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Pickups Pickups - Archived Discussions Cabover Campers & Camper Trailers (pickups) 
1377 messages, Last post on Nov 20, 2003 at 1:43 PM
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I've seen many 8' campers on 6 1/2' trucks. Most leave the tailgate down to support the camper. You will have more effective weight on the rear axle, so air lifts and heavy duty shocks are almost mandatory for that application. I don't think extending the hitch is a good idea. Mostly, I see trailers that have enough tongue length to permit towing with the tailgate down. Check your truck and trailer, and you'll probably find it is not a problem. It is closer than it was, but you still have a foot or so of clearance. It will make hookups a pain, but much safer than extending the hitch. Mike L |
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Lots of driving, but I like to drive so that is not a problem. 350+miles up on Friday, and the same back on Sunday. The 'Getaway' traffic on Friday was the worst!! The 2 hour trip to Sacremento took 4 hours. We spent more time in stop and go traffic than we did moving. After Sacremento the traffic opened up and flowed well into Reno. Then north on 395 to Susanville. The drive up through the Sierras into Reno is always one of the prettiest drives I know of. We didn't see much of the mountains this time because it rained continuously from the time we left until we got back. OK, not continously, but over 90% of the time. When we go across country, we seen some very spectacular scenery, but returning to the Sierras is always the best mountains. The mountains in Alaska are impressive, as are the Rockies in Colorado. But, the Sierras are mountains you can actually drive into. The highways have sheer mountainsides on one side and sheer dropoffs on the other. Solid granite and trees. By comparison, the mountains in Alaska are distant and the mountains in Colorado are gentle hills that you can drive up. With small lakes and rolling hills at 14,000 feet, the Colorado mountains are best viewed from a distance. The mountains in Vermont and New Hampshire come close, but the Sierras are my favorite. Eagle Lake is the 2nd largest natural lake in CA. And a fisherman's paradise. 1/2 the campground is up a 5 and on the water by 6. We really enjoy the fact that not just us, but everyone goes to bed early and it is quiet, so we can sleep. Not like some party campgrounds. A lot of fish were taken on the weekend (not by us, we don't fish). Rumor has it that the state is going to ban fishing at the lake and make it into a hatchery lake. Property value are dropping and about 25% of the homes and properties are for sale just from this rumor. The drive from Eagle Lake west to 395 is just you typical drive through the forest, with nothing but trees and an occasional deer for distraction. That and the rain. Everyone was happy to see the rain, as it is really cutting the forest fires down. It even cleared the air of the smoke, and only once did we even smell the fires from the Feather River Canyon. We averaged 14.5 mpg for the weekend, about what we always average for this truck. I have to go and work on my HoneyDo list. Mike L |
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That's a good point about the trailer having a tongue long enough to clear the tailgate. I would do that if I could. Are there compartments that I would not be able to use with a 8' cabover on a 6 1/2' bed, or water tanks, or anything that would have to be moved? I live in the Bay Area and drive to the Sierras very often. Interesting comparison to Alaska and Colorado. Never been to Alaska. Only 4 hours to Sacamento instead of 2....I think we could use some more people in Calif., then we won't be able to get out of our own driveways!!!!!!!!!! |
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Where in the Bay Area are you? I'm in Santa Clara and Vince is in Milpitas but looking at moving up to the Westside. What kind of truck do you have? Do you have airlifts for the rear suspension? Or a sway bar? Those two items may be needed when you install your camper. See archived topics 891 and 1637 for previous discussions from this group. Both topics have been discussed at length. An 8' camper fits completely inside the bed. The tailgate is the same level as the bed. The wheelwells are further forward in a 6 1/2' bed, so that is not an issue. Watertanks, storage, everything fits between the wheelwells and inside the bed. And you won't have any interference with any of that on a shortbed. Now, if you are talking about a 9' camper with an overhang on a shortbed, I would start to get worried. It would still fit, but the overhang would take a lot of weight off the front end and add it to the rearend. You would probably overload the rear axle and really mess up the handling of the truck. Mike L |
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I haul a 8.5 ft Lance on my shortbed, it's not a problem. The math tells you a 6 and 1/2 foot bed will not completely contain an 8 ft camper, so you end up with overhang. Depending on manufacturer, it may be flat out the bed or hang down past your rear bumper. I pull a boat and have a standard 18" extension, commercially made by Curt, Reese etc. that are made of solid 2" stock. It has a stamp stating to reduce your hitch towing capacity by 1/3 when using. |
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The decision to use an extenstion to tow depends on how far you stick out and what you're towing. You need to be able to make a turn without the camper and trailer hitting one another. I have an 8' bed and a 10'11" camper, so I stick out about 3'. I haven't towed with the camper on yet, but I would definitely need an extension. I've got a Class IV hitch, but I've been told that I may need a Class V since I need a long extension. I'm no hitch expert, but from what I can tell, the difference between a Class IV and Class V is that the Class V bolts farther to the front of the truck thereby shifting more the tongue weight to the center of the frame. An extension also limits the weights you can tow. My recommendation would be to go talk to a shop that installs hitches and get some info from them. |
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Also has a 2.5" receiver tube, not a 2" er. I have a concern on the short bed with a long bed camper. If you get your CG too far back, near the rear axle, your stability will go to heck. Most manufacturers of Campers and all truck manufactureres have specifications for this. I would check on it before I buy. |
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| I've got the Class IV hitch also, what you need to consider is that a standard drop bar gives you approximately 6" of extension, so combined with a standard 18" extension you gain two feet. I know in previous posts you talked about towing a couple of snowmobiles at some time, if that's all you're going to be doing there's no need to go to a Class V. Basically those are for the horse trailer, work trailer, car haulers, or big boat people as far as camper haulers are concerned. I stated in a previous post that an 18" extension lowers my Class IV capability by 1/3, so I'm still left with about 3300 lbs capacity, more than most smaller boats or even a four place sled trailer. I can only guess that the commercially available 24" extension would cut your capacity by about 50%, still leaving you 2500. Save your money and go on a good fishing trip. I'll be up there most of next summer, maybe we'll cross paths. | |
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mledtje.......I live in Castro Valley, make many trips to Tahoe in both summer and winter, (I don't even steer my truck anymore, it knows the way!!) I have a GMC 2500 extended cab 4x4 shortbed, 8600 gvw on order, with a production date the week of 9-24, (need to have my old truck teach the new one how to steer without me!!!) I don't own a cabover at this time, just doing my homework. I ordered the shortbed because I currently own a '86 ford extended cab longbed. The GMC in the longbed would be a few inches longer than the ford. The ford is already too long, so I went with the shortbed and will make things work. I use this truck for my everyday vehicle. If needed I will put airlifts and sway bars. Pistolero..... sounds like your doing what I'm thinking of doing. The trailer I may tow with a cabover is a 12' aluminum boat with trailer, so not much weight there. I do own a 22' cuddy that weights about 5000-6000 lbs. but I don't plan on towing it with a cabover. I want to thank all of you for the information, it helps alot. |
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I wouldn't run out and buy that 8' camper. If you can locate one made for a shortbed truck you'd be better off I believe. The center of gravity being toward the rear may reduce the stability of the truck. More minor things to consider: it would look funny, the rear tie down eye bolt would be behind the rear bumper, and the rear bed access door may be useless. As people here have stated, it will work. But a camper made to fit would work better. I used to live in Castro Valley long ago. I lived on Brookdale Ave., do you know where that is? There was a secret Nike missile base in the hills above my house. Once we saw them raise the missiles for a test I guess. Kind of weird. I spent many a hour hiking around in the hills between there and Lake Chabot. |
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