Well I finally dropped the hammer

[sisu]

Been looking for about 6 months or so for a 3/4 or 1 ton dodge and I finally got a very basic one.
2006 Cummins 3/4 ton, auto tranny(need this because of recurring knee issues from abuse and current abusing), 8 ft. bed, NO electric seats, windows, door locks etc. We've had family problems with the electric "convenience" crap on cars, trucks, SUV etc, so this is a nice item for us.
The selling point on this truck was 20,338 miles, slide in tie downs in place, air bags installed, electric trailer brake installed, spray in bed liner done, new tires, and tube running boards. All the items I was going to add were there!

Now I need to find a nice older Big Foot camper. BTW, I was reading an ad for a Bigfoot and the fella indicated that a 1986 8 ft Bigfoot would not fit a newer pickup bed! What is with that?
I have been searching the net to see why, but see no reference to the problem.

 

[poriggity]

Congrats on the truck.. I love my 04 Dodge... As far as the camper not fitting.. the best way is to try it first. I had a "free" 88 Lance Slide in camper land in my lap, but I was not sure it was going to fit in my truck, but it turned out that it fit like a glove. Give it a shot.
Scott

 

[Overdrive]

Congrats on the new truck! With that low mileage, it should last you a few years!

The issue with older campers not fitting newer trucks is because the newer trucks have their beds tapering in towards the rear for aerodynamics, with a resultant loss of about 3" in tailgate opening width. I believe the old standard was 64". My '03 Dodge measures 61".

Another issue may be the sides of the bed being too tall for a certain camper...be sure to measure that dimension also.

 

[redthies]

I put a 88 Skamper 8'6" slide in in my 05 Dodge Cummins rig. I put a few 2x4s on flat underneath to allow for the higher bedsides. We drove from Vancouver to southern Mexico and back like this with 0 issues. Tht trick would be to put a perimeter of 2x4s around a sheet of 1/2" ply and maybe 2 more in the middle to support the floor. Works like a charm...