4x4 for Slide-in Camper?

[SliDein]

Slide-in campers generally stress the GVW and
there are some that have the floor up to 14" above the truck bed making them over 8' tall.

I know that the 4x4 reduces cargo by 400# and they are about 5" taller when empty. The nature of the front end is quite different. 4x2 has twin i-beam, 4x4 has mono-beam w/leaf springs. I don't know what effect this has.

My questions are these:

If my situation is:
Only do 2K towing and will get a tall, 3K, <9', ext. cabover, forward fluid/COG camper and considering a F350 V10 SC 5spd DRW LWB with ranchos and ride-rites. I would not be over GVW even with 4x4.

1. Ignoring for a moment whether I need the 4x4 otherwise, is the 4x4 (+ camper/offroad) setup a better place to put the 3K? Will it handle the load better than the 4x2 with the camper package?

2. Will the extra 5" hieght of the 4x4 be squished down considerably and not agrivate the too-tall problem? Is 8'+ above the bed tall for a dually?

3. Is the 4700# front axle in any danger of overload with the V10/4x4/camper?

thanks for any ideas,

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ain't got one yet :^(

[outpost22]

Slidein
I'm no expert on this stuff. I can only offer my experience with my rig. As you can tell by the SIG below, I esentially have what you're asking about with the 4x4.
With the "Ride Rites" I am able to adjust my ride height and don't have a "squishing" problem. They also help to eliminate side to side sway. I also went with a Lance slide-out camper. I believe that their overall height is lower than some others and this helps by keeping the weight lower to the bed. The Ranco 9000's w/ in cab control are awesome. I can tune the ride to what kind of road surface I'm travelling and they also help with forward and back "porposing"(sp?) going down the highway. (I don't use the cab struts-no need to)
I do believe that the 4x2 would perform better with a lower CG and higher payload, but I like to hunt and fish and X-country ski, so thus the 4x4 necesity.
On a trip last weekend I got 10.2 mpg with the setup going over mountain passes and 2 lane coastal roads...not too bad.
As far as axle weights and so forth, I'm sure the experts here can tell you more about that...besides with the DRW you're looking at it should be no problem.

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Y2k F350,V10,4x4,Lariat,SC,Auto,Tow pkg,camper pkg,K&N, off road,3.73,Rancho 9000, Air Ride,Long bed,Michelin LTX M/S,Lance Camper

[Harald]

My truck weighs 7300 lbs with full gas and me in it. This leaves 3900 lbs for camper/gear/passengers. My camper has a brochure dry weight of 2900 lbs. As delivered, the label says it weighs 3277 lbs wet. I know from actually weighing it that it goes 4000 lbs when loaded for a trip. As far as axle weights, virtually all the camper weight goes on the rear axle, so the front axle shouldn't be overloaded.

I've added Firestone ride-rite air bags and Rancho RS9000 shocks. They make a world of difference in handling. Especially without the shocks, the top heavy nature of a camper and the 4x4 make it sway on turns. With the shock dampening cranked up it's much more stable.

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Y2K F350 CC DRW LWB Lariat 4R100 V10 4.30ls.
98 Alpenlite Pendelton 11'10" slide-in camper.