Modified flatbed for C&C
Has anyone here modded out a 13 ft flatbed to allow a TC to sit all the way up against the cab? One would need to relocate the fuel fill line and reduce the width of the last 5 ft of the 13 ft bed...
Forum Discussion
mkirsch wrote:AH_AK wrote:
Has anyone here modded out a 13 ft flatbed to allow a TC to sit all the way up against the cab?
One would need to relocate the fuel fill line and reduce the width of the last 5 ft of the 13 ft bed to allow clearance for the rear jacks and the dump nozzle. Of course the frame and suspension set the minimum width, but it looks very doable. The added benefit for me would be that I would also gain a 2.5 ft landing outside my Bigfoot 10.5e and open up a host of new stair configurations. Of course, the lockable storage box opportunities are fantastic too.
C&C 4500+ are relatively common and comparatively cheap in my area. Just curious what problems I may encounter with such an undertaking.
To answer your question, no.
This is kind of like the question about reinforcing the truck's frame from a couple weeks ago. By and large the folks who own truck campers want simple and convenient. We like to buy the truck ready to go. If we have to add anything we like things that bolt on. Cutting the truck apart to make the camper fit is just not something that is commonly, or ever, done.
IF you feel that you have the skills to pay the bills, by all means, knock yourself out.
I think the TC community does tend to want to be plug-and-play. Not everyone though. There are some people here that have heavily modified their campers/trucks. I suppose that one of the reasons C&C trucks are so much cheaper is that they require mods for a lot of "normal" truck applications and most people don't want to deal with it.
Cutting/welding to a modern truck frame is definitely a bad idea due to the grades of steel that they use. That work is best left to the pros. I am talking about moding out the flat beds, which, to my knowledge, are mostly made from mild steel structural elements that shouldn't require pre- or post-weld heat treatment. Fabrication work on these materials is considerably easier. If it is mild steel and the mod is lightly structural, most competent amateur welders can do the work. This is one of the reasons that I wouldn't build a flatbed from scratch. Start with a well-engineered, well-constructed (used/cheap) platform and lightly modify it.
