Q&A - How Heavy Can My Camper Be?

I'm heading to Dawson City with a 2010 ford f150 with a 6 foot box i need to know what weight of truck camper i can haul legally though BC, thank you

I've written on this in the article How Heavy is Your Camper?

Get This Information

What you need to do first is grab a piece of paper and a writing tool. Go to your truck and record the following:

1. The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (see sticker example in the article mentioned above)
2. The front and rear Gross Axle Weight Ratings
3. The weight capacity of your tires
4. The licenced gross weight as shown on your truck registration

Weigh Your Vehicle

You now need to visit a scale. You can go to your nearest government weigh scale or you can use a private scale. By carefully positioning yourself on the scale pad, weigh and record the following:

1. The actual total weight of the truck, camper and all contents as you would normally load it.
2. The actual weight on the front axle
3. The actual weight on the rear axle

Do The Math

Now you need to do some comparisons:

1. Does the total weight of the truck, camper and load exceed the GVWR on the truck's load sticker?
2. Does the total weight of the truck, camper and load exceed the licenced gross weight on your registration documents?
3. Does the weight on either of the axles exceed the GAWR on the truck's load sticker?
4. Does the weight on any axle exceed the rated capacity of the tires?

Overweight?

If your answer is yes to any of the last 4 items, you cannot legally operate the vehicle on a highway. If the yes comes in relation to items 1 or 3 above, you need either a lighter camper, less load in the camper or a bigger truck. If it is item 2, you need to visit your Autoplan Agent and increase your licenced GVW. Finally, if it is item 4, you need a set of tires with more load carrying capacity.

Truck and Camper Good to Go

If you can satisfy all of this, you should be legal to operate your truck and camper anywhere in North America. You will generally find the weigh scale personnel helpful if you have questions during your visit. They often hold "Amnesty Days" where you come in with your RV combinations and they help make sure that you are in compliance without the fear of being handed a ticket for a violation.

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