck. If the camper weighs more then it is no go. I know a fellow who wanted to put a camper on a 3/4 ton diesel and found that the camper exceeded the GVW so he bought a trailer.

Back in the day we had no problem puting a big azzed camper on a half ton...we just ignored the numbers and went out and had a good time..

[LongBomber]

I am not sure the exact payload of your truck, but very few half tons would be legal with a 1300 pound camper after you figure in everything else (people, fuel, propane, other supplies). The truck will pack it no problem, but you will likely be over legal weight.

Originally Posted by LongBomber

I am not sure the exact payload of your truck, but very few half tons would be legal with a 1300 pound camper after you figure in everything else (people, fuel, propane, other supplies). The truck will pack it no problem, but you will likely be over legal weight.

thanks the payload is 2070 lbs i believe would airbags bump up the payload wieght any or suspenson helpers

[otto389]

I used to haul an 8' popup camper in my 98 chevy shortbox extended cab. I believe that it weighed 1400 lbs + loaded. On the flat lands with no wind it seemed to haul it ok. Throw in a 70 kph head wind all through Sask, and it did not do very well at all.
Legally i could only haul about a 600 lb payload in that truck.

I now have a 2000 chev 1 ton nondually longbox crewcab and it can legally haul a payload of about 1950 lBS.( the 01 chevy 2500 hd's were rated to haul- if memory serves me right- 2400 lb payloads.)In that truck i used to have an 11 foot vanguard camper that weighed 2400 lbs i think. I did install airbags to level everything out because it sagged a bit.And to stop it from bottoming out on the trunk road.

Airbags DO NOT increase the load capacity of any truck. There are too many factors that go into determining the load ratings and towing capacities of the various trucks.EG brakes, tires, gearing,engine type and size, and believe it or not..options or lack thereof. But airbags do not change the ratings.

Basically.. Every truck frame rolls off the line designed to hold only so much weight. Pick a number..any number.. say 9000 lbs. Now say that the body, seats , engine and all of the rest of the basic pieces weigh 6500 lbs. that leave you with 2500 lbs.Then you add A/C:100 lbs,the larger engine option:250 lbs, running board, grill guard, winch and bumper:700 lbs, Canopy: 200 lbs, Extra battery: 100 lbs, 4 people and a bull mastiff: 700 lbs, Tank of fuel:150 lbs. Total:2200 lbs. Leaves you with 300 lbs left for cargo capacity.
Please keep in mind that these are just numbers that came out of my head and they may or may not be real. They are for illustration purposes only.

Overloading a pick up in Alberta, Sask, and Manitoba doesn't seem to matter to the authorities until there is a wreck. BC however watches for overloaded pickups and nails people hard.

Otto.

[pickrel pat]

throw an extra leaf or to on your pick-up if your worried.

[Justanotherbuck2]

I used to haul a 8ft camper on my 97 dodge half ton, never had any problems at all before that that old camper sat on a ford half ton for years. It was a seventies model camper can't remember the weight but let me assure you it was heavy. I also pulled my fishing boat behind the only time it sucked was around crowsnest in the wind. Never took it to BC becuse every camping unit and truck built is illegal for something in that commi province!

[demolition101]

Originally Posted by SonnyJ

Back in the day we had no problem puting a big azzed camper on a half ton...we just ignored the numbers and went out and had a good time..

Which is why on a rain day your truck can skid out of control, roll, and kill a family of four that were obeying the laws of the road. Those numbers were made by someone way, way smarter than you to keep people safe. If you could tow it, the numbers would match. IMO

[snowshoes]

If you are planning to go into B.C. with a half ton, then you'll have to stick to a 8 ft. camper. Years ago I had a 81 Vanguard 9.5 ft. camper on a 84 Chev 6.2 diesel and later found out this was not a legal combo in B.C.
I put overload springs on, plus Monroe Magnum shocks to handle the 1806 lb. (loaded) Vanguard but a 3/4 ton truck would have been the right answer
I sold the Vanguard after 3 years and bought a 8 ft Sportsman camper....much more suited for a half ton !!

