2013 F450 Lance Camper Utility Bed Build
- Thread starter racer3822
- Start date
'round n' back again
Explorer
haha don't that look familiar!!!
lord, i hate mud.
lord, i hate mud.
racer3822
Observer
41" Goodyear G275's
A few months ago I tried to do an update through my phone and thought it went through, but apparently it didn't! In any case I have been busy the last 6 months, mostly with life and getting married and not as much building truck. However I finally did get the tires on.
Went with the Goodyear G275 41" tires. In order to accommodate them I had to do a few things.
1) Took advice from another board member S2DM and went with Double Designs fiberglass fenders. They mated up pretty well, with these fenders and some clearancing/welding they were able to fit the 41" tires without a lift which was the goal to keep COG down.
Tires with stock fenders removed.
Like S2DM, I cut off the front support, but I welded in a tube bracket to support it higher up were I think he reused the stock cut off. With the tube bracket it didn't interfere with the headlight and didn't rub the tire when turning and flexing.
2) I had to move the bumper forward 4" for now. I used longer bolts and these spacers to do it.
3) Already had my tires on order from Stazworks. They do good work but it took 3 months to get them! I opted to go with the beadlock donuts and at the spacing they are completely rotatable to any corner.
4) I re-geared with 5.38 ring & pinion. When regearing I added a limited slip in the rear Dana 110, with an Eaton "True Trac". Added an Auburn gear e-locker for the front. I'm hoping this helps in snow conditions!
Immediately following the gearing I installed the tires. Final Product:
The Stazworks tires I ordered with balancing beeds. To make sure they don't get past the donut he installs 2 air filters into the holes in the beadlock donuts. Stazworks came up with that solution. When I opened up my Stazworks wheels, which are split with the plastic beadlock inside, I had absolutely no beads that got past the beadlock. Most of them were stuck to the tire where they should be actually. I ended up vacuuming them all out because I was getting a really bad shimmy at high speeds and pursued another form of balancing. When driving 10 hours a day it gets on your nerves!
My end solution to help the balancing was to vacuum out all of the beads and take them to a Goodyear truck service center who had a large enough balancer for my tires. I also was concerned about the inner beadlock donut, and was considering splitting the rim and removing it for balancing and then reinstalling marking where the tire and rim was, but I figure that in itself will cause more problems moving things around so I would just balance with them in place and hope they are negligible in how they affect the balancing.
After balancing I also added the centramatics and they seem to do well at nipping the final balancing of the tire. Perhaps they compensate for any movement of the donut?
In the end it still has a little bit of a shimmy at 65mph, but nothing like it used to! I do yearn for the days of 35" completely smooth ride tires at times, but the trade off is worth it now.
A few months ago I tried to do an update through my phone and thought it went through, but apparently it didn't! In any case I have been busy the last 6 months, mostly with life and getting married and not as much building truck. However I finally did get the tires on.
Went with the Goodyear G275 41" tires. In order to accommodate them I had to do a few things.
1) Took advice from another board member S2DM and went with Double Designs fiberglass fenders. They mated up pretty well, with these fenders and some clearancing/welding they were able to fit the 41" tires without a lift which was the goal to keep COG down.
Tires with stock fenders removed.
Like S2DM, I cut off the front support, but I welded in a tube bracket to support it higher up were I think he reused the stock cut off. With the tube bracket it didn't interfere with the headlight and didn't rub the tire when turning and flexing.
2) I had to move the bumper forward 4" for now. I used longer bolts and these spacers to do it.
3) Already had my tires on order from Stazworks. They do good work but it took 3 months to get them! I opted to go with the beadlock donuts and at the spacing they are completely rotatable to any corner.
4) I re-geared with 5.38 ring & pinion. When regearing I added a limited slip in the rear Dana 110, with an Eaton "True Trac". Added an Auburn gear e-locker for the front. I'm hoping this helps in snow conditions!
Immediately following the gearing I installed the tires. Final Product:
The Stazworks tires I ordered with balancing beeds. To make sure they don't get past the donut he installs 2 air filters into the holes in the beadlock donuts. Stazworks came up with that solution. When I opened up my Stazworks wheels, which are split with the plastic beadlock inside, I had absolutely no beads that got past the beadlock. Most of them were stuck to the tire where they should be actually. I ended up vacuuming them all out because I was getting a really bad shimmy at high speeds and pursued another form of balancing. When driving 10 hours a day it gets on your nerves!
My end solution to help the balancing was to vacuum out all of the beads and take them to a Goodyear truck service center who had a large enough balancer for my tires. I also was concerned about the inner beadlock donut, and was considering splitting the rim and removing it for balancing and then reinstalling marking where the tire and rim was, but I figure that in itself will cause more problems moving things around so I would just balance with them in place and hope they are negligible in how they affect the balancing.
After balancing I also added the centramatics and they seem to do well at nipping the final balancing of the tire. Perhaps they compensate for any movement of the donut?
