Medium Duty 4x4 Truck Campers

[jcook5003]

Hey Guys-

Let me first say I love this site, while my wife and I arent exactly looking to cross Africa in our truck we do ride horses. Now I know you are all asking yourself why the hell would horse riders be looking at out site, well it's simple for me, I'm looking for a very specialized custom truck.

What I want:

A medium duty truck (F650, C5500, M109 Duece :sombrero: etc etc etc) in 4 wheel drive with a camper built onto it. The reason we need this is we do endurance riding so we travel a long way from home to camp in a field and ride a horse 100 miles in a day, nuts...yes, fun...to us. We really like the commercial class c motorhomes in the smaller range, say 21 feet. We love being able to get up from the passenger seat and go stretch out in bed or make a sammich while heading down the road. Problem is we need 4x4 because we camp in big fields or way down gravel roads in the middle of no where......so then we thought why not convert a standard class c to 4x4. Well that option is ok, but it isnt great for hauling and it's not very rugged, it's also hard to take to the store for milk if you need it while camping. Then we said well lets convert one to 4x4 and tow a horse trailer that also carries a small car or SUV, thats a very serious consideration for us. The ultimate would be a ruggedly built MDT with a camper box on it towing a trailer with horses. The camper would be compact enough we COULD squeeze it into the back of a grocery store parking lot if we needed to....it would also have the benefit of having plenty of towing power and brakes. Also should mention while something like an Earthroamer is cool, I certainly dont have $200k to drop on one so budget is a concern. (Isnt it always)

Basically I'm here just to get some opinions and ideas about what you guys think we might really need/look into.

Thanks,
Josh

 

[cwsqbm]

For a budget build, take the used 4x4 truck and mount a custom truck sleeper. There's plenty of them out there in the 12' plus size that are fully equipped for a reasonable price. Its the only option I can think of that allows walking from the cab to the camper without being a fully custom build.

 

[haven]

Welcome to ExPo, JCook5003!

If I read your post correctly, you're looking for a medium truck with 4x4 that is capable of mounting a camper and pulling a large and heavy trailer. The truck should be small enough to run into town on errands without needing a police escort.

If you need a vehicle with GVWR greater than 20,000 lbs and 4x4, then these fit the bill: Freightliner M2 106; and International Durastar 4300 or 4400

The GMC Topkick / Chevrolet Kodiak 5500 is also in this class. GM stopped manufacturing these models, but they still can be found on dealer lots.

If you can get by with a GVWR in the 17-18,000 lb range, then consider the Dodge 5500 and Ford F550 chassis cab models.

If a full custom camper is too expensive, consider a slide-in camper on a pickup body. In addition to a custom F550, you can buy a pickup version of the GMC Topkick (made by Monroe).

The International CXT 4x4 pickup is a factory version of the 7300, which is has a GVWR of 26,000 lbs. A fair number of these were sold as "big boy toys," so you often find them for sale with low miles.

Truth be told, you could probably tow your trailer with a Ford F350 or Chevrolet 3500 pickup, so a bigger truck may not be necessary.

 

[Johnston Robare]

As an addition to Haven's excellent information above, both the Dodge 5500 and Ford 550 chassis cabs are available with a 19,500 lb GVWR. I believe that allows payloads of nearly 12,000 lbs even with diesels (only the Ford offers gas options).

Worst Case Examples:
Dodge 5500 Crew Cab 4x4 w/ 84" CA = 10,670 lbs
Ford 550 Crew Cab 4x4 w/ 84" CA = 10,867 lbs

If you are looking to tow very heavy(as it sounds you are), the Dodge's 26,000 lb GCWR could be limiting. The F550 has a 35,000 lb GCWR. Then again, all the hotshot truckers seem to love Dodges, and I think they run numbers well into the 30s

Sources (PDF):
Dodge
Ford

 

[jcook5003]

Most of the information here is correct. Main thing we want is a pass through from Cab to Camper.

In our minds the ULTIMATE would be hauling the horses on the truck. Imagine a camper and horse trailer bolted to a 4x4 MDT truck with a walk through. Then we could tow my jeep to take to town.....here are some examples but no one builds them in 4x4 and they all cost an arm, leg, first born and a second mortgage.

So Imagine one of these rigs in 4x4 with a camper towing our Jeep to run errands, thats our dream rig. It's much like one of the big Unimog, Unicat etc rigs you guys use, it just needs to haul horses too...

 

[Maninga]

Would something like this work?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/96-Sleeper-NON-CDL-Expedite-Toy-Hauler-NR-/260708006798?pt=Commercial_Trucks&hash=item3cb3687b8e

Send it off to Tulsa Truck Manufacturing for a 4x4 conversion and convert the box into a horse float.

 

[jcook5003]

Any idea how much one of those Tulsa conversions cost? Ballpark anyway? That truck looks nearly perfect.

