Shack1030 wrote: If you go to the Northstar website, you will see a Northstar Freedom designed with the Tundra and Ford F150 in mind. I had a long discussion with Rex Willet regarding the F150 combo (mine is a 2004 FX 4wd 7200 GVW) and I bought a Freedom. I put some Firestone air bags on the rear, E rated tires all around, Torklift hold downs on the front. Everyting feels solid. Truck rides great IMHO. It is just my wife and myself and I do not plan to load down the truck/camper with lots of unnecessary stuff.
If you go to the Northstar website, you will see the Freedom in fact on a Tundra. I would give Rex a call at Northstar and discuss your situation. He has a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge and would not sell you something that was not safe. He will be happy to discuss all your concerns. In fact, Rex said that 70% of his market are 1/2 ton trucks.
Report back and keep us informed.
Reread the OP's description of his truck. He has the CrewMax with only a 5.5' bed. The Freedom has an 8'3" floor length which is TOO long for the OPs truck. That camper is aimed at the normal shortbed length of 6.5'.
Not all 1/2 tons (or even 3/4 or 1 tons for that matter) are the same. Just because a camper is listed as fitting a 1/2 ton doesn't mean it will fit ALL 1/2tons. People need to be VERY conscious of the sometimes subtle differences between trucks when considering them for the intended use.
For example an F150 with the upgraded 8200lb GVWR package looks almost exactly the same as the (much more common) lessor rated versions (only visual clue are the 7-lug wheels) but is in fact able to handle higher payloads due to several factory upgrades, not the least of which are a heavier duty frame and rear axle. Someone not familiar with one might see it carrying a heavy (relatively) TC and assuming it was just a run of the mill F150 think that their plain-jane F150 could do it as well. Thus setting themselves up to be very unhappy campers.
Another example of this was the recent thread where the OP complained about Lance selling a camper designed for "heavy-duty, short bed trucks" that seriously overloaded his 3/4ton. Unfortunately Lance didn't specify "which" short bed trucks they meant and the proper homework wasn't done prior to the sale to determine that a newer (payloads have gone up recently) 1ton SRW was the minimum truck for the job.
So blanket statements as to the suitability of a truck to handle a specific load or a TC's compatibility with a certain truck really aren't very accurate without knowing ALL the particulars.
2007 F350,SC,LB,4x4,6.0/Auto,35" tires,16.5 Warn,Buckstop bumpers
2007 Outfitter Apex9.5,270W solar,SolarBoost2000e,2 H2K's,2KW inverter,2 20lb LP on slide out tray,4 Lifeline AGM bats,Tundra fridge
95 Bounder 28' ClassA sold
91 Jamboree 21' ClassC sold
DWeikert wrote: ....Back to the OP's question, with that 5.5' bed, IMHO your best bet for a self contained camper is probably the Six-Pac 6.5. You'll still have overhang, but far less than the typical short bed camper which usually has an 8' floor.
The OP wanted a self-contained camper and the 650 with a bathroom is way too heavy for his truck at 1895lbs dry. Also the extra 15" of camper behind the rear axle would throw the COG way off.
The simple fact of the matter is that there is NO self-contained TC that will work with the OP's truck.
Now stepping down to one with an outside shower and a porta-pottie will net a couple of choices for him.
Look at the Northstar TC650. It is not self contained, and is a pop-up, but it has the best Center of Gravity (CG) for extra short bed trucks with the optional extended cabover bed. The length of the cabover is almost as long as the bed length of the camper, which gives it a good forward CG. This will put the CG forward of your rear axle, which is what you want. The Northstar web site shows it on a Dodge Dakota, which has a bed length comparable to your Tundra.
Regardless of foreign or domestic preferences, lets get back to the 5.5 foot bed issue.
While there will be some problems with a camper on a 5.5 foot bed, it's been done before.
Couple of years ago I talked to a nice gent at a gas station on the way to work where I normally buy gas, and he had a crew cab F150 with the 5.5 foot bed (this was before they offered them with the 6.5 foot bed), and a nice little Lance on it. It looked like it was a lance 815.
So, it has been done before. Truck had airbags, and looked like it was handling it just fine.
Hell, whatever makes you happy. Ignore the wisecracks and live your dream.
Just be aware that you may need to be more vigilant about checking axle seals, brakes, going the speed limit, and things like that.
browneyeddevil wrote: Well, I'm new to the whole discussion board thing, but I hope it will help guide me to the right decision.
With the price of diesel and a limited teacher's income, I recently decided to sell my F350 Crew FX4 Long Bed. I have replaced it with a 2008 Tundra Crew Max (5.5ft bed), 4x4, TRD Package.
Does anyone have any idea which self contatined truck bed camper would be best for this application? What modifications will be needed for my truck? What are the estimated cost involved?
Thanks!
This was the original Post, and it appears the last few post were way off topic. The OP's question was related to camper selection, not truck selection and/or differences.
If you wish to discuss the pros and cons of the quality of trucks, or the country that makes them, I suggest you start another Thread on that subject.
Wayne
Moderator
* This post was
edited 08/16/08 09:19am by Reddog1 *
browneyeddevil wrote: Well, I'm new to the whole discussion board thing, but I hope it will help guide me to the right decision.
With the price of diesel and a limited teacher's income, I recently decided to sell my F350 Crew FX4 Long Bed. I have replaced it with a 2008 Tundra Crew Max (5.5ft bed), 4x4, TRD Package.
Does anyone have any idea which self contatined truck bed camper would be best for this application? What modifications will be needed for my truck? What are the estimated cost involved?
Thanks!
Well, getting back to the original question.....when I made the decision to buy my highly-rated Toyota Tundra, I began looking for truck campers that would fit it. I called some manufacturers and the only one I found accommodating, and that I liked, was Outfitter. They were quite willing to work with me to build a camper that fit my wonderful truck. And that's what I got! No regrets.
You are welcome to PM me and get details.
Good luck with your choice. You've got half the equation just right.
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