Truck and tire suggestions for heavy Arctic Fox camper?

[dwilliams]

I've currently got an 2015 Arctic Fox 990, on a 2015 SRW 3500 Duramax. I've got 72000 miles on this setup so far. Overall, I've been very happy with the setup. The Arctic Fox is a heavy camper once fully loaded with water and gear, however. The nameplate sticker has it as 3500 or so lbs dry, but it's really pushing 5000 wet. The truck hauls it around like nothings there. The truck stops with no issues at all. The exhaust brake and tow haul mode downshift and control the weight flawlessly on highway grades. It accelerates great, holds highway speeds well, and will pass many other vehicles going up a grade.

The one problem I've had is tires and wheels. About 3 years ago, I cracked two wheels on a trip to Utah. Switched to a different wheel, and haven't had an issue since, 6X,XXX pdd miles later. I just returned from a trip to Tucson, where I had a few more tire/wheel issues. Had two tires separate on me, and 1 wheel crack. Now, the tire separation could have been going on for some time. I just rotated my rear tires to the front before this trip, and that's when I noticed a bad vibration due to the separation. They could have started separating anytime in the last 10,000 miles or so, and the weight of the camper may have overpowered the vibration while on the rear of the truck.

The tire's I'm running are Toyo 285/65R18's load range E. Rated for 3640 lbs at 80 PSI. The wheels are rated for 3500 lbs I believe.

I'm curious what others with larger, heavier campers are running. Most of my miles are highway due to long distances being traveled from Washington state to the southwest, but I put plenty of dirt road miles on the setup as well. I'm considering trading this truck in for a 3500 DRW. I'm also considering a forged wheel, or maybe even a 19.5 wheel with a commercial tire.

What are the pro's and con's of these options? I'm sure a DRW can go absolutely anywhere my SRW would go with this setup, as the camper is the limiting factor here, not the truck width. I know in certain snow situations, DRW can have a tough time getting traction, but you can always chain up, or pull the outer wheel off until you're out of it. Any other pro's or con's to consider? Any other good options out there I haven't mentioned?

I'm pretty well committed to the heavy Arctic Fox camper, so I'd like to match up a truck/tire combination to mate well with it. I am absolutely sold on the huge capacities that the 990 comes with. 60 gallons of fresh water, 30+ gallons each of gray and black water holding tanks. Dual batteries and propane tanks. Plus a slide out for lots of interior room. This has proven to be a great setup for me on 2-3 week long trips into the southwest. I can leave Washington with a full water tank and propane, and never need to fill up or dump my tanks for the entire duration of the trip. I'm sold on the convenience of this. I just want to match it up to something that's not going to leave me on the side of the interstate changing tires when I should be exploring and vacationing.

 

[Buliwyf]

F350 DRW or 450 XL. XL so you get the steel wheels. The aluminum oem wheels are junk.

I think the base DRW can carry 7000#. Subtract a ton for each option. 1500# if diesel, 800 for CC etc. etc.

I've been driving DRW's in snow forever. Get quality tires, and don't let the trucks rear, sag at any cost. I recommend Cooper st max and stt's for the 350. Something different for the 450 obviously.

 

[LeftCoastKiteboarding]

I carry a 10’9” Lance camper on my srw F350. I’m running the Nitto Ridge Grapplers. They are an F rated tire with almost 4000 lb rating. They are very quiet on the highway, have an aggressive tread that is amazing off-road, and drive great loaded at 80psi. I also have a set of Method wheels that are about 3700 lbs each. So far so good. I’m very pleased with the setup. Just returned from a Baja trip and tires were great off-road at about 45psi with the camper on.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[hemifoot]

i also run the ridge grappler in an f rating and the rims are ultra drifters in 20x9.i only carry around 3k of weight but i also tow a boat and we are off road as much as on.great tire so far,but i run them only half the year,the winter rubber is general grabber at2's.

 

[vintageracer]

In your post you state the load specs on your TOYO tires at 80 PSI however you did not state what PSI you are actually running in your TOYO tires when fully loaded? The combination of the heavy load you are carrying and inadequate air pressure in the tires "could" be part of your tire issues and wheel cracking problems.

