Tailgate

[Mike from Canada]

We are going to be replacing our truck, likely going to a 2500 from a 1500, and as a result will have a longer bed. We have a Raven and have no plans to replace it at this time. I know that according to the FWC site you are supposed to mount the camper at the back of the bed with the tailgate off. Why? It would seem practical to mount it at the front and leave the tailgate on if it fits and can be closed (stock camera, porch, security when empty). Anyone know why this isn't recommended??

 

[BillTheHiker]

I was told by the installer it is to allow space for the camper walls to flex. My Fleet has bump stops on the front floor of truck bed that provide a 2 inch gap between front wall of truck bed and camper.

 

[Mike from Canada]

I should add that the bed size on my 1500 is 5’8, would be going to a 6’4 bed so will have an additional 8” to play with.

 

[Zunami1]

Can you still exit the camper with the tailgate closed?

 

[Offgrid4Two]

The Raven model will not slide all the way forward to the front of the bed due to the wheel wells being in the way. You will have to build a spacer to take up that space so, the bumpers have a solid surface to butt up against when you tighten the turnbuckles. Also, you still will not be able to close your tailgate.

 

[Mike from Canada]

Thank you, that makes sense. Just wanted to know the justification!

 

[ckent323]

We have a different truck and a different model camper but we leave the tailgate on.

1993 Dodge W250 long bed and 2007 FWC keystone camper. Camper actually extends out over part of the tailgate so we just leave it on and folded down. The remaining exposed part of the tailgate serves as a sort of narrow porch ledge. We like it and did the same with our previous 1984 Keystone..

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

There is a very good chance that you can mount your Raven Model all the way forward in the new truck bed, and still close the tailgate.

(if you wanted to)

The Raven Model is only 70" long, plus 2" rubber bumpers.

Most 2500 (3/4 ton) trucks have a 76" - 78" truck bed.

The rear eye bolt location might be a little tricky, but possible.

(the rear eye bolts will go really close to the wheel well humps, or maybe just where the wheel well humps start to curve up).

 

[larryqp]

There are advantages to keeping the tailgate if you can as you mentioned. But I wonder if it will be more difficult to enter and exit the camper. With the tail gate on, or even a large amount of truck bed, you will create a "porch" at the door. So rather than stepping up and into the camper you will have to remain bent over longer to enter the camper.

If you are not a geezer, lol, then this will not be an issue.

Of course, trial and error will work and you can always remove the tailgate later and remount the camper.

 

[ckent323]

larryqp,

We are both 66 yrs old.

The ledge makes it easier to access the rear latches our camper when it is on the 4x4 truck.

Needing to bend over to enter the camper is a non issue for us. We use a folding three step step stool to get in and out of the camper. Our camper has an OEM grab bar next to the door. Also we have fold down steps attached to the back wall of the camper which make nice hand grabs as well.

Craig

 

[larryqp]

Craig
Your body aged better than mine, I'm 64 and bending is much harder than climbing up. LOL

 

[mtbxr650]

Also looking to move our Raven from a Ram 1500 Rebel to a Power Wagon 2500. I was curiious what your final result was? Were you able to keep the tailgate on and close it? How was the mounting of the rear eye bolts?

 

[camper rich]

Have you thought about a short bed truck for your short bed camper? You get a lot better turning radius plus easier to park. You can get 2500's with a short bed. I have a Grandby on a short bed 2500 Dodge that I got because I didn't want to drive a long bed.

 

[Jack]

We left the tailgate on with our 2005 Eagle and Tacoma and now with our 2015 Fleet and Ranger. At 5, 9", in and out is easy. Your height may vary.


The tailgate was very useful for stowing/retrieving gear from the back (factory) roof rack. It has also let us get away with a simple Rubbermaid two-step for in and out.

On the Tacoma, the rubber pads kept much of the camper weight off the tailgate and the for the Ranger, I needed to lift the camper 3", resulting in the Fleet not on the tailgate.

One ISSUE to beware of. On the Tacoma, to get the spare tire you have to crawl under the tailgate with a 14mm socket wrench and lower the tire with just the first link of the crank rod. With the ranger, there is enough tailgate clearance, but it's harder to see where to position the crank rod and you can't quite spin the crank rod. We like to go places where flat tires do happen, 10 ply equiv not withstanding.