Guide for Narrowing Bigfoot Cabovers?

[abayhay]

I am considering getting a 9.5 80's Bigfoot cabover, but the configuration is too wide for the 2010 8 foot Tundra tailgate width (about 60 in.). Someone posted here about 10 years ago on how to do this "trim" job, and I've private messaged him through this forum, but no response yet. Any other leads?

This was the original post:

https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/22751936.cfm

[HMS_Beagle]

I had a mid nineties 9.5, it weighed 2800 lbs on real scales though the door decal said 2100. It also depends on whether a 2500 or 1500 series model.

You can't just "peel back the skins" on a molded fiberglass camper. You have to sawsall a significant piece of the underside off, then relaminate it and repair whatever damage you've done to the furniture. The wide part goes all the way up to the wheel wells and has stuff in it, that's why the make it wide.

I bought a Dodge in 94 that had a bit narrower tailgate than the Ford or Chevy at the time, and a Bigfoot wouldn't fit. The solution proposed was to widen the tailgate, basically by reducing the width of the reinforcing at the end of the box. Apparently it was a thing with early Dodges, I contacted a couple of body shops that said they had done it.

[mkirsch]

You're looking at a major long shot after 10 years, and frankly I don't think there's any magic to it. It's not like there is a hidden jackscrew that you can twist that narrows up the base of the camper. You just have to peel back the skin and go for it.

If it's cheap enough and you have the place, time, and ambition to do the work, go for it.

[Grit_dog]

abayhay wrote:
Thank you all for the quick, thoughtful responses. The 1986 or so 9.5 has a factory stamp of about 1200 lbs. That is why I am attracted to this older model. With all the convenient add-ons, the Bigfoots, just like the Lances and others have gotten much heavier over the years.

We may be talking different campers then. The Bigfoot campers I've seen from the late 80s are similar to those going forward. Full fiberglass clamshell construction. Unless what you're referencing is like a shell model and not built out inside, that weight does not at all compute with the general mass of these campers.

[abayhay]

Hugely helpful find NatParkJunkie!! Many thanks, because that is the information I've been looking for for a few weeks.

Andy

[abayhay]

Thank you all for the quick, thoughtful responses. The 1986 or so 9.5 has a factory stamp of about 1200 lbs. That is why I am attracted to this older model. With all the convenient add-ons, the Bigfoots, just like the Lances and others have gotten much heavier over the years.

[MORSNOW]

You're looking at a 3,000 lb truck camper (wet and loaded) with a truck that has 1/2 of that weight's payload. You either need a much lighter camper or a much larger 3500 series truck.

[NatParkJunkie]

so first of all, completely agree with previous poster.
Checking out the specs for a current bigfoot truck camper says that they weigh between 2061-2245 lbs dry weight. And a current model year toyota tundra has a payload capacity of 1,575 to 1,940 lbs. So a current model truck camper would be 500-700 lbs over the max payload for a toyota, before adding any water, clothes, food, gear, etc.
A better solution would be a lightweight soft side popup truck camper like a Palomino. Those will weigh more in the 1500 lbs range.

But to answer OP question, I found the page on the way back machine web archiver
https://web.archive.org/web/20070407121302/http://duedall.fit.edu/yellow/gerry_chilibeck.htm


Truck camper magazine has some good advice on matching a truck and camper together.
https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/newbie-articles/match-truck-truck-camper/
In the details on that link, the guy also said he upgraded his F250 truck to a F350 to handle the camper better.

[Grit_dog]

I'm about the furthest thing from a weight cop on this forum, and I can say matter of factly that unless you're planning on narrowing the camper about 3 feet, maybe 4, it will absolutely bury a 1/2 ton truck.

You don't need the narrowing instructions. By virtue of the fact that it won't fit, it's saving you from yourself and a poor decision.