Jump to content


Photo

Flatbed Discussion


  • Please log in to reply
47 replies to this topic

#21 Nimbl Vehicles

Nimbl Vehicles

    Gandalf the Grey

  • Members
  • 413 posts
  • LocationColfax, CA

Posted 16 September 2010 - 03:51 PM

Marc, Deck height with 35s, 37s and stock tires? John D


Deck height from where?
  • 0

#22 John D

John D

    Senior Member

  • Members
  • 465 posts
  • LocationSoutheast

Posted 16 September 2010 - 05:17 PM

Above the ground. The ultimate flat bed off road truck is the US Army deuce and a half. That is intended as a complimentary statement about the XPCamper flat bed system. The duece and a half evolved to be large and robust due to the military application. A recreational off road multi-purpose truck probably had a "sweet spot" in size and cost quite a bit smaller than a military truck. That depends on the buyer's needs. It is difficult to enter that market when large companies have been working the problem for a century. It can be done. I believe the current market is evolving toward better fuel economy.

Attached is a picture of a truck made from duece and a half components. The bed is from a military trailer that is towed behind a deuce and a half. Truck enthusiasts in this forum will find this truck desirable. It is not practical because it goes too far in the direction of heavy duty. This truck gets about 15 miles per gallon.

Attached Files


  • 0

#23 Nimbl Vehicles

Nimbl Vehicles

    Gandalf the Grey

  • Members
  • 413 posts
  • LocationColfax, CA

Posted 16 September 2010 - 05:41 PM

Above the ground. The ultimate flat bed off road truck is the US Army deuce and a half. That is intended as a complimentary statement about the XPCamper flat bed system. The duece and a half evolved to be large and robust due to the military application. A recreational off road multi-purpose truck probably had a "sweet spot" in size and cost quite a bit smaller than a military truck. That depends on the buyer's needs. It is difficult to enter that market when large companies have been working the problem for a century. It can be done. I believe the current market is evolving toward better fuel economy.

Attached is a picture of a truck made from duece and a half components. The bed is from a military trailer that is towed behind a deuce and a half. Truck enthusiasts in this forum will find this truck desirable. It is not practical because it goes too far in the direction of heavy duty. This truck gets about 15 miles per gallon.


15 MPG is pretty good for a truck that size. Let me know if you want me to built you a cabin for it :lol:

Actually my tires are 33's not 35's; my bad

The flatbed with that set up is just under 40" of the ground.
  • 0

#24 Overland Hadley

Overland Hadley

    Senior Member

  • Members
  • 1,365 posts
  • LocationLake Superior North

Posted 16 September 2010 - 06:22 PM

Just talked to the guys at Ute Ltd.

They said the weight of a flatbed for a newer Tacoma would be 250lbs.

Now, how much does the factory bed weigh?
  • 0
Nathanael - Large Format Landscape Photography
www.KuenzliPhotography.com

2012 Four Wheel Camper - The FWC Build
"If life was fair, Utah would be closer to home" DD

#25 DirtyDog

DirtyDog

    Captain Leisure

  • Site Team
  • 3,157 posts
  • LocationEugene, Oregon

Posted 16 September 2010 - 06:30 PM

Just talked to the guys at Ute Ltd.

They said the weight of a flatbed for a newer Tacoma would be 250lbs.

Now, how much does the factory bed weigh?



I'd be interested to know as well. With the tailgate it must be more than that. The nice thing about the flatbed is when you are using the camper, you remove the walls and don't use them, saving weight.
  • 0

#26 John D

John D

    Senior Member

  • Members
  • 465 posts
  • LocationSoutheast

Posted 16 September 2010 - 07:17 PM

The deck of this empty F-150 I have here is about 30 inches off the ground with 29 inch tires. It is like comparing apples and oranges next to the custom flat bed. Nevertheless, deck height does speak to center of gravity questions, ultimate height of a popped up camper with 6 feet of head room, access from the ground when climbing in the door, and other things.
  • 0

#27 DirtyDog

DirtyDog

    Captain Leisure

  • Site Team
  • 3,157 posts
  • LocationEugene, Oregon

Posted 16 September 2010 - 07:23 PM

The deck of this empty F-150 I have here is about 30 inches off the ground with 29 inch tires. It is like comparing apples and oranges next to the custom flat bed. Nevertheless, deck height does speak to center of gravity questions, ultimate height of a popped up camper with 6 feet of head room, access from the ground when climbing in the door, and other things.


The XPcamper solves some of these issues by simply having more travel in the roof as it raises. This allows plenty of headroom in the camper without requiring the camper be a lot taller in the closed position. Also in standard campers, some of the heavier components like the fridge are mounted higher, where as in the XP everything is mounted close to the floor. Also in the XP the water tank is in the floor where as in something like the FWC the tank sits at cabinet height. So essentially, while there are COG issues that are legitimate, they are not as simple as the measurement of the bed from the ground.

You are correct about the access from the ground though - no way around that.
  • 0

#28 Overland Hadley

Overland Hadley

    Senior Member

  • Members
  • 1,365 posts
  • LocationLake Superior North

Posted 17 September 2010 - 12:50 AM

You are correct about the access from the ground though - no way around that.


A ladder with an extra step. :D
  • 0
Nathanael - Large Format Landscape Photography
www.KuenzliPhotography.com

2012 Four Wheel Camper - The FWC Build
"If life was fair, Utah would be closer to home" DD

#29 John D

John D

    Senior Member

  • Members
  • 465 posts
  • LocationSoutheast

Posted 17 September 2010 - 05:36 AM

Flatbed - This is not rocket science. If the truck drives OK, there is no problem. In my opinion, the XPCamper falls into a class of industrial design called "Streamline Moderne". This is an art form with functionality. The reader should look up references on the subject. Streamline art began in the 1930s. The Airstream Trailer is considered an example of this art, along with the Chrysler Airflow and the Japanese Shinkansen Train. Streamline Moderne is often debatable as to whether or not it actually does anything. In this case, we have purely functional campers designed to fit streamlined trucks and a streamlined camper designed to fit a purely functional bed. Both work.
  • 0

#30 ntsqd

ntsqd

    Custom User Title

  • Members
  • 2,879 posts
  • LocationNorth So.CA

Posted 17 September 2010 - 06:52 PM

The summer between my Jr. & Sr. HS years I worked on a custom hay farm in Powell Butte, OR (DD &/or Mark may even know the Bussett family). Sometimes we had to load bales by hand. The flat bed height of their 1935-50ish Chevy 2 ton truck made hoisting those bales a real chore. (at least early in the summer, by the end of the summer I was in much better shape!)

That comes back to me every time I consider building a flatbed. Some flat beds allow the rear tire travel to intrude into their structural space (some even have only a sheet of steel over the tires), but that only partly solves the problem. I keep ending up with a no-so-flat bed design that has wheel wells.
  • 0
Thom

Where does that road go?




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users