Have any of you ever loaded a TC on a truck like this? The compressor of course is coming off. And I will take my torch and remove all the other metal that's welded on top the flatbed and under the back end. Then I will add a few pieces of diamond plate up front and finish the bed out and paint it. Im trying to get Ideas about mounting one of my TC's or some kind of camper somewhere somehow. I think I can just back under it, This truck shouldn't be any wider than a dually. I had thought about mounting a 16 foot TT on it and that would still leave me a 8 foot bed on back? And I would have a ton of storage underneath in all those boxes the PO installed. Then I could have my little car on back behind the camper, and a Ruckus on the front bumper. But I really wanted to use a TC and save all the extra bed for a deck and for carrying things. It has a lot of boxes on both sides under the beds that would be good for a battery bank. I think the compressor weighs #8000 and its not even squatting it, in fact you cant tell its even there. Running it at 60mph I averaged about 13 miles to the gallon from Los Angeles to Oklahoma. The Cummins has 50,000 on it. Its a solid rig I just need Ideas on the camper positioning.

Sorry about the size of pics, I still haven't learned that part yet.

.jpg width=640 and right after the 0 of 640 without a space is your closing img tag

Will, are you thinking about putting the Avion on that? The problem with the bed and the jacks is that most front jacks have the swing out dually brackets, but the rears do not. If you have access to a very large forklift, you could come under the TC from the side, and then lift and back the truck under. If you build up the bed enough the TC can go over the cab of the Freightliner. This would give you a large area behind, and you could even shorten the bed and frame to keep your overall length down. (Think bobtail) from the looks of it, you would still have plenty of room to park a car behind theTC, even after bobbing the rear. And you would have lots of storage under and around the TC for bigger tanks etc.Good luck! Garry

Thanks Buzz, And yes Garry the Avion, or the Apache. Its just me and the wife and dogs so I don't need a lot of camper. I wish it had a sleeper cab, That we could have access to while driving and a TC behind that. I think it would look cool if I shortened it, But I like all the extra room. When I go to Quartzite or to my place North of Flagstaff I could haul a Sh ton of wood with me. I didn't see a lot of trees out that way and I do most of my cooking outside.

Desertboy....what a great idea! I have absolutely no idea on how to do any of your intentions but I have a few comments. Me being female I would go for space. You could put a nice TT on there. You have loads of storage for grey/blk and fresh tanks. You could have a patio and still room for a vehicle. LOL I could come up with one huge "Honey do List" I can't wait to see what you decide to do and see all of the photos.

Loading a camper on this truck. | Good Sam Community

36 Replies

Reddog1
Explorer II
Feb 28, 2015
Looking forward to your progress.
Desertboy
Explorer
Feb 28, 2015
I will put the Avion on it. I will use the peeler poles like you suggested, with the help of a winch that will be mounted up behind the cab. I also plan to build a small loading dock that I can back up to here at the house and eventually the Avion will be on a sled. I am going to remove the black tank entirely and go with the cassette toilet (no brainer there) And may replace the fridge with a Engle cooler. Also adding a Honda 1000 Gen.
Reddog1
Explorer II
Feb 28, 2015
Looks great, could also pass as an Aircraft Carrier. :B Have you decided what you are going to put on it?

Wayne
Desertboy
Explorer
Feb 28, 2015
Got the bed built.
Desertboy
Explorer
Jan 05, 2014
I guess that was a little confusing, sorry about that, I was trying to avoid multiple postings, I liked your comment and was also asking about ( How you Tow) I didn't see a clicky. I wanted to see How you Tow. Sorry about that Ivylog. And Im still trying to figure out if its legal to bring your own wood to AZ. I haven't found any info on that yet.
Ivylog
Explorer III
Jan 05, 2014
JumboJet wrote:
Desertboy wrote:
When I go to Quartzite or to my place North of Flagstaff I could haul a Sh ton of wood with me. I didn't see a lot of trees out that way and I do most of my cooking outside.

Some states do not allow wood from other states to be carried in. Beetles etc. are being transported.

Desertboy you might want to use the correct quote for your comments on bring wood in from out of state.
Desertboy
Explorer
Jan 04, 2014
Those little Samurai's are awesome, I wanted one. Ended up buying a 88 ford festiva that's in really good condition. Got it for 1k. I drove it back and forth to work for a year which was a 60 mile round trip. Never had a problem so far lol. I had other vehicles and at first I just drove it to get some laughs from coworkers, and I did get laughed at. Then one day when gas was over $4 a gallon I went and filled it up with super unleaded and it cost $20 dollars and some change. I drove it back and forth for a week on $20. :) I was hooked. Then I went to Walmart and realized I could park almost anywhere I wanted. Little cars are incredible. I can make a u turn in the middle of a logging road in one smooth movement. And I can go place a Hummer couldn't think about. Within a few weeks some of the people who had laughed at me were trying to buy it. Ive only been stuck in it once, and I ran a tow strap under it and picked the whole car up with my 4whd Kubota and drove off with it. :) I like that car.
Reddog1
Explorer II
Jan 03, 2014
They did an exceptional job.

Wayne
garryk6
Explorer
Jan 03, 2014
Reddog1 wrote:
I have a Suzuki Samurai. I looked the Samurai over very close, and I am convinced it has been shortened.
Wayne

Wayne, Yes, the Suke, was shortened, as seen in this pic...

Garry
SoCalDesertRid1
Explorer II
Jan 02, 2014
the truck looks great! I agree a travel trailer would look great on it, especially an airstream or avion!