We just got a new (used) truck about a month ago. It's a short bed which is fine with the 5er and we got a pretty good deal. But then we started talking about an alaska trip for a summer possibly followed by a pan america highway trip a year or so later...a truck camper sounds like the better tool for the job.Now if we can find a short bed camper we like that's preferred but reading online, people freak out about the COG being 6" behind the axle because your front wheels will come off the ground.Assuming you are within the axle rating, I don't see how this could be an issue. We aren't looking for a monster camper...maybe in the 2500lb range.2500lb 6" behind the axle and the truck has a 156" wheel base. Run the calculations and that's only 96lb shifted from the front to rear axle. A good sneeze could shift that much plus will likely have weight in the back seat that will put as much back on the front axle.Am I missing something? I get that it's preferred to have COG in front of the axle but if everything is in the weight limits, I'm not seeing where it should have any significant impact.Second related question: I've seen a few allusions online to supporting the overhang but not with the tailgate...but can't find anything to suggest if it's needed or what people are using to provide this support.

Even Titanic broke in 1/2 when it lack support at the end. How long exactly is your short bed?If you are thinking about 8' long camper, tailgate can give it necessary support, although strength of tailgate is questionable.Anything longer is asking for troubles.

I'd be concerned about the weight on the drive axle as well. You move your CG back when you have a lot of overhang out back.You can do about anything if you put your mind to it. Is it safe? That is up to you. I would not.

It depends upon the camper model. Many “short bed” models are nothing more than long bed models with skirts and storage boxes added. Support on those models is not needed. I’d confirm with the manufacturer if it’s ok.As for COG, the “in front of the axle” is another RVmyth.net story. GM’s official camper documentation I posted some time ago (at least at th time) allowed the COG to be all the way at the rear edge of the bed. Their only concern was percentage of total weight on the front axle. Also, pickups can tow with a decent amount on the hitch without WD. Removing some weight from the front is not the disaster some claim it is.

SidecarFlip wrote:I'd be concerned about the weight on the drive axle as well. You move your CG back when you have a lot of overhang out back.You can do about anything if you put your mind to it. Is it safe? That is up to you. I would not.Why would you be concerned about the drive axle? Based on checking a sampling, the COG won't be more than about 6" behind the axle.For a 2500lb unit, the difference between 6" in front and 6" behind is negligible in terms of how much weight goes on the rear axle. COG already accounts for the overhang. If you've got 3200lb capacity, it's well within limits either way.The premise was that you aren't exceeding the load limits for either axle or the GVWR....but people talk about the front end getting light when a preliminary review of the numbers suggests, it can't happen to any noticeable degree.Is it just the presumption that most truck campers are way over weight to start with and thus you are making a bad situation worse? Or is there something behind it that I'm missing?

wnjj wrote:It depends upon the camper model. Many “short bed” models are nothing more than long bed models with skirts and storage boxes added. Support on those models is not needed. I’d confirm with the manufacturer if it’s ok.As for COG, the “in front of the axle” is another RVmyth.net story. GM’s official camper documentation I posted some time ago (at least at th time) allowed the COG to be all the way at the rear edge of the bed. Their only concern was percentage of total weight on the front axle. Also, pickups can tow with a decent amount on the hitch without WD. Removing some weight from the front is not the disaster some claim it is.If it got extreme (COG at the rear edge of the bed), I could see it being problematic but the difference between 6.5 and 8.0 foot bed, the COG isn't moving very far relative to the axle. So unless the truck was already unstable, I don't see how t would make much difference.

Short Bed Truck with Long Bed Camper | Good Sam Community

jplante4
Explorer II
Jul 18, 2018
GeoBoy wrote:
Where is the moderator?

Working. Why didn't you hit the Notify Moderator button?

Apparently you all have nothing better to do than crab at each other.

CLOSED
GeoBoy
Explorer
Jul 18, 2018
Where is the moderator?
valhalla360
Navigator
Jul 18, 2018
mkirsch wrote:
I got a serious problem with you "been there and done that" types, because, just because you "been there and done that" exactly ONCE, doesn't mean that it will work for everyone, with every truck, with every camper.

A statistical sample of ONE is not at all scientific, and hardly makes you an authority. They say it's better to be lucky than good, and I think you are mistaking luck for skill.

