Will I be happy?

[Grainger]

I have an 8-foot Granby (fairly new) that I'd like to put on a six-and-one-half-foot bed plus tailgate. Anybody with any experience with this?

 

[camelracer]

I have an 8-foot Granby (fairly new) that I'd like to put on a six-and-one-half-foot bed plus tailgate. Anybody with any experience with this?

Deltarat is running a Granby on his short bed Dodge and it seems to work well. He did add a couple thousand pounds of crap to the front of the truck to level it out.

 

[Silvertip47]

I am running an 8' Northstar on my short bed Ford. And at a dry weight of 1600# I bet it's a lot heavier than a Grandby.

The COG is only 1" ahead of the rear axle and it only adds 70# to the front axle when loaded.

I remove the tail gate to load it. Just more weight hanging off the rear I don't need. It is also easier to get in and out using my small step ladder.

The truck handles it fine. But I have added a rear leaf, bags and E rated tires and wheels.

I would measure the COG of the camper and if it is anywhere behind the rear axle I would pass.

It is just a temporary camper until I can make my trip to Woodland!!!!! The 8' part doesn't bother me, just the weight.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

You should be OK putting a long bed camper on a short bed truck.

A 3/4 ton short bed would be the best truck for it, but we have cutomers doing it on the 1/2 ton trucks too (from time to time).

I had a Grandby on our older Ford F-150, Extended Cab, Short Bed truck for a couple of years and was happy with the way it drove.

I wasn't doing any crazy 4-wheeling, but I was comfortable going most anywhere with it.

I did have a stiff rear suspension upgrade on the truck and was running load range E tires for it.

You will probably get some good feedback from other on the forum too.

With the four wheel campers, we recommend leaving the tail gate on the truck to give the rear of the camper some extra support.

Other details from our website ..

Can I put a long bed camper on my short bed truck? Yes, but with some simple considerations you should be aware of. Many owners purchase a long bed camper and have it installed on a short bed truck by leaving the tailgate on the truck and in the down position. In this case, our camper design does not really interfere with towing trailers, but having your tailgate down might decrease your turning ability or require you to get a hitch extension so your trailer does not hit your tailgate. When putting a long bed camper on the short bed 1/2 ton trucks, most of our customers will usually get "over-load springs" or "Air Bags" installed to help stiffen up the rear suspension of their truck. It is not really the extra weight that requires the rear suspension upgrade, but where you are putting the weight (too far behind the rear axel - might squat the rear of the truck a bit). We can install SuperSprings or Hellwig Springs here at the factory for your truck for an extra charge (www.supersprings.com) (www.hellwigproducts.com). For 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks, most customers do not need any type of suspension upgrade to put a long bed camper on a short bed truck.

Another important consideration regarding putting a long bed camper on some of the newer short bed trucks: "Spare Tire Access". On many of the newer trucks, access to get the spare tire out so you can use it, can only be accomplished (easily) with the truck tail gate up (closed) or with the truck tail gate removed. When the truck tail gate is down (in the lowered position) many times it blocks the access hole to be able to crank down the spare truck tire. Example. If you have a long bed camper on a short bed truck with the tail gate down, and you get a flat tire, you most likely will have to remove the camper temporarily from the truck (on the side of the road) to be able to change your flat tire. Not a big deal for most customers, but it could create a big problem if you are not carrying camper jacks with you !

 

[cacapasa]

I have a 2000 Grandby on a 2001 f-150. I have been very pleased. I did add spot-rite airbags. This rig has taken us to some wonderful places and is a great toy to have. Also pleased with the extra space.

 

[Crickert]

I have my Grandby on a '04 2500 Chevrolet HD. I previously had it on a long bed version of this pickup.
The differences are:
1) I can turn tighter w/ the shorter wheel base.
2) It squats more on the short bed, but no more than about an inch or so ( I now have air bags in the rear).
3) On the long bed you can use the rear step bumper to get in and out of the camper.
4) On a short wheel base you have a smaller stock fuel tank.

There's just a few that I can think of right now. I have towed a car trailer with the camper on and i wasn't limited on turning radius.
-Chris

 

[Sherrif Grandby]

We have shorter bed setup and like it. I do take tailgate off if we plan on off-roading just because of rock chips. I usually leave tailgate on because it is easier and makes a nice shelf for beer cans or coffee cups, no beer cans before 10:00 a.m. of course. I am going to try timbrens after reading the posts on here. The camper is heavier on left side and sways a little when off road. Good luck in your adventure!

 

[K6ON]

Deltarat is running a Granby on his short bed Dodge and it seems to work well. He did add a couple thousand pounds of crap to the front of the truck to level it out.



Dick is correct, I have a Grandby on my short bed 2500. I, like many others have done suspension mods to the truck with a Kore Recon suspension system, and Carly long travel airbags. I do have some "crap"on the front end (Warn 12000lb winch and off road lights) but not a couple thousand pounds worth.
I drove the truck for the first year with stock suspension and the Grandby and it was OK, did drop about a two inches in the rear. I'm very happy with the extra room in the Grandby over the Hawk.
I'd say add some air bags and go for it..

 

[Sam]

I have a Grandby on a short bed 1/2 ton GMC. Felt the need to add Firestone airbags, much improvement. The ride is adequate but not fantastic, I can tell the engine is working harder than when I had a Hawk on the same truck. Ideally I would like to use a 3/4 ton with the Grandby, but the 1/2 ton is not a deal breaker. I can't imagine needing to upgrade the suspension on a 3/4 ton.