8+ foot pick-up camper and towing

[square1]

... Weight dist hitches are not supposed to be used with extensions because of the stress they place on the hitch, and the stress that the extension will see. They usually have a fairly low limit on how much you can tow, and how much tongue weight you can have.

Good to know. I had not considered using the two (distribution hitch & extension) in combination, but given time probably would have. Thanks for cutting that idea off at the pass.

Setup properly you will not have an issue. I have a short bed with a 8.5 and a proper hitch extension and have towed my 7500# boat hundreds of miles behind the camper without issue. Just be careful of the tongue weight with a tractor as you truck is at or near full load with just a camper.

Thanks for including the pic of your set-up. 7500# is a slightly more than my load. I would not have thought it possible with an extension due to the side to side leverage the load would have.

Good point on rethinking the tractor's position on for tongue weight. That kind of input is what I'm hoping to gain from the experience of others.

My trek will be all 2 lane black top, except the last 1/2 being gravel. Probably will never exceed 55~60 MPH.

...there is a company named supertruss who makes a hitch that is setup like two receiver tubes stacked on top of each other, then you install their hitch (which has two receivers stacked vertically on it) and chains to go from the end of the extension back to the corners of the hitch on the truck and it becomes much more stable.

Aaron Z

Getting more confidence in this set-up

 

[Egon]

2500 4x4, eight ft box, load equalizer, air bags, 9.5 ft. Camper(2300+ lb's., 20 ft. (10K) trailer.

Works for me.

 

[zing]

I bought a new slide in pop-up camper for my 2004 Silverado 1500 6.5 bed 200 miles from home. It only weighed 950 lbs.
On the interstate at 70 mph mt truck would downshift on the simple grades at overpasses! There was so much wind resistance.
My truck normally has plenty of power.
I towed the 3500 lb Kia home 120 miles a month ago and could not tell it was back there until I looked in the mirror and then at first wondered why that guy was following so close!!
I sold the camper without ever using it.

I had a 2004 Silverado 1500 with the 5.3 L Vortec engine. 5" 5" box so different from your truck, but maybe similar engine/tranny/gearbox combo? I found it was an issue towing anything big. That engine was really snappy off the line and the truck would go like stink unloaded, but when I had a load on it was a different animal completely. At that time I had a 3 horse aluminum trailer with a steel frame. Not excessively heavy, but when full of horses and ponies and tack it was about 7000-8000 lbs. It downshifted regularly on the highway from 5 to 4 on even small hills. If I gave it gas in 4th it would gradually rev to 3500-4000+ as it would work its speed back up until it could shift to 5, but then gradually slow back down again until it was back in 4th. It had a real hard time staying in any kind of power-range at highway speed. If the hill was at all noticeable I would end up in third with RPM pretty high, crawling uphill with the 4 way flashers on. Same truck with my utility trailer on the back and about 3000 lbs (equivalent to your Kia tow) was perfectly fine. Might be that your issue was due more to the peculiarities of that Chev when it encounters any real rolling resistance on the highway, than anything else.

 

[jwstewar]

We have a friend that has a fairly new F350 Crew Cab with an 8' bed with 6.7 Powerstroke. She carries probably a 10' Lance Truck Camper in the bed of it. She then pulls a 14 or 16' Low Profile stock trailer with her Nigerian Dwarf goats. Obviously she has to use an extension. I've not heard her speak of any issues and I know they travel with that setup quite a bit in the summer time. I would say she is pulling 4-5k with it, she doesn't use any of the side chains to keep it in place.

 

[Stimw]

I had a 2004 Silverado 1500 with the 5.3 L Vortec engine. 5" 5" box so different from your truck, but maybe similar engine/tranny/gearbox combo? I found it was an issue towing anything big. That engine was really snappy off the line and the truck would go like stink unloaded, but when I had a load on it was a different animal completely. At that time I had a 3 horse aluminum trailer with a steel frame. Not excessively heavy, but when full of horses and ponies and tack it was about 7000-8000 lbs. It downshifted regularly on the highway from 5 to 4 on even small hills. If I gave it gas in 4th it would gradually rev to 3500-4000+ as it would work its speed back up until it could shift to 5, but then gradually slow back down again until it was back in 4th. It had a real hard time staying in any kind of power-range at highway speed. If the hill was at all noticeable I would end up in third with RPM pretty high, crawling uphill with the 4 way flashers on. Same truck with my utility trailer on the back and about 3000 lbs (equivalent to your Kia tow) was perfectly fine. Might be that your issue was due more to the peculiarities of that Chev when it encounters any real rolling resistance on the highway, than anything else.

My PU has no problems with a heavy load, pics are with almost 7000 lbs. The wind resistance was the problem.
Years ago I moved a bunch of 40' open top semi trailers with a single axle International Tractor.
Trailers with tarps on top I could run 60 mph. Trailers without tarps the International would only do 45 mph, peddle to the floor!
I have owned about a dozen Motorhomes through the years. The old Winnebago's with the flat front were horrible in a headwind.

edit- those are not the heavy pics, the heavy pics are with the backhoe on the tractor.

 

[zing]

My PU has no problems with a heavy load, pics are with almost 7000 lbs. The wind resistance was the problem.
Years ago I moved a bunch of 40' open top semi trailers with a single axle International Tractor.
Trailers with tarps on top I could run 60 mph. Trailers without tarps the International would only do 45 mph, peddle to the floor!
I have owned about a dozen Motorhomes through the years. The old Winnebago's with the flat front were horrible in a headwind.

edit- those are not the heavy pics, the heavy pics are with the backhoe on the tractor.

Well I won't argue with that. If you are not having problems with that weight, your truck is definitely pulling differently than mine was. While it was a horse trailer height, it had a pointy front and actually cut through the wind quite nicely. That truck simply could not handle that weight on the highway. Clearly configured differently from yours though. Cheers.

 

[countrybumpkin]

If I was just wanting it for that property , I'd buy a nice older travel trailer or motor home and leave it there.

 

[square1]

If I was just wanting it for that property , I'd buy a nice older travel trailer or motor home and leave it there.

This was my first thought when considering the purchase. The property is waterfront and unfortunately local zoning ordinances are pretty restrictive about how many days a year (15), and for how many days (5) at a time recreational vehicles can be parked on undeveloped property. Three days is the maximum for an RV to sit unattended. I knew this upfront and in the future I'll probably appreciate those rules

You can store your RV on property with a residence without issue. Using one as full or part-time living quarters has to get special approval and those permits are of a limited (short) duration. Usually only granted during construction of a permanent residence or for ease of attending to an invalid / elderly person by a caregiver.

 

[countrybumpkin]

Oh , one of those places..

 

[hawkeye08]

Torklift has both the receivers and extensions. I have the Superhitch Magnum and use double stinger WDH for my travel trailer.

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