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Vic, when I went to look at the CMs at the local distributor, they had a few different types in the yard, both in aluminum, as well as steel. But only one of beds on the lot, the 84-inch RD, was the proper length for my specific 78-inch short-bed. The 84 inch RD simply looked correct, too, as...

I'd imagine an 8 ft bed and HD suspension, on a brand new 3500, with a Grandby for a payload, would be a luxurious ride. Probably even smoother with the camper than without.

Yep. Just saying, a 70-inch bed is short for a Hawk, regardless of the truck or payload of a 1500..

A Hawk shell with two people and gear on an extended camp trip will probably not exceed 1,900 lbs loaded and that's assuming a alot of gear. A 2500, 3500 series diesel truck - Ram, Ford, GMC, whatever, has a suspension that can handle a Hawk, without complaining about it. With a Hawk shell...

Don't know what type of batteries or AH capacity of your dual setup are, but If you are using two AGMs, for instance, with an 200 AH capacity, you may be able to save space and weight and see increased efficiency using one 100AH Battleborn LiFe4PO. It will fit into the battery locker of the...

I can tell you that a short bed diesel with an aluminum flatbed will work out just fine. In fact it has many advantages. I have a Hawk shell and a Cummins diesel rig. https://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/21185-hawk-shell-slide-inaluminum-flatbed-hybrid-buildout/

Thanks, Kolockum. I like your signature about the nut behind the wheel being the most important one. Don'r forget to snug yourself up every once in a while. Rich

Dave, The CM deck consists of series of tongue and groove, ribbed aluminum panels. The are really nice. Waterproof, corrosion resistant.I laid a thin but heavy-duty piece of standard truck-bed rubber matting down, on the deck, to prevent the camper from slipping or vibrating. It provides some...

Thanks, Machinebuilder. I looked at a lot of truck bed manufacturers and thought about custom building one, and in the end settled on the aluminum CM for a few reasons. They are an excellent build; the construction is both lightweight aluminum and reinforced with steel in the critical spots...

Thanks for that, Dessmo. Yes, the devil is definitively in the details. Tricky part is finding the balance between thinking something through and taking a chance on it, or overthinking it and getting stuck.. Rich

Thanks, Vic. Appreciate it. Rich

Hybrid buildout: minimal FWC Hawk shell slide-in model and aluminum CM flatbed, sitting on a 2001 Cummins 2500 turbo-diesel platform. There are a few photos, some basic details about the rig, some of our systems modifications, and initial thoughts about performance over the last year based upon...