Could a 3/4 ton handle a Camper?

[71400lb]

Just wondering if my 71 3/4 ton 2wd Cheyenne could handle one of those Truck Campers? I don't have a clue how much those things weigh, but it's got the table, the bed over the cab,stove,fridge, microwave and a bathroom(amazing how much you can fit in the back of a pick-up, eh!), and it sleeps 4!

Also, when the camper is not on the truck bed, and it is standing on those 4 legs, can you still use it(sleep, cook etc.), leaving it with the wife and kids at the campground while you take the truck out?

Thanks,
Rick
1971 Cheyenne C/20
400/400
3.73/Open
2 wheel drive

[StingRay]

Likely but it really depends on the weight of the camper and the trucks GVW. Most of the camper trucks back then were 3/4 tons........but then campers didn't have as much stuff in them either. We had a 69 3/4 ton Longhorn custom camper when I was a kid and it hauled a 2800lb camper while towing a boat through the Rockies with 7 people and all of our camping crap. The leaf spring 3/4 tons are pretty stout. I can't speak for the coil trucks.

[da-burb]

The coil spring trucks are just as stout. The 3/4 ton truck will be able to handle any size camper you can toss into it. Look for a camper special because it will have the heavy duty springs in it. I don't see any reason why you couldn't drop the camper off at the camp ground. I would think you would need to set it on something more stable than just the 4 support legs if you are going to have the wife and kids still going in and out.

[Scottri]

I hauled an 11' camper around for while with my 69 3/4 ton with no problem. As far as using the camper on the jacks, I wouldn't recommend it. We put pallets under it when it was off the truck. They took the weight off of the jacks.


Scott

[Fred T]

When these trucks were new there were a lot of idiots running full size campers on 1/2 tons.

[Gee_Emm]

You could use a half ton too, just change the springs out for 3/4 ton springs

[Brainchild]

Yeah I've seen a lot of 1/2 tons carrying campers,so 3/4 will do fine.

[stickshift_or_walk]

Originally Posted by Fred T

When these trucks were new there were a lot of idiots running full size campers on 1/2 tons.

Yep, my dad was one of them, but I blame the Chevy "salesman" who talked him out of the 3/4T.

Originally Posted by Gee_Emm

You could use a half ton too, just change the springs out for 3/4 ton springs

Dad might disagree with that. The springs held up fine - it was the semi-floating wheel bearing that gave out.

I'm with the rest who say the 3/4T can handle any modern camper you can throw at it. I have proven that my '72 C20 squats less than my ('02) C3500, under the same load. Yeah, the newer springs may be more flexible, but they don't feel like it when it's empty.

SSOW

[72gord]

Back in 1990 I pulled a 20 foot goosenck trailer with a mud bogger on it with my 72 K-20. The gross weight was 13,250 pounds with truck, trailer, bogger, tools, air compressor, and 3 people. I'm not sure how much weight was on the rear axle, but we had no problems with it handling the load.

[ricochet442]

my grandfather hauled a large slide in camper in his 72 chevy 3/4 ton all the way to guatemala(central america) and back no problem in 1973.

[special-K]

Gotta figure,what was a 3/4t back in 67-72 is a 1t by today`s standards.I had a `69 CustomCamper/10(K/10).

[GMC AMI]

They will handle it fine! The other day I had brought home 50- 50 lb bags of cow grain and 10- 50 lb salt blocks among 100 lbs of dog food and the beast still bounced me all the way home. It just started to settle springs down with
3100 lbs in the box. People that can not do fair rides due to inner ear balance
problems better not ride in this truck!

[dwaite72lnghrn]

What can you do and what you can do safely are two different things. Yes the 3/4t truck can take a slidein with no problems but don't get carried away with it. Find a slide in with no more than 1800 lbs. They are top heavy and every corner you take you will think the truck is going to roll over. If you have a blowout can you safely stop it. Like said you can load a 11' camper in the box but the wear and tear on a 30+ year old truck will show in ways you might not see when the truck was new.
I had a slidein for 10 years and my father had it 10 years before me. It was a 8 1/2' that weighed about 3200 lbs and the longhorn carried it with no problems but like I said you really had to adjust your driving. Advantages of a slidein go anywhere the pickup could go, everything right there. Disadvantage when you go somewhere you were tied takeoff and put back on seems easy but becomes a big chore everytime you stop and want to go anywhere or setup and tear down. Cost of new slideins are unreal. A travel trailer can do what you want alot cheaper and they have the type with a storage in the back for ATV's and sleeping eating in the front.
My brother just dumped his slidein in favor of a 5th wheel because of the hassels of the slidein. The resale of the slidein took him 2 years to sell it, Even the dealer didn't want to trade it in for the new because he would not be able to resell it.
Between my father hauling the slidein and me we put about 80,000 miles with it on top. I just bought a TT because it matched the type of camping I do. I go someplace setup and then I site see or visit from it like a base camp. I normally go early spring or late fall so the popup got pretty cold. So I went to something with heat.