I have a 99 F-350 diesel dually, but if buying new it would be a gasser. The diesel cost will never be recouped due to the emissions and the low sulfur fuel. The new gassers have enough power to handle at least 22k lbs combined GVWR.

I thought dually gassers were a thing of the past, now I'm seeing them more & more like its the 90's again.

I have the same engine in my 2500HD. Towed my 30ft TT all over the country in first year i had it. Never had a problem

Very nice rig and set up JJ, KYB Shocks recommended and Bridgestone Dueler REVO A/T all-terrain tires.

I have a 2023 2500HD with the 6.6L, what a nice ride, except for the fact it is harder to climb up into compared to our half-ton. We have a 3508 pound payload rating and we get 9-11 mph pulling out 8,495 pound travel trailer with the bed full of generators & other RV equipment. Since I don't have the slide-,in camper certification I haven't considered getting another truck camper like our old Lance 1181,. If I was single I would consider a Northstar popup and a small cargo trailer setup recreational for my bicycles and ham radio. However we are both now working full time supporting USFS campgrounds & need our 33 ft travel trailer with a built-in office. This truck pulls like a dream compared to our half-ton, so much more stable. We aren't speeders so never need more torque getting up to highway speed & in tow-hayl mode it shifts half as often on overpasses as to what our half-ton V-8 used to. Only problem, 81 more payments to go, but we were $30K less than the diesel right next to it.

I really like your set up. I am a huge fan of GM gas truck motors. I have a 2016 2500 with the 6.0 and it does exactly what it's supposed to do. I bought the truck with 3 miles on it and I plan on having the truck for 8 to 10 more years.

I have 2018 Chevy 6.0 3500 duelly. I have air bags and torque Lift helper blocks with a heavy duty sway bar. I carry a Lance 975 and it handles great. Air bags are worth every Penny. The Hellwig sway bar is also a game changer. Wish I had the 6.6 😢

Thanks for confirming my decision to go with a big block gasoline truck. Like you, I tow nothing and don’t need the drama of a diesel.

I bought the chevy 2500 6.6 gas custom back in March of 2020. It's used for pulling my 10k 5rv. Has no issues with it. It's got 35k now. It's pulled from Texas to Colorado, and to the hills of Arkansas. Averages 12mpg doing it. Thats with 460 extra lbs of bumpers on it and with the old 6 speed. It's what a hd truck should be. John Wayne style. Rough tuff and don't take no sheet off nobody. You have to push the brakes, check your mirrors, and watch who's in your way. Maybe I'm just old school but I like the smaller infotainment. Knob to check your status of the truck. My only complaint is the sqeeking brakes. I just have to spray some conditioner on the rotor every 6k to deglaze the pads. Not to mention it's 16+ pull rating. When the 2020 ford godzilla was only 14.5k and I got it out the door w 100k warranty for under 48k. Yes it's a crewcab 4x4 with the 20s. Side steps and roll up tannou cover. Which makes it nice for when the camper is off the truck. Everthing is covered. I have to say it's a heavy truck though. It's over 8k with the bumpers and hitch in. But it feels like a hd truck should to me though. You know it's under you when driving. I traded my 7.3 diesel for it. Just didn't want the extra cost of a diesel this time. So far I've been very happy with it.

Great video! Thanks for taking the time to go into detail and answer all the questions we would have asked. I run a 2001 Silverado 2500 gas with 2200 lb truck camper and my biggest problem was highway sway on windy days. Rear sway bar and Rancho 9000 adjustable shocks set to the max fixed that. They’ve been on the truck for 13 years and still work great.

This actually the only application where the 6.6 gas makes perfect sense. Love this. Ur life seems free and awesome

01 Silverado 8.1L 4wd srw Bilstein 4600s Hellwig sway bar with a Bigfoot camper. No problem cross country and through the Colorado mountains. The weakest link are the tires but a drw is all good. Safe travels and happy camping 🏕

Awesome video! Very inspiring. Not sure if I want a camper or a travel trailer yet but hope to follow in your footsteps one day!

Nice truck and camper!!! You will be amazed with the handling with a rear sway control bar in the rear. Fox 2.0 is really good shocks.

