Flatbed camper size-is 118" long by 105" wide absurdly large?

[IHDiesel73L]

I was playing with some sizes based on the flatbed I'm looking at (81" wide and 100" long) and also did some measuring on my truck. The distance between the outer edges of each mirror (they're the extendable tow mirrors) is about 108"-a twelve inch overhang on the width of flatbed would be exactly 105" so I figured what the heck. The excess width would also provide a place to mount jacks for installation and removal. Then I noticed that most campers tend to hang over the rear quite a bit, so I designed in an 18" overhang for a total floor length of 118". A major reason for the extra length is my auxiliary fuel tank which I plan to mount in a offset fashion (not centered width-wise), but its still going to eat up about 10 SF of floor space. Here's what it looks like in Sketchup:

I want this camper to sleep five, two in the cabover and three elsewhere in the cabin, probably two in a double bed and one in an overhead bunk. With this amount of room there should be plenty of space for a shower/toilet combo too. Anyone ever seen a camper this big? I've come across a few flatbed campers that either were not as wide/long or just didn't give dimensions.

 

[huntoon]

Well you can fold in your mirrors, but you can't fold in the camper.

I say go for it.

 

[dzzz]

96" inches wide is the max.

 

[GeoScum]

96" inches wide is the max.

From my truck driving days in years past, the legal maximum width for any vehicle without "WIDE LOAD" signage was 8'6" (102"). This resulted in 8' boxes or beds, with a little extra for the mirrors. If the OP is at 105" wide outside mirror dimension, then he is over legal width. But such an infraction is unlikely to be caught.

But make a camper 8'9" wide, and you are sure to be pulled over eventually. Such a camper is legal, but you will need:
1) Placards
2) Sometimes a pilot car
3) Sometimes a curfew of when certain roads can be traveled
4) Permits from the DOT (state)
5) Sometimes you may not ever travel certain roads

Still want to make that camper?

 

[dzzz]

96" is as wide as will work in all states. Most states allow 102" on designated roads (highways).
96" is really wide on a pickup

 

[pods8]

The distance between the outer edges of each mirror (they're the extendable tow mirrors) is about 108"-a twelve inch overhang on the width of flatbed would be exactly 105" so I figured what the heck.

Aside from the legal issues mentioned above, keep in mind the mirrors need to be wider than the camper so you can actually see behind yourself. Mirrors being only 1.5" wider than the camper sounds like a huge blind spot to me.

 

[brianjwilson]

Personally I wouldn't want anything wider than 84-86". 92" max. In my opinion you are gaining very little usable space, but a lot of extra inconvenience and wind drag.

 

[shortbus4x4]

If you plan on taking it off the paved road at all I wouldn't make it much wider than your cab is.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/gttsrfaq.htm

This question made me think of Glacier National Park. They have an 8' restriction including the mirrors. I have a truck camper and I swear I've encountered other areas where width was an issue but I can't recall any other examples. Maybe a back road tunnel or something. I take my camper off road and the standard width is enough for me.

 

[boblynch]

Keep it narrow

I couldn't agree more with the previous comments to keep it narrow. We have a F550 flatbed with modified camper 96" wide by 120" long. Width and height are always a bigger issue on the backcountry two tracks. We would have preferred a 84" or 90" width. We couldn't find a side door model that wide that met our other requirements and didn't have time to start from scratch.

As far as camper length it really depends on the chassis. If you're bring gear for five on a regular basis don't discount how much everything will weight. If guests will be infrequent or you'll be traveling in moderate temps you may want to consider a fold out tent bed on the rear wall vs. hard sided. The attached pics show an example. The folks at EcoRoamer used a side-mounted tent.

Pick a chassis before you get to far along the design path. If you decide to stick with 118" length make everything aft of the axle as light as possible. Feel free to send questions. Best of luck.