Dakota@Silk.Net wrote:
>
> Hello Fellow Dakota Enthusiasts,
>
> I used to be on the list about a year ago, and recently re-subscribed. I am
> surprised by how much I missed the list! Being back on really makes me
> appreciate how great Dakotas, and Dakota Owners are!!
>
> I have a '92 3.9L CC 4x4 (Yeah, I know, could've had a V8!) and I am wanting
> to put a camper on it. I understand that because of the 44" distance between
> wheel-wells, I have to look at an "Import" type camper and maybe block it
> into to the box. I have also seen that most camperized setups have a bar
> that is mounted under the truck at the front of the box, to stabilize the
> camper, and then the rear bumper is used at the back to stabilize it there.
>
> Here are my concerns/questions... Any help/advice would be appreciated...
>
> 1. Any suggestions as to manufacturers, and models to look at.
Some manufacturers make campers specially designed for Dakotas; narrower
between the wheel wells than those for a full-size truck but wider than
for a mini-truck. Texan and Palomino are two I know of, but there are
others that are far enough from the mid-west that they don't have
dealers that are local to me -- so I don't have details.
At least in past years (I have an older edition) Trailer Life and Motor
Home magazines have put out an annual buyers guide that has information
on pretty much all the manufacturers. Look at a book store or check out
a motorhome magazine for an ad. for the guide.
> 2. Isn't that bar underneath going to limit my clearance? (I want to be able
> to take it into some pretty nasty spots!)
> 3. What's that bar called, and how is it mounted?
I made up one of these bars for my camper, and yes it does reduce your
ground clearance. At least on my '94, a bar straight across the bottom
of the frame rails would touch the gas tank, so I had to block it down
even further. With a little more fabrication effort that problem could
have been reduced. It has not posed a problem for me (we live on a
farm, so clearance is sometimes an issue).
> 4. Could I get away with purchasing some "Nerf Bars" and use those to secure
> the camper to?
> 5. I read somewhere that you shouldn't put a camper on a Dak. Really? Why?
I've heard the same thing about a variety of trucks, and the most
logical answer I've heard so far (from this list? -- I don't remember)
is that if the truck is not ordered with a special camper package then
all the load and center-of-gravity calculations have not been done. So
the legal beagles employed by the truck manufacturer just say "no
campers". I don't know if that is true.
Marc Robertson
marc@blackberry-ridge.com
'94 V6 SLT
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:08:29 EDT