I bought the same truck as yours in a SRW version and LTZ package, even the same color and avoided the diesel for the same reasons you mentioned. I had 2 uncles with Ford diesels and they warned me of the cost of even routine maintenance not to mention if you have a bigger problem $$$$. I tow a 34 ft fifth wheel (11K GVW) with mine and couldn't be happier with it. Yes it takes me 30 more seconds to pull up a mountain than a diesel but I can live with that. I compared my weight sticker to yours, my GVWR is 11350, GCWR is 24K, RGAWR is 7250, Max Payload is 4065. Conv. Trailer rating is 14.5K with 1450 tongue weight. My gooseneck trailer rating is actually 16400 with 2460 tongue weight. Not sure why gooseneck rating is higher than your dually but it is. The way GM specs out the gooseneck max tongue weight separate from payload is stupid. My tongue weight counts against my payload (as it should) BUT I can't use excess payload towards my tongue weight is dumb. Me and the Mrs.'s travel alone and are always having discussions about things we really don't need to keep within those weights. Great video.

You need a catch can for your 6.6 gasser! It'll extend the life of your engine due to it's direct injection. Save all that extra oil going into your intake. I put one one...took 5 minutes. Already caught a bunch of oil already. Used the J&L oil separator catch can. $150...well worth it if you want to last a long time. I have a 2024 2500 6.6 gasser with the Allison trans...it's a beast!

I've had four campers and after listening to you, my guess is those light weight Primacy tires are giving you too much flex and sway feeling. I'd swap those out first. I think a lot of us truck camper guys are running Michelin LTX tires, me included. Good luck!

I have a 98 C3500 454 auto with a small 96 Northern Lite camper. It gets about 10 mpg . Love your rig. Good luck out there ! ( subbed )

Love the truck. Nice setup. 😊

Just subbed. Great video. It's funny you mention 65mph being the sweetspot. It is on our 22 Custom model gasser towing our 8k camper, we get 9 to 10mpg. Below 65 it goes down, above it, it also goes down. Great video sir.

Although I have a 2021 F350; I ordered mine with a 7.3L gas. I did not want a diesel for just about all the reasons you did; other than I do tow a 8200# travel trailer. It doesn't even breath hard going up & down the hills and passes in the PNW. On a 4200 mile trip to AZ & back I averaged 10.3mpg. Crazy as it sounds; I get better mpg's at 63-65 than at 60. Neighbor with a Pruis was a little taken by the mpg's. My reply was that I didn't buy it for mpg's I bought it to tow. I've had a dozen rv's & trucks over the years and these newer ones have the power & torque needed. In a lot of cases about the same as a few years back as the diesels. No emission issues as well.

Nice spoon pointer! I watched 👀, lol

Smart choice on the gasser. I have a Ford dually with the 6.2 gasser and also carry a Northern Lite 10-2

You will dig the Hellwig rear sway bar you ordered. My 2019 F350 SRW gasser has VERY little sway (since upgrading) when loaded down with my NL truck camper. Goes down the road like a dream . I also have zero regrets about not buying a diesel. I went with the 4:10 rear end wich has proven to be the correct choice for me. Cheers.

Nothing compares to a Cummins. Running a Ram 2014 CC LB. Full delete. Maverick Palamino camper. Miles and miles of smiles.

Sweet set-up!! A rear sway bar would definitely help. As to why GM doesn't do that: cost. Plain and simply. Like the other manufacturers, they will do whatever they can to cut costs and maximize profits including leaving off a piece of equipment that would help the consumer.

I like what you did with the mud flaps. I think the front and rear sway bars should come with the camper package. Not just the front one. Be safe out there.

I have a dodge dually 1997 with a V10 gasser with 5 speed manual. She's thristy but tough as nails.

I'd probably do Timbrens over new shocks unless they're that bad of a ride. I have Timbrens in my diesel for hauling my TC and also on my box truck for work. They do great and add extra cushion.

Smart way to do your mud-flaps. Should be standard on all heavy duties. Enjoying your content. Looking at the same camper. Would only go with Nortern Lite. Expensive but you get what you pay for.

A very Chevy truck! You can actually see the engine and probably do minor repairs yourself. I am happy with the Bilstein shocks on my Dodge and would suggest tires with steel-belted sidewalls.

6.6 gas is perfect for your setup. Save 10,000 and the headaches.

