Slide-in Camper on a 95 b4000?

[The BEATTIE]

Hey guys, newbie here. I'm thinking about buying a small camper to use at our local ski hill and was wondering if my truck would be able to handle it. The road isn't paved and its all uphill. I have f-150 leaf springs (minus the bottom leaf) and plan on putting coil-overs in the rear end. The truck is a 4 litre, 5speed, and I have no clue what the gears are. What do you guys think? Thanks in advance!

 

[Captain Ledd]

Well, it's pretty critical to get a camper weight.

Rough estimate:

Assuming it'll be a jostling ride, 700-800ish pound max. You do have the F150 springs in and I'm guessing a lift to some extent? Might be able to push 1000, but that's absolute tops and be really careful.

 

[RonD]

As far as I remember all the Ranger and B-series owners manuals recommended against slide-in campers.

Payload weight on these trucks is 1250lbs
Small slide-ins run about 1000lbs dry, start adding water and other gear and you are over pretty quickly.
If you are towing a boat then you also have to add that tongue weight............

Stability is the other issue, the high center of gravity is more of the issue than just the weight, you would need anti-sway bar and good stabilizers to dampen roll.
I have driven full-size trucks with slide-in campers without these and it can get scary very quickly , white knuckle ride.

A nice tent might be a better plan.

 

[The BEATTIE]

You do have the F150 springs in and I'm guessing a lift to some extent?

Nope, I did a hanger flip, sits just a little above the stock front end

As far as I remember all the Ranger and B-series owners manuals recommended against slide-in campers.

Payload weight on these trucks is 1250lbs
Small slide-ins run about 1000lbs dry, start adding water and other gear and you are over pretty quickly.
If you are towing a boat then you also have to add that tongue weight............

Stability is the other issue, the high center of gravity is more of the issue than just the weight, you would need anti-sway bar and good stabilizers to dampen roll.
I have driven full-size trucks with slide-in campers without these and it can get scary very quickly , white knuckle ride.

A nice tent might be a better plan.

I wont be putting any water in it, due to low temperatures, and it'll be pretty much empty on the way up, other than 2 or 3 days worth of food. I believe I have a sway bar and I will be putting load assist shocks in the rear. Tents are a no go for this guy

 

[echo]

I have an old 6' camper for my 88 ranger. It weighs 940 with water and propane tank. Truck has no issues with carting it around, I just can't be in any hurry.

 

[Surrey]

My dad used to have a small camper he would put on his 2005ish b4000. Never had a problem with it, although he eventually bought a small trailer to replace it, which also made him buy a fullsize truck 'cause the Mazda didn't like to pull the trailer.

 

[4x4junkie]

Payload weight on these trucks is 1250lbs

It's as much as 1650lbs (depending on equipment) if the truck has the #2 payload option, however the rear axle GAWR is 2750lbs (all models), so a 1000lb camper combined with the ~1500 the empty truck probably weighs is going to put you pretty close to the axle's load-carrying limit (a 31-spline Explorer or FX4 axle would give you an additional 450lbs of GAWR).

I do agree, a slide-in camper is going to affect the truck's handling a lot (I seem to recall a recommendation against campers in the owners manual also). Just be aware of the load you're hauling so you don't exceed the axle GAWR and you'll probably be OK.