Best location to place weight?

[Code Monkey]

My rig is a ~165" DRW (maybe to become SRW) Dodge 1 ton 3500 CTD 4x4.

Curb weight 7K to 7.5K

GVWR 11K to 12K? (I haven't found the tag yet - Canadian rig originally, not sure where the tag is, if there is one - the VIN on the door panel shows just a bar code and number, no weight ratings)

Plan is to remove the 8x12' steel flatbed and replace with an alum. custom flatbed, with a 'garage' for my dirt bike right behind the cab. Then a popup camper (probably Alaskan) on the bed.

I am thinking about where to locate heavy items, like aux. batteries, a genset, water, fuel, and so on. I am thinking down low (but higher than the current lowest hanging part) - naturally.

But I am also thinking as close to the middle of the vehicle, both laterally and longitudinally. I.E., start from the cab and back to the rear axle. Aux. fuel tank maybe as much under the cab as some aux. fuel tank suppliers provide. Aux. batteries between the frame rails (two to four), just behind the cab, under the 'garage' (accesible through a hatch in the garage floor). Maybe another aux. tank behind the cab along the outside of the frame under the bed (but not hanging below too far to not decrease ground clearance). Ditto with potable water and black water tank. Genset (200+ pounds) on one side of the frame, but again, all of the tanks and everything as forward towards the cab from the axle and low as possible.

Cargo, most tools and such, further back and some up on boxes on the bed (filling in the available gaps of the camper).

So, you get the general idea. Forward, midships and low for the heaviest items - except of course the camper which I can't do much about.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ala5ka]

water and fuel, along with the heavier items should go directly over the rear axle, as close to center of the vehicle to prevent tipping, but low enough center of gravity, sometimes a little cumbersome but will increase traction on icy road, we use sand bags or lead shot for that up here in AK, but smaller items that you don;t need right away are best near the cab, plus if its aux batteries the closer to the alternator the better hope that helped a little

 

[Code Monkey]

water and fuel, along with the heavier items should go directly over the rear axle, as close to center of the vehicle to prevent tipping, but low enough center of gravity, sometimes a little cumbersome but will increase traction on icy road, we use sand bags or lead shot for that up here in AK, but smaller items that you don;t need right away are best near the cab, plus if its aux batteries the closer to the alternator the better hope that helped a little

With a 1K# garage (the garage itself and the bike loader) *before* I put one or two 300# bikes in it, a 500# to 1K# bed, batteries, fuel, water, genset - I don't think I need to put more weight over the rear axles to get traction. I think it will have plenty and that doesn't even count the various cargo/tool boxes that will be on the bed or hanging under the bed.

Add a 2K camper (loaded weight for an Alaskan 10' ex cab model IIRC) and again I think there will be plenty of weight on that rear axle.

I am thinking more about handling and weight distribution - especially to counter the weight of that Alaskan sitting up on the bed.

 

[Ala5ka]

keep everything as low as you can get it, and maybe get beefed up sway bars from someone like Helwig to combat body roll on the highway, and go for some good brakes. Helper springs or a new spring pack, maybe airbag helpers would be nice too. Sounds like you are going to be one heavy sob haha jk.

 

[Code Monkey]

Yeah, it will be heavy.

I will try to use lightweight components where I can, like an alum. bed and bumpers instead of steel. But some of the components, like the bike loader (800 pounds) and the camper (2K#) will be heavy.

Then you add in all the little things like the batteries, the genset, extra fuel and water and it adds up real quick. I would say that I will be adding at least another 4K to 5K pounds to the truck - and that is before I load my bike and such. Two bikes and two people may add up to another 1K#.

I want to try to manage that weight as best as possible.

I will be beefing up the suspension and the axles (CAD delete, axle housing braces, any other things I can do like better bearings if I can find them) and the frame and the tires (probably go with 19.5 rims and H-rated tires) and so on.

 

[chasespeed]

Okay... So, you're looking at about a 14k truck.... That is a LOT of weight on 2 axles. Remember, the dressed Cummins is probably 1500lbs(we used a fork lift to put mine in my truck).

If you are going to go through the trouble of upgrading.... look into bigger axles....

