Full size flatbed with hard side pop up trailer on top

[era345]

My idea since something like a new xp or earthroamer is far beyond my reach is to get a dodge or ford one ton with a 10 to 12 foot flatbed 4x4 and put a hardsided pop up on top of the flatbed. I think i could keep cost low and gas mileage relatively high with this secure setup. Trucks can be found in the 12k range with around 100-150k miles and mid nineties hi lo or chalet popups can be found for around 3k-6k. Wondering if anyone had explored a set up like this or built anything like this. Seems to me like an easier way to keep costs down with a nice secure hardside 4x4 camper and still be able to use my truck seasonally for my landscaping business.

[era345]

Something like this http://www.rvtraderonline.com/find/listing/2008-HI-LO-1508T-92183746/?ZMC=Oodle&BAC-Oodle but older mounted on something like this http://www.truckpaper.com/listings/detail.aspx?OHID=1996232&GUID=12c4c565f251471294d4afaf333517ef with 4x4 of course

[cjmitchell5]

My idea since something like a new xp or earthroamer is far beyond my reach is to get a dodge or ford one ton with a 10 to 12 foot flatbed 4x4 and put a hardsided pop up on top of the flatbed. I think i could keep cost low and gas mileage relatively high with this secure setup. Trucks can be found in the 12k range with around 100-150k miles and mid nineties hi lo or chalet popups can be found for around 3k-6k. Wondering if anyone had explored a set up like this or built anything like this. Seems to me like an easier way to keep costs down with a nice secure hardside 4x4 camper and still be able to use my truck seasonally for my landscaping business.

Here ya go, everthing you could ever want to know about building a flatbed camper. Carlyle's uses a popup in bed camper though, little different. I would think that putting a pop up trailer onto a flatbed would be inherently stronger (and heavier!) because of the trailer's frame.

Carlyle's Camper Build (http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9502)


And WELCOME to EXPO! :coffeedrink:

[Ironduff]

Not quite what you're thinking of, but about 2-3 weeks ago, I saw a guy in a Dodge p/u on I-40. He was pulling a flatbed gooseneck trailer. The front of the trailaer was carrying a largish pickup slide-in camper. The back of it was occupied bu a much modded big-tired Jeep. It was a meeting situation with a solid guardrail between, so I didn't get a pic or even a real good look. But I can imagine him pulling into a campsite or mud bog, unloading the Jeep, and setting up lawn chairs & grill on the porch thus vacated.... ;).

Jim H.

[era345]

I have seen all those but they are different in what I have in mind in many respects. First a hardside pop up in bed camper is going to be more costly and produce more drag and a higher center of gravity going over cab. Secondly it is hard to find a fully self contained in bed camper of any sort particularly a pop up. The idea i have is a hard sided pop up trailer and removing the axles and suspension and cutting the tongue off so it can simply be placed on top of and secured to a flatbed producing no over cab wind drag and a low center of gravity in hopefully an extremely affordable package. Trailers are often far cheaper than in bed campers per year and features and flatbed work trucks are cheap and easy to find as well as serving a dual purpose for my circumstance, have run searched though the forums looking for something as I have lurked here off and on but now finally am approaching the point where I have the money and time 6 month winter breaks from landscaping to make it realistic to invest in and build a livable expedition camper.

[Carlyle]

I looked at going that route, but there are few quality campers out there that would fit your needs other than a Hi-Lo. Way too long at almost 20' for a real Hi-Lo,not a Trail Manor and very heavy.

Let us know how it goes though.

[Capt Eddie]

If you go to RV.Net truck camper. You can search flatbed campers. There are some there.

[era345]

yeah the trail manor mini is the only one of the trail manors that looks like it could work if you used a tilt flat bed in order to pop it over the cab when setting it up, but given that it is new it loses the affordability factor. The Hi Lo 15's and the various a frame pop ups are the only ones i think that i can get to work for my hard side and cheap criteria besides maybe an old apache hardside with some ad ons inside to be self contained and doing away with or setting up the front pop out to go over cab. Something like this http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching&item=130305519807&viewitem=.

[mog]

I always thought this hardsided pop-up would look just as great on the Mog, as it does on the trailer.

http://996.i8.com/mogtr1.jpeg

http://996.i8.com/mogtr2.jpeg

[era345]

What model pop up is that? looks plenty short to fit on a flatbed

[haven]

A-Liner and Chalet make hard side folding campers similar to the trailer towed by the 'Mog. Could be a source of ideas!

http://www.aliner.com/design/products_detail_aliner.php#6?sectid=5

http://www.oregoncamper.com/chal_trailers.htm

[Buckshot62]

The yellow camper looks like an apache.

[wapitichaser]

Here is a pic of my setup on a flatbed I built a few months ago. The flatbed was the best mod I have made to my truck and camping setup. Extra room on the sides and I can do tree work when I am not camping.