Can anyone give me an idea what I have to do to take my 97 Dodge Ram 1500 V8 5.9 4x4 Laramie to handle a 2000 pound payload? I'm in love with my truck and I'm in love with this camper I want to match the two together. I don't need to go Long Haul just from job site job site every couple of months. Thanks in advance I'm overwhelmed by all the information on the internet

 

Sure, swap in a Dana 60 and leaves from a 2500.

 

I know ..it might seem like a dumb question but I appreciate your answer...is it that simple? Will the Dana 60 and leaves from a 2500 match up without any custom Fab work?

 

Need to change spring hangars as well, as the 2500 springs are wider. Also need a hybrid u-joint on the rear driveshaft, as the D60 wants a bigger one. Another option might be putting airbags on the rear axle........ Trouble is, if you are ever in an accident, and your insurance company notices that your truck was overloaded at the time, they can refuse all coverage....... It really doesn't matter what you do to your truck, the ratings on the door sticker are still the ones the insurance company/law enforcement are going to be looking at.

 

honestly your truck looks like its handling the camper pretty well from what the pictures show. maybe just some new springs for some reasurance?

ha, nevermind....just saw its not the same truck

 

If that's your truck in the first pic, then your reg cab truck has a payload of 1720 so you could just throw in an AAL and probably be fine. I've seen plenty of 1500s with campers and there's different spring packs from the factory. Mine was 3 leaf, most were 4 while some were 5.

But that camper is too long for your short box anyway so. . .