FWC / Dodge 2500 4x4 height question

[Flyflinger]

Hello all!

Long time lurker here. I've been lusting after a FWC Grandby to go on my 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 QC CTD for quite some time. Before I pull the trigger on the FWC I'm thinking about building a pole barn to store it in as there's no room in the garage. If I go this route I'm going to have a door high enough to drive in/out of w/my sea kayak mounted on Yakima Mako saddles on the FWC.

For those Dodge / FWC / sea kayakers out there - what's the minimum door height required for this setup? 10'?

Other full-sized PU truck owners w/FWC and sea kayaks, please feel free to chime in as well.

My truck does not have a lift kit. In its current configuration w/the ARE shell I can just fit the truck in the garage w/a 7' garage door with an inch or so to spare.

Thanks for any replies.

Tony

 

[rotti]

Truck and camper in sig with a clean roof clears my 8' door by 2 or 3 inches.

If it was me, I would would go with a 12' or 14' door.
You never know....your next purchase might be a 5th wheel or a hard side camper.

 

[Regcabguy]

In the future you might want to enhance the suspension somewhat courtesy of Don Thuren or Sage Carli's parts. This will lift your truck up 2-3" in the front. I'd allow for it.
Pretty remarkable difference in handling with their upgrades.

 

[goodtimes]

I can squeeze under my 8' door @ stock height w/FWC.

And by "squeeze", I mean I rub the camper roof vent on the garage door weatherstrip as I go under it.

If you're going in with kayaks loaded, I'd say go with the 12' door.

Keep in mind that a 10' door will typically yield a slightly less than 10' tall opening. Depending on your mounts & kayaks, it would be cutting it close. Add any suspension lift & larger tires down the road & you'll be getting awfully friendly with a 10' door.

Something else to keep in mind - that's a lot of weight on the roof. If you plan to open/close the roof with the kayaks on it, you'll want to add some struts to help with the weight. It may be fine when you're well rested & feeling great - but after a long day when you're tired, or with a sore shoulder, or when your wife/girlfriend/kids are opening it, the extra weight makes a huge difference.

 

[Flyflinger]

Rotti - love the pooch. That's my breed also. Good thought but I doubt there's any chance of me ever getting a fiver and a hard side based on the areas I like to go for kayaking and fly fishing.

Reg - good tip - thanks.

Goodtimes - good to know. I'll measure the distance from the top of my cap to the highest point of my kayak on the Yakima racks and add to the 8' that you reference. I definitely plan on getting the struts as I'm coming off my 4th and hopefully last rotator cuff surgery.

 

[WASURF63]

Hey Tony, welcome!

Good advice from those above.
My '04 CTD 4WD, stock rear suspension with LT285/75/18 tires sits just a hair under 8' (with Yakima racks in place).
I'd go for the 12' door (minimum).
Good luck.

 

[Flyflinger]

Thanks for the welcome!

Sounds like 12' is the safe bet.

I appreciate the replies.

 

[Mundo4x4Casa]

Tony,
I do not have the specific info you request, but I do have a Dodge 2500 4x4 with a Lance hardside, which should be ballpark height of a Granby w/ stuff on the down-position roof. My advice is to plan on more headroom than you think you will need, especially if you have the luxury of a pole barn from scratch. I had this very woe when i started lifting the Dodge (only 3", frnt/rr, and larger tires) which barely fit in my shop with a 10 foot roll up door. Now the TC is 10'3" in the up position (the only position) and does not fit. So, last year we built a pole barn to house the TC/truck/and most of my tractor if I slid the bucket under the dismounted TC.

The clearance is about 11', but i added the sway braces after measuring the height i needed. If i move the sway braces i can get up to 13 feet. so this part is adjustable

this structure does multiple duty though with my snow blower in there too. The size is 10' x 20' the largest footprint i could go without permits. jefe

 

[Mundo4x4Casa]

dupe. It's snowing hard right now and the site can't get a confirmation back to me.

 

[Flyflinger]

Mundo,

Thanks for the reply. Nice pole barn you got there. Houses the camper well.