Forum Discussion

Sideshow's avatar
Sideshow
Explorer
Oct 17, 2014

Good deal, what to look for?

Looking at getting into TC with the family on a budget.

My truck is a F-250 4 Door Crew Cab, 6.0, SRW, short bed, 2WD.

I usually tow a flat bed 16ft dual axle trailer with a Manx dune buggy on it. Don't know the weight of the trailer and buggy combo, guessing the buggy is between 1.5-2.0K and pretty light trailer. I push it around all the time.

We usually camp in a tent and thinkng about swtiching to a TC for a little more comfort.

Couple questions:
TC questions- Found this Sunlite TC and wanted inputs on what to look for. Soft spots on roof, floor, ect. I talked to the owner and he said its a 1999 and doesn't know the model number. He's had it for little over a year and just doesn't use it and pays for storage. He also said the heater doesn't work. Link to add below.
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/rvs/4711388718.html
Thoughts on the PRICE?

Truck Quesitons- Owner siad he thinks the TC weights about 1500. TC is built for a long bed. Any problems with putting the TC in a short bed. Also, where do I find where the COG for my truck is supposed to be. I've looked in the glove box, no luck.
Also, I assume I'll need a hitch extender to tow the training. What are the possible problems with this setup?

Thanks in advance for any insites. Trying to do some homeowrk before jumping in.

13 Replies

  • Super_Dave wrote:
    I'll disagree with Buzz a bit. The amount of unsupported camper will be the same on a short bed truck regardless of whether the camper is short box or long box camper. The only difference is the storage boxes get eliminated on the long box camper.


    Dave the TC he is looking at is made for a long bed. If he puts it on his short bed truck then there has to be 1.5 to 2 feet more TC hanging behind the bed
  • I'll disagree with Buzz a bit. The amount of unsupported camper will be the same on a short bed truck regardless of whether the camper is short box or long box camper. The only difference is the storage boxes get eliminated on the long box camper.
  • Short Bed TC on a long bed, no problem. Long bed TC on a short bed. Big can of worms. The COG of the TC will be way behind your rear axle which will unweight the front steering axle which would get further compounded by a trailers tongue weight even if you used a weight distributhing hitch. In other word the handling would suck. Another issue is the added unsupported length of the TC floor and the stressed it would create on an all wood framed TC. I would pass and look for a TC designed for a short bed