Truck and Camper on at Cat Scale! How heavy are we?!

[@darkback2]

The wife and I figured that out the hard way. Had a Ford f-250 and were meant to head up to Canada. Ended up scrapping the trip when we found out we were over 2k over weight. We got an f-350 and we are on our first trip right now. Thanks for sharing this information.

[@TheEdelKampers]

We feel ya, we are in the same boat. No matter what we take off of the camper we are not within our trucks payload. Mary💕Fred

[@createdkc4932]

Great video Austin. Thanks for showing us how easy it is to use those Cat Scales.

[@chrislucas9812]

I live in Ontario Canada and I am in the process of getting a Ss1251. I have a 2018 sierra with payload of 1600 lbs. the camper is more than that and I know I could adapt the truck to carry that safely. The problem comes if you are in an accident deemed overloaded by payload sticker weight then you will have no insurance coverage. Something that I really never considered. I am purchasing a 2020 Ram 2500 that now has a payload of 3112 lbs. stay safe

[@danross-cv5ju]

You can add all you want to the back to carry a heavier load (bags, sway bar, RAS), it’s your drivetrain that will be stressed (brakes, transmission, rear end). My parents burned up the transmission in their standard GMC 3/4 ton. Switched to a Chevy 3/4 ton camper special with a bigger motor (350 in the GMC/454 in the Chevy) and never had another problem.

[@kccreations5945]

Yeah I agree with you! If we ever got another truck camper we’d go with a bigger truck for sure!

[@danross-cv5ju]

@@kccreations5945 And don’t get me wrong, I love my 2018 Tundra Crewmax Limited TRD Off Road. Unfortunately my payload capacity is only 1185 lbs. I’m still debating between a camper (Kimbo or Scout) or a trailer without over stressing my truck. I just don’t want to move to a Ford/Chevy/Dodge to get a bigger truck.

[@stahpit1971]

Thanks for the video! we are looking to put a truck camper on our F350. It has the camper package/5Th wheel prep, the payload is 3852. I want to stay under or at 3K Lbs. I never knew truck campers weighed so much until looking to buy one. I have concerns about legal issues if something was to happen being over weight.

[@kccreations5945]

@@stahpit1971 yeah I had that concern too, but ultimately just rolled with it! You’d be totally fine with your truck!!

[@greggarrot8132]

You can replace the plywood in the bed with 1" thick rigid insulation panels they're very light

[@mikeyID]

That’s definitely a big load Austin. Be careful driving brother. Great video. Have fun

[@kccreations5945]

Absolutely man! Thanks for watching!

[@stevewood4255]

Thanks Austin, great information video. I have an F-150 and worried about the weight but never thought it would be so far over. I don't want an F-250 or F-350 as they are overkill for most of the time. Eventually I will probably go with a Four Wheel Camper shell model with a minimal build to keep the weight down. Stay safe and keep up with your adventures!

[@kccreations5945]

Yeah those are a lot lighter. I just can't justify the cost when they don't come outfitted with anything but still cost what I paid for my camper. But I'm sure they are better made. I wondering if a pull behind may be better for me, not sure though.

[@tonyd6884]

Thanks for the video! I am a diehard Toyota fan since the 80’s and cringe at buying anything else that isn’t engineered outside of Japanese specs but, the tundra is not a heavy hauler

[@Ober447]

This why we upgraded to a 2500HD which by the way has a 9500 Lb cargo capacity on the door post and 2069 Lbs on the truck camper sticker in the glovebox. We have the Real Lite 1604 which is the equivalent of your 550 and would of almost been overweight on the 2500 with your loaded number of 9280 Lbs. My guess would be that more than 50% of the truck camper set ups with trucks with Single Rear Wheels are overweight. Great video.

[@kccreations5945]

That’s super interesting that you would have been overweight still with a 2500! Crazy! My sticker on the door jamb says payload of like 1400 I believe. I’ll have to check again! Still not enough that’s for sure!

[@Ober447]

@@kccreations5945 I'm pretty sure there is a wide buffer of safety built into the cargo rating of most light trucks. We ran our 1500 with the camper for three years without a problem. We added two extra springs at the recommendation of our local suspension shop, upgraded the shocks and put heavy duty ceramic pads and rotors. It was a 2008 Chev 1500, 2 door, 2wd w/ 8' box.

[@coltwinchester6124]

Same truck, my sticker says 2,780.

[@simplyactive8324]

Thanks for the info! I have just about an identical set up

[@kccreations5945]

No problem! Glad to help man!

[@createdkc4932]

14 is deffinetly correct!

[@desert4seat]

awesome video bro. Digging your channel!

[@kccreations5945]

Thanks so much man! I appreciate it!

