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camper fitting in new truck

kopack
Explorer
Explorer
We're looking at a new Chevy truck and it seems the bed depth on them is 21.34 inches, which creates a problem, since our camper depth from bottom to overhang over the rails is only 20.75 inches. Thus, our camper would not rest on the bed of the new truck, but, rather, solely on the bed rails. I know some folks have solved this problem by building up the bed with wood framimg, but, is there an easier, simpler way? Our 2004 Silverado had a bed depth of just under 20 inches, which worked just fine. HELP!!
Kopack
2004 Chev 3500 EC D/A 4x4, 2004 Lance 1121, 2004 Lund Explorer
18 REPLIES 18

cigar_100
Explorer
Explorer
regarding building foam. depending on the weight of your tc, it will flex. friend of mine tried this and ruined his bed rails. we replaced with good old plywood. problem solved.

Bigimac
Explorer
Explorer
Had the "rounded corners" problem when changing from a 1991 1500 to the 2013 3500, both long bed Chevy's. Screwed a 4x8 3/4" hard wood plywood to the bottom of the camper ($50); and then, screwing treated 2x4's frame ($24) to the plywood. This raised things up about 2 1/2" (1" above the rounded corners) with about 3/4" clearance side-to-side at the end of the truck bed.

I also had to deal with both front & rear jacks being too short to raise the camper because of the higher ground-to-bed measurement of the 2013. Fixed this by building a 4x6 platform for the jack stands.

Having resolved the whole GVWR thing by going with a 1-ton ... my way of dealing with the changes to bed was to suggest a new camper for the new truck ... wife said: "yeah right ... go figure it out ..."
2013 Capri Sportsman Grande
2015 Chevy Crew cab 3500HD SWD gasser
Toyo Open Ctry ATII 275 70R/18
10150# loaded; 10.5 mpg @ 70mph

wintersun
Explorer II
Explorer II
billyray50 wrote:
I used 4' x 8.' Pink or blue foam board from Lowe's or home depot with my last camper they was 3300 lbs with no issues.. Comes in different thickness. The one i used was 1 inch thick.


This is the best solution. This foam board comes in 1/2", 1", and 2" thicknesses and you can cut it to size with a box cutter. Never absorbs water the way any type of wood will do. No compression with a 3500 lb. camper in the bed. Weighs next to nothing so easy to remove if you decide to do so when the camper is not in the bed.

I put the foam board down and then a bed mat and leave them in the truck year round.

PEIwoman
Explorer
Explorer
Led 67 wrote:
kbaum wrote:
GM trucks have a rounded lower bracket welded in (part of the bed support system, I think) by the tailgate that requires that you raise your camper anyway. This is one of the reasons I bot a Dodge when I purchased my last truck after owning a couple of GMC's before that. I am sure many members of this forum have good suggestions to deal with this. however I never found one that dealt with it to my satisfaction so I went to the "dark side" and bot my current truck.


Welcome to the Dark Side :B



X2!!

Love, love my Dodgie!
PEIwoman
2003 Dodge HO QC SB 4x4, Modded, Hellwig BigWig, StableLoads, AirLift Bags, Bilstein 5500s, 19.5 Toyos
2014 Northstar Arrow U, Northstar Bumper w/GlowStep, BlueSky Solar, Torklift TD w/Fastguns

Sturgeon-Phish
Explorer
Explorer
On my TC I made a raised platform with 2x4s and OSB. Worked good because of the 5th wheel hitch rails in my old truck
Jim
2003 GMC 3500 crew dually. Transfer Flow 50g aux tank; ISSPRO gauges, PPE boost valve, air box mods, stock exhaust w/o muffler, Line-X, Pace Edwards bed locker power tonneau. B&W Companion. Pulls a '05 Wildcat 31QBH 5th wheel

Grit_dog
Navigator
Navigator
Ya for long distance driving I'd glue a sheet of plywood to the foam to help distribute the load from any larger camper.
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5โ€ turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

Joe417
Explorer
Explorer
Something to consider--

I've been a proponent of using building foam to support the TC but have learned a bit recently that you may want to consider depending on your TC construction.

My Palomino TC had no basement and the tanks were elevated above the bottom. It had 3 external metal floor supports running across underneath the floor. This construction worked great using the building foam to raise it. The only areas where the foam got compressed was where the metal floor supports were.

On my AF the weight of the TC is supported by the perimeter walls of the floor tub. There are light duty frames from side to side, covered with an 1/8" bottom, that support the tanks but are not strong enough to support the weight of the camper.

The problem is, during movement the foam compresses some around the edges which puts excess pressure on the cross frame.

All my tank supports were cracked, leaving me thinking this could have been part of the cause (not all), and I will no longer use this method of raising the TC height.

It needs a solid support on the edges. Other camper such as my Palomino work great with the foam.


The radius of the tailgate opening doesn't interfere with my TC, as that area is still wider than the wheel well width.
Joe and Evelyn

llavaseur
Explorer
Explorer
dave17352 wrote:
trail-explorer wrote:
foam board sounds like the easiest solution.

kbaum: Unsure of what "bracket" you are referring to on a GM truck that requires the camper to be raised.


It part of the way the back end of the box is molded. My 2011 has the same thing


In either 2007 or 2008 gm trucks changed the tail gate opening with the large lower radius mentioned. Its more than just the radius the opening dimension above the radius is also more narrow as shown in the picture. A 2006 isn't like this but my 2008 shown in the picture is. If the camper fit tight in your 2004 chances are it will not fit in a new gm truck.


joerg68
Nomad III
Nomad III
I pulled this from a google search:
http://www.carid.com/images/access/bed-accessories/access-tailgate-protector-3.jpg
When you look at the pic you can see the rounded lower edges. Depending on the width of your camper floor, the camper needs to be raised to clear the opening.
2014 Ford F350 XLT 6.2 SCLB + 2017 Northstar Arrow

dave17352
Explorer
Explorer
trail-explorer wrote:
foam board sounds like the easiest solution.

kbaum: Unsure of what "bracket" you are referring to on a GM truck that requires the camper to be raised.


It part of the way the back end of the box is molded. My 2011 has the same thing
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2005 Forrest River Cardinal 29rkle FW
1998 Lance 980 11'3" TC
2017 CHEVY 3500 SRW 6.0
B@W turnover ball @ companion Hitch
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trail-explorer
Explorer
Explorer
Truck bed dimensions should be like a railroad's distance between the rails - measurements should NEVER CHANGE!
Bob

trail-explorer
Explorer
Explorer
foam board sounds like the easiest solution.

kbaum: Unsure of what "bracket" you are referring to on a GM truck that requires the camper to be raised.
Bob

Led_67
Explorer
Explorer
kbaum wrote:
GM trucks have a rounded lower bracket welded in (part of the bed support system, I think) by the tailgate that requires that you raise your camper anyway. This is one of the reasons I bot a Dodge when I purchased my last truck after owning a couple of GMC's before that. I am sure many members of this forum have good suggestions to deal with this. however I never found one that dealt with it to my satisfaction so I went to the "dark side" and bot my current truck.


Welcome to the Dark Side :B

dave17352
Explorer
Explorer
2 inch pink rigid foamular from home depot. Works perfect no issues also insulates your floor in the winter and I guess summer too.
NOW 2017 Leprechaun 260ds
2005 Forrest River Cardinal 29rkle FW
1998 Lance 980 11'3" TC
2017 CHEVY 3500 SRW 6.0
B@W turnover ball @ companion Hitch
Honda eu3000 generator mounted on cargo rack
Crestliner 1850 Fish Ski boat mostly fishing now!