Forum Discussion

buddyIam's avatar
buddyIam
Explorer
Mar 31, 2015

Truck Camper with out wings.

I am getting closer to full retirement. I am considering a 84 inch Cab and Chassis truck with a utility bed.

Do any of you know of a camper that would clear the wheel wells of such a truck. The rear most part of the wheel wheels would be apx. 8'6". So I need a camper with a 4 foot lower width up to that point.

I am not concerned about the small 6" wings that stick outside the main 4 foot wide body. I believe they would clear the Wheel wells and a modified utility body could be built to accommodate those.

I am not convinced about this setup so opinions would be welcome. Two main reasons are that a 3500 gvwr can be reached very quickly with a large camper and while towing. Also I like the 72 gallon fuel capacity.

13 Replies

  • 1. I'm running a 60" cab to axle flatbed. Unless you plan to add storage between the camper and truck, you will have a lot of unused space that is hard to access with a utility bed. Ford allows space for dual tanks in it's shorter chassis cab, but Ram requires the longer wheelbase to fit dual tanks.

    2. Most of the flatbeds and utility beds are 8' wide. Unless you get to the largest truck campers (which are 8.5' wide), most campers are also 8' wide. I would guess that you could have the wings trimmed flush with the rear camper storage boxes.

    3. Many utility beds are too narrow internally for the "mini wings" that allow the floor to be wider over the wheel wells (like my current Arctic Fox). The largest truck campers start the floor above the bed rails and typically do not have the mini wings. Utility beds come in different heights - Unless you choose the low profile model, the widest part of the camper will rest on the sides instead of the floor. You will need decide if you go with a low profile bed or use a platform to raise the camper higher up in the bed.

    4. Some of the campers put access ports on the underside or forward wall. Take a close look at these when designing a bed so you do not block access to fresh water or tank rinse ports.

    5. If you plan to tow heavy behind your truck/camper combination, figure out your receiver and extension before selecting a bed. I chose to stay with TorkLift and had to find a bed with a low rear skirt to clear the large SuperHitch Magnum.