34 replies to this topic

[rich]

Hi Ted,

We are going to have to have a west slope of the Sierras Tundra with FWC rally when we get the new rigs set up :-)

One thing I have incorporated into my platform is a buffer from the front wall of the bed. So instead of attaching bumpers to the camper to keep it the requisite distance from rubbing on the front bed rail I have attached that to the front of the platform.

Something to think about.

[Steve Scearce]

Wish I could help you out, Griz. There are some nice features on the new campers that I wouldn't mind having. But the price on the new ones are a lot higher than we paid and replacing ours isn't likely. Maybe if FWC offers 0% financing and matches $3000 of the down payment like Toyota is doing, we can work something out. I'll let you know.

Here's what I built. Simple, but works great.

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[marc]

Congrats Ted. Now lets see some pics.

marc

[rich]

Here's what I built. Simple, but works great.

I thought about that design and could still do it but I was worried that if they didn't set perfectly between the ridges in the bed the thing would A. sit uneven or B. the weight of it would crush the ridges in the bed - have you had that problem?

[Steve Scearce]

I thought about that design and could still do it but I was worried that if they didn't set perfectly between the ridges in the bed the thing would A. sit uneven or B. the weight of it would crush the ridges in the bed - have you had that problem?

I built it so the lengthwise 2x4s sit between the ridges. The back 2x4 isn't affected by the ridges on our Tundra, but I did have to notch the front cross piece for each ridge.

[Ted]

Rich, sounds like a plan. I like your idea of the built in bumper, too. Thanks for that.

Thanks for the picture DurangoSteve. I really like the idea of notching the cross piece. I'll copy that idea as well.

Heading out tonight for an long weekend, last one in the old truck. Really looking forward to getting started on the platform Monday. Camper goes on Friday. Marc, pictures will show up after that.

Thanks everyone for the great input. I'd owe you all a beer but DD is covering for me, so be sure to hit him up when you see him.

[DanoT]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by six legs, Dano. I picture legs as something in a vertical position, not across the truck bed in a horizontal position. Can you clarify?

The legs would be attached to the bottom of the camper to give the required lift. I am having Coyote RV build me a custom pop-up camper and I need a 1 1/2" camper lift to clear 5th wheel hitch rails that are attached to the truck bed floor. Coyote RV is going to attach several of what they call stanchions (same as legs ?) to the bottom of the camper to raise it above the truck bed.

[Ted]

The final product. As Stan said, two inches of lift would be what was needed to move our Hawk from the old Tundra to the new one. But because of the way I have my jerry can support mounted under the wing of the camper, I needed to go at least three inches. The upper section is 2x4's that match the 1x4's that make up the footprint of the camper. Once that assembly was complete, I laid out a number of boards across the bed for the upper part of the platform to sit on.
I chose not to do a couple of things I thought I was going to do initially. I did not notch the lower boards to match the ridges in the bed for several reasons. I wanted water to be able to flow out of the bed and leaving the lower section of the bed between the ridges open will facilitate that. Also, that would have made the final platform a half inch lower, and I couldn't spare that. And finally, it would have been a lot of work I didn't have time to do.
I also did not put a spacer on the front of the platform to keep the camper back from the front wall of the bed since the camper already has bumpers on it.
I left the first and last boards of the lower section as 2x6's. This way I was able to notch them to fit exactly in the truck. Also the upper platform would sit back from the front wall three inches and the rear would overhang the end of the bed, so I needed a wider board up front to attach the upper section to and wanted as much support as I could get at the rear of the camper. All the boards in between are 2x3's ripped from the 2x6's.
Once all assembled in the bed, the platform can not move forward, backward, or side to side. It even needs to be partially disassembled to get it out of the bed. Here are the required photos.

The upper portion that matches the footprint of the camper.


The layout of the lower layer.


Front and rear boards trimmed to fit.




The final assembly.


Thanks again to everyone for their input. Maiden voyage is next weekend so I'll have pics of the truck after that.

[Barko1]

Somewhere on these forums someone mentioned using insulating board in lieu of a wooden base but I can't find the reference post. Anyway I had my Grandby off so when putting it back on I ditched the flat 2x4's I had under it and replaced it with 2" of blue foam insulation and then took it on a 800 mile trip that included some rough back-roads. When I dropped the camper onto the foam I expected a little squishing but didn't really see it. Traveled fine, nothing loosened up, not showing any obvious signs of issues, and it gives my floor an extra R-12 which is a considerable amount of area that previously didn't have anything. Seems to be working well, I'll keep an eye on it.

[whizbang]

I just finished a 6-1/4 inch thick spacer platform yesterday. It's permanently attached to the camper.