Does a truck need anti sway bars carry a camper?

[sdbackout]

I own a 1998 Ford F250 Light Duty 4x4. I am interested in purchasing a Six-Pac D650 camper that will fit on the bed. I have a couple of concerns. One is the truck does not have rear anti sway bars. I'm not concerned with the weight but I am in the handling. Hoe did folks carry campers back in the 90's with no rear anti sway bars?

The second concern is what is the best way to attach the camper? The Ford F150 of the time has a weird shaped bed especially in the front. My pumper is very light duty when comparing it to the dodge 2500 that the camper sits on now, and is the way it attaches in the rear.

Would love any feedback, very new at this.

[sdbackout]

I see advertisements for campers that fit 6' beds and are for 1/2 ton pickups but then the dry weight of the camper is more than 2000lb. Who are they trying to fool. The original camper I was interested in had a weight of 1600lb dry. If my truck can only carry 1800lb without me driving, I would have to loose a lot of weight and not carry anything to be within the manufacturer's 7200lb weight limit.
I've given up on the idea of a camper for the particular truck I own. I guess it's tent camping.
Thank you everyone for your information.

[whizbang]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

My experience is that overloaded trucks handle exceptionally poorly. And no amount of suspension upgrades really help.

Here's some real numbers for you to consider:

My 2010 F150 weighs 6000 empty.
The GVWR is 7200 to 7700 (a heavy duty tow package, shock and spring, upgrades the GVWR. I added Bilsteins and Timbrens).
Jayco Dry weight 1200 pounds.

Loaded Jayco..... 1600 to 1800 depending on passengers and gear.

I was right at my GVWR, and it drove okay. Rear axle was at max rating too. Would I go over? NO!

[deltabravo]

No, a truck does not need a rear sway bar to carry a truck camper.

I don't ave a rear sway bar on my truck. This is what I've done to my truck to haul a camper.

[Eric_Lisa]

> Does a truck need anti sway bars carry a camper?
Nope.

Will you be happier hauling a camper in a truck with anti sway bars?
Yup.

[sdbackout]

burningman wrote:
Just the usual note: published “dry weights” of campers are always unrealistic, they always weigh significantly more on the truck.

Weighed my truck today my curb at without me in it and a full tank is 5400lb. The trucks GVWR is 7200lb. I only have 1800lb and that's without people and gear.

Airbags? How do I increase capacity?

[jaycocreek]

Hard to find used Lance campers for short bed trucks here in Southern California

Around here also..The guy I sold my Lance 8.6 to had a dodge short bed..We loaded it upon his Dodge with the tailgate down by his choice and I was quite surprised how normal it looked..Looked like a match made.The TC came right to the edge of the tailgate..

I see him once and a while and I asked him if he ever had any issues with a made for long bed TC on his short bed..Not one and he is happy with his setup..

Good luck with your search..

[sdbackout]

jaycocreek wrote:
Back in the day,six-pac truck campers were well thought of in our area as well as a few others like Security..They stood out for there light weight yet held up well on the rough roads we used them on in Idaho.

I was mostly a Security guy like I am Lance now, because I worked at the Security TC factory just out of high school before the army.

Hard to find used Lance campers for short bed trucks here in Southern California. Found a nice looking one for a good price in Kansas. :M
The Lance does have more storage probably why it's heavier.

[jaycocreek]

Back in the day,six-pac truck campers were well thought of in our area as well as a few others like Security..They stood out for there light weight yet held up well on the rough roads we used them on in Idaho.

I was mostly a Security guy like I am Lance now, because I worked at the Security TC factory just out of high school before the army.

[sdbackout]

joerg68 wrote:
A 15 year old camper can be anywhere between pristine (always under a roof when not in use, not used extensively, well taken care of) and ... junk that is not worth restoring ( all the opposite of the before listed).
Six Pac were not famous for their superior quality. The are/were more of an entry level brand. There is nothing wrong with that.

Just beware. The price is any number that the camper is worth to you.

If you do not know what to look for, even serious water damage can be hard to spot, and even the seller is not necessarily aware of the state of his camper.

Read through some of the restauration topics in the truck camper university sticky.

I looked for water stains in all of the areas I could get to. Opened up all of the cabinet doors and looked at the corners. I did not walk on the roof but looked at all the vents from the inside. It does not have an air-conditioner so that area was not hidden.
I'm in Southern California. The camper was made in California. So there is a good chance the camper has spent most of it's life in California. Not counting this last season we don't get much rain. I did notice the roof should have fresh sealant on the edges. Looked at all the openings and windows and nothing looked horrible.

Can't find any comparable campers in my area. I see some in Midwest that go for half the price.

The weight and COG was why I was interested with the Six-Pac.

Need to think some more about this.
Thanks for the tips.

[joerg68]

A 15 year old camper can be anywhere between pristine (always under a roof when not in use, not used extensively, well taken care of) and ... junk that is not worth restoring ( all the opposite of the before listed).
Six Pac were not famous for their superior quality. The are/were more of an entry level brand. There is nothing wrong with that.

Just beware. The price is any number that the camper is worth to you.

If you do not know what to look for, even serious water damage can be hard to spot, and even the seller is not necessarily aware of the state of his camper.

Read through some of the restauration topics in the truck camper university sticky.

[sdbackout]

AnEv942


The Six-Pac D650 weighs 1,640Lb standart.
Not inexpensive but briefly looking offering I saw from H/J (thru side of bed sheet metal with a button?) for the 98 Questionable imo...
Hopefully you have 8' bed no step and factory hitch-makes for a no drill install.
Just one source
Etrailer Ford F-150 and F-250 Light Duty Camper Tie Downs

Well, It's a 6.5' bed. I don't have a step. The Six-Pac D650 was made for short bed trucks.
A local RV supplier is going to call TorkLift and verify the frame mount. I have a factory hitch. I think TorkLift is the way to go.
My truck is not the nicest truck but I can't see my self drilling a whole on the side of the truck.
With the responses on this thread I think my truck should be ok to carry a camper. If I need to ad a stabilizer I can go that route.

Now I just need to find out what a used 2004 Six-Pac D650 goes for. Difficult to make an offer.

[burningman]

Just the usual note: published “dry weights” of campers are always unrealistic, they always weigh significantly more on the truck.

[Grit_dog]

Those were a good line of trucks. Ran the snot out of a few of them, 150s and the 7 luggers.
Think my 98 was a 5.4/5speed stick. One of the "droopy body" ones was. So much nicer to tow with than the slushbox at the time. And peppier too.

[AnEv942]

sdbackout wrote:

... Just looked at the Hellwig sway bar. Looks like a simple install. Maybe I should see how the the truck does with the load and no sway bar.

Absolutely-you can always upgrade suspension components if you find needed.

sdbackout wrote:

I am interested on the TorkLift frame fount.

The Six-Pac D650 weighs 1,640Lb standart.

Not inexpensive but briefly looking offering I saw from H/J (thru side of bed sheet metal with a button?) for the 98 Questionable imo...
Hopefully you have 8' bed no step and factory hitch-makes for a no drill install.
Just one source
Etrailer Ford F-150 and F-250 Light Duty Camper Tie Downs