Camper

[Normmus]

I bought a 72 F250 4x4 with an 8 foot slide in camper. I havenr had it on tbe road. Anyone have this setup what should i expect for drivability?

[1972hiboy]

I have a 1972 Aristocrat 10 footer on my 72 f250 4x4. I originally had the stock rear leaf pack that had one overload leaf. And honestly, it wasn't bad that way. had a little side to side around turns but I went overkill and used a set of 72 f350 dually one ton rear leafs that had a 5 leaf overload stack. and that was all she wrote. I can do curvy roads with virtually no side to side lean. but unloaded its a bit much, ( stiff) what spring setup do you have in the back now? When I first put the camper on the truck I thought it was going to be scary, and it wasn't, but go slow at first until you get used to it.

edit, found this old thread we did awhile back, hope it helps!

http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 16&t=55927

[Lone Ranger]

Rich I love your truck and camper setup! What a beauty. Did you put some stiffer springs in it?

[1972hiboy]

Rich I love your truck and camper setup! What a beauty. Did you put some stiffer springs in it?

Hey Kyle, thank you for the nice comment. I had found a guy striping a 72 f350 dually down by Fresno. I grabbed a few items off that truck. including the rear spring pack and the 5 leaf overloads. I did install those and thats whats on the truck now. A bit stiff when empty but with the camper its beyond perfect.

[Lone Ranger]

Awesome. I need to change out my front springs or maybe add a leaf- they're pretty saggy. Your truck sits perfect even with that camper weight. Are you running with skinny 33s- I'm looking for a stance like yours.

[1972hiboy]

Good morning Kyle. Tires on this truck are the goodyear wrangler dura-tracs. load range E 8 or 10 ply tires. Stiff but awesome. I believe they are 265/85r16s which would put them in the 31-33 range. I'll double check the tire size next time i'm out at the ranch. All these pics are the truck with those Wrangler Dura-tracs. Just to see a couple different angles, loaded and unloaded with them if this help,

[Lone Ranger]

Thanks rich! Usually I'm not a fan of campers and toppers but they look right at home on these highboys

[popeyes71]

Great looking truck Rich! I've always liked a Highboy with a winch on the front. I remember as a kid my father had a 71 F250 but it was the light duty F250 rated at 6800 GVW. Great truck but with a 8' camper on it, you did have to drive a bit slower through the mountain roads due to the side to side lean in the turns. With heavier suspension or even some kind of sway bar; I'm sure it would have worked a lot better.

[1972hiboy]

Great looking truck Rich! I've always liked a Highboy with a winch on the front. I remember as a kid my father had a 71 F250 but it was the light duty F250 rated at 6800 GVW. Great truck but with a 8' camper on it, you did have to drive a bit slower through the mountain roads due to the side to side lean in the turns. With heavier suspension or even some kind of sway bar; I'm sure it would have worked a lot better.

Oh yes. they do. This truck with the heavier springs and the heavier rated tire to cut down on tire flex, makes for a very confident ride. I can do Highway 17 virtually keeping up with traffic and not white knuckling the steering wheel. One time me and a buddy were leaving a small town nearby , we took off onto a windy part of hwy 129 heading back twards Santa Cruz, me with my blue truck and camper and him with his 91 dodge w350 with his 86 lance cabover, he had ended up putting on hellwigs on his truck to help it out. we took off and I lost him in the windy part and I wasnt pushing it. Later he said he tried to keep up but backed off. He said the taillights of my camper never leaned to one side , stayed level through the turns. Granted this camper carrying miracle comes at a price. Without the camper, the only thing that really gives in the back is the tires, so it is bumpy to say the least. Thats the trade off. I dunno maybe I would have done airbags if I had to do it again. not sure. But this worked for me when I was putting the truck together and the camper sits on the truck most of the year anyway.