 

[jesusgatos]

I ride mountain bikes and dirt bikes instead of horses, but wanted to build something pretty much like what you're thinking about. Ended up buying and M109A3 and I'm in the middle of a full-on motorhome conversion. I'm planning on living in this thing fulltime for a while, so I'm spending a bit more time building it than I would otherwise. A standard deuce and a half (M35A2) with one of those gigantic slide-in campers would also be something worth considering. Many people will tell you that these old trucks are not a good choice for anyone who plans on doing any serious traveling, but like anything else, it all comes down to what you make of it. I'm doing some pretty extensive modifications to make mine a little bit more civilized. One thing is for sure, you won't find a better value out there. You can't even buy a 4WD 1-ton pickup for the cost of a nice deuce.

 

[Maninga]

Any idea how much one of those Tulsa conversions cost? Ballpark anyway? That truck looks nearly perfect.

No idea. I'm on a different side of the globe having a quiet day at work, just remembered them from the Eco-roamer thread.

 

[NeverEnough]

4x4 conversion

I priced out conversions on several trucks before buying my topkick. For a big truck you're looking at 20-35k, depending on what you start with and what you want. And you can spend a lot more if you want to trick out the suspension and ride.

 

[offroadcamperguy]

Solution: Phoenix Custom by Coyote RV

Hey Guys-

Let me first say I love this site, while my wife and I arent exactly looking to cross Africa in our truck we do ride horses. Now I know you are all asking yourself why the hell would horse riders be looking at out site, well it's simple for me, I'm looking for a very specialized custom truck.

What I want:

A medium duty truck (F650, C5500, M109 Duece :sombrero: etc etc etc) in 4 wheel drive with a camper built onto it. The reason we need this is we do endurance riding so we travel a long way from home to camp in a field and ride a horse 100 miles in a day, nuts...yes, fun...to us. We really like the commercial class c motorhomes in the smaller range, say 21 feet. We love being able to get up from the passenger seat and go stretch out in bed or make a sammich while heading down the road. Problem is we need 4x4 because we camp in big fields or way down gravel roads in the middle of no where......so then we thought why not convert a standard class c to 4x4. Well that option is ok, but it isnt great for hauling and it's not very rugged, it's also hard to take to the store for milk if you need it while camping. Then we said well lets convert one to 4x4 and tow a horse trailer that also carries a small car or SUV, thats a very serious consideration for us. The ultimate would be a ruggedly built MDT with a camper box on it towing a trailer with horses. The camper would be compact enough we COULD squeeze it into the back of a grocery store parking lot if we needed to....it would also have the benefit of having plenty of towing power and brakes. Also should mention while something like an Earthroamer is cool, I certainly dont have $200k to drop on one so budget is a concern. (Isnt it always)

Basically I'm here just to get some opinions and ideas about what you guys think we might really need/look into.

Thanks,
Josh

Hi Josh,

This is exactly the kind of puzzle we love to solve. Our family has been building custom units for over 35 years! No matter what truck you choose, or what kind of features and equipment you need in your unit, we will be happy to work out the right solution! We also very much understand that budget is always an issue, so we can offer a wide variety of techniques and materials for your project to meet your budget needs.

If you are interested, the best way to get started is to e-mail me your truck selection, and a list of everything you want in your "dream machine." From there, I will build your unit on a coplete itemized design quote. We can work together to tweek it to perfection and get your one of a kind built just right! cari@coyoterv.biz or call (303) 286-3921

Here's a couple of customs we've done over the years, just for example:

Let me know.... Good luck and enjoy your riding!!

Rob

 

[haven]

A Toterhome is a long wheelbase medium truck with living space and a hitch for a semi-trailer at the rear.

Toterhomes are often used by people hauling trailers for race cars or horses. Companies well known for their Toterhomes include Haulmark and Renegade. There are many others.

Since these are custom made, you could specify that the space on the truck chassis be for horses, and the trailer be for living quarters.

 

[jcook5003]

We had considered a toter home, we couldnt find any in 4x4, and they are all very expensive. Perhaps we could just buy the box to put on our own truck? Something like a 4x4 C5500 or 4x4 F650? That may prove to be more affordable.

 

[NeverEnough]

I'm pretty sure any of the custom toterhome guys will use any chassis you provide.

I don't have any personal experience with horses, but my sister-in-law has a pile of them and they're all living better than my kids. What I do know is that they're a lot heavier than dirt bikes! I would definitely want precious living things of that weight as low to the ground as possible while meeting the ground clearance needs. A trailer is the best way to do that, in my opinion. I'd hate to have that much live weight at least 4' off the ground, especially since a horse's CG is at least that much higher, unless you talk them into traveling hooves up!

 

[Johnston Robare]

NeverEnough raises a good point. I was under the impression that horses could occasionally be stubborn even about stepping into a low trailer. Just imagine the disgusted look ol' Sea Biscuit will shoot you as you're giving him instructions on how to use the lift gate. :xxrotflma