Truck Camper + Gooseneck = ? (1 Viewer)

[woody]

well, it's been 'under discussion' for a while...finally found the right deal last week...

already had the 32' gooseneck trailer and have put a pile of miles on it...time to add some living quarters...

so, bought a 1997 Shadow Cruiser M850...truck camper, 8-1/2' long...has a toilet and running water, but showers will be taken outside (planning on something from Hot Camp Showers - since Paul IS a Cruiser-head!)

Light, simple, easy....and it leaves 23' of deck space...'long' term plan is to add a removable extension on the back of the trailer for those rare times i haul two FJ40's...like many things, on the list...

on to the pics:

Installation is not as easy as it sounds...the standard camper jacks are too close to fit around the trailer fenders...so I enlisted my buddy Jon and his 'tools' to assist...

Step one: high enuf to clear the trailer deck...

 

[woody]

Step 2: raise enough to clear the fenders....little nerve racking, since it's a breezy day...but all went smooth...

 

[woody]

and finally, step 3: positioning....we used some 2x6 treated lumber to raise it enough to clear the top of the goose...and it's VERY tight...installed pics pending, enroute to get the tiedown hardware first (don't want it blowing off!)

 

[sodaboyYJ]

Sweet!! Sure beats the pop-up deal most guys do!

 

[Hank]

Should do. Poor man's toyhauler...

 

[Land Speeder]

you puttin' wifi in that thang?

 

[mcewan13]

Fab some sheet metal storage boxes to fill in the gaps between the sides of the camper shell and the sides of the trailer, paint it black and put some IH8Mud.com super graphics across both sides and it will look purpose built.

 

[titanpat57]

you puttin' wifi in that thang?

I'd put my money on a satellite setup.....what the hell's a few thousand more when you're in that deep....

 

[woody]

uuh...the camper was less than $2k....the trailer was $5k new....'a few thousand' adds a LOT to what's invested now

installed pics...have some ideas for storage now, the camper allows storage access from the back AND from the inside, so 'integral' boxes are key....we'll see what happens...

 

[woody]

and a few more....

the sleeping/nose of the camper JUST touches the top of the gooseneck...there is a small 'rib' where the one-piece nosecone attaches...that piece is on the goose, the rest of the aluminum has a 1/16" or so gap....nice and snug (but not TOO snug when you flex the trailer)

outta work

 

[Fireman]

Looks good. Ardenne and I really enjoyed ours at Superlift this past week when everyone in tents was floating away!

 

[D'Animal]

Get some 4x6's under the Camper. This is based on the thicknesses of 2x6's you have under it now.

The neck of your goose neck and the trailer will flex more than you think. You will damage the bottom of the overhang on your camper.

 

[woody]

Been considering the same thing Dan...will look at it more tomorrow...dark now

at least some 5/4 treated deck boards in the center area....give me an inch of clearance...hhmmm

 

[D'Animal]

I have some (2) Weatherguard side tool boxes for an 8' bed pick up truck that would fit nicely under the side of the camper. They are 13" deep and 17" tall and 78" long.

They could use a coat of paint.

 

[RokCrawlinToy]

Cool setup Woody

 

[titanpat57]

The beauty of a trailer like that ...you could some addtional drinking water, gray water and black water tanks and I bet you'd never notice the addtional weight. Maybe even a battery bank of 6 V'ers with solar panels on the roof..all under the deck.

Plus on the dance floor (once you cleared the Crusiers) you could have a real ho' down!

 

[66fj40x2]

Just to echo what Dan said, you'll want at least 2" to 3" between the overhead bunk and gooseneck for trailer flex. I built up a base for mine out of treated 4x4 then used a single layer of horse stall mats (heavy rubber) to deal with trailer flex.

Something else to consider is adding some insultion board to the ouside of the camper before enclosing the bottoms. Our furnaces seemed to run more when we moved from the truck bed to the trailer and those areas aren't typically insulatd from the factory.

Looks good!

 

[Bossman]

Looks great Woody. Same on the flex issue. Also, really brace the snot out of your tie down system. I thought I had mine done well the first time I pulled it before adding the side boxes and I was WAY wrong. Almost lost it when one trailer wheel droped in a ditch in a tight curve. I was quick to build the side boxes after that. You just don't realize how much truck campers rely on the "box" to keep them in place. Just my $.02 Brother.

 

[woody]

raised it 2" this morning....plenty of clearance over the neck now...

tie downs are set, am working now on a side-to-side system....with the open center on the trailer, it should be easy to tie the boards into the deck

tomorrow's project, if it's not raining....uugh

 

[Bodean]

The CLC guys have 2 instant hot water showers and 1 could be sold. Used once and work fantastic! Add propane and a water supply and you have a good hot shower. Lot's of expedition trailer guys have used this set up. Give me a shout if you are interested.