[@mrmatt57]

Wow! I was guessing 8500lbs full up. I had payload problems with my 21 Tundra CrewMax. I tried everything to make the Tundra work... Bags, sway bars, then RAS. In the end couldn't justify the safety aspect and went RAM HD. Plenty of head room now. Maybe the scales scared me away too :). Great video!

[@kccreations5945]

Yeah I'm wondering if a bigger truck is in my future or a pull behind rig. Not sure which is better...

[@roadeomagic]

Thanks dude, I always wondered about how to use those scales. Can you get any violations? Just was wondering, thanks.

[@kccreations5945]

I’ve heard you possibly can but then I’ve heard it doesn’t matter either. So idk honestly.

[@westernsharpie]

A Canadian CVSE officer told me you're technically breaking the law. If you were to get pulled into a scale they could stop you and not let you leave even have it towed away. Worst case you get into an accident you're fully liable, insurance voided. So many people rolling down the road illegally. These trucks are not built for campers. They know this at RV dealers but really try their hardest to hide that info. They're not even really obligated or liable.

[@borissmolden5040]

I'm curious. Is that the V6 Tundra, or the V8? I read the V8 is supposed to have a payload of 2,025#. I'm considering getting the V8 Tundra for a truck camper, but I am concerned with the weight rating.

[@kccreations5945]

I have a V8! The engine doesn’t determine your payload though. The max payload is dependent on your loadout. 4x4 will have less payload that 2x4, CrewMax will have less than double cab, etc. The most is generally 1600lbs, mine is like 1240, and that is not even counting with my wife and I and gear in the truck. So it really sucks lol

[@raulbueno4284]

The funniest thing man it doesn’t matter what the Toyota Tundra that Chuck would do whatever you asked for to do and it does not hesitate when it does not complain when you put it to work

[@kccreations5945]

That sounds about right! I haven’t had any issues from it with all the weight!

[@raulbueno4284]

Look man I have a 2005 Toyota tundra, limited edition and I tow with the truck with a gooseneck trailer and I tow up to 15,000 pounds with that truck here in Colorado and I used a truck as a 1 ton truck. I know it’s a half ton but I use it as a 1 ton truck and I don’t care.

[@ricardojigashi8100]

Yo you got a tundra. No worries

[@filobetobaby]

GMC Sierra 1500's have a metal plate in the glove box that specify no truck campers. Whether your truck handles it well or not I'd imagine it's a heavy liability if you're in an accident.

[@Ober447]

Not so, it depends on the model and box size. my old 2008 chev 1500, 2wd, 2 door with a 8' box has a glove box sticker that says 1200 Lbs. A chev 2500HD with a 4.5' box we looked at buying had a glove box sticker that said 1200 Lbs which was the same as the old 1500. We ended up buying a Chev 2500, extended cab with a 6.5' box and it was 2069 Lbs in the glove box. The longer the box the more capacity apparently.

[@filobetobaby]

A 2500 and 3500 is made to haul heavier loads than a 1500. It's not the box length.

[@484465]

Damn that’s a lot of weight, stay safe! I was considering a Trailer Toad for our next tow behind, the Tundra’s payload is really the weak link but I don’t want to give it up 😭

[@kccreations5945]

Yeah I’m wondering if a different truck is in my future, but I love mine!

[@duridersa]

​@kccreations5945 hate to say it cause love my 2014 tundra toy a toy hauler. And ya that's way above axle rating. Axle rating I'm more concerned about that than payload. And if u were over by 200lbs-400lbs u would be fine. But that rear is waaaay to overloaded brother.

[@kevinwynkoop6548]

That was a very interesting video Austin. I have a 2021 Tundra Limited Crew max with basically the same suspension mods you have. We recently bought a small and light 20’ pull behind camp trailer. I wanted to stay at about 1/2 of the recommended tow weight for the vehicle. I thought that would be a safe bet, but now i want to get it weighed based on your experience. I do have a question though. When you put the larger tires on and the lift did you have any issues with your gas tank gage recommended distance to empty reading being off? Mine is off by about a 100 miles. I have the 38 gal tank and even at a paltry 13 mpg i should have about 530 to 550 reading on the distance to empty calc. I have verified this with each fill up. The truck says “fill up now” in bold orange letters but when i do I have never put more than 30 to 32 gallons in it. I added the speedometer calibration unit and the first tank fill afterwords calculated at about 575 distance to empty. Each fill up has gotten progressively worse. Now it reads about 440 distance to empty at fill up. I can’t seem to find anything online that addresses that issue. Sorry to be so long winded but since we have almost identical set ups I figured I’d check with you. And thanks again for your video!

