Flatbed and composite panel build on Dodge 2500
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New cabinets are on, they hug the wheel nicer and are quite a bit bigger. Just cutting some rock guards as the old cabinets got a lot of finish ripped off by gravel. The rear cabinets allow a mudflap clear of the exhaust too.
I made the new cabinets wider in the front to take advantage of the extra space in front of the spring hanger, on a commercial chassis the whole box is extra wide due to the narrow frame, was a little more work but worth it for the space. Just waiting until Monday for some weather stripping, everybody else got it first!
I made the new cabinets wider in the front to take advantage of the extra space in front of the spring hanger, on a commercial chassis the whole box is extra wide due to the narrow frame, was a little more work but worth it for the space. Just waiting until Monday for some weather stripping, everybody else got it first!
Hi Ward, the camper has it's own 2.5 gallon fuel tank and battery bank. For the clearance light connection and charge connection there is another 7 wire plug in the front of the camper and it's mate on the truck. Just like a 5th wheel trailer.
Something I researched before selecting the fuel tanks size was the energy difference between diesel and propane, a 20 lb bottle contains 4.7 gallons of propane, 3 gallons of diesel has the same amount of energy as 4.7 gallons of propane, so the actual fuel tank size of 10 litres is 2.64 gallons. Almost the equivalent of a 20 pound cylinder of propane, in a much smaller and lighter package. Plus you can easily top up a diesel tank if need be.
Awesome. I know this is off topic but... I've always wanted to put 40's on my 2006 super duty but didn't want to deal with the spare. I read somewhere on another forum that some guy had managed to put 38.5's under his bed (between the springs) by relocating the exhaust to a stack (or in front of the rear wheels). He said he still had at least 1/2 an inch on each side between the springs.
So.... I was wondering... with your experience... any way in hell you ever think a 40" tire could be stuffed between the springs on a super duty IF the exhaust was removed? Perhaps if the bed was 9' long and the tire was pushed to the back? Myth or plausible?
Oh and those spring loaded camper tie downs are genius. I would ask where you got them but I am guessing you made them yourself?
Awesome. I know this is off topic but... I've always wanted to put 40's on my 2006 super duty but didn't want to deal with the spare. I read somewhere on another forum that some guy had managed to put 38.5's under his bed (between the springs) by relocating the exhaust to a stack (or in front of the rear wheels). He said he still had at least 1/2 an inch on each side between the springs.
So.... I was wondering... with your experience... any way in hell you ever think a 40" tire could be stuffed between the springs on a super duty IF the exhaust was removed? Perhaps if the bed was 9' long and the tire was pushed to the back? Myth or plausible?
Oh and those spring loaded camper tie downs are genius. I would ask where you got them but I am guessing you made them yourself?
I think you could stuff a 40 under it especially if you move it back a bit. The spare sits between the rails on my truck but it is only up into the frame about 2 inches. If the exhaust wasn't there you could just sit it against the rails and put a couplr of locators in to keep it from slipping around.
I did design the spring loaded mounts, they have 500 pounds force, camper will be on tomorrow, I will try and get a pic up.
Thanks!
A good day
Got the tie downs on the camper and mounted on the deck, they worked really good. The truck settled down with weight and the new springs, but it still squats down 1.5-2" below where I would like it, so I'm going to throw in a set of Timbrens and be done, the Timbrens will also take a bit of load off of the spring eyes and main leaf even though the load isn't that heavy. The camper came in at 2600 pounds dry, 100 pounds above where I wanted to be at max dry but close enough. It would be real easy to knock the 100 pounds out with different battery choice, but there's a better reason to keep the bigger power, and I like the awning, roof rack, storage. The truck drives and handles excellent, the upgraded springs, even though they move a little farther than I'd like are solid, the 10 ply tires aren't squishy like the 8 ply tires that were on it, so it all worked out really good. Power wise, it's excellent, braking is excellent. We did a good road test in 40 mph winds and you knew it was windy but the truck handled it just fine. Final dry weights are as follows:
Front axle GVW on sticker 2359 KG (5200 pounds) actual weight 2210 KG (4872 pounds)
Rear axle GVW on sticker 2722 KG (6000 pounds) actual weight 2700 KG (5950 pounds)
Total GVW on sticker 4082 KG (9000 pounds) actual weight 4910 KG (10 822 pounds)
Truck full of fuel
So dry it is under on the axles but it will be over when wet, tires have a lot of room left, it's over on total GVW. So to be a sticker nazi and be compliant with commercial vehicle rules (and that depends on local regs), this should be on a 3500, and you can buy a new 3500 with a 12 300 pound GVW, which would give you 1478 pounds to spare. Cab chassis truck has a lot more room left. Gotta love the RV exemptions! With the way this truck handles a 2500 pound load I'm not even close to worried about it as a personal vehicle.
Latch, these are pretty slick.
Got the tie downs on the camper and mounted on the deck, they worked really good. The truck settled down with weight and the new springs, but it still squats down 1.5-2" below where I would like it, so I'm going to throw in a set of Timbrens and be done, the Timbrens will also take a bit of load off of the spring eyes and main leaf even though the load isn't that heavy. The camper came in at 2600 pounds dry, 100 pounds above where I wanted to be at max dry but close enough. It would be real easy to knock the 100 pounds out with different battery choice, but there's a better reason to keep the bigger power, and I like the awning, roof rack, storage. The truck drives and handles excellent, the upgraded springs, even though they move a little farther than I'd like are solid, the 10 ply tires aren't squishy like the 8 ply tires that were on it, so it all worked out really good. Power wise, it's excellent, braking is excellent. We did a good road test in 40 mph winds and you knew it was windy but the truck handled it just fine. Final dry weights are as follows:
Front axle GVW on sticker 2359 KG (5200 pounds) actual weight 2210 KG (4872 pounds)
Rear axle GVW on sticker 2722 KG (6000 pounds) actual weight 2700 KG (5950 pounds)
Total GVW on sticker 4082 KG (9000 pounds) actual weight 4910 KG (10 822 pounds)
Truck full of fuel
So dry it is under on the axles but it will be over when wet, tires have a lot of room left, it's over on total GVW. So to be a sticker nazi and be compliant with commercial vehicle rules (and that depends on local regs), this should be on a 3500, and you can buy a new 3500 with a 12 300 pound GVW, which would give you 1478 pounds to spare. Cab chassis truck has a lot more room left. Gotta love the RV exemptions! With the way this truck handles a 2500 pound load I'm not even close to worried about it as a personal vehicle.
Latch, these are pretty slick.