There have been situations lately with factory OEM aluminum wheels cracking under loads. Later model Ford Front Dually "BUD" style wheels are especially prone to cracking. One solution is to run steel wheels instead of aluminum wheels. Not very sexy and certainly much heavier however it is a lot more difficult to crack a steel wheel. Of course with steel wheels you always have the issue of run out as it is pretty easy to bend a steel wheel. You could also look to the aftermarket for stronger wheels however I would be very cautious as most aftermarket wheels offered on the market today are produced in China. While the wheel load ratings "may" be adequate for your needs you never know if these ratings are actually true even with a DOT rating on the wheel.

As you stated above your truck runs great on the highway, pulls hard and goes up and down hills easily loaded with the camper loaded which is most of your driving miles. Given this reality your ability for increased speed combined with the heavy load could also be a significant issue/cause of your wheel/tire issues. A little slower and less hectic pace when traveling might offer a cheaper and easier solution to your wheel/tire issues IF your tendency is to run hard and fast on the highway!

You also did not mention if you "Air Down" at all on the trails. If so to what pressure when off-road? Once again this could cause tires issues over time with low pressure, rough off-road terrain and your heavy load.

Just so you know that if you go with a 19.5 inch truck tire/wheel combination you cannot safely air down those 19.5 tires for better off-road traction. 19.5's are a whole different animal when it comes to truck tires.

Something to think about!

 

[Bayou Boy]

Toyo makes their AT in a couple of sizes with 4080# per tire on 18" and 20" wheels. They worked perfectly with my heavy Lance 855 on my Ram 3500.

 

[wirenut]

Have you actually weighed your rig to know how much weight you have on the rear axle? Until you do it's useless to try to guess at a proper tire and wheel. For the weight I would guess you are carrying I think a 19.5" wheel and tire would be your best option by far. If you're looking at buying new wheels and tires anyway it makes total sense to get 19.5". You can get that size tire with a more aggressive tread if you want or a more highway type tread. Everything I've ever heard about them with a TC has been pretty positive.

 

[deserteagle56]

Trade the SRW in on a dually.

Since I do take my truck/camper off pavement a lot, I was not too happy about ending up in off-camber situations with all that weight up high when the Bigfoot was mounted on my SRW. I traded for a dually and find myself amazed at how much more stable the outfit is, whether on the freeway with strong wind gusts or on some dirt road. As you said, the camper is wider than the dually fenders so that part doesn't matter. Plus, if you ever do have a rear blowout your chances of coming to a safe stop are MUCH better!

 

[dieselandmud]

I have a F350 dually and have no plans on ever going back to a SRW

 

[LeftCoastKiteboarding]

Duallys are great..:except when they aren’t. Do my use it just won’t work. Don’t air down well, don’t like getting rocks stuck between, don’t fit well on narrow tracks. For some they are the bee’s knees. For me, absolutely not. YMMV.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[deserteagle56]

OP is talking about 5,000 lbs sitting way up high in the bed of his truck. Then add the weight of the truck itself. Personally I would prefer 4 tires under all that weight, not just two!

 

[Darwin]

Duallys are great..:except when they aren’t. Do my use it just won’t work. Don’t air down well, don’t like getting rocks stuck between, don’t fit well on narrow tracks. For some they are the bee’s knees. For me, absolutely not. YMMV.

But you are not traveling with a top heavy 5000 lb load. Their trade offs with each set up.

 

[LeftCoastKiteboarding]

Well, not sure I’d call a 10’9’ Lance a light load.... definitely over 4K and with a/c up top it’s pretty top heavy.

My only point is that a dually is great when it works but sometime it doesn’t and there are ways to make a srw work too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[vintageracer]

No response from OP who shows to be a new member.

They ask questions, get responses and never personally respond or post again.

The answers to their questions must not be that important after all!

 

[hemifoot]

still gives us a reason to debate why not to have a dually.