[@kccreations5945]

Hey man! What camper do you have? We are looking into that as a possibility. Also we have the exact same experience in regard to the fuel situation. My truck does the same thing after I unhook the batter and reattach it it always says like 600 miles to empty and then will level out about 410-440, but I typically only get like 365 or so. And the most I have put in was on this last trip (I'm going to do a mileage video on it) and I was able to get 34.5 gallons in the tank which is the most ever! I think at the end of the day just be thankful if you do have to run it past E then you have some in reserve!

[@kevinwynkoop6548]

That’s true! It’s like having an extra 5 to 7 gallons in “reserve”. I like that especially since I’ve heard you do NOT want to run out of gas in one of these. Expensive fuel pump repair. We just purchased a 2022 Grand Design Imagine 22MLE. We love it! Empty it weighs about 5,000 lbs. and can take another 1800 in gear. The Tundra tows it really well. We live in Colorado so we have a lot of mountain passes, but I take it fairly easy. I’m the one everybody passes on the way up the hill. We watched a ton of RV videos including yours when you got your truck camper. Was really hard to make up our mind. One of the RV channels we watch a lot has a saying “we want to help you buy your second camper first”. So even though I knew the Tundra has limited towing capability, especially compared to a 3/4 ton, we settled on a camper that was a little bit bigger than I was comfortable with towing initially. Now that I’ve towed it several places this summer, I’m glad we got that size and aren’t looking to trade up next year. Hopefully we will have this one for quite a while.

[@highpro1394]

Dont show this to your insurance company if you get in a wreck😮 you will be crucified by the state police when they weigh your truck for an accident investigation. Not to mention your insurance company wont cover you for being over gvwr. Not trying to be mean, just fyi and be aware.

[@Diesel-rocket]

Unless it’s a fatality, the troopers aren’t weighing your trailer. They will ask you personally and investigate. As well as, pull air bag control module, but for a moderate crash , no way

[@pauldimascho964]

Thanks for showing. Tundra's max axle wt (GAWR) is rated 4000 lb front and 4150 lb rear. Some may even multiply engineering safety factor to justify going over the numbers if not expecting 100k miles with real all time conservative driving to avoid sudden breaking and lateral wt shifts.

[@kccreations5945]

Yeah I noticed those numbers as well. I do think those numbers are limited due to the stock tires. Because that number states (4000lbs with P275/65 r18 tires). So I went with 10 ply E rated tires which are raid for 4000 pounds of piece, so I do feel I am operating safely in that regard at least!

[@pauldimascho964]

@@kccreations5945 GAWR is probably much lower than actual axle wt rating that depends on tire spec as you mentioned. My common sense approach would be whether I can break to slow down on downhills in UT hwy from around 75 mph without much stress. I saw a number of Tundra even with hard shell campers at campgrounds. I bet they all have air bags and E. Since you never mentioned driving control issues, I'd think it is manageable with your current weight.(?) Going with other options at this time would cost too much $$$. Also read many issues with RV and trailers.

[@kccreations5945]

@@pauldimascho964 yeah that makes a lot of sense! I haven’t had any issues which has been great. I think if I do plan to keep the set up for long-term I may do a brake upgrade just so they don’t have to work as hard with the extra weight especially through mountain passes. But I live in the Midwest so I don’t have to deal with that on a regular basis by any means

[@nshilling2866]

Shocking

[@briansantefort]

I wouldn't worry one second about it either.

[@kenuber4014]

Don't make excuses !! The frick'n truck is to small for what you want to do with it!!

[@kccreations5945]

Hey no excuses, just compromises! Never had an issue with it.

[@randystern7870]

Moral of the story, Toyota is useless. My 11 f150 heavy duty payload package is rated for 2300lbs. 1000 lbs more than the toyota. Gets 20mpg.

[@sengx]

Moral of the story, any regular 1/2 ton truck is useless for bed campers including the vast majority of f150s. Your package is an uncommon package and 2300lbs still isn't nearly enough for a decent bed camper setup. You need a real 2500 truck with 3000lbs+ of payload. Btw most tundras have a sticker rating of 1500lbs of payload, your special package has 800lbs more not 1000.... sorry budd, not worth spending the money on your extra 800lb package if your goal are bed campers....and I'm not a ford hater btw. I want ford f250 tremor package with a 1800lb bed camper setup and I'll most likely be over the legal payload by a little bit with all things considered 🤷‍♂️

[@randystern7870]

@@sengx I would suggest you get current with truck campers that have been on the market for years. And you don't get to decide what is decent.

[@sengx]

@@randystern7870 and you get to decide toyotas are useless? Goes both ways buddy 😂

[@bobbender2788]

you only get 20 mpg with your f-150 in your dreams with the camper loaded , how much did you spend on repairs for your f-150? I have an auto repair shop for over 40 years . I drive a tundra which was paid for by repairing Fords

[@desert4seat]

lol "useless." The F150 is a shitbox compared to the Tundra.