6-7" Basement Under Older Camper - Good Idea? Bad Idea?

[rich]

Hello Everyone,

As you know I have been on the camper hunt for a while now with a unique challenge....my 1996 Toyota T-100. The Eagle and Ranger's are just too small width wise for my taste and more importantly for my wife's So I want an 80" wide or wider camper. Unfortunately the T-100 only has a 58" tailgate opening which means all of the old Hawk's and Grandby's won't work on it until 2001 or newer which seem to sell for $7,500 - $8,000 and my budget is $5,000. I don't mind buying an older camper and putting the elbow grease in and I can get campers into the mid 90's within my $5,000 budget but they won't slide in. Leaving me with one option in my budget which would be an 80" wide fleet which I haven't been able to find. I have recently found two Fleet II's which are more like an eagle size.

So the question is this. Since the older campers are 48" wide for the first 10 - 11" vertically to fit between the wheel well ( I haven't been able to get confirmation on whether it's 10 or 11") and my bed rail height is only 17" I could build a 6 to 7" basement for storage and set the camper on that which would allow me to use an old camper (within my budget) on my truck. I know it will make the cab over section almost a foot above the top of the truck but I can put a yakima air dam on to help with that like pvstoy has on top of his 1984 Toyota/Ranger combo. What I am more concerned about and would like some opinions on are the center of gravity being 6 to 7" higher and whether or not that is safe or if it will ultimately create too much pitch and yaw to be stable while driving. I'd be excited to be able to find a creative solution to use an older (cheaper) camper but not if it's going to blow me off the road or make me roll. I don't intend to do any hardcore four wheeling with the thing on, those days are done, just some dirt roads and some washboard roads.

Let me know what you guys think.

Rich

 

[rich]

Also,

Has anyone out there done this or seen it done. A remember a thread a while back where a guy had a basement on a big ford truck which lifted his camper up 2 or 3" I think. I'll try to find that thread.

 

[ScottBailey]

Also,

Has anyone out there done this or seen it done. A remember a thread a while back where a guy had a basement on a big ford truck which lifted his camper up 2 or 3" I think. I'll try to find that thread.


Recent SuperDutys have taller (read roomier, guys) cabs so a non-SD built camper has to be raised somehow. F150s in certain years have tall side rails.

6-7" would look, I think, odd...

 

[rich]

Recent SuperDutys have taller (read roomier, guys) cabs so a non-SD built camper has to be raised somehow. F150s in certain years have tall side rails.

6-7" would look, I think, odd...



Thanks Scott,

I think it was a newer super duty that the guy had the basement on. Yeah I agree it would look odd, but I'm sure I could do some mods to pretty it up. I'm really concerned about safety and gas mileage.

 

[jcfly]

Rich, I don't know if this is possible, but could be a potential solution. Would a Tundra bed fit your T-100?? It might be less of a problem than modding a camper.

Just a thought........

 

[rich]

Rich, I don't know if this is possible, but could be a potential solution. Would a Tundra bed fit your T-100?? It might be less of a problem than modding a camper.

Just a thought........


Thanks JC,

That's the kind of creative thinking I'm looking for but unfortunately the tundra also has a 58" tailgate opening at least prior to it becoming the beast it is now and the new beds definitely wouldn't work. I am thinking it might be easier to sell the T-100 & buy a full sized diesel. I only get 16 to the gallon in the T-100 and would get 17 to 21 in an F250 diesel and then I could put any camper I wanted on the thing with no worries about tailgate opening or weight.

 

[pods8]

So the question is this. Since the older campers are 48" wide for the first 10 - 11" vertically to fit between the wheel well ( I haven't been able to get confirmation on whether it's 10 or 11") and my bed rail height is only 17"


Its not the side rail height that is the issue here its the back of the camper that is squared off to fill in the tailgate opening. To fit an older rig you'd have to hang it out the back not lift it up.

 

[BSS]

Easy. Get a flatbed at a junkyard (or build one if you're handy with a welder) and you can get any camper you want. No dicking around with tailgates, Mad Max looking front fairings, and no altering the center of gravity. You could also add toolboxes on the sides for extra storage space you would never get with any traditional truck bed. The last one a friend and I built cost me around $300 in scrap DOM tubing, misc channel steel scraps, .125 angle iron and expanded metal for the bed surface. Which I suppose you could save even more money by subsituting wood just as easily or not even have an actual bed surface since the camper will sit right on the flatbed frame structure anyways. It also ended up being half the weight of the original bed and probably ten times stronger.

I think it would be awesome, but then again that's just my two cents.

And to answer your original question - no. I can't see any benefit whatsoever about building a basement. I know it's been done, but no matter what you do it will never be "right" and it will never be as safe. Plus, you've gotta climb up that much higher getting in and out - which will get old really fast.

 

[masterplumber]

I have an '85 Granby & that extra width to fill in the tailgate actualy goes forward about 21'' to enclose the furnace on the drivers side. On the passenger's side it was originally open after about 2'' but I enclosed it for storage. I don't know about the '90s models but I imagine they would be about the same so I don't see you plan working even if you weren't concerned about the higher center of gravity. I would say your best options are to build a flatbed or sell the Toyota & buy a good used older truck. I still see '95 - '97 powerstrokes with less than 100k miles going for between $10k & $12k around here. Hope this helps with the decision process.
Doug

 

[RonSchon]

Here is what a guy over at rv.net did - is this what you had in mind?

 

[Chukar Hunter]

I really like the flatbed idea, I think I saw a picture of one on here once. It may not fit your budget but the storage posibilities and building the bed to the correct hight for your camper is something I have always thaught would be worth while.

 

[rich]

Here is what a guy over at rv.net did - is this what you had in mind?

Yeah that is exactly what I had in mind, but it's a moot point now. I was able to pick up an '89 fleet last monday. I still think that basement storage would be nice though. Looks like he built a really nice one there.