Ideal Cab Clearance?

[Mderou]

Hi All,

Just picked up a Grandy and beyond excited to get it ready for some adventures. Curious if there is an optimal cab clearance for these? It will be going on a Ford F350. I've measured that if I install the grandby, I have only 5/8" of clearance with my horse mat installed. I presume that you want it as low as possible, with just a little bit of room to account for flex? So my plan is to buy a 4x8" sheet of rigid foam from Home depot. I am either going with the 1.5" or the 2". I know this is approaching neurosis with such a negligible difference between the two, but which would you go for? Which ever foam I choose, I still add that 5/8" of pre-clearance. TIA for any input.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

My F350 is a 2014 CC Long Box. I had a 1/2 stall mat in the bed for our Northern Lite. That gave me about 2” of clearance. It wasn’t enough. The camper overhang would touch the cab top on bumpy highways. A few marks in the gel coat seems to be the extent of the damage. I’ve since added a second 1” stall mat.

With the Granby, you may get by with 2” of clearance, since the camper is shorter and lighter than my 3300+ pound NL. I think the increased size and moment arm of our camper was part of my issue. ATC will soon start on my new pop up, and I’m going to ask Marty to give me 2-4” of clearance. I think 2” will be fine, but will watch it closely.

Keep us posted on how it goes. We love pictures, too.

 

[Vic Harder]

I agree that you want the distance to be as small as possible without the possibility of contact. I've watched how the camper/box/cab flex happens, and it seems that the side to side flex is not as big an issue as what Sage mentions above... the bounce factor. Most truck roofs are rounded, so the camper clearance seems to stay constant or get bigger as the truck flexes. If the camper can tip forward at all (like in Sage's case) then you may get roof contact.

For noise reasons, I like about 2" of gap. More than that and the cab roof can tin can annoyingly!

 

[Mderou]

My F350 is a 2014 CC Long Box. I had a 1/2 stall mat in the bed for our Northern Lite. That gave me about 2” of clearance. It wasn’t enough. The camper overhang would touch the cab top on bumpy highways. A few marks in the gel coat seems to be the extent of the damage. I’ve since added a second 1” stall mat.

With the Granby, you may get by with 2” of clearance, since the camper is shorter and lighter than my 3300+ pound NL. I think the increased size and moment arm of our camper was part of my issue. ATC will soon start on my new pop up, and I’m going to ask Marty to give me 2-4” of clearance. I think 2” will be fine, but will watch it closely.

Keep us posted on how it goes. We love pictures, too.

My F350 is a 2014 CC Long Box. I had a 1/2 stall mat in the bed for our Northern Lite. That gave me about 2” of clearance. It wasn’t enough. The camper overhang would touch the cab top on bumpy highways. A few marks in the gel coat seems to be the extent of the damage. I’ve since added a second 1” stall mat.

With the Granby, you may get by with 2” of clearance, since the camper is shorter and lighter than my 3300+ pound NL. I think the increased size and moment arm of our camper was part of my issue. ATC will soon start on my new pop up, and I’m going to ask Marty to give me 2-4” of clearance. I think 2” will be fine, but will watch it closely.

Keep us posted on how it goes. We love pictures, too.

Thanks for the message. I used to haul a AF 990 around,I know the woes of the big ones. Sorry to learn of your damage, thank goodness seems minor. Yes, the weight and minimal overhang of mine should add to my favor. I was contemplating even going with a 1" thick foam board, but that will be cutting it close. I think 1.5" is the way to go, will give me 2" clearance.

 

[Mderou]

I agree that you want the distance to be as small as possible without the possibility of contact. I've watched how the camper/box/cab flex happens, and it seems that the side to side flex is not as big an issue as what Sage mentions above... the bounce factor. Most truck roofs are rounded, so the camper clearance seems to stay constant or get bigger as the truck flexes. If the camper can tip forward at all (like in Sage's case) then you may get roof contact.

For noise reasons, I like about 2" of gap. More than that and the cab roof can tin can annoyingly

Didn't even think about noise factors. I am also trying to maintain minimal gap at the bed rails, and as the truck camper is designed, it already clears by a lot, so the higher I lift it the goofier it looks. My friend has only 1.25" clearance on his, but it is on a colorado with a homebuilt camper. I guess it doesn't have to be permanent. I will start with the 1.5" board to achieve 2" clearance.

 

[longhorn1]

What year Grandby? The reason I ask is we sold our 2014 Grandby front dinette to a couple in Pendleton, IN in October. They couldn't find a truck and just sold it to someone from Texas I believe. I had planned on spending time with them when they found a truck. Just curious. JD