Truck fit guide / Three-quarter-ton truck
Truck Bed Camper for Ram 2500
The Ram 2500 is the only mainstream three-quarter-ton with coil-spring rear suspension, fits both Kimbos, airbags are non-optional.
Recommended Kimbo
Kimbo 8
From $42,990
Compatible generations
DJ, DT
2010–2018, 2019+
Payload range
2,230–4,010 lb
From your door-jamb sticker — cargo budget for your exact truck.
Tailgate rule
Needs 6.5'–8' bed
Bed length determines tailgate behavior.
How it fits
Why a Kimbo works on a Ram 2500.
The Ram 2500 stands out in the three-quarter-ton segment for one reason: coil-spring rear suspension. Every other 3/4-ton truck on the market is leaf-sprung. Coil rears ride better empty but feel softer under sustained load, which is exactly what a Kimbo install creates. The truck still fits both Kimbos with comfortable payload margin (2,230–4,010 lb depending on configuration), but airbags become genuinely non-optional rather than just recommended.
Tradesman, Big Horn, Lone Star, and Laramie are the meat of the Ram 2500 lineup for Kimbo buyers. All carry strong payload, all run the coil-spring rear, all install identically. Limited and Limited Longhorn add air suspension as an option, and like the Ram 1500, the air suspension trades payload for ride quality. We strongly prefer steel-coil-spring trims for Kimbo installs at any class.
Power Wagon is excluded from Kimbo installs, it doesn't offer the 8' bed option (which the Kimbo 8 needs in this segment for clean install) and the truck's tuning is for off-road performance, not sustained camper loading. The 6'4" Standard Bed Ram 2500 works for Kimbo 6 (tailgate stays down) and meets the K8 minimum bed length. The 8' Long Bed is the premium Ram 2500 Kimbo platform.
Watch — Inside a Kimbo
Inside a Kimbo Camper — Full Walkaround Tour
Down2Mob Overland walks through a Kimbo 6 — 1.1M views. Exterior walkaround, interior tour, and the lightweight hand-riveted aluminum hard-side construction that makes the Kimbo work on midsize and full-size trucks alike.
By generation
Year-by-year fit notes.
Truck-camper fit isn't one-size-fits-all across model years — frame, cab clearance, and suspension change between generations. Here's where each Ram 2500 sits.
2010–2018
Ram 2500 DJ (2010–2018)
2019+
Ram 2500 DT (2019+)
The math
Your payload margin, calculated.
Real numbers for a fully-provisioned Kimbo install on a Ram 2500 at the middle of its payload range. Substitute your own door-jamb sticker for a precise calculation.
Calculating for
- Ram 2500 payload (mid-range)+ 3,120 lb
- Kimbo 8 (typical load)− 1,446 lb
- Passengers (cab)− 340 lb
Remaining margin
+1,334 lb
Comfortable buffer
Calculated using the midpoint of the Ram 2500's published payload range and a typically-loaded Kimbo, plus cab passengers. The Kimbo 8 rides from 1,125 lb base dry to ~1,660 lb fully loaded (modules + water + propane + jacks + gear). Your specific truck's door-jamb sticker is the cargo budget that counts — trim packages, options, and tow packages can swing this by 200–500 lb — and your rear axle rating (GAWR) on the same label is the structural limit a slide-in actually pushes against. Travelling lighter, a higher-payload trim, and rear airbags add real margin.
Want to run your own door-jamb number — or check a different camper? Use the Truck Camper Payload Calculator.
The Kimbo team's pick
If we were buying a Ram 2500…
If we were buying a Ram 2500 for a Kimbo, we'd get a DT (2019+) Big Horn or Laramie Crew Cab with the 8' Long Bed, the 6.7L Cummins diesel + Aisin transmission, and the Off-Road Group package. Skip air suspension. Skip Power Wagon. Add aftermarket airbag overload assists for ride leveling under camper load.
Recommended platform
From $42,990
Kimbo 8
Full-size living. Wet bath, queen bed, extended off-grid systems.
- — 1,125 lb base
- — R10 insulation, four-season ready
- — Queen cabover bed + dedicated wet bath
- — Hand-riveted aluminum monocoque shell
Ram 2500 questions
Ram 2500-specific questions, answered.
Considering a different truck?
Related fits.
Talk through your Ram 2500.
Door-jamb sticker, intended use, modifications you're considering — bring it all by. We'll tell you honestly whether the rig will work the way you want it to.