Nothern Lite on a flatbed?

[J_Duncan]

I have just recently purchased a 2011 Northern Lite 10'2 special edition and am now shopping for the truck to put it on. I believe we have found it but I was thinking about putting it on a flat bed and then adding boxes under the flat bed and also in the dead space of the flat bed and camper on the top side. Anyone ever done this before? Am I not trying to spend $30,000 on a sherptec flat bed. I was wondering if anyone had on on a standard CM or other commercially flat bed and what their experiences may have been. Do you need to get special or custom jack extensions, did you? Thanks in advance for your time.

[skidsteerpilot]

Yes. '11 10-2 on '17 F-350 flatbed. Just made the change and updated the site. https://thegreygoose.net/wp/2020/10/27/truck-upgrade/. Please overlook the sites home page image, that hasn't been updated yet.

[Reality_Check]

J.Duncan wrote:
I have just recently purchased a 2011 Northern Lite 10'2 special edition and am now shopping for the truck to put it on. I believe we have found it but I was thinking about putting it on a flat bed and then adding boxes under the flat bed and also in the dead space of the flat bed and camper on the top side. Anyone ever done this before? Am I not trying to spend $30,000 on a sherptec flat bed. I was wondering if anyone had on on a standard CM or other commercially flat bed and what their experiences may have been. Do you need to get special or custom jack extensions, did you? Thanks in advance for your time.

It's been done a few times... sheepishly said. It's pretty common actually. Self promotion here, link to our last build:

Click to open thread with Flatbed Build

We just got back from 3 weeks on the road... which makes about 6 weeks out so far since this one was finished this spring.

And someone wrote that they're "ugly"...I find it humorous, as it's in the eye of the beholder. Personally, a big box apartment stuck on a std truck just looks weird to me. Add in the practical side of flat vs std p/u, and it's a no brainer.

To answer your question, pretty much any flatbed sitting on a truck will work. Add boxes and drive. Hell, the boxes (good boxes....fine print there) probably cost more than an off the shelf bed.

[ticki2]

That's because in 2011 the F450 pickup wasn't a true class 4 truck . It had the same rear axle rating as an F350 , the same 17" wheels and tires . It did have a heavier chassis and larger brakes . It was designed to tow not to a carry a load . Because it weighed more it had less payload than an F350 in the same configuration . The cab chassis version is a different story .

[Grit_dog]

ticki2 wrote:
Yep , some more hard number facts .

So, hard number facts, what components on a class 4 truck would physically limit it to only 13klb gvw?

[ticki2]

Yep , some more hard number facts .

[Grit_dog]

ticki2 wrote:
J Duncan , you're welcome . Your particular solution will probably vary from some of these , it's starting point .

I forgot to mention that Keytag1 has the only valid OPINION around here . Process with caution . Let us know what you come up with .

Yeah but he’s basically right about vehicle weight capacity.

And it has to be said when someone talks about their F450 having 13k gvw like that is a concern. Shows that persons ignorance about the ratings.

[Kayteg1]

Opinion is when you whine not giving any valid info, or even don't care about proper spelling.
Giving hard numbers is presenting real facts.

[ticki2]

J Duncan , you're welcome . Your particular solution will probably vary from some of these , it's starting point .

I forgot to mention that Keytag1 has the only valid OPINION around here . Process with caution . Let us know what you come up with .

[54suds]

🙂

a Maine version a flat bed

[Kayteg1]

Beware that TC university is based on members opinions and the misinformation how to use taxable GVW for camper is very common.
I think F450 should have rear axle rated at at least 13k lb, while empty rear weight with aluminum bed should be slightly above 3k lb.
That would make about 10,000 lb for TC of your choice.(and trailer tongue)
If you really worry about taxes - go to DMV and change the GVW ratings for the fee$$
Any more questions?

[J_Duncan]

ticki2 wrote:
If you go to TC university in th stickies there are two good threads on TC' s on a flatbed . May give you some ideas . All the way at the bottom of the second page .

Wow I feel dumb now, I feel like I should have looked around before asking lol, the TC University pretty much spells it out. Thanks for the encyclopedia haha

[J_Duncan]

portscanner wrote:

J.Duncan wrote:


My dude, so many questions. Does the camper require an 8’ bed? How long is your flat bed? Do you have center of gravity issues? Is there a large space between your camper and your headache rack? Literally exactly what I want to do just Ford and Northern Lite.

Those were several issues I had to address.

The camper I have requires (at least) an 8 foot bed. Note I got a cab and chassis truck - which has a 9 foot bed. The rear axle is moved a foot further back away from the cab (than on a truck with an 8 foot bed.) Moving the axle back means the center of gravity of the TC will remain in front of the rear axle - where it belongs.

If I am correct, the Northern Lite 10'2 is designed for an 8' bed so it should work on any truck with a 8 foot or longer bed that can handle the weight. Make sure the weight of the truck + the weight of the TC + the weight of your new flat bed + weight of all your "stuff" (i.e. fishing gear, dogs, food, beer, etc) does not exceed the GVWR of the truck. Please do your homework first before buying your truck. I recently acquired a Ford 2011 F-450 that had only a 13,300 GVWR and was 1000 lbs over the GVWR with the Lance loaded (but that is a story for a different time)

Check and confirm how much room is under the cabover of the Northern Lite. I have heard that newer Ford cabs are taller than other trucks - but I dont have any written documentation to support that - just rumor.

If you get a cab and chassis model like I did, you will have 12" between the front of the bed / headache bar and the front of your camper. I temporarily put some 2x4's in there to keep the camper from walking forward on the bed, but I am looking at building a frame from aluminum that will keep the camper from walking forward along with providing space for another fresh water tank.

A note on tiedowns - the flatbed has a rail along the side. I used that in conjunction with Torklift "Original FastGun Turnbuckle .45- Polished S9527"

Before you load the camper on the truck, verify the truck will fit between the front jacks. You might need front jack extensions.

Thats about all I can think of at the moment. Let me know if you need any other information!

Music to my ears. Thank you for taking the time to explain all of this out. We have been working the weights and with a brand new Ford F350 DRW 7.3 we are well under our GVWR with a serious amount to spare, of course by design.

[ticki2]

If you go to TC university in th stickies there are two good threads on TC' s on a flatbed . May give you some ideas . All the way at the bottom of the second page .

[KD4UPL]

Duncan,
It is a 2005 Chevy dually. If you click on my profile page you can see it. Not the best for details I know.