Years back my brother rigged up a truck/camper combo, 2006 Ford F350 dually to be exact but a different brand of camper that "was" also made in BC, that company went out of business unfortunately. In any event he still has and uses the unit and at the time had looked at Northern Lite but decided on the one he bought due to it having more room and features he liked better although no slide outs either and did not want them as that is a whole other topic. I don't actually know what what his camper weighed empty but I think there was some fudge work going on as per the claimed weight vs what they actually weigh. Some of these large campers are insanely heavy and he picked the camper up in BC ( we are from Alberta ) and when they set the camper down on the truck ... the truck went down ... down ... down. I think it was sitting or very close to the axle bump stop. So dragged the trucks rear home literally and then had a spring shop install two leafs per side in the main spring packs and airbags as well. While that setup sat the rear end up reasonably well, what took years to figure out from not realizing that the airbags were actually counter productive for side to side stability. That truck did come from the factory with front and rear anti sway bars but as was proved they were not sufficient enough for that top heavy application. The unit was scary to drive on uneven pavement and certainly really scary in stronger side winds. So a few years ago he heard about the stable loads and put both the upper and lower units on and we jacked up the truck and let the axle hang down to the end of the shock travel to install all the wedges that it would allow. The upper frame overload on the ford is a bit of a joke, its only one rather chintzy leaf but the lower stable loads certainly helped notably and more so when more air was let out of the airbags ( surprise surprise ). While there was a noticeable improvement to the handling, it still was lacking. Upon my reading through various forums etc I realized that this leaning/handling issue is a problem to a lot of the tall top heavy truck campers on 3500 trucks and replacing the factory anti sway bars had merit so I suggested he spend a pile of money on new sway bars !. Between Hellwig and Roadmaster, Roadmaster had the largest diameter units for his truck so that is what he ordered through an RV dealer here ( you know how it is, everything up here is far more expensive then in the States ). So I helped him put those on and he says its completely transformed that truck between the lower stable loads and those replacement anti sway bars as he's had it in some pretty wicked side winds and its done very well, its like a completely different rig from what it started out as. By the way he also tows a Jeep TJ with a canoe on the Jeep roof and yes his is the lovely 6.0 diesel and has had some mods done to it after having the EGR fail years back. He gets about 13 mpg imperial while towing the Jeep. The truck/camper combo weighs in about 13500 lb with most of his camping gear in it which is overweight as 13000 lb was the gross on those older fords but the rear axle is not overloaded. By rights these big campers need a 5500 under them, certainly those ones that have the triple slideouts as they are very heavy. I see Etrailer is one company that markets the Roadmaster sway bars as one easy place to get US prices, my brother did call Roadmaster at the time to be 100% positive that the sway bars he saw listed were correct. Sorry for the long comment but if you have not bought a sway bar yet I would do some research into one for your rear and I see the Roadmaster they list ( just shows a single rear tire on the Etrailer site so maybe its for both single and dual ) is 1 1/2 inches in diameter, they are beefy !. Try a good rear one first and then decide if you even need to upgrade the front as there is no point in spending on something one doesn't need either, in my brothers case his unit needed all the help it could get to feel safe on the road. He still has the factory shocks on it, I too am not sure what shock would be an upgrade replacement that would have a more aggressive valving as I am sure that would benefit as well.

I have a 2020 GMC 3500 SRW with the 6.6L Gas V8. I find it interesting that the DRW you have has a greater Conventional tow limit than for Gooseneck towing. Additionally, on my truck there is a sticker in the glovebox that provides slide in camper details/recommendations. For my truck, the curb weight rating for a camper is listed as 750lbs less than the max load rating for the truck.

Their should be a sticker in your glove box and that gives you the recommended Truck camper max load rating.

Awesome review sir thank you

Thanks for all the spec info I would not buy a new diesel for what you're doing I own a 2004 ford diesel that had a camper nowhere near as big as yours. The mudflap thing is a great idea. Air bags and lines can leak I stick with bigger springs as well. Look into a larger fuel tank stay safe!