Or, we could try to save some weight... first obvious thing.. what is the genset for? Do you NEED one?

Do you NEED a 10ft Alaskan? Or can you work with an 8ft, maybe even something lighter?.... Maybe even build a bed mounted version of what Jim is running on his new trailer..... I understand the box behind the cab, for the bikes.... that is tough. Mount your batteries down on the frame. If you can mount things inboard, under the bed, that will help. You also have room between the rear frame rails....

I am going to assume you have a D80 under the rear.... which, may, or may not be enough if you get crazy...

So, understanding what you want...... we should also see about trimming some down.

Chase

 

[Code Monkey]

Rig is spec'd as a 13K GVWR. Curb weight is claimed to be about 7300# - I need to have it weighed. I bet the current steel bed is almost 1K#.

D80 rear - DRW. Dodge down rates it to 8K#, but it is an 11K# axle. They are looking at other factors like the tires, shocks, springs and the mounts for those - not to mention stability.

The front is a D60 with CAD - 5K or 6K axle depending on the rig.

Upgrade suspension components all around - better leaf springs, air bags, better mounts and dual 2.5" to 3" dia. shocks on the rear, all with proper mounts. Upgrade tires and wheels to 6K 19.5" tires. Not enough? DS 110 (14.5K), but not very likely - I don't think I will need to go that far.

In the front upgrade the suspension in a similar fashion, better steering components, delete the CAD, change the unit bearings over to conventional bearings/spindles with HD bearings, get manual hubs. If that isn't enough, then maybe upgrade to a Ford HDP Dana 60 - maybe with kingpins. Or maybe a 'Super 60', or a Dana 80 (there is a place that will make a D80 front).

I think as it stands I could get away with the current stock components as the current GVWR is enough to barely cover what I want to do. But I would naturally like to err on the side of caution and besides, I think the rig would handle a lot better the way I want to upgrade the tires/axles/suspension/etc. with the weight I plan to put on it.

First I am going to get some of the minor mechanical problems fixed on the truck, then slowly upgrade it, then get the alum. bed and garage made with the bike loader installed and put that on the truck. With the alum. bed and bike loader it should be fine with what I now have on it. Then I can upgrade the suspension before getting the Alaskan (or whatever).

As for an Alaskan 10 ft. v. 8 ft.; the current bed is a 12 foot bed (sticks out about 2 feet past the stock frame, but has welded frame extensions for the bed and the hitch). I have vacillated back and forth between the two sizes. I don't know yet, but the 8 ft. is not that much lighter - only 170 pounds lighter. So that isn't going to help much. I even though of having them make an 11' foot model (they have that option). Just not sure yet. There is an RV show this weekend - they may be there. If not then next time I go down to Portland I will stop in at their factory and look over their models and talk to them.

Right now I am in the planning stage - hence the questions. I just bought the truck and I have some minor stuff to do to it. Plus I need to earn some money this year to fund this - we'll see if I get another contract renewal or if I have a lot of time on my hands like last year.

But yes, a heavy rig, somewhere between 10K and 15K.

I didn't particularly want to buy a class 4 or 5 sized truck - too expensive and too big just to haul around one person and a dirt bike.

The idea of the rig is to take the dirt bike to the trail head. I don't plan on doing any real off-roading with it - that is what the bike is for. The rig will be my base camp for dirt bike 'expeditions', so at most I would be going over rough unimproved roads. I will also be taking the bike in its 'snowbike' config up into the mountains for snow riding.

The idea is to travel up and down the western USA, sometimes BC, maybe Mexico, following the mild weather and riding some nice places. I am getting older so I like my comfort. I am 6'6" tall so I don't like to be cramped. If I find a place I want to stay for a week or two then I want to be able to stay there until food and water runs out. I don't like to run low on water, fuel or power.

I might be able to knock at least several hundred pounds off the motorcycle loader if I can make my own version. I understand why they made it all out of steel - so they could rate it 1400 pounds, but I don't think I will ever load it with anything approaching 1000 pounds. Usually only one 300# dirt bike or 350# snowbike - maybe two - at most three. Certainly the bed for the loader could be aluminum instead of steel. Maybe much of the frame too.