?Short bed camper...Newbie

[Dr__Feelgood]

After 38 years as ER Doc, I am approaching retirement,new to truck campers. I just bought 2015 Dodge 3500 crew cab with short bed(6'4'' ?)I'm starting to shop used campers. I understand a bit about COG issues.Will the COG be part of the specs of a camper? When a seller says it's OK for a short bed ,how can I determine if that's right. Are there specs etc I can check to determine if it's compatable with my truck? How does one determine if you'll need airbags,leveling kit, and what are fast guns?. I'm obviously a bit slow on the draw.Thanks for any help

[Grit_dog]

I believe the long/short bed comment was for shirt campers that fit a SB truck but may not slide into a LB due to rear ovehang.
To the OP, your truck is basically he best you can do to haul a camper with a short bed save for a dually.
if you opt for a heavy camper with a slide out it will be too much for the factory springs and you'll need some extra support in the rear and better capacity tires and or rims are nice.
You live in Oregon, the land of campers, just find which one you like realizing you may have to spend some $ on the truck to haul it well.

[Bedlam]

I have to disagree with some of the posts above. Unless you choose a very light long bed camper for your short bed, you will find too much of the weight sits behind the axle. Since the manufacturer expected 8' of support underneath, you may also run into structural issues where the pickup bed ends.

We won't discuss short bed campers on long bed trucks since this does not apply to the OP.

There are plenty of short bed camper choices, although there are even more long bed models. My short bed F250 handled an Arctic Fox 811 and there is probably only the Host which is heavier. Let us know which models interest you and we can give our opinions and suggestions. You will find one you will like.

[cewillis]

jimh425 wrote:
Too bad, you just bought a new truck, and it is a shortbed. It's doable, but the TCs are not as common.

There are multiple dozens of campers with a very wide range of styles, options, and weights that are made for shortbed trucks. You made an excellent truck choice.

[Bedlam]

The FastGuns are a quick release turnbuckle that is spring loaded - This is the link between your truck and camper. The tie downs are brackets that are connected to the body or frame of the truck. Some truck manufacturers (Ford) recommend only using frame based tie downs for campers.

[Super_Dave]

Don't try to out guess your suspension needs. Put the camper on the truck, drive it around to identify some of the deficiencies and then address. If your truck doesn't have overload spring, that might be an exception to my comment and would consider getting an overload spring added to your spring pack.

[jimh406]

Too bad, you just bought a new truck, and it is a shortbed. It's doable, but the TCs are not as common.

Yes, fast guns are very good tie downs! Not the bracket though. Those are separate. http://www.torklift.com/index.php/products/turnbuckles/original-fastguns

[daily_double]

And fast guns are a type of tie downs. (A good type)

[Super_Dave]

billtex wrote:

Super_Dave wrote:
Long bed campers fit a short bed but not necessarily the other way around.

Dave...I think you meant to say a SB camper may fit a LB truck....
You probably would NOT want a LB camper on SB truck.

No, I meant what I said. Long bed campers with no wing boxes fit on a short bed truck. A short bed camper with wing boxes hang off the back of a long bed truck and won't slide all the way to the front.

[mkirsch]

billtex wrote:
You probably would NOT want a LB camper on SB truck.

If you're talking about the monster 10'+ floor length campers, yes.

Most 8' floor campers work fine in either length bed. The COG isn't far enough off to cause any adverse handling issues with a camper this size, as they usually weigh around 2000-2500lbs.

[mkirsch]

The specifications for the vast majority of campers can be found online through a simple google search using the camper brand and model. COG will generally be a part of those specifications.

One telltale sign of a shortbed camper is that they often have large external storage compartments at the rear with a floor length of 9'6" or less.

[billtex]

Super_Dave wrote:
Long bed campers fit a short bed but not necessarily the other way around.

Dave...I think you meant to say a SB camper may fit a LB truck....
You probably would NOT want a LB camper on SB truck.

[WVbassmistress]

We have an 8.5 ft camper on a bed that is "technically" 6.75 feet but to me it is 6.5. Works great. Most campers do list COG in their specs (at least the ones I researched) You are in a part of the country that should have lots of options available to you.

Good luck!!!! I am really happy for you! I am so happy we took the plunge a couple years ago.

[Super_Dave]

Some campers are specifically designed for short beds and some for long beds. Long bed campers fit a short bed but not necessarily the other way around. COG on your short bed really only impacts your rear axle weight. Have you narrowed down what size of camper you are really looking for? An 8.5' - 9' camper will in all likelihood not be a problem at all fro your truck.