8 foot popup in a 6.5 foot bed?

[jopatco]

Hi Guys

I'm strictly a newbie to TCs but have studied them and am ready to pull the trigger. A lot of the time will be off-road (nothing crazy, just creeping down old rocky roads). Would it be feasible to put an 8 foot popup in a 6.5 foot bed F350? The dealer says it's a good idea, but looks a little unstable (back end heavy). It seems like I would have the best of both worlds: short wheelbase for tighter places yet a larger camper. Anyone running a rig like this? Any "rules" for how far back the Center of Gravity can go in relation to the rear wheels?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

 

[ExpoMike]

People have been doing it for decades. Like you said, you need to be mindful of the CG behind the axle and setup your suspension to handle this (stiffer springs, air bags, etc.). You'll want to get most of the weight to the forward part of the camper.

I would also recommend some tailgate support bars like this, to prevent tearing apart the stock cables/bars. http://www.dgmtailgatesupport.com/tailgate-supports

You need to be mindful of your decent angles as you'll have a much longer overhang then normal. You may find you will not be able to tow a trailer as well, due to this. Some factory spare tires cannot be lowered with the tailgate down, so that could be an issue too.

Good luck.

 

[JHa6av8r]

I have Grandby in a 3500 HD short bed crew cab. Since I come in at about 2000 lbs fully loaded I still have over 2000 lbs of payload available. The weight the Grandby adds behind my rear wheel is well within the tongue weight of my truck so I haven't seen any CG issues on or off road. I don't have any sag in the back and the weight softens the ride. I think it's a good combination.

The question about how far back CG can go depends on your truck. Mine is rated by GM for a 3,165 lb camper with the CG over the rear wheels. The lighter the camper the larger that envelope to the rear becomes.

 

[1stDeuce]

I'm running an older 8.5' in my short box GMC 2500. It's fine. I put airbags on to stiffen up the ride, but since I replaced the shocks, the ride is fine even with almost no pressure in the bags. The rear overhang is not critical because it is just about impossible to find something that the long wheelbase will go over but the bumper would drag on. If you think you can make it happen, just run the trail with your tailgate down and see. I bet you don't even come close.

The bummer about the 8' camper is that it is just shy of the edge of the tailgate, but most stairs will work anyway. My 8.5' hangs over the tailgate about 2".




Since buying this camper, I've looked at a few 6.5' campers, and I don't think I'll be downgrading. Not much room in them for all my stuff, the GF's stuff, and two larger dogs...
Good luck!

 

[Rbertalotto]

I don't leave my tailgate on as it gets really damaged by the stones thrown up on a dirt road. I reinforced the rear overhang part of the camper with (2) , 8 foot 2X4s that extend under the camper as I needed to raise the camper up 1" to clear the torneau cover frame.

I use the space under the overhang for a hitch hauler for the generator, a cooler, extra gas, etc.

I installed Air Bags and Rancho 9000 shocks and there are zero handling issues. The water tank and batteries are well to the front of the camper. Infront of the rear axle. The refrigerator and water heater are over the rear axle. Not sure where CoG is, but I think it must be forward.

 

[tanglefoot]

8-foot camper in a 6-foot compact truck here. Not a problem at all. I really like the extra camper length for the floorplan and interior volume. The trailer I used to tow still reached the hitch just fine with no extension and no clearance issues. Haven't run into any camper-dragging situations in the back. No problem accessing the spare tire winch on mine. The balance point/CG usually looks worse than it is, as camper CGs are usually pretty far forward.

 

[space]

Any 6ft camper in a 8ft bed owners here? I am interested in mounting a shorter-than-bed camper to allow space for a 'porch' or storage.

 

[Jakey]

Any 6ft camper in a 8ft bed owners here? I am interested in mounting a shorter-than-bed camper to allow space for a 'porch' or storage.

I had a similar setup years ago.
Dodge Power Ram 50 4x4[Mitsu Mighty Max] with a 7' Longbed and a Palomino intended for a shortbed compact pickup.
It looked quirky, but did the job, I later used that camper in a Longbed F250 with a riser "adapter" to clear the cab and bedsides.

You might not be able to have the camper against the front of the bed if is has a "bulged" floorplan that interferes with a longbed wheelwells.

 

[MidnightRider]

Mine handles ok for hangin off the back a bit.

 

[bearman512]

Here is my setup, and I flat tow my ZJ behind it.

 

[100acrehuphalump]

Anyone ever install a Grandby in a 6.5' shortbed 1/2 ton F150?

 

[kennr]

Here is my setup, and I flat tow my ZJ behind it.
View attachment 209807View attachment 209808

Thanks for the photo. I've often wondered how my '07 Mega Cab would look with the 8' camper.