The brilliant thing about owning a Ford Truck is that, in many cases, you can purchase an ‘upgrade’ to the vehicle that will allow you to attach a slide-on camper.
The Ford F450, one of the most popular truck models from the company, is one of the truck models that you can do this with.
As you may well know, there are various models of the Ford F450, and what you get included in the slide-on camper kit will be dependent on the model that you purchase.
Since the Ford F450 has some of the features as ‘standard’ in the vehicle already, the kit included with one Ford F450 may not be as extensive as the kit included in another Ford F450.
What Is The Camper Package On Ford F450? The camper package for the Ford F450 has the potential to include the following:
- Heavy-Service Front Springs
- Slide-in Camper Certification
As you will probably notice, there will be no rear stabilizer bar or rear auxiliary springs included with the package for the Ford F450. This is because the vehicle already includes those features as ‘standard’ in the Ford F450 model.
Table of Contents
What Do You Get in the Camper Package?
The base model of the Ford F450 is essentially ready to accept a slide-on camper the second that you purchase it. In theory, it is likely not going to need to have the camper package purchased.
👉 Heavy Service Front Springs
As we said before, the camper package has the potential to include the heavy-service front springs, but even that is not guaranteed. The front springs in the base model of the Ford F450 are among the heaviest duty that Ford offers.
Unless you have been tinkering with the spec of the model a little bit, the base unit’s springs will always be superior to that of the springs included with the Ford F450 camper package.
If you do opt for the springs, then they exist purely to increase the load capacity of the Ford F450, which exists purely for you to be able to pull heavy loads i.e. the slide-on camper, with the truck.
👉 Slide-In Camper Certificate
You also get the slide-in camper certificate. This will be formed of a sticker for your vehicle and a small amount of paperwork. This is incredibly important, and it is worth the cost of buying the camper package alone, even if you do not get anything extra in the packaging.
Why is the Slide-in Camper Certification Important?
The slide-in camper certification will provide the Ford F450 owner with the instructions that they need to hook their vehicle up to a slide camper.
Yes. You can obtain these instructions online but, trust us, they are handy to have. It is not the main reason why you would want to buy the camper package for the F450, but it is a major benefit.
Why is the Slide-in Camper Certification Important? The main reason is that if you try to use a slide-in camper on a new vehicle that you never purchased the camper package for, then you run the risk of voiding the warranty on the vehicle if something does end up going wrong.
So, you can think of the certification cost as more of an extra warranty for your vehicle.
This means that even if you do not plan on using the slide-in camper at this moment in time, it may still be worth spending a couple of hundred extra dollars during the building process of your vehicle ‘just in case’.
While some people state that a slide-in camper certificate is important when it comes to insuring the vehicle, this generally doesn’t seem to be the case.
Although, once again, it is probably worth considering ‘just in case’.
It isn’t that much of an extra cost when you are already spending $60,000+ on the truck as it is.
How Do You Buy the Camper Package?
The Camper Package can only be purchased when you buy the Ford F450 brand-new from either the Ford website or via a dealer. It is not something that can be purchased later on due to that slide-in camper certification.
If you want to buy the same packagefrom a dealer, then just ask them. They will know what you are talking about, and they will be more than happy to help you out.
If you are purchasing the Ford F450 online, then you will need to ensure that you select the Camper package online. You can do this during the ‘customization’ stage of the process.
You will need to look for the option that says ‘Packages’ and then select ‘Camper Package’.
Do note that there is also another option called Snow Plow ; Camper Package. If you may want to attach a snowplow to your Ford F450 at any stage, then this is the package to opt for.
If you don’t, then it isn’t really a useful package and can be safely ignored.
Read also: What Is The Camper Package On Ford F350? Facts You Should Know
How Much Does the Package Cost?
Because there is not much to the package, in most cases never anything more than the included certification, then the cost is fairly affordable.
How Much Does the Package Cost? Obviously, it is going to be dependent on where you live and the model of Ford F450 that you are buying, but you can expect to pay under $200 for the certification.
As we said before, the cost is barely anything when you are already spending tens of thousands of dollars on the truck. It is worth getting ‘just because’.
Some people have noted that due to the low cost, many dealers are happy to include the Camper package ‘for free’ with the Ford F450 in order to sweeten the deal a little bit.
How to Install the Slide Camper on Ford F450
Remember, even if you did not opt for the camper package for your Ford F450, you will still be able to add a slide-in camper on the vehicle.
All the equipment is there already. It isn’t recommended due to that lack of certification, but it is certainly possible.
Before you even think about installing that slide-in camper on your Ford F450, you will need to check the maximum weight that the vehicle can hold.
This can differ from model to model, and it can vary ever so slightly based upon the various customizations that you add to the vehicle when you buy it.
👉 You should never be carrying more than the Ford F450 is rated to carry. Remember, the weight limit not only includes the slide-in camper but everything inside of it.
It also includes everything inside of the vehicle too, including people. Thankfully, most slide-in campers are probably not even going to come close to the limit. However, since we are positive that you do not want to break anything, you should be checking anyway.
👉 In most cases, it is simply going to be a situation where you slide the camper onto the bed of the truck and above the cab of the Ford 450 and you are ready to go. However, there are some campers where this may not be possible.
👉 Obviously, you need to ensure that the slide-in camper manages to clear the height of the top of the cab. It needs to substantially clear it too.
If the slide-in camper seems to be coming close to resting on the top of the cab, or if it seems to be knocking against it at any stage, then you have a problem. Thankfully, there is a solution.
Read also: What Is The Camper Package On Ford F250? Facts You Should Know
👉 You can purchase a platform that the floor of the slide-in camper will sit upon in the bed of the truck.
This will help to raise the height of it which, in turn, will ensure that it is able to clear the height of the cab. Basically, it will not cause any problems like this.
👉 Remember, how you attach the slide-in camper to your Ford F450 will be dependent on the model of slide-in camper that you have purchased.
Make sure that you read through the instructions to know exactly how everything is lowered into position and hooked up.
It would also be wise to read through the instruction manual that you received with your camper package when you bought the F450.
This is because the process of securing everything up will also be dependent on the model of Ford F450 that you own.
FORD F450 REVIEW: PROS, CONS, UPGRADES & MODS (RV TOWING) >> Check out the video blow:
Conclusion
In theory, you do not need to purchase the camper package when you buy a Ford F450. This is because the vehicle is pretty much ready ‘out of the box’ to accept a slide-in camper.
However, the slide-in camper certification is important, and thus it is worth spending under $200 for that alone.
If you have purchased your Ford F450 used and you are not too worried about the warranty on your vehicle, then you can just attach a slide-in camper to it right away.
The only modification that you may need to make to the vehicle will be the installation of a platform in the bed of your truck. However, this is likely only going to be necessary if you are using a low-sitting slide-in camper.
References
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