Wet Weight Calculation
Using the standardized Truck Camper Magazine wet weight calculation, let’s run the wet weight on the 2016 Palomino SS-550.
Base Dry Weight – special factory order only
Palomino SS-550: dry weight, 1,580 pounds + 16 gallons fresh, 133.4 pounds + 6 gallon water heater, 50 pounds + 20 pound full propane tank, 20 pounds + battery, 65 pounds + stuff, 500 pounds = 2,348.4 pounds
Standard Build Options – most dealer orders
The only available options for the 2016 Palomino SS-550 are an air conditioner, high-gloss exterior fiberglass, entry step system, microwave, and a wireless key fob remote for the Rieco-Titan roof lift. That’s it.
As such, many SS-550 models will be ordered by dealers fully-loaded adding approximately 120 pounds to the unit. Adding 120 pounds to the 1,580 dry weight of the SS-550 puts the weight of the SS-550 at 1,700 pounds. Using this weight, let’s run the numbers again.
Palomino SS-550: dry weight, 1,700 pounds + 16 gallons fresh, 133.4 pounds + 6 gallon water heater, 50 pounds + 20 pound full propane tank, 20 pounds + battery, 65 pounds + stuff, 500 pounds = 2,468.4
Palomino SS-550 Truck Recommendations
The wet weight calculations above include 500 pounds of stuff weight from Truck Camper Magazine’s standard weight weight calculation. This weight represents the gear, food, and clothing cargo we all bring to go camping – minimalist starving nudist campers excluded.
The 500 pounds of stuff weight is likely to be too high for short bed pop-up like the SS-550. To be fair, and yet still conservative, we are going to limit the stuff weight to 250 pounds for the following truck recommendations. This puts the base wet weight of the SS-550 at 2,098.4 pounds and the standard build wet weight (fully loaded) at 2,218.4 pounds.
Most typical half-ton trucks – the ones that you find on dealer lots and in most driveways – have less than 1,500 pounds of payload. Even the aluminum-bodied 2016 Ford F150 usually tops out around 1,800 pounds of payload if it’s not properly ordered to maximize payload. Many aluminum-bodied F150s actually hover around 1,500 pounds of payload. We have seen dozens of these trucks on Ford lots and not one has exceeded 1,800 pounds of payload on the door.
You Will Need To Special Order A Half-Ton Truck
As the industry throws more darts at my already hole-y portrait (I felt that) there is a way forward. 2016 half-ton trucks with 2,500 pounds of payload are available, but you have to special order them. This is as simple as going to your local truck dealer and asking them to spec-out a half-ton with the most possible payload. A few minutes later you’ll be on your way to honest-to-goodness payload match making. Best of all, special ordering lets you pick the color along with every other facet of your soon to be perfect truck camping truck.
For our most serious recommendation, we suggest you purchase a three-quarter or one-ton truck. That way you can upgrade to an even bigger truck camper down the road, or have the option to safely tow horses, boats, snow machines, sail planes, or whatever your heart desires. Save your future self a lot of money and buy the biggest most payload capable truck you can.
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