I got my Ram 2500 back in 2015 went with the diesel option it was $8500 at that time total out the door was $58k. I don't think I would buy one today with same Truck costing well north of 75k Dollars. I do my own oil changes but if I remember the dealer charged $100 for conventional oil and $350 for synthetic. I have been worried about the emission system, but I haven't had any issues with it. The electronic dash controls are what worries me I still maintain an extended warranty for $1600 a year. Overall I can't really replace what I have now which is a truck been paid off for years compared to what they cost today even with the extra cost of maintenance. The odd thing about the 2500 vr 3500 I checked lot of the parts exactly the same axles, breaks, frame even the same part number. The only difference is the spring weight my gross cargo limit is 2100 lbs not much. The only thing a 2500 is good for is conventional towing max weight is up around 18k max. If I had to do it over again probably go with a 1500 or 3500 not the 3/4 ton or 2500.

great info, Thanks!

1st time watching your channel JJ, nice setup! Don't forget Diesel is also more expensive than gas... I agree with you on the diesel maintenance costs, and gas is more readily available. Class A's with 454 CU gas engines barely get 8mpg. I was surprised that the Chevy Truck with such a large camper was doing so well on mpg. Liked and Subscribed.

I have a 3500 long bed on order. Not dually. It's been produced. I hope I get it soon.

Good selection

I get about what you get fuel milage with my ram diesel towing. My dad just ordered his 2024 2500 with the 6.6 gas. Will be interesting to see what he gets pulling his fifth wheel toy hauler with 2 Harleys in it

Excellent review

Great points Diesel's are to expensive and robb you of payload

If Timbrens would fit try them. They sturdy up the rear.

Why the sum of the gross allowable axle weights is different from the gross vehicle weight rating is one of The Great Mysteries of pickup truckin’. - signed -A class 8 truck person Oh and I don’t buy shock absorbers that have exposed polished rods commonly found in desert racin’ for road salt and gravel use. I’ve had good service from properly spec’d Bilstein units. And I like my Cooper AT3 XLT mocassins on my F3fitty (gas engine) camper truck. Nice rig - safe travels

Thanks JJ for the information. I bought a diesel and it's a good truck. Mine is also a 2022 Dodge quad cab, with Aisin transmission. I did buy the Norther Lite 10.2 but seems to have a leak but I'm not sure. If not that's a lot of condensation build up. My truck handle the camper ok , a little wobble but nothing serious. I do have factory air bags so no mods on my truck. I get round 13 MPG with camper but don't hold me to that. I have NOT officially checked it. My truck says I'm getting 14.3 but we est. about 13 MPG. There is a sweet spot you talked about and also on the diesel. Lower speeds is not always the sweet spot. I also think mine is around 65 mph. My max pay load is a tad over 52 hundred pounds despite what the internet says. I paid a lot of money for this camper but I might have to sell it due to my health. It's work for me to get in and out. Can you tell me about condensation in your camper? Great video, Where's Lorie?

i sugest you the cooper discovry at3 xlt very tuff and not noisy tire

Some tuning may help

Great vid. I have a 2022 3500 srw gaser myself. Try with tow haul on see if that helps with the power. And gas mileage

The 3500hd single wheel has 5 leafs and 2 overload , i would like to take a set of those and combine them with the 3 overloads that come on the dually for a better spring setup..

Nice rig! To be honest I'm concerned about the higher center of gravity of a big camper. I'm also concerned about modifying suspensions. I understand you didn't want to go diesel but an F-450 XLT dually (for instance) with the standard 6.7 PowerStroke diesel has a MSRP of $70K (USA) and may not have needed suspension modifications. Please school me. Thanks.

what about the frame behind the cab dont forget about frame flexing so between the weight of the camper and the weight of the engine it puts stress on that part of the frame behind the cab over years tho i have seen frames break in half over years of the frame flexing and id only reenforce it if u plan on keeping the truck.

My 17’ has the L5P. Can’t imagine going back to a gasser. Thing is a beast and fuel economy is amazing (except when it’s in regen, she’ll be having weight loss soon to eliminate that lol). Put Bilstein 5100’s on mine when I leveled it a few years ago.

Oil change across the nation in my 2016 ,2500 Diesel runs about 65.00 at chevy dealerships, I don’t know where you get 300.00 from 😮

Your truck burn oil?

👍

I think you would like a ford f450 with 7.3 gasoline engine, that what I'm leaning too

At 65 mph, did u record what the engine was revving at most of the time or remember what it was?

