Towing a camper

[rico47635]

He everyone. We would like to buy a camper. I found one recently that is one of those slide in types that goes in the bed of the truck. It hangs over the cab of the truck, but not past the bed of the truck. I really don't think it weighs very much, but there is a sticker in my glovebox that says not to use my truck for a slide-in camper. It's a 1988 K1500. I am at a loss trying to figure out why it wouldn't be suitable for a slide in camper. I know that some of the bigger ones would be too heavy, but the one I found doesn't even hang over the back. Is it because the truck is a 4x4 and the suspension is designed more for 4x4 travel and not carrying weight?

We are also thinking of maybe just getting a pull behind camper. No, I am not thinking of having the slide-in and a pull behind at the same time. How big a camper would be safe to pull with my truck? We're thinking maybe one of those 70s model 16-18 footers would be just fine.

 

[ndians68]

im not sure on the bed thing but id say it will work idk why not maybe someone can chime in and help you out soon

 

[barebones 1500]

these trucks hold alot. i have heard of people towing a 4k lb trailer with another 5k lb of load in it just fine with the 4.3. my truck has the 4.3 as well and has never let me down as far as towing. the only issue is stopping, if you get a huge trailer then upgrade the brakes. other people on here will have specifics as to what and how to do it. as far as the slide in, i don't know why it would have that sticker. my FIL has a 02 GMC ECSB and his slide in covers the entire roof of the cab and hangs over the down tailgate. his is just a half-ton and handles it fine but it is a newer truck. i would say go with the tow behind unless you are comfortable with a slide in or someone can shed some more light on the topic. hope some of that helps.

 

[Fobroader]

As far as I know the 1/2 tons are not allowed to have slide in campers and tow 5th wheels because of their payload rating. I would personally get a pull behind because of the lower cost, ease of hooking up and legalities. A little warning on the older trailers, they are heavy as all hell....my g/f and I have been looking at trailers and the new 30 footers weigh as much as older 20 footers. Try to keep the weight down as much as you can for parts reliability and longevity, also, too heavy of a trailer and everyone behind will be cursing ya on the 1st uphill stretch when youre doing 20Km/h....

 

[Sully]

I wouldnt run a bed type camper in anything smaller than a 2500 with a campers package or a 3500.... towing a trailer, and carrying a trailer are VERY different. Just because guys like 88GMCtruck tow 4-5000lbs of trailer does not mean that you can carry that much. They say tongue weight is 1/10th the actual weight. So if you are towing 4000lbs, your truck is carrying 400lbs of that weight. I promise you that no camper out there for the bed of a truck weighs that little!

 

[Sully]

as for towing capacities, you will be limited depending on the laws in your area and the model of truck you have. What these things can tow and what they are rated for is two totally different stories. A perfect example is when I dropped the new motor in my truck. I had the old motor in my bed along with some other scrap. I weighed in at over my GVWR which means I was too heavy according to what my truck is rated for. Having driven many a truck in my day and knowing when it is strting to tap out, I could have doubled that weight easily and the truck would have still done it without complaining. What does that mean for you? Nothing if you never get weighed. If you do though, and the officials see you are over your rating, then it is considered an unsafe load, and there can be some hefty penalties to pay. That being said, we drag the 3000lb horse trailer with another 3-4000lbs of horse and gear with the wifes 4.3L 1500 and it doesn't care. It sucks back the fuel pretty good as it needs to be up in the power band more often, but with a tranny cooler added nothing in the truck gets over worked. The electric brakes on the trailer help tons with stopping. The key is setting them right, or they will stop the truck before the trucks brakes do, and thats not good for traction or just slowing down.

 

[Fobroader]

For instance, British Columbia has very Natzi-esque trailer towing restrictions. If you are over the capacity of the truck theyll make you park your trailer/camper/boat...whatever till you bring something that is legal to tow it. Plus you get a hefty fine and storage fees till you can pick it up. Like sully said, just because your truck can, doesnt mean Johnny Law will let you.

 

[Sully]

I think Canadian law is stricter in the towing world than the US, however make damn sure you know what laws you are going to be held to before you decide to wing it. In Ontario, towing a horse trailer means you stop at weigh stations for inspection. Hell it gets right down to the style of clip on the safety chains and the direction they are facing.

 

[rico47635]

Hmmmm. Looks like going into Canada is out! LOL! I wouldn't go that far in a 20+ year old truck anyway. Honestly, I doubt we will ever leave the state with any camper set up. The furthest we would tow/haul anything would be 350 miles one way to go see my mother. I know the manufacturers intentionally underrate their vehicles to avoid liability issues, but it really struck as odd that they'd put a "No-Slide-in Campers" warning in this truck. Surely a smaller slide-in doesn't weigh all that much.

 

[Fobroader]

Im thinking even a small one will weigh at least probably 1000Lbs, probably closer to 1500. The only way Id ever throw a slide in camper into a truck if I had a 1 ton Dualie, the dualie really give you stability on such a high center of gravity setup......but thats just me.