CM hauler bed, model TM
Does anyone have experience with the model TM hauler body manufactured by CM? I'm looking for a solid hauler bed to put on a 2014 Ram 3500 crew cab dually chassis, and really can't justify the $20-30K...
Forum Discussion
With 4 inch tall frame rails and 3 inch tall crossmembers, the bed floor sits 7 inches above the top of the truck frame rails. Stock pickup beds sit 2-1/2 inches. Utility beds like mine sit 4 inches above the truck frame. That might be the problem, but there are specific low profile hitches designed for flat beds to address this difference. However, with a short bed truck, I wanted a slider hitch and therefore cut and recessed the center of the floor to accommodate a standard hitch.
Second problem is width between the truck bed side rails. Pickup beds are about 64 inches, but utility beds and that TM bed are just 50 inches due to the side storage boxes. This is an issue with fivers that use extended pin boxes because the back of the pin box will hit the side of the truck bed. There are three solutions, 1) use a straight drop pin box or a short extended pin box not to exceed 25 inches. 2) make sure the extended pin box rides over the top of the side storage boxes, my custom utility bed is a reduced height, the depth of the bed is just 12 inches vs. 20 inches for a stock pickup bed and I have 10 inches of clearance between the truck bed and the fiver gooseneck vs. 4-6 inches with most setups. The TM body looks similar with minimal height above the floor. 3) use a Sidewinder, aka Reese Revolution pin box so the fiver pivot point is like a straight drop pin box.
Third problem is the height of the front storage compartment of the TM body. When making sharp turns, the front of the fiver could hit that front area. However, as long as this raised area is no more than 10-11 inches higher than the side storage boxes, this should not be a problem. Normally, the bottom of the fiver body is 12 inches higher than the king pin height, could be less if optional mounting holes are used.
Finally, historical fiver heights for level towing will have the king pin plate at 46-47 inches high and therefore the fiver body at 58-60 inches. With a few key measurements from CM for the TM body and height of the tow vehicle frame rail (2.5-3 inches lower than load height) you can determine if it will work OK. Also, with the king pin weight and the added weight of the hauler body, the truck will probably settle 2-3 inches.
For reference, my GM 3500 has a frame rail height of about 35 inches, my utility bed floor height is about 39 inches, top of the utility bed is right at 51 inches and the extended king pin box swings over the top of the utility bed. If you use a Sidewinder or straight drop pin box and the TM is less than about 57 inches high at the front storage box you should be ok.
Second problem is width between the truck bed side rails. Pickup beds are about 64 inches, but utility beds and that TM bed are just 50 inches due to the side storage boxes. This is an issue with fivers that use extended pin boxes because the back of the pin box will hit the side of the truck bed. There are three solutions, 1) use a straight drop pin box or a short extended pin box not to exceed 25 inches. 2) make sure the extended pin box rides over the top of the side storage boxes, my custom utility bed is a reduced height, the depth of the bed is just 12 inches vs. 20 inches for a stock pickup bed and I have 10 inches of clearance between the truck bed and the fiver gooseneck vs. 4-6 inches with most setups. The TM body looks similar with minimal height above the floor. 3) use a Sidewinder, aka Reese Revolution pin box so the fiver pivot point is like a straight drop pin box.
Third problem is the height of the front storage compartment of the TM body. When making sharp turns, the front of the fiver could hit that front area. However, as long as this raised area is no more than 10-11 inches higher than the side storage boxes, this should not be a problem. Normally, the bottom of the fiver body is 12 inches higher than the king pin height, could be less if optional mounting holes are used.
Finally, historical fiver heights for level towing will have the king pin plate at 46-47 inches high and therefore the fiver body at 58-60 inches. With a few key measurements from CM for the TM body and height of the tow vehicle frame rail (2.5-3 inches lower than load height) you can determine if it will work OK. Also, with the king pin weight and the added weight of the hauler body, the truck will probably settle 2-3 inches.
For reference, my GM 3500 has a frame rail height of about 35 inches, my utility bed floor height is about 39 inches, top of the utility bed is right at 51 inches and the extended king pin box swings over the top of the utility bed. If you use a Sidewinder or straight drop pin box and the TM is less than about 57 inches high at the front storage box you should be ok.
