I have a 2005 peterbilt with a 60" sleeper, I going to pull a gooseneck with a couple of pulling trucks on it.. I am looking for suggestions for some type of camper i can put on the frame (i'm taking the 5th wheel off) I want to cut a door way in the back of the sleeper so i can walk into the living area.. I only go "camping" once a year for 3-4 days.. the rest of the time I only use to when we go to tractor pulls.. I have looked at some of the living quarters made for otr trucks but they are very expensive.. a new one is 49k and it is only 120" long.. used ones are scarce as hens teeth... Thinking of something like a Lance but the area that fits over the cab of the pickup is throwing me since my sleeper is way to tall for it to fit over.. any suggestions? thanks!
You could buy a small single axle travel trailer, take the axle and suspension off, and mount the trailer's frame to the truck's frame as if it were a truck bed. You're essentially creating a heavy duty class C motorhome.
You can contact Pastime camper in MT. Angel OR. and thet can custom build one for you. They can build it to your specifications. My brother in-law works there and they do a nice job.
http://www.pastimemfg.com/Truck_Campers/Contact.html
I know that back in the 80's there were a couple of West Coast drivers that had cab-over sleepers, but they were few and far between.
Your overall height might be a problem. First, you will probably have to make a platform on the frame to get the clearance for the cab-over bed. And then how high are you gonna be at the top of the roof A/C?
As for having a walk through, you could move the water tank from its usual location just under the front window of the T/C and frame mount it to the tractor.
Also, if I was going to change the Vocation of the Petercar, I would change out the tires and rims to a smaller diameter to reduce height, along with some suspension mods. Once the 5th wheel is stripped, I would also convert from a tandem axle to a single axle and change the ring/pinion to something like a 3.3:1.
The other thing that you may want to look for is a Flatbed T/C and see if that would fit easier by adding an 8'-10' flatbed right behind the cab.
I had given this some thought to doing just what you are talking about, just before I got rid of my 1984 IHC 9370 Eagle. I had plans on mounting the T/C in a service body and then mounting the service body,with the T/C, to the frame on the tractor. Remove all tanks, the batteries and generator, from the T/C, to be relocated along the side of the tractor frame, so that I could increase storage in the camper. Unfortunately, at the time I became the primary care-giver of my parents and needed to sell off anything that was not a necessity.
Since I am no longer the care-giver for my parents, I am keeping my eyes out for a crew cab straight truck and may possible go back to that project.
Good Luck:
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SoCalDesertRider wrote: You could buy a small single axle travel trailer, take the axle and suspension off, and mount the trailer's frame to the truck's frame as if it were a truck bed. You're essentially creating a heavy duty class C motorhome.
Agreed, when I was into heavy military vehicles I used to see several people who would mount an old touring trailer (caravan) on the back of a flat bed truck or the front of a semi trailer. Pick an old, small touring trailer up cheap, crane it on and off at will (or build a system of jacks).
Steve.
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Truck camper is not the thing to cut into the front of.
I'm thinking a short cargo box, and build out the interior as a camper.
Have you considered mounting a second condo sleeper on behind (or in place of) the existing sleeper?
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