8' cochman camper,Can I drop the tailgate down on my 2004 chev 2500 short bed?

Question

I am looking to buy a 2585 lb.coachman ranger 1997 wondering if by just droping down my tail gate to make a 8' bed would work?Or do I just have to trade and get a 8' bed truck.
Thanks rick

Answer 1

It's probably not a good idea to have the extra length hanging out beyond the bed of the truck. It makes the front end light on the tires, which could, in my opinion, lead to control problems, especially in wet weather.

Answer 2

Assuming the camper was made for an 8' bed and you truck is not an 8' bed you will be in a world of hurting if you do this. You will have so much weight behide the rear axel you will have handling problems. Too much overhang behind the rear axel accutally decreases weight on the front axel. That's great if you're drag racing and need more traction.

I have experianced this same situation with a Toyota and a slide-in camper. I thought that installing stronger springs on the rear axel would help. Things felt fine until I hit a large dip at speed and the front wheels came off the ground. When the camper was removed the truck handled fine until you hit a bump and the rear springs did not have any give. That's great for the dentist when all your fillings are jarred out.

Too prove this, take your truck to public scales, put only the front wheels on the scales, then start loading weight on the tailgate and watch the weight decrease on the front wheels,

Answer 3

your gate may bend .you could modify , but that's a lot of top end wieght .