Just how important is GVWR in these old trucks..?

[FORDF250HDXLT]

The door jam sticker isn't on the door but the jam.Meaning the cab.I don't know,but I would think that might be illegal.Besides it's got a vin on it,and if doesn't match the vin on the dash,the DOT might have a field day with you lol.

I like to put things simple.If I can't afford to do it legal and safely,then I can't afford to do it.So such as the case with this.What your looking to do,requires an F450.I hope you'll consider the top two best options.
1.Sell your truck and buy an F450 and build your camper for that or
2.Keep your F350 and just buy a smaller slide in that keeps you within the trucks rating.
I know this is easy for me to say.I know what I can afford for camping and that's a 4 cyl car and a tent.I'm just as content with it too.

Check out my F450 with it's 16' bed.Imagine what a feller could build for a slide on camper for this.

But then if I built one,my cheap ass wouldn't want to take it anywhere lmao!

 

[Thewespaul]

Not on the door tag.. but it is in the manual. Hell... if that's all they are worried about, I'll scratch off my door tag and throw some 450 badges on it... or just find a 450 or super door in the junkyard with the sticker still on it.

Thats a good way to make it look like you have a stolen vehicle and youre trying to cover it up! I dont doubt youre a safe driver, its the other people on the road that drive like asshats that make it dangerous, its a free county so do as you want, hope you have a good holiday.

 

[marktruck]

I pulled a 15k backhoe on a 4500pd. gooseneck trailer all over MS with my 89 f350 w/7.3 idi na...
They're pretty tough trucks...

Hey guys..

So my plans for my '90 F350 have changed and now my wife and I are planning on building a part time expedition rig out of it. We will be starting on building the camper soon (it will be a lift off cab over type that will be mounted to the flatbed and can be removed easily when not in use).

My concern at the moment is the GVWR on the door tag is only 9200lb which seems pretty low to me. The truck scales around 7k depending on how much fuel is on board.

The camper will be between 2-3k dry.. probably closer to 3-4k loaded.. so well over 10k total weight on the truck.

How worried should I be?

The truck is rolling on 37" military take-offs (Baja TAs) e rated at over 4200# each.. so no worries about tires. Does have rear overloads... will be regeared to 4.88s and may add airbags to the rear just to help the rear springs.

What do you guys think?

 

[burt]

I know they are tough but damn! Must be pretty flat around there. Low range would be the only way that would happen here

 

[Macrobb]

As far as loading your truck goes, one useful tip is overload springs.
These are a second set of springs "above" the main set, which have the ends in free air with the truck empty.
There are rubber "bumpers" which touch the ends as soon as the truck bed drops about 1.5"
I've got a truck with a set, and it's pretty nice - unloaded, it rides (less) like a brick, and even a pretty heavy full-sized camper didn't make it squat at all really.

Also, I'm totally a fan of good heavy-sidewall tires - I've got a set of Michelin XPS tractions, and they seem to handle (over)loading a lot better - a lot less of the sidewall getting squished at the bottom under pressure.
They also run a lot 'quieter' at highway speeds than other tires I've run - I don't hear the tires over the wind and IDI rattle at highway speed.
I've had some "normal" tires which I *could* hear the tires over the wind and IDI rattle...

 

[u2slow]

IMO, you can realistically stretch the GVWR to the limit of the DRW pickup with some basic modifications. The F350 C&C is a different frame, a shorter wheelbase, maybe even a stronger axle housing.

The F-Superduty is a completely heavier-duty chassis, and justifies the 14k# GVWR.

The 4th digit of the VIN approximates the GVW rating in varying increments of 500-1000#.

 

[AcIdBuRn02ZTS]

As far as loading your truck goes, one useful tip is overload springs.
These are a second set of springs "above" the main set, which have the ends in free air with the truck empty.
There are rubber "bumpers" which touch the ends as soon as the truck bed drops about 1.5"
I've got a truck with a set, and it's pretty nice - unloaded, it rides (less) like a brick, and even a pretty heavy full-sized camper didn't make it squat at all really.

Also, I'm totally a fan of good heavy-sidewall tires - I've got a set of Michelin XPS tractions, and they seem to handle (over)loading a lot better - a lot less of the sidewall getting squished at the bottom under pressure.
They also run a lot 'quieter' at highway speeds than other tires I've run - I don't hear the tires over the wind and IDI rattle at highway speed.
I've had some "normal" tires which I *could* hear the tires over the wind and IDI rattle...

