Lance camper and F250 Diesel plus loaded 6000 horse trailer, any advice?

2bit · May 28, 2015

My 2002 F250 Diesel 7.3L has a front GAWR of 4800#, rear GAWR 6408, GVWR 8800, the truck manual says "max trailer weight 13,400#"

I now have a Lance 815 at about 1850# and want to upgrade to a camper dry wt of 2500# or 2800#.

I am trying to figure all this out by myself and could really use some advice.

Also pulling a loaded horse trailer just under 6000# no problems at all just would like more room.

Thank you, 2bit

trailertraveler · May 28, 2015

Welcome to the Escapees forum!!!

You need to know the weight of the truck loaded with all the passengers and everything you will be carrying in camper and then add the dry weight of the camper and other items like propane and water plus the tongue weight of the horse trailer and see if that is under the GVWR of the truck (8800#). You then should look at the GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating) of the truck and see if the weight of the truck, camper and all cargo plus the weight of the horse trailer is under the GCWR.

Again, Welcome to the Escapees forum!!!

Rich Stiner · May 28, 2015

The GVWR 8800 is what's going to get you.

My similar truck (2000 w/7.3L 4X4 EC) with a canopy, full tank, and my lard butt weighs 8000 pounds (checked on the scale). The difference between a F350 and a F250 of those years is a 4" spacer in the rear suspension. Other than that, it's just a change of badges. I know somebody that uber-beefed his F250 suspension and bought an all-out camper with a slide-out. He was safe and stable, but his door said he was breakin' regs.

The simple answer - you can do it, but don't expect insurance to be valid in the event of an accident... and a clever lawyer could uncover your stray from the label. Heaven forbid you ever get into a road situation where a lawyer would take the time to look, but this has to be factored in with our litigious society.

If you can get a law enforcement agency (like the State Patrol) to sign off on modifications to safely carry the increased load, then I suspect you'd be more protected in the event of disaster. Good luck getting them to stick their neck out.

Saying all of that, many people overload these rigs all the time without it being a "thing". I just made sure you knew where Murphy stood on all of this.

Kirk W · May 28, 2015

Another welcome to the Escapee forums! I also would take a close look at the rear axle weight rating which could be under what you will need when you add the tongue weight of the horse trailer. Running heavy may not cause immediate problems but it can cause abnormal wear and maintenance, tire problems and make driving more of a chore.

Rich Stiner · May 28, 2015

I almost forgot - a drunk driver hit my stinger (while the truck was parked), lifted the truck in the air and it landed 7 feet to the right - wiping out the whole hitch frame. I only mention this because this is when I learned the stock hitch is rated for 5000 pounds without weight distribution. I upgraded... on the drunk driver's nickle.

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soos · May 28, 2015

In addition to asking your questions here, you might want to scoot over to the Lance Owners forum, they might have more specific information for your situation.

http://lanceowners.hoop.la/forums

Sue