6-10 in an 8ft bed?, putting a short unit in a long bed
6-10 in an 8ft bed?, putting a short unit in a long bed
bartman |
Apr 28 2014, 05:00 PM
Post
#1
|
Group: Members Posts: 2 Joined: 28-April 14 Member No.: 7,537 Favorite Truck Camper(s): northern lite Type and Brand of Truck(s) Owned: 1994 gmc sierra standard cab, 6.0l Diesel, 4 x 4. Type of Tiedowns used: none yet Truck and Camper Setup: no camper yet |
Hi Folks, Complete newb here ; ).
I just got given a truck, a 1994 GMC Sierra standard cab, 4 x 4 6.0l diesel. I have seen a lovely Northern Lite 6-10 for sale locally, but how does that work in an 8ft truck bed? Can I make a 'pallet' type affair to fit between the front of the camper, and the end of the truck bed? Can anyone shed any light on this for me? Thanks in anticipation, Bart |
drc5900 |
Apr 30 2014, 02:13 AM
Post
#2
|
Group: Members Posts: 22 Joined: 16-May 10 From: Bemidji MN Member No.: 4,241 Favorite Truck Camper(s): The one I have of course: Jayco! Type and Brand of Truck(s) Owned: 1997 Dodge Ram 3500 4x4 5.9L 12v Cummins Turbo Diesel Dually Extended Cab, Billeted Goerend AT Tranny w/triple disk TC & manual lockup. Type of Tiedowns used: The ones it came with: homemade. Truck and Camper Setup: Truck as above. Camper: 1993 Jayco Jay Hunter 950 fully equiped, approx. 3000Lbs loaded. Homemade tiedowns. 5000Lbs Mopar receiver hitch. Homemade 3' extended hitch. Homemade Jackadapters for dually: 1/4"SS 6"x6"x6" square tube. "Donut" between reartruck- and camper slider window. No Airbags: the camper nicely smoothed out the hard suspension :-) . Hott-Rod electric heater added to propane waterheater. |
If it were for me, I'd make something out of lumber to put in the truckbed between the camper and the truck cab, so that the camper can't slide forward too much (sliding forward too far might possibly damage the rear of the camper if it has lower overhang.).
Then the space between the truck cab and the camper would be extra storage space, might make some enclosed storage or perhaps a truck toolbox would fit. Would be good spot for a cooler, a generator, spare tire, camping chairs/table and such. If that shortbed camper has no overhang lower than the truckbed, you could simply slide the camper forward to the front of the bed, and have a bit of a "deck" or "porch" in the rear of the bed, might even keep the tailgate on. [EDIT: In the meantime I saw some pics of the Northern Lite 6'10", it looks like there is no overhang. What I would do is push the camper all the way forward, leave the tailgate on and have myself a little backporch]. Please keep in mind that you might end up with an odd Center Of Gravity ("CoG") with the camper sitting in a different bed than it was designed for, which might negatively influence the behavior of your truck/camper combo, and might even make it unsafe. You might be fine, but you would be trying my ideas at your own risk. So, unless that shortbed camper is a supersweet cheap deal, maybe better keep on looking. Good Luck. P.S. I wasn't aware the GMC made a 6.0 diesel in the 90's?? |
bevelheadpeegee |
Nov 17 2015, 05:42 PM
Post
#3
|
Group: Members Posts: 3 Joined: 17-November 15 Member No.: 8,575 Favorite Truck Camper(s): Bigfoot Type and Brand of Truck(s) Owned: Dodge 2500 cummins 5.9 powered Type of Tiedowns used: happijac Truck and Camper Setup: 2004 Dodge 4X4 longbox with 2009 Bigfoot 10.6 camper. Added a leaf spring. Improves handling substantially!! |
QUOTE(drc5900 @ Apr 30 2014, 02:13 AM) If it were for me, I'd make something out of lumber to put in the truckbed between the camper and the truck cab, so that the camper can't slide forward too much (sliding forward too far might possibly damage the rear of the camper if it has lower overhang.). Then the space between the truck cab and the camper would be extra storage space, might make some enclosed storage or perhaps a truck toolbox would fit. Would be good spot for a cooler, a generator, spare tire, camping chairs/table and such. If that shortbed camper has no overhang lower than the truckbed, you could simply slide the camper forward to the front of the bed, and have a bit of a "deck" or "porch" in the rear of the bed, might even keep the tailgate on. [EDIT: In the meantime I saw some pics of the Northern Lite 6'10", it looks like there is no overhang. What I would do is push the camper all the way forward, leave the tailgate on and have myself a little backporch]. Please keep in mind that you might end up with an odd Center Of Gravity ("CoG") with the camper sitting in a different bed than it was designed for, which might negatively influence the behavior of your truck/camper combo, and might even make it unsafe. You might be fine, but you would be trying my ideas at your own risk. So, unless that shortbed camper is a supersweet cheap deal, maybe better keep on looking. Good Luck. P.S. I wasn't aware the GMC made a 6.0 diesel in the 90's?? I would suggest not to put all that weight on the rear of the truck with that camper for a shortbed. I would think that your vehicle's handling would cause you undue stress due to the vehicle not handling well on the roads. Not to mention interstates. |
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 29th April 2024 - 01:33 AM |