In the end it still has a little bit of a shimmy at 65mph, but nothing like it used to! I do yearn for the days of 35" completely smooth ride tires at times, but the trade off is worth it now.
racer3822
Observer
Toolbox
I forgot to add that I also managed to get my onboard toolbox organized and figured out a way to keep all the sockets from bouncing around. I bought a regular plastic tool chest from Sears and cut it all up and added a hinged acrylic lid over them! I know, fancy, but it works... Also was able to set the other half of the socket set on top and they all stay pretty much where they should.
I forgot to add that I also managed to get my onboard toolbox organized and figured out a way to keep all the sockets from bouncing around. I bought a regular plastic tool chest from Sears and cut it all up and added a hinged acrylic lid over them! I know, fancy, but it works... Also was able to set the other half of the socket set on top and they all stay pretty much where they should.
racer3822
Observer
Thank you!
It handles great actually. I was really worried about the higher COG and larger sidewall but it handles very well.
Tracking - It seems to track very well. It doesn't seem to jump back and forth between the lines in the pavement as much as the stock dually tires.
Noise - It is louder than the stock, but its a low rumble instead of a high pitch wine.
Wind - It still handles the wind fairly well. I am a little higher up and the COG is higher, and there's nothing I can do to mitigate that, but perhaps the wider stance in the front helps? This is the biggest thing that I was worried about actually and so far I'm happy with how it's been performing.
Cornering - At speed, on highway mountain driving with sharper windy turns I do feel I have to slow down more. Again, higher center of gravity. For in town type of turns or coming out of driveways I haven't changed my driving habits at all.
Ride - It is a much smoother ride under 55 MPH. You don't feel the bumps as much. Right now I am having a balancing issue that I believe is caused by the inner bead lock donuts, as it comes and goes which I think is the donut moving around. I feel after I fix this, or just give up on having an internal bead lock, the ride will improve above 55 MPH compared to the stock tires too.
MPG - This has suffered, but I'm not sure by how much. I'm guessing 1.5 MPG or so. The odometer is no longer accurate, even though I installed a module to make the speedometer accurate it doesn't seem to fix the odometer. I need to use a GPS to monitor miles exactly and discover by what percentage they are off to calculate what I'm really doing.
In the end I would still do it, even though I need to fix the balancing issue ASAP as its driving me nuts. I just drove 11 hours to Moab and by the end of each drive the shaking was getting under my skin.
Slick build, I love the bed and I would not sweat the $20k bed, that thing will last many trucks. Even if you buy a new chassis cab work truck and throw the $20k bed on it, you are still less than the stock bed King Ranch loaded, and that has $30k of crap that nobody needs.
My situation is similar to your original story, Ram 2500 that meets my immediate needs, but I need more truck to haul a motorcycle and other toys. Next truck will get a custom bed like yours, I may bug you for details
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
My situation is similar to your original story, Ram 2500 that meets my immediate needs, but I need more truck to haul a motorcycle and other toys. Next truck will get a custom bed like yours, I may bug you for details
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
racer3822
Observer
Slick build, I love the bed and I would not sweat the $20k bed, that thing will last many trucks. Even if you buy a new chassis cab work truck and throw the $20k bed on it, you are still less than the stock bed King Ranch loaded, and that has $30k of crap that nobody needs.
My situation is similar to your original story, Ram 2500 that meets my immediate needs, but I need more truck to haul a motorcycle and other toys. Next truck will get a custom bed like yours, I may bug you for details
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Thank you! I don't have any regrets anymore. Buying the truck at auction with no bed saved me half of what a new one was and you are right, I'm still under the new price substantially or if I had to buy another chassis cab I would be too. After reading some other build threads whenever you are doing a custom build there is going to be money spent, most just don't talk about how much. Hell, I just read someone else spend quite more than I did on a bed system and it ended up as "yard art". To each their own, people will have their opinions.
That's funny because I hear that ALOT! It's always a funny topic. Trust me, each one of those receivers was put there for a specific purpose, and besides who doesn't love the versatility a 2" receiver allows for future things not thought of? Hopefully in the next year I'll get a chance to weld together some of what I'm envisioning for them. First will be the fold down spare tire holder to the left of the camper door.
racer3822
Observer
I wasn't being critical it's very practical,, I'm going to put two on the front and two more on the rear of my Ram, mostly for bike racks and my genny, maybe a keg
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Its all good, I didn't think you were being critical at all! Just recalling how I think its funny when people notice them
racer3822
Observer
Started a project to get my spare tire swing down done. Goal is to be able to fold down the tire either to remove it for use, ortake the camper on and off with it folded down. Can't do a swing out jeep style or it would hit the jack when pulling the camper off.
Made it with a stop at the top and another when you fold it down. After this I'm probably going to add a bike rack to the top.
3/7 Slide hitches now used
Made it with a stop at the top and another when you fold it down. After this I'm probably going to add a bike rack to the top.
3/7 Slide hitches now used
racer3822
Observer
Thanks! Sorry on the delay getting back to you. Been busy with a new member of the family and finally got back to working on the rig, installed a Honda 3000 generator last month.
Yeah its equal track front and rear. The wheels are reversible so only 1 spare is needed and you can rotate if you wanted. 92" is the right width to have the same tracking and it made a huge difference offroad for me, despite what some have said.