OT truck campers

We are thinking of going back to a truck camper and getting rid of the bumper pull unit. Looking at a 8.5ft with the north/south bed. Our truck is a reg cab long box. Is that long overhang over the front going to cause visibility issues, ie street lights?? If you have had experience with this type of set up would like to hear your opinions. Thanks

Leon:

I'm currently driving a '96 F-250 7.3 Powerstroke 4x4 Extended Cab Long Box with the extra length Cab-Over Camper on it - NO PROBLEMS!


Doc

I have the biggest camper Lance makes on a 1 ton Dodge & no problems what so ever.

Likewise never had a problem, we really liked our pickup camper went all over the country with one twice to Alaska.
GB in MN

Thanks for the replies. Our truck is a 94 Dodge cummins 4X4 reg cab long box. we bought it new and I have "enhanced" the performance and transmission so power is not a problem. We had an east/west camper on it shortly after we got it and found it had quite a bit of sway to it because it does not have the rear anti-sway bar. May have to put some air bags on it if we go with another camper.

You won't even see that overhang.

I had a camper with an extra long overhang meant for an extended cab on a regular cab '86 Chevy K20. Only time I noticed the overhang was on a sunny day. It was nice having it provide shade on the windshield.

I assume "north/south" bed means you sleep "long-ways" instead of crossways, which makes the overhang longer. We have such an animal on our Dodge extended cab. You can see the front end of the camper, but its not out there far enough to be a problem.

But with a regular cab, I'm not so sure. I'd measure the overhang on a camper on a lot, then measure how far out front it would sit on your rig. Then lay a piece of plywood on top of your cab, extending out that far, and see if it will be a problem. Be aware that you can get a little prism to mount on the dash to be able to see traffic lights in your Hudson with an outside visor on it.

If you're not going to be towing anything, you might want to set your sites a little higher- we have a 10 footer, and that extra length sure makes a difference in room inside, especially in the bathroom department.

I realize you haven't asked for opinions, but having done it both ways, I'd stick with the bumper pull rig if I were you- more room, and more flexibility to go places in the tow rig without "breaking camp". We have to have the camper so Mrs. (WA) can tow her horse trailer, but would go back to a trailer if we didn't have to tow anything.

Just stop back far enough where you can see the stop lights. It's not rocket surgery.

I also have a huge Lance on an old Dodge 1 ton regular cab, the overhang is no problem.

We just gave one away and I had to deliver it to the guy with my 3/4 ton Ford pickup. I would not want to drive very far with one on there, it would spoil my vacation. I do not like trailers much either but I think I would opt for the trailer.

Thanks for the advise. We have had the trailer since 2000 and have pulled it all across Canada even onto Newfoundland and up to the Yukon. I do prefer the bumper pull to the fifth wheel just so I can keep the canopy on the truck. But we haven't used the trailer for a few years now and with our vintage car and tractor hobby feel it might be a good time to go back to a camper so I can haul the toys behind. Even had a little motor home once. Maybe I need both!!! Leon

The overhead is no problem. We had a light 8 ft pickup camper. Bought it new in 1973 loved it. Tornado blew shed it was in away in 1988. Replaced it with a 9.5 ft. that was 8 ft wide and had a bathroom/shower. It was to heavy for our F250. Added springs and upgraded to 12X16.5 wheels and tires. Cause and effect. Had to add 5 ft to the horse trailer tongue. Wish we had the original 8 ft one that the tailgate closed on.

(quoted from post at 09:50:40 04/08/14) We are thinking of going back to a truck camper and getting rid of the bumper pull unit. Looking at a 8.5ft with the north/south bed. Our truck is a reg cab long box. Is that long overhang over the front going to cause visibility issues, ie street lights?? If you have had experience with this type of set up would like to hear your opinions. Thanks

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We do a lot of camping in the mountains, that is where the truck camper can't be beat....can back down a logging trail or easily turn around if I have to. We have a 8.5 Lance Squire Lite on my 04 Dually 4 door so I can pull my 14K trailer to shows if I want. As you can see from this pic yours will look a little funny sticking way out front like that...might catch a little more wind, too. You will also have to do something with your radio antennae as it will rub the paint off the camper.

I can't seem to get a picture to post but I use the cabover camper on a car hauler trailer. That leaves room for my atv under the cabover part of the camper. It also pulls better than a standard travel trailer. Just another option.

I've got two truck campers. Neither has any problme with front visability. Both my trucks for the campers are extended cab long-beds though. I've got a Jayco Sportster 10.5' camper with a pop-up roof and an 11 foot Coachmen with the solid roof. I'd take the pop-up over anything. Gets much better fuel mileage and when the roof is down - it's still high enough to sit in, eat lunch, etc. My 92 Dodge diesel gets 17.5 MPG with the pop-up and 16 MPG with the high-roof. My 94 Ford diesel gets 14 MPG with the pop-up and 12 MPG with the high roof. The picture of the Dodge is when I went to Maine to tow home a Toyota camper.

Two things I forgot to mention about overhang. Not the front. More about the sides. If it's raining - water drips all over your head when you get in and out of truck. Also pretty easy to bang your head when getting in if not careful. I'm only 5'9". I assume taller people bang their heads even more. When the campers are on either of my trucks - I can hardly feel them nor notice when driving. Might be a lot different though on a 1/2 ton truck which I'd never do. I absolutely hate pulling trailers and a small class-C RV or a truck camper is what I much prefer. Nice thing about a truck and camper combo is the ability to go off road and into deep woods if you want (with 4WD). I spent a lot of time fixing up what was going to be my "ultimate" 4WD RV. A 1986 Chevy diesel Blazer with a Hallmark RV body on it. First version had a 6.2 diesel (stock), 3.08 axles, 15" tires and a TH400 trans. Got a best of 16 MPG. I then put a turbo on it, a 4L60 OD trans, 3.73 3/4 ton axles with 16" tires, etc. Got all done and the thing still gets 16 MPG. I stopped using it with the high diesel prices and am now using a Toyota RV with a 2.4 gas engine.