I don't see ANY of you advocating putting something like a Host Mammoth on a short bed truck. Why is that? I thought it was "no problem" to put a long bed camper on a short bed truck. It ALWAYS works, doesn't it? So why not go for broke and put a REAL camper on a short bed? Oh, maybe because the CG is too far back? I thought that wasn't a problem. Oh, maybe because there's too much unsupported floor and it may cause structural damage to the camper? I thought that wasn't a problem...

Maybe this will get this thread shut down.

I'm not looking for examples. I'm looking for the mechanics of why some people are getting paranoid about minor shifts of COG on trucks that are otherwise within weight ratings.

Since the original post was for a 2500lb TC not a 6000lb host mammoth, it's not relevant to the discussion.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jul 18, 2018
Weird......I have a problem with folks who don’t know their @ss from a baloney sandwich about trucks, mechanical aptitude or mechanics or materials who believe whatever the printed word is, is the absolute authority. Actually I don’t. I just consider them gullible.....
Anyway, Mayteg proved he can overload a short bed truck with the best of them with that pic! Long live SB trucks!
jaycocreek
Explorer II
Jul 18, 2018
I got a serious problem with you "been there and done that" types, because, just because you "been there and done that" exactly ONCE,

Good for you but if you would read more carefully you will see that I mentioned two times in this thread not once.

It's not rocket science..An 8ft camper will work on a short bed truck,pure and simple and it's done quite often and the op would be within all his specs as he stated,not like most here.

There is several in this link to look at.

8ft camper on shortbed truck
mkirsch
Nomad II
Jul 18, 2018
I got a serious problem with you "been there and done that" types, because, just because you "been there and done that" exactly ONCE, doesn't mean that it will work for everyone, with every truck, with every camper.

A statistical sample of ONE is not at all scientific, and hardly makes you an authority. They say it's better to be lucky than good, and I think you are mistaking luck for skill.

I don't see ANY of you advocating putting something like a Host Mammoth on a short bed truck. Why is that? I thought it was "no problem" to put a long bed camper on a short bed truck. It ALWAYS works, doesn't it? So why not go for broke and put a REAL camper on a short bed? Oh, maybe because the CG is too far back? I thought that wasn't a problem. Oh, maybe because there's too much unsupported floor and it may cause structural damage to the camper? I thought that wasn't a problem...

Maybe this will get this thread shut down.
valhalla360
Navigator
Jul 18, 2018
Kayteg1 wrote:
valhalla360 wrote:

If you have some facts beyond titanic analogies, let me know, I am interested.

When RV have structural problems, they usually show as cracks, delamintation and other symptoms before actuall separation happens.
So finding RV broken in 1/2 might never happen as owners address the issue having enough warning.
But just for the joke, here is analogy.

Doesn't look like a slide in camper and the camper looks like it's still solid.

I seriously doubt a 3/4 ton truck frame in good shape is going to crack in half with a little 2500lb camper in the bed.
GeoBoy
Explorer
Jul 18, 2018
Close this argument down.
jaycocreek
Explorer II
Jul 17, 2018
Kayteg1 wrote:
I hope you know you are doing clown of yourself?
I carried dry camper on short pickup when I bought it, but short time after I bought dually for it.
It is a bit different story to carry 4200lb of dry camper and different when you load it to 6500lb.
I check the camper under when I was switching the trucks and yes, I could see imprint of short flatbed on camper floor.
When dealing with several parameters and loading them to extreme, you have to be very careful. With some common sense you can make it acceptable risk, or make newspaper headlines.
You don't know who other people reading the forum might be and when you give them "Go ahead" on small risk -they apply it to bigger one.

A clown..I can deal with that passing on what I have seen and done from actually doing what an op ask...I do not have to guess because I have done the exact same thing...

You have not!

Unless you have loaded a 8ft(long bed) camper on a shortbed as the op asked..

I have,the clown I am.
Kayteg1
Explorer II
Jul 17, 2018
I hope you know you are doing clown of yourself?
I carried dry camper on short pickup when I bought it, but short time after I bought dually for it.
It is a bit different story to carry 4200lb of dry camper and different when you load it to 6500lb.
I check the camper under when I was switching the trucks and yes, I could see imprint of short flatbed on camper floor.
When dealing with several parameters and loading them to extreme, you have to be very careful. With some common sense you can make it acceptable risk, or make newspaper headlines.
You don't know who other people reading the forum might be and when you give them "Go ahead" on small risk -they apply it to bigger one.