4k weight (base) for the camper...
Realistically you need the 3500 and a long bed for that camper.

 

If I was going to be putting lots of miles on a truck/slide in camper combo I would have a 3500HD DRW bone stock. If it was a week long or couple of months a year vacation then I would deviate from that remark. Full timing, I would want something that is going to have good road manners for long drives. That’s just me. I prefer easy driving comfort. YMMV

I can appreciate that build in the link but raising the center of gravity and a bolt on suspension kit would make me uncomfortable.

 

If you are set on this camper, I would definitely go with a DWR 3500 long bed to handle that weight. The maximum potential added weight of your water and sewer tanks could be as much as another 1,000 lbs and you would still have some additional weight from personal items etc. You would be over your limits for a SRW 3500 and way over for a 2500.

 

What's up everybody! Looking to pick some geniuses brains on this one I'm extremely considering purchasing this truck

Off Road Classifieds

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A kibbetech built duramax that I've been dreaming of forever it feels lol and I can finally afford it and I want to run it to travel around alot with a truck bed camper like this

Mammoth - Host Industries

Mammoth 11’ 6” Mammoth 11’ 6” Floorplans Standard Equipment + Options Image Gallery Mammoth Model Videos Mammoth Model Videos Camper Specifications and Capacities TYPE Triple Slide-Out, Side Entry BASE WEIGHT 3955 lbs. WIDTH 96″ EXTERIOR HEIGHT 113″ – 118″ w/air INTERIOR HEIGHT 78″ FLOOR LENGTH...

www.hostcampers.com

So far all I'm aware I can do is run something like the Carli suspension long travel air bag system? Or add a superleaf type setup? I'm looking for some actually experienced opinions on this?

If this doesn't seem to work would it be smarter to buy and run a 3500 HD Denali duramax I'm also considering at the moment and still run air bags? But throw away my dreams of having a long travel setup for fun when the campers setup somewhere stationary? Keep in mind this will be used full time for living in as well embracing the full time nomad life 🙃😂😁

Has anyone used the kibbtech long travel on the 99-07 classic 2500hd? I just found out about them the other night. Plus they are down the street for my
Moms house.

 

I'm not aware of anyone that has man do you follow kibbetech on instagram? They have tons of pictures of their awesome builds!

 

The Host Mammoth will be around 5500 - 6000lbs when loaded. A 3500hd DRW is the minimum for this camper.

In the Spotlight: Host Mammoth 11.6 Triple-Slide Truck Camper

After living in a truck camper full-time, we've come to appreciate the finer things in life like elbow room and storage space. In many truck campers being

www.truckcamperadventure.com

 

The Host Mammoth will be around 5500 - 6000lbs when loaded. A 3500hd DRW is the minimum for this camper.

In the Spotlight: Host Mammoth 11.6 Triple-Slide Truck Camper

After living in a truck camper full-time, we've come to appreciate the finer things in life like elbow room and storage space. In many truck campers being

www.truckcamperadventure.com

Good point... I talked to another camper last fall who was carrying a similar unit. He told me he had upgraded from a 3500 to 4500 and was much happier.

 

Thanks you guys! I see that you're absolutely correct! I'll end up buying both trucks probably as I want the host camper to be custom made in a few ways and customized I'll probably buy the kibbetech duramax first! To start traveling around and just out a cab shell on the back to be able to camp and travel still and then end up when available get the denali duramax after!

So on another note on the Denali I'm intending on getting a dually most likely and running a super single similar to how the earth roamer are done with the ford's with some continental mpts what are the actual benefits of keeping it a dual tire in the rear stability seems obvious? I guess what I'm really asking is, is the dually that much actually better than if I were to go with a 3500 HD SRW?

 

What single can you run that will handle the weight of that thing? I think even with my tires (see my signature; 4950 lbs per tire) you'd be over the limit. I think the rear axle weight will be right at 10k and there's no SRW solution that will handle that load safely (unless you go to 22.5s...). The F-550 SRW conversion makes no sense to me because the single tire ratings will never let you take advantage of the GRAWR.

I think you need a dually with 19.5s to run that thing, personally. That's a class 4 truck at a minimum. Unless I'm missing something.

Edit: Okay, I take it back -- apparently there are some 19.5s with 6k+ lb single tire capacities. Michelin XDE 2+ is an example.

 

What if you have a tire failure? At least with DRW you have a fighting chance with one tire on that side to get it slowed down and to the side of the road. Loose a super single, no redundant tire and nothing contacting pavement so you don’t have a brake either. Loose a left rear and there is a fairly decent chance you will cross the center lane and only bad things happen at that point.

Leave it stock. It was engineered as a package to do work. If super singles were awesome every hotshot driver would be running them

 

There are several companies that do SRW conversions, although GM doesn't seem to be nearly as popular as the other two.
Probably a combination of solid front axles and availability of 4500 and 5500s, since GM only recently reentered that market.
As mentioned tire capacity can be an issue, for offroad use the 20s are generally better than 19.5. Michelin makes a 335-80R20 Radial Tire with 6700lb capacity each.
Of course, blasting down the interstate at 85mph is not recomend.
If I had the budget I'd investigate a Chevy 4500 or 5500 SRW conversion and build a custom bed for the camper.
You wouldn't have the Denali option, but you wouldn't have to worry about seeing another one just like you out there.