My truck has overloads and sway bars on it. It rides decent for a 1 ton with no weight over the rear axle (flatbed).

As far as tires go... I'm running military take-off 37" e-rated Bajas. They are "10 ply rated" and have a load carrying capacity of 4400# each @ 65psi.

All the heavy weight items will be pushed all the way forward so weight distribution will be fairly even and pushing some of that weight up on the front axle. I'm still shooting for under 2k dry which will keep it legal... but I'm fairly certain the truck will handle whatever I throw at it.

I've had 2400lb on the bed (330 gallon oil tote full).. and the truck drove fine. You could tell it was loaded... but it wasn't sketchy to drive (even with the oil sloshing around). I also had my 55g bed mounted tank full at the same time.. so closer to 2800lb on the bed now that I think of it..

Anyways..

 

[hesutton]

It's time for an F-Super Duty! AKA F-450!
It's the correct and real foundation you now require!

I'm vote three for the F450.

That's what I did.... just a newer version. I need to be able to safely and legally haul close 30K (Case 1150C and trailer). My tractor isn't nearly as heavy, but still more than I should be fooling with behind a SRW F350. The F450's (new and old) are a big step up in axles/frame/brakes. If I were just needing to make one heavy haul of the Case 1150C, I'd just hire a guy. But, I'll need to move this sucker several times a year. Plus, it'll make hauling my camper a breeze and I have the option now of getting a larger/heavier camper in the future if I want... That is not an option with the '86 F350.

Heath

 

[hesutton]

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Heath

 

[Shawn MacAnanny]

In my state anything bigger than an f350 requires a separate commercial policy. Did you have to carry a commercial policy on that new 450?

 

[hesutton]

In my state anything bigger than an f350 requires a separate commercial policy. Did you have to carry a commercial policy on that new 450?

No I didn't. Some insurance companies in KY will try and force a commercial policy on anything 1 ton or higher. Gotta know your agent and if they will simply do a little work, they'll find that you don't need commercial policies just because the truck is often used for business. Lots of light duty cars and vans are used in commercial capacity, but those same models aren't required to carry commercial policies when you use them personally. Same with the F450.

I had my insurance lined up well before even ordering the truck.

Heath

 

[u2slow]

The door-jamb decal is subject to wear and tear. They're gone on two of my trucks, and it looks blank on another. If it mattered, it would be a riveted, embossed plate.

Insurance for F450 is a non-issue in some areas (like mine). Up to 8200kg gross on a personal/pleasure policy. Gov't run insurance is good for something I suppose...

 

[towcat]

Insurance requirements vary from state-to-state, even more dramatic between US and Canada

 

[AcIdBuRn02ZTS]

Well... ended up coming across a steal of a deal.. so I jumped on it.

Found it listed on craigslist needing the roof rebuilt (framing and all)... for 1k... no pictures... no details.

I decided to call the guy for giggles. It's a late 90's model 825 (weighs in around 1850 which will keep me under GVWR). It's fully loaded... heat, ac, stove, fridge, shower, toilet, and power jacks... queen size bunk and smaller bunk... talked the guy down to $900 and he's delivering it... along with the majority of the materials to fix the roof. He bought a lot of the material.. just lost interest and covered it up with a tarp.

The electric jacks alone are over 1k new... and apparently everything in it works which he said he'll help me set it up and test everything.

We'll see saturday.

 

[franklin2]

Well... ended up coming across a steal of a deal.. so I jumped on it.

Found it listed on craigslist needing the roof rebuilt (framing and all)... for 1k... no pictures... no details.

I decided to call the guy for giggles. It's a late 90's model 825 (weighs in around 1850 which will keep me under GVWR). It's fully loaded... heat, ac, stove, fridge, shower, toilet, and power jacks... queen size bunk and smaller bunk... talked the guy down to $900 and he's delivering it... along with the majority of the materials to fix the roof. He bought a lot of the material.. just lost interest and covered it up with a tarp.

The electric jacks alone are over 1k new... and apparently everything in it works which he said he'll help me set it up and test everything.

We'll see saturday.

I bet it needs more than the roof redone. I have done one of those before, what a mess. You can patch the walls and the lower portions and get by, but to do it right you have to pull all the siding off and rebuild it. All those leaks settle in the bottom of the camper and rot the corners out. You will find(probably like he did already) that those nice new jacks have nothing to bolt to. It can be fixed I have done it, but it's a lot of time and work. Just make sure all the "camper" stuff is good, they want a fortune for camper appliances and A/C units.