mkirsch
Rochester, NY
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Joined: 04/09/2004
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It is NOT an illusion.
We have established that:
1. The bed MEASURES the same depth front to back.
2. The camper MEASURES closer to the bed rails in back than in front.
That leaves:
A. Crown in the bed floor.
B. Structural problems with the bed.
C. Camper floor is not parallel to the wings.
The only way to verify is to pull the camper out of the truck, inspect, and measure.
Putting 10-ply tires on half ton trucks since aught-four.
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notsobigjoe
southeast
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Joined: 09/15/2016
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I decided to put my mind at rest and come to my own conclusions. Here goes.
passenger side front with a yard stick and a straight edge. 19.5 give or take a fraction.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/SJfZoynl.jpg)
passenger side rear same thing.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/RiRaAP9l.jpg)
Rear of camper, passenger side top part. 8.5/8 give or take.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/PmZ4HIWl.jpg)
Rear of camper bottom part. 12 inches
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/ipoLakSl.jpg)
Front of camper passenger side top part. same measurements.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/qoTkTwel.jpg)
bottom part. same thing.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/XOGodUzl.jpg)
It's also not the camper floor giving way because I had the whole bottom out last month repairing and electrical problem.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/EO6nCzml.jpg)
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/ldUqLZ1l.jpg)
I will have the camper back on the truck in a day or two after I get done with the job I'm doing and take measurements again.
My Truck and my camper are square the illusion lies in the width of the front and rear of the bed.
Front of the bed is 64 and three quarters inches from the inside of the stake to the inside of the stake. Give or take.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/MxorpGel.jpg)
The rear of the bed is 62 and three quarters.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/2WtkDThl.jpg)
It is an illusion!
Sorry about the pics but my left hand don't work all that great anymore.
Joe
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JimK-NY
NY
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Joined: 05/12/2010
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I have a Ram so perhaps my experience does not help. I use the wheel well areas for storage which are easily accessed by doors in my Northstar. No dirt or water enters but I have had insects and birds fly into those areas. I put insulation between the bottom of the camper and the truck bed "rails". The insulation needs to be about 3/4" thicker in the front than in the rear. This is for my 2018 Ram 3500 and was also true when I owned a 2010 Ram 2500.
This has nothing to do with the level of the camper or the truck. The camper floor does not slope. The "rails" are higher in the front than in the rear of the truck!
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notsobigjoe
southeast
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Joined: 09/15/2016
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JimK-NY wrote:I have a Ram so perhaps my experience does not help. I use the wheel well areas for storage which are easily accessed by doors in my Northstar. No dirt or water enters but I have had insects and birds fly into those areas. I put insulation between the bottom of the camper and the truck bed "rails". The insulation needs to be about 3/4" thicker in the front than in the rear. This is for my 2018 Ram 3500 and was also true when I owned a 2010 Ram 2500.
This has nothing to do with the level of the camper or the truck. The camper floor does not slope. The "rails" are higher in the front than in the rear of the truck!
Jim, we are not the only ones talking about this.
Joe
https://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/23249-camper-sits-higher-in-the-front-than-in-the-rear/
PS, This is a fantastic thread!
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JimK-NY
NY
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Yesterday, I remembered this thread and checked my camper. On each side of my rig, I sealed the gap between the camper and the side of the bed with a piece of 2" thick rigid insulation foam about 4" across and 8' long. The 2" foam is just enough for a firm seal except in the front. I needed to add another strip of 3/4" thick foam to fill the gap.
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mkirsch
Rochester, NY
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Joined: 04/09/2004
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notsobigjoe wrote:It is an illusion!
Is this an illusion, though? This is a pretty straight-on side shot and the OP MEASURED the difference in height.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/mSu94Q5l.jpg)
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Grit dog
Black Diamond, WA
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Coming up on page 5 kids! And the OP appears to have checked this off the “stuff that keeps me up at night list.” Or at least has quit contributing to the thread.
Back to story hour…
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold
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JimK-NY
NY
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I cannot see whether there is any difference with this photo. I can only give the details for my current and previous Ram trucks. The rails in the front are lower than in the back by about 3/4".
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notsobigjoe
southeast
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mkirsch wrote:notsobigjoe wrote:It is an illusion!
Is this an illusion, though? This is a pretty straight-on side shot and the OP MEASURED the difference in height.
Good enough.
* This post was
edited 05/04/22 10:32am by notsobigjoe *
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mkirsch
Rochester, NY
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Joined: 04/09/2004
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JimK-NY wrote:I cannot see whether there is any difference with this photo. I can only give the details for my current and previous Ram trucks. The rails in the front are lower than in the back by about 3/4".
How can you not see the difference, unless you are being obtuse to save face for some reason?
The OP measured. This box is the SAME DEPTH front to rear.
The OP measured. The gap between the top of the bed rail and camper is 4" in back and 4-1/2" in front. Any "optical illusion" here only exacerbates the issue.
Clearly the camper is not sitting right in the bed. It's not an illusion.
It's also not magic or a mystery. There are only a few things that it can be, and the camper has to come out of the truck to solve the problem:
1. Bed is crowned and camper is not sitting down in front. Shims ahead of and behind the crown will resolve this. This should be addressed because it puts undue strain on the bed floor and camper frame.
2. Camper floor is deeper in front than in the rear. Not a priority to fix, just aesthetic.
3. Structural issues with the bed or camper. Unlikely.
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