Forum Discussion

MLD's avatar
MLD
Explorer
Apr 30, 2022

Truck Bed Crown

How do you compensate for the crown in the newer truck’s beds when loading your camper?
  • Geo*Boy wrote:
    MLD wrote:
    Grit dog wrote:
    This has been brought up a couple times before. Newer GM truck?
    Folks have "shimmed" the front and rear with thinner plywood under a bed mat.
    I haven't had every model of GM, but 2 different 2016s, a 1500 and 2500, bed was flat as well as my 2020 1500. Maybe this is only a thing on long beds? Mine have all been shortbeds.


    Shimming the back with additional pieces of bed mat is what I had in mind but just wanted to hear others ideas. If you put a straightedge flat on the front and middle of the bed there is a 3/8” to 1/2” gap at the back.

    This is what I did to my 2015 GMC 3500 dually, I placed a 1/2” thick rubber mat across the rear of my truck bed. I believe it was about 20” wide, it got rid of the rocking/movement. If you don’t do the shim the bed sheet metal will crack from the flexing.


    That’s what I’ll go with then, thanks!
  • MLD wrote:
    Grit dog wrote:
    This has been brought up a couple times before. Newer GM truck?
    Folks have "shimmed" the front and rear with thinner plywood under a bed mat.
    I haven't had every model of GM, but 2 different 2016s, a 1500 and 2500, bed was flat as well as my 2020 1500. Maybe this is only a thing on long beds? Mine have all been shortbeds.


    Shimming the back with additional pieces of bed mat is what I had in mind but just wanted to hear others ideas. If you put a straightedge flat on the front and middle of the bed there is a 3/8” to 1/2” gap at the back.

    This is what I did to my 2015 GMC 3500 dually, I placed a 1/2” thick rubber mat across the rear of my truck bed. I believe it was about 20” wide, it got rid of the rocking/movement. If you don’t do the shim the bed sheet metal will crack from the flexing.
  • My 15 2500 short was crowned and used 1/4ply 12" x 48" front and back. Can't see it straightened out with camper on, just breaking camper back...
    Ply worked nice.
  • Grit dog wrote:
    This has been brought up a couple times before. Newer GM truck?
    Folks have "shimmed" the front and rear with thinner plywood under a bed mat.
    I haven't had every model of GM, but 2 different 2016s, a 1500 and 2500, bed was flat as well as my 2020 1500. Maybe this is only a thing on long beds? Mine have all been shortbeds.


    Shimming the back with additional pieces of bed mat is what I had in mind but just wanted to hear others ideas. If you put a straightedge flat on the front and middle of the bed there is a 3/8” to 1/2” gap at the back.
  • Geo*Boy wrote:
    What make, model and year of the truck?
    .

    2018 Sierra 3500 DRW longbed
  • I would thing that the crown is designed to handle larger payloads and gets flatter as you load up the truck. just have to buy a heavy enough caper to make it flat I guess..

    serioulsy though, I have never seen a pickup truck with a crown designed into it, just highway class 8 trailers and some real long car haulter type trailers you pull behind your 1 ton. if there was a crown in my bed, I would be taking it in under warenty.

    Steve
  • This has been brought up a couple times before. Newer GM truck?
    Folks have "shimmed" the front and rear with thinner plywood under a bed mat.
    I haven't had every model of GM, but 2 different 2016s, a 1500 and 2500, bed was flat as well as my 2020 1500. Maybe this is only a thing on long beds? Mine have all been shortbeds.
  • I was more concerned about stress to the truck bed.
  • After the camper is loaded, is there an issue? Rocking for instance?