1st post: Can I mount a TC in a military truck bed

Question

Greetings all.
I'm currently wanting to ditch my bumper pull toy hauler and get a big TC. Problem is, I need to have my truck all set up before I can go after one and I can't seem to find any TCs to look at close by. There are no local dealers, either. So, I thought I'd just ask for some advice here.
The truck is a crew cab diesel F550 so weight is not an issue (10K payload). HOWEVER I am running a "custom" bed. It is the bed from an M105 1-1/2 ton military cargo trailer.
The inside dimensions of my bed are 110"L x 74"W x 18"H. Wheel well width is >48".
-Can anybody foresee any potential issues if I try to set an 11-12' camper in that bed? From what I can gather, it looks like it should physically set in there.
-I'm wondering if I will have a center of gravity issue considering the length of that 9'+ bed. I'm afraid my axle may be too far forward relative to the rear of the bed. I'm currently at about 52" forward. The COG of the big Lance TCs are only 39" forward. Where is the rear axle centerline in relation to the back of a normal 8' bed? Need I be that concerned with a crew cab F550 or will it be a deal breaker?
-I'm thinking I will need to fabricate a front stop of sorts (or toolbox, etc) for the front of the camper to bear against. I'm assuming that structurally they are not built to bear against the rear stepdown.
-Also wondering about tiedown locations on the camper. I assume they are on the outside edges of the camper, but where are they typically located front-to-back. I'm wondering if I can use the existing lifting loops for tiedown points. The bed is hard mounted to the frame so they should be strong enough.
FYI I am currently considering a Palomino Winter Creek 115RS if that makes any difference.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

gordonthree · Answer

Would it work to offset the COG using a 110 gallon aux fuel tank behind the cab, or a similarly sized fresh water tank ... since payload is not a problem.

bedlam · Answer

The length of your bed will only be an issue due to the rear wings on the camper. you will need to block the front to keep the wings from contacting the bed walls. Forward to rear CG will be fine with this larger heavier truck.

Bed rail height at 18" will clear all but the shortest of campers, but you can build up the height with horse stall mats or lumber if you have cab over or side wing clearance issues.

Space between the wheel wells should work well, but you also wan to look at the tailgate opening width. Some campers have bump out behind the the wheel well that can be a problem with narrow gates.

I use the stake pockets on my flat bed as tie down points for my camper. You need sufficient length between this point and the camper anchor point to fit a turn buckle and spring loads. In my case, the short range Torklift FastGun works for me. The turnbuckles should be working against each other or both pulling forward to keep the camper properly placed.

Use a rubber mat in the bed of the truck to keep the camper from shifting and evenly tensioned turnbuckles will ensure it stays there.

kd4upl · Answer

Your dimensions look like it should fit. You will need something to keep it from sliding forward too far. This will give you about 14" of storage space in front of the camper. I really don't see COG being an issue with an F550 unless you get a really huge heavy camper. Even if the COG is behind the rear axle you can still haul the camper, it just unloads the front axle a bit so the ride isn't quite as nice. My camper takes about 500 pounds off my front axle but there's still over 4,000 pounds holding it to the pavement. I've got thousands of trouble free miles with the rig.

bull_gear · Answer

Thanks for the replies and the tips.I am looking at heavy weights... maybe approaching 5000lbs loaded.Considering the nearly 15' wheelbase, even if the camper COG falls a foot behind the rear axle, it shouldn't unload more than 3-400lbs from the front axle. Glad to hear someone else has successfully run this way. I guess a weight distributing trailer hitch will be mandatory for any heavy trailer towing, though. Now that you mention it, that foot or so of dead space up front may actually work to my advantage. If I  build a big storage box up there for the camper to rest against, I can stow the really heavy stuff (coolers, firewood, tools, aux batteries, maybe even a 20gal fuel cell and a 20-30gal water tank) up there to help with weight distribution a little.

lonegunman · Answer

steelsoldiers.com is a great resource. I owned an M35A3. 2.5 ton off road truck for several years. It would haul the largest truck camper as if it was not there, the truck had a 10,000lb on-road payload. There have been several guys that have done this, it requires removing the jacks and you can build boxes under the sides for additional storage if you had a truck with a drop-side bed.

Downsides? Most military trucks have limited speeds, my truck topped out at about 50mph. No a/c and like nearly every deuce I ever drove, it leaked rain on your feet. My truck had a nice heater, air-assist power steering and an air ride drivers seat. If you like your passenger, you'll buy another air ride seat. My truck got 10-13mpg on the highway. It will be tall, mind your height.

Upside? 6x6 gets you darn near anyplace. You can easily ford 4 feet of water. It will be cool. My truck used commercial truck parts and oil changes were five gallons a wack. Nearly everything was available at NAPA.

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1st post: Can I mount a TC in a military truck bed

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