Short bed TC on Long bed truck with storage in front?

[mr_goodbar]

I am thinking about jumping to the F450 with my AF811 and adding some extra storage in front of the camper and cab. I have seen some folks with extra fuel tanks in between as well. As long as the CG is above the rear wheels, is this ok? Thanks!

[mr_goodbar]

Picked up a 2008 Ford F450 and loaded up the 811. It handles so much better than the 2500. Still making minor adjustments as I get a feel for it.

[Kayteg1]

Judging from Bakersfield accident posted here few months back - TC tend to flip forward and crush truck cabin.
With no bed end wall and with additional distance that brings some integrity concerns.
I would reinforce the rear ties.

[Bedlam]

You will want some blocks in front of the camper to keep it from creeping forward. There are some good pictures from others that framed out a stop - I just used some scrap 6x4 wooden blocks for my 18" of offset.

[jimh406]

I wonder why they make long bed TCs. They should just make short ones. Oh wait ...

My point is you can do whatever you want, but if you put something in front that will crush, it’s probably a good idea to put some type of stop in place to prevent it from sliding.

[Bedlam]

I was able to fit 7.5' of my short bed Arctic Fox on my 9' flatbed deck. There was enough room to carry my spare on the headache rack and you can see where the CG sticker is in relation to the rear axle.



Your only issue on a DRW pickup is to make sure you you can clear the front camper tie downs and the rear wheel wells. Most likely your turn buckles will not be long enough and you will need chain between them and the tie down.

[Kayteg1]

How innovative 🙂
That was C&C F350, with longer wheelbase and beefed up suspension.
I put a bed on it, but the frame was still sticking behind it so I weld the bumper level with bed floor and used about 16" of space on front for all stinky junk.
The beefed up suspension did not mind COG well behind the axle at all.


Click For Full-Size Image.

[jefe_4x4]

There was an in depth reveal of a Expedition style 3500 SRW TC on Truck Camper Adventure that used that space for two spare tires (secured with a pair of sturdy fold to the side brackets) using a short bed TC on a long bed and using the space where the factory spare used to be for an aux fuel tank. It did have a custom bed though with side cabinets and slots to roll the tires out to the side. An interesting set up with no wasted space using a factory 4-season Lance 825 and no roof top AC. The couple live and travel in it, full time.
jefe

[mr_goodbar]

Thanks for the quick responses! I was searching the forum as I thought I saw this question before but couldn't find it. I thought the answer was yes keeping in mind CG and the gap up front. Did you buy your fuel tank/toolbox or have it made?

[Homeless_by_Cho]

That would be similar to my setup. I have a 60 gallon fuel tank with an integral toolbox on top that is ahead of my 6.5’ camper. Since my fuel tank is about 24" wide, the camper’s COG is about three inches behind the rear axle centerline. The weight of the fuel tank/toolbox more than offsets the camper’s COG. I have over 60,000 miles on my unit and I am on the original factory tires. I have not made any vehicle modifications (special shocks, airbags, helper spring spacers, etc) whatsoever. In addition, I pull an 18’ enclosed auto trailer which puts about 500 pounds on the hitch ball.

LeRoy

[wnjj]

https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/29542994.cfm