 

I've ran a camper that size that didn't weigh much over half what that thing does on a 3500 SRW and that was pretty much the max. Just get the dual rear wheels with that tank.

 

One additional note for @IONIC369 . If you're going to run large diameter singles on this thing you'll need to regear the truck, and with the 2017+ trucks that creates a ton of issues (among other things, your cruise control will cease functioning). Search the forum for threads on L5P regearing before going down that road, 'cause it likely won't lead anywhere good.

 

Have you considered something like this. They look killer Kodiak / Topkick pickup

 

Or just go ahead and get the Earthroamer rather than building your own. It's already a single wheel, which seems to be what we're after here.

 

Aren't those things like $500k?

On that note, guess what the super single conversion costs on an F-450? Wait for it...

Wait for it...

...$20,000.

As per this and this. And not a single mention of regearing in either article; although they do mention that the speedometer only reports 75% of the actual speed. That's like going from a 3.73 to a 2.8. I bet these things drive like complete crap.

Honestly, the only real advantage to the super singles -- as far as I can tell -- is the ability to air them down for soft sand. Airing down 19.5 duals to such a point would probably result in so much sidewall flex that you'd damage the tires. But the 19.5 duals have the advantage of OEM availability and being easy to service/balance/replace (that's aside from riding better, not needing regearing, and apparently a million other things). So it's really just a question of whether the soft sand capability is worth all of the other costs.

In any case, I definitely advise against using a 2017+ GM for a super single build, due to the issues associated with regearing these trucks. I'd check out Ford and Ram and see if they're more amenable to regearing. Another option is to go for a medium duty 4WD truck which is already designed for huge 22.5s so converting it to super singles would require much less work and the stock gearing isn't going to be an issue. Of course you'd need a custom bed or body fabricated and the costs are going to get pretty silly. Maybe that Earthroamer isn't such a bad idea after all.

 

Alright Ya'all lol Loving the treasure trove of people chiming in and giving valuable feedback. So far I'm deffinetly going with the 3500 HD Denali dually Still most likely with the SRW conversion with something like the Continental MPT 81s (rated to around 7000 lbs from what I understand each tire) on the earthroamers! And Yes I absolutely have looked into the earthroamers it was literally the first thing I did on this lol. I absolutely love them. at about the cost of the camper and truck i'm looking at right now for about lets just say 80k for a brand new Denali Dually and the campers around 50 ish I'm already coming in WAYYY lower cost wise than the initial base price of an earth roamer (500k) I've already built my own custom design through them and it was going to be about 700ish k which not sure who said it, moneys really not the issue here but i'm not exactly wanting to spend THAT MUCH more for in my opinion less, When not only would I have more space and storage with the way I'm going with the denali combo I prefer these trucks over the Fords regardless it does seem to be just user preference even though there are tons more options for Ford and Dodge??!?! And beyond that the ability to take off the camper and still use the truck fully is extremely valuable to me. or really long term say they come out with a better one or possibly ill make a full custom carbon fiber campershell like the earthroamer but on the Denali etc...
And in truth I really love going the route that's fully custom and built around me kind of how I do everything... lol

Then there's the consideration of the topkicks I'd much much rather have a Ford F550 than one of those I think they're god awful ugly and basically a small semi which has its benefits for sure ... I just in that case would much rather go with a Lariat or King Ranch package Ford than those...

So now i'll be researching more into the SRW conversion and why that's a really good or bad idea I have looked into already a bit and there are quite alot of Hotshot drivers using them... the blowout portion is deffinetly a consideration. which is kind of like a risk of playing ball kind of thing to me ... the benefits of the super single seem to far out weight the negatives from what I understand especially offroad. and i'm well aware i'm going to be mobbing at maybe 60 70 on the highways tops not an issue either kind of a part of the fun really really soaking it in and enjoying the ride i'll buy the kibbetech duramax for speed at some point and also will have a dual sport bike with me something like a WR250r or maybe a Zero DSR something along those lines also for fun and like an awesome way of just mobbin away from camp whenever with hardtail MTB bike that I already have... Love talking with you guys keep giving me the good juicy stuff lol

 

I recommend dealing with the gearing issue proactively, i.e., figure out what gears you're going to run and do that mod as the very first thing to make sure that you can get all of the functionality restored (it will likely require an ECU swap). That way if it doesn't work out you can swap the OEM gears back in and trade the truck for something else.

I think trying to run this kind of build on stock gears is not going to end well. Your rig will be at least 15k loaded and with the 25% increase in tire diameter you will be lugging very hard.

 

DO IT! Kibbetech builds some of the nicest truck in the country

 

When you get going start a build thread.
Unfortunately, that kind of project doesn't fit my lifestyle (wife and 3 kids in a truck camper is NOT happening) but it's fun to live vicariously.

 

Just to wet your appetite:

 

That's pretty cool TB.