[Cattle Dog]

To heck the camper; buy a tent !

Originally Posted by Cattle Dog

Fucck the camper; buy a tent !

thats not the question i asked so shut your face

[ctd]

Check your GVW of your truck. Also verify the load capacity of your tires.

[BallCoeff.435]

A long time ago when the earth was young and the U.S. and U.S.S.R. were still threatening to lob nasty missiles at each other, it seemed the only things used for hunting accommodation were truck campers, and wall tents held up with lodgepole pine spars-usually where horses or float planes were involved.

The only active trailers were Airstream units pulled by retired americans, and those little square hardwall boxes with the orange/brown paint stripes on the outside and dark woodgrain vinyl all over the inside, used by family types. Things from even earlier years like Shastas were either converted to chicken coops or sent to landfill. Was rare to hear of trailers being used as hunting accommodation.

I guess that's because access trails/roads where you wanted to go hunting were not good enough to maneuver a truck with trailer through, and almost nobody had 4x drive. You wanted as much weight over that back axle as possible. People still hadn't gotten into oversizing everything yet either, so some 10-foot 2000 pound monster camper was unimaginable.

That was the 'elephants graveyard' for old, used-up pickups. Half-tons, we called them. Anything larger was either a dually stake truck used to haul grain or rocks or a couple of steers with, or maybe a power-wagon used by the government or oil companies. (Or exhausted old military 6x6's with manually adjusted spark advance). You put a camper on the half-ton, sometimes one short enough that you could close the back gate, and that's what you used for hunting. The truck stayed in the backyard except for 3 weeks in October. Of course, you had to be pretty short to sleep in those things.

Those half-tons had way less capacity or power than today's 5.4L-engine or 5.7L-engine pickups, but still carried campers.

[TrollGRG]

Can you do it - probably yes.

Is it legal (the original question) - probably not.

I have a 98 of the same general description but it has the heavy towing package (springs, shocks, and rearend) but there is a little sticky in the clove compartment that says you cannot use it for campers. I am not sure but if anything happened they would probably hit you hard and you would have no defence.

[BallCoeff.435]

Originally Posted by TrollGRG

...but there is a little sticky in the clove compartment that says you cannot use it for campers. ...

Wow. First time I've heard of that. Would be interesting to know what the reason was (besides general liability ass-covering).

[gmcmax05]

Originally Posted by SonnyJ

Back in the day we had no problem puting a big azzed camper on a half ton...we just ignored the numbers and went out and had a good time..

lmao, that;s so true

[TrollGRG]

Originally Posted by BallCoeff.435

Wow. First time I've heard of that. Would be interesting to know what the reason was (besides general liability ass-covering).

The funny thing is that it also comes with a trailer wiring bundle.

Maybe the warning is just placed there on all trucks this size before the ad-ons are added on.

[BallCoeff.435]

Originally Posted by TrollGRG

The funny thing is that it also comes with a trailer wiring bundle.

Maybe the warning is just placed there on all trucks this size before the ad-ons are added on.

Or probably something else is going on there.
http://www.truckcamperforums.com/ind...8-power-wagon/

[couleefolk]

my 92 chev extended cab short box also says "not for use with overhead camper" in the glovebox, but the overhead camper fit the contour of the windshield so nice, and it was a bit shorter than the edge of the tailgate so it was easy to add steps to the tailgate. the 305 did have to run in 2nd gear against strong headwinds, but that was probably due to 3:42 gears (normally i run about 1600rpm @ 100kph). it worked, but it was not legal. i believe my camper was a jantrail, and it did not weigh a whole lot. i also run a set of 3/4 ton leafs, and my unit did not sag my back end or bottom out. my 5th wheel is more convienant, drop the trailer and not worry about getting to your hunting/fishing destination.

[pseelk]

Originally Posted by BallCoeff.435

Wow. First time I've heard of that. Would be interesting to know what the reason was (besides general liability ass-covering).

The reason was because its a chev LOL.Just kidding.