3500s don’t need airbags nice truck

I have had diesel trucks since 1989. Yes the first one you buy it is extra money but the resale value is always there and sometimes more difference than when you bought. I'm retiring next year and considering buying gas too. When you say you are getting 10 mpg is that Canadian or American gallons? If you were American I would know the answer but since you're from Ontario, like me, if that's American that's pretty good.

Oil change on a duramax at jiffy lube was 85$ us

liked the video . curious on how you got such a high payload rating sticker as its crew cab , and is it 4x4 ? . did you price and build it from new to get the best payload rating possible ? thanks

Very informative. I have a 2024 dually on order, should be here this week. I have been reading that the box side heigth has increased, meaning that the distance from the bottom of the to the top of the bed is higher than older trucks. I do not know if this is true or not. Did you have to and a platform to the floor of the bed, or did the camper fit ok? Thanks

The gross weight of the trucks use to be the weight of the front axle plus the weight of the rear axle. I do not know why they changed the way the put it on the sticker. It makes sense if you can carry 5600 lbs on the front and 10500 lbs on the rear then the gross weight should be 16100 lbs not 14000 lbs. I have had alot of trucks and they all added up to the correct number.

I thought the dually pin weight for goose neck / 5th wheel would be higher. The pin weight for mine is 2490 on a 2500.

Is your truck 4 wheel drive?

nice job on the review! Curious tho... are you experiencing any oil burn?? Ive heard that there is a technician service builtin saying "perfectly ok to burn" aprox 1qrt every 1200ish miles. Specifically with the 6.6 gas

Thank you for this video! What's oil consumption like between oil changes?

Maple Leafs - out. Oilers - out. Jets - out. Ouch!

Do you always use the tow haul mode when the camper is on ?

I find it odd your GCWR is 24k. My 3/4 ton gasser GCWR is 26k. Was it a special order to de-rate?

Diesel oil changes start at $120.00

My 2015 had that cylinder shutdown fuel saving system and it used 6 quarts between oil changes and chevy said that was normal go figure..

Did you buy your truck in the US and import it to Canada?

You’ve got a bad price on a Duramax oil change. It’s 10 quarts and a $10 filter.

It’s like with dodge they have a 3500 Hemi

Monroe magnum shocks

I thought those were car tires so that could be part of the problem. I bet it's a supply chain issue like everything else they try getting away with.

Emissions, these modern diesels are money pits and not that well engineered, not like they used to be. And the weight... Did you see the guy with the diesel 4x4 that installed a very heavy camper in the bed, and snapped his frame rails? Payload as you stated.

i have a 2021 ram 2500 gas hemi and it has the same gcwr as yours 24000

I wonder what the mileage would be with the diesel engine.

That's a gas guzzler! That's reason number ONE I didn't want a gasser. I get 15-16mpg with my 10 foot Lance truck camper going 65 mpg or less - effortlessly - in my F250HD (SRW) with the legendary 7.3 Powerstroke in it. When completely empty, I get 20 mpg, also going not more than 65 mph. It's an OBS Ford F series so it has 2 tanks that total 58 gallons. The 6.0 Powerstroke was a nightmare and the 6.4 wasn't much better, but the newer 6.7 Powerstrokes are almost as good as the 7.3s reliability-wise and a lot more powerful! Don't believe the BS others talk about the diesels being that much more expensive to maintain. My per mile operation is lower even though diesel is more expensive and I have the piece of mind of having a nearly indestructible engine - unlike those wheezy little gassers that are completely shot around 250,000 to 300,000 miles. Thanks for reminding me just how lucky I am!

Yours burning oil??

I'm sure every RV'er is overweight

Hi, what is the weight of the camper? thanks

Billstein Shocks

How can I get the front receiver setup you have?

Gas mechanics are easier to find the diesel mechanics

Bilstein 5100s

Is it a 4x4.?

But direct injection!

What’s the difference between a mudflap and a beef curtain?

Trade this model in for the 10 speed version.

Why would anyone want a gas dually? Seems like a waste to me.

Modern diesels are garbage

North America, the diesel are terrible,expensive not reliable.

Why is there toilet paper on the front of the truck grill?

Nah jj We shall won't. Buy a Japanese truck. Yoiu are welcome.