I am planning to buy a slide in camper for the truck in my sig. I am trying to figure out what is the heaviest camper I should carry on this truck. I plan on getting Rickson 19.5 wheels with 225 tires with a max load of 3970 lb. Is the rear axle and differential and associated components - bearings, breaks, etc. the same on the 3500 srw as on the drw? Is the higher axle rating for the drw just based on the dual wheels? Will my effective rear axle weight rating be increased to 3970x2=7940 with the new wheeels and tires?

Roy,


To my knowledge the 2500/3500 series share an identical axle.


The 3500 DRW get's it's extra capacity from the second set of tires and an extra stage spring.


I believe GVWR's are 9200lbs for 2500HD SRW and 11,400lbs for a 3500 DRW.


Air Bags may help you if you do not exceed the weight rating.





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Edited by: GMC-2002-Dmax

The GVW of my 3500 SRW is 9900 lbs.


ROB

Becareful of camper weights. My loaded camper weight is stamped on the vin plate. It states it is 3086lbs with ***gals of water, full propane tanks and x amount of other stuff. I weighed the camper on my truck and subtracted the truck weight (which i had just weighed 5 min. before) and it turns out that the camper empty ( I do mean empty) weighed over 4100lbs. My truck now weighed 11460 without me or any one else in it, an emtpy camper with no water or propane and 8 gal of diesel fuel in it. I was glad I had the dooley. Moral of the story is, the weight on the vin plate lies. Mine is a 9'10" Northland with a slide on it. It is two sizes down from the biggest. What do you think the big one weighs? My axle rating is 9000lbs. My spring rating is 8600lbs and I use the air bags to the fullest extent with Rancho 9000s maxed with it on. Super Diesel

Thanks for the replies. I have asked this question on another forum and was told that the axles are the same, as tony said. With these tires I will be well withn the rear axle limits on any camper i choose. I will be staying under 10 feet so 9'2" to 9'6". even slides in this range are under 3500 lb - dry and with all of the options i want. I realize i will be over the GVWR and the camper loading max weight. I'll have to live with thathttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Ermm.gif I was told that the truck has excellent brakes and transmission for the job - this by a ford guy. So I should be good to go.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clap.gif

A few months back I read an article that gave the true axle rating for the axles in our trucks. It was somewhere around 13,000lbs.. GM bases the ratings on spring capabilities and wheel/tire capabilities. Going to the Rickson 19.5" is a good start but you'd need airbags or other to reach the full potential of that tire wheel combination.


I'd also ask whoever you get the camper from to provide an actual weight slip for THE camper your buying. The sticker in the trailer I have is probably 1500-2000lbs. off.


Just my 2 cents.

The rear axles on the 2500HD and 3500 series GM trucks are an AAM 1150. The rated capacity per AAM's website is 10,890 pounds for that axle. GM rates these same axles differently in various models due to other factors, as has been mentioned.

Thanks everyone for the information. I will definately be getting airbags and a beefy swaybar so I think I will be in good shape - saftey/handling wise anyway, but legal wise I guess I will be an outlaw. I will at least see if I can get legal with my insurance company.

Sounds like a good plan. We all run that way too (you should see the camper my neighbor puts on his F350SRW). I know were both illegal. OOOPS! Did I say that? Super Diesel