1/2 ton upgrade

[Ford390]

I just got a cab-over camper from a neighbor and is too heavy for my current leaf springs. I can easily change them to a heavy duty set of springs. Can anyone tell me if my rear axle can handle the load? I don't have any info as of yet about the weight of the camper, but it is obviously too heavy for a 1/2 ton. I have a '72 f100. It has a 390ci with a c6 pulling it, so there is no problems there. The axle code tag reads (line 1) WDM-H 1HA (line 2) 25 9 330A.

[fordman]

according to this chart you have a 3.25 nonlocker rear end with 28 splined axles. http://www.fordification.com/tech/rearends_ford04.htm

[Mancar1]

You can beef up your suspention and handle the Cabover, but remember you will still have a 1/2 ton rearend, and you may eventually have to change rear bearings due to getting flat spots on them. Had that happen on my 65. It may be hard on the rearend. I wouldn't do it. But that is just me. Hope this helps.

[Ford390]

Is there a heavy duty bearing set available for this rear end that can handle the load?

[Racer Z]

I don't know the weight of your cab-over camper. What you should do is look on the ID tag of the drivers door and find out what the GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) is. Then drive over to a scale and have the truck weighted. GVWR weights include fuel, driver and passengers and the camper.

Yes, you can put on stronger springs, and even a bigger axle, but, that does not mean the frame can handle the extra weight. Lets not forget the brakes, they were designed with GVWR in mind.

You might consider a F250 camper special. Mine is has GVWR of 7500 pounds.

[Ford390]

That was always an option, but the wife says I have enough toys and I refuse to get ride of any right now. Thanks for the help, I'll head to the scales.

[terry1167]

I've been around RV's and slide-in campers for about 40 years. I've owned several slide-in campers and 3/4 ton trucks over the years (currently own a 72 F250 C/S w/390, C6 and a 90 F250 Supercab w/460 and 2 BIG, 11+' heavy slide-in campers) as a hobby. Even though both F250's are factory equipped to handle campers, I've still had to do upgrades to the suspension/exhaust and make engine/tranny upgrades/modifications so they can properly carry and move the load. Plus they age so it requires even more work.

The first think you must do is find out the empty weight of the camper before you can really know what you need to do with the truck. Keep in mind that the empty weight is just that...empty and before water, propane, food, clothing, stuff. If the camper is just an 8' (box length) cabover and not too heavy/top heavy, you could possibly get away with some overload springs and HD shocks but if you are looking at a cabover that is over 8'(hanging off of the back) and/or built heavy with applicances, etc. then you might be looking at a problem and needing a lot of work to handle the load. In addition to rearend issues, you'd have braking,overall front/rear suspension issues, electrical, cooling. There's a lot more to handling a big slide-in camper than the engine and transmission. Without making some big expensive upgrades, assuming it is a heavier camper, it can be just plain dangerous for handling/safety reasons. Every now and then I see somebody that has a BIG (like 10' box or bigger) cabover slide-in camper on a 1/2 ton and I just think they are crazy and asking for trouble. I don't think folks realize the danger of appropriately carrying a big, high, heavy slide-in camper and it's more than just hauling a big load of 2x4's or concrete. Side to side sway, center of gravity, etc. The older big slide-in's also weren't designed with great balance, wind resistance, etc. like they are today. The F100 wasn't designed to handle much of a load. You might be better off trading the F100 for a Camper Special if you really like and want to keep the camper. They have most of the proper equipment including electrical/cooling to handle the extra demands of a camper. Even then, you have to sometimes beef them up to properly handle the load or look at a 1-ton. Hate to be a Debbie downer but I also hate to see anyone have problems or get hurt. That's my

[Ford390]

Thanks for all the information. The camper is a 1966 Fleet Aire. I am able to do some wood work to help lower the weight. It is an 8 ft with basic equipment. I will be headed to the scales this weekend.

[Whateverman]

As an individual who severely overloaded their ol' f100 on a regular basis for years (before finally retiring it from such abuses) I'd say if you have overloads on your truck & are confident about the state of your rear axle assembly- worry about your brakes more than anything especially if you don't have discs. If you've never experienced brake fade before you will with the stock drums

[averagef250]

I've always had heavier 1 ton 4x4 trucks, but have used a bump F100 2wd longbed for some work in the past. IMO the F100 frame is simply too flimsy for control and handling with a load. Whenever I had that truck heavily loaded like 1000 pounds in the bed or 1000 pounds tongue weight it was obvious the frame was severely flexing right under the cab. I recall driving between Seattle and Tacoma on I-5 towing a 10K truck with a frame tensioning towbar and intensely watching the front of the hood go up and down 2 inches+ over every expansion joint in the freeway. The hood wasn't lifting off the body, the entire body was raising with the flexing of the frame. I didn't think that was so cool. Stopped using the F100 for stuff like that and stuck with the heavier trucks. The stock F100 handled the weight fine, the frame just was too thin for that kind of stuff.

An F250 2wd frame isn't much beefier than the F100 frame either, but it is a little better.