Bed rail weight limit for homemade camper

Hi all, looking for any input on this project.

I'm in the process of building a homemade camper for my '01 AC V8 SR5. I've lurked on some Facebook homemade camper threads and have put together something that will suit my wife's and my needs. It will be super rustic inside, no fixtures (no power/water) just a shell used to hold gear and to sleep over the cabover portion.

My plan is to have the entire camper rest on the bed rails (like a Four Wheel Camper Project M). I plan on driling out 4-6 holes on the bed rails as well as using 4 turnbuckles linked to the bed tie downs to hold it in place. I'm all done with the framing and my guestimate for just the weight of frame is as follows.

2x4x8 weight
9lbs x 23 quantity = 207lbs (ish)

2x6x12 weight
20lb x 3 quantity = 60lbs

So far I have about 260 lbs for the frame. I plan on adding either 1/4 or 3/16" ply to the outside, then wrapping it in fiberglass. It could be another 3-400lbs of weight.

My question is the 600lbs to as much as maybe 800lbs too much for our 1st gen Tundras to support on just the bed rails itself? Or should I think about converting it into a more traditional one that sits in the bed itself?

I currently have some black sumo springs (the 1000lb versions) which will help balance the load and will help support the shell from a suspension standpoint.

Thanks!

Pics of the progress.

 

Thats pretty neat. I think you'd be better off mounting it to the bed mounts to the frame of the truck, and maybe bracing the bedsides at the tailgate.

my fiberglass cap isnt light, and i havent noticed any wiggle, but i can see how the weight might loosen things over time & miles.

 

That’s sweet, but I would not rest anything on the bed. I would try to find a way to incorporate supports that go down to the bed, and maybe tie into the bed bolts.

I have seen tons of beds that have shifted/ spread due lumber racks etc.

Or at least build some bed stiffeners to keep the rear of the bed from spreading.

Something like these.

 

What about your wheel wells? I don’t see a place for them in the camper frame.

 

the lower framing on that is touching the bed rails, not the bed floor I believe.
And I agree with previous posters advice, don’t use the bed rails to support the load. The bedsides will spread out with the weight and the joint seams will separate. I would do the bed stiffners and I would put supports down to the bed floor to bear the weight on the payload floor of the bed as the engineers intended.

 

Actually I'm adding to this - If it were me, I'd use a combo:

• 1x2 steel tubing to build a crossbar spanning between both pairs of stake holes in the bed, potentially with a crossover/X stiffener between the two bars, and angle iron just inside each bedrail to prevent inward flex
• Mount the camper to that crossbar rig, rather than the bed rails
• I don't think the stiffeners above would be required using this *if* you use a brace at the rail to help prevent inward flex of the bedsides, but I'd consider using them all the same just to preserve your tailgate function all the same in the event of major failure.
• Maybe consider a vertical leg at the crossover center point to prevent center sag

Realize that you're just under 300lb of weight now. I'd be shocked if my Leer camper shell weight more than 200lb. But in addition to that 300lb, you'll have at least a couple hundo pounds in gear, plus the weight of yourselves over the cab, which, if we go with conservative 1950s weights of an adult male weighing in the 150-160lb range, and 130-140 for a woman, you're tacking on at least another 300 weighted over the cab that will tilt this thing forward. You can't expect the bed rails to prevent that forward tip.

Maybe it's just the engineer in me, but I'd be thinking through this a bit more, and spending some time working on an a X shaped cross-stiffener as described.

​

 

I also would have run that roof spine all the way front to back and not interrupted it with the vent fan. Offset the vent fan or double spine on each side of it. Not sure how much it will structurally weaken the roof, but it's weaker with a flex point at the fan opening now.

 

This is all awesome feedback. This is why I appreciate the forum so much.

It maybe sounds like some re-working/re-engineering on my part to convert it into a bed sitting unit. I went this route to be able to garage it during the winter months, and tub based solution would put a pinch in that plan (too tall). The other option is just to be permanent on the truck.

I'm only a woodworker, no metal experience but I could have something locally fabricated in metal (Sac/NorCal area) for bed stiffners/braces. There is nothing off the shelf for bed braces for our 1st gens is there? I've searched.

To more securely mount it to the bed I could have some simple 5x5" 1/4" metal plates for the bed bolts to go through, in addition to the bed tie-down turnbuckles mounted to the verticals in the frame. Pic attached of another persons build with a bed tub and my plate solution. Some longer bolts may be needed. I'm not sure how much thread is given to them.



If people are interested in this sort of stuff there is a big group on Facebook called "homemade truck camper projects" if people are interested. Lots of Taco and Tundra owners lurk there.

Thanks again.

 

I am impressed with your response.

The normal response to advice, when seeking advice is “F U, you don’t know what you’re talking about”

I will also add, a buddy has a Flip Pack Camper Shell on his 85’ pickup, and it literally is splitting his bedsides, and I don’t believe those are crazy heavy.

 

I think to simplify it's just shaving some off of the bottom tier. I'd start by removing the horizontal 2x6's and replace with vertical 2x4's then build something strong enough so that maybe somehow it sits equally but less so on the rails, but mainly in the bed and the weight gets transferred there.

The way I have it currently designed is to not hang out super far over the edges like most truck campers are. It will be a bi*ch to get it on the truck. I have to make some sort of rigging so that my Brophy jacks will be able to grab the edge, and have enough room to clear when I back the truck under it.

As I see it it's only wood, i'm not saving lives/brain surgery. I'd rather have it right now then very wrong later after my bed is spread eagle.

This design is just suppose to be a campground princess, no overlanding or 4x4'ing so hopefully any turbulence will just be wind and any normal pavement.

 

lol

 

@oscardog86

 

So what are you skinning the framing with?

 

I had bought some 15/32" (1/2") Doug Fir ACX plywood to wrap it in but I think that may be too heavy. I estimated needing roughly 9 to 11 sheets of 4x8 plus or minus a few. The internet says they're around 40lbs each. I might return the wood and go down to 1/4".

After that I plan on doing the biaxial fiberglass on a roll then doing the wet application. I had thought about doing poor mans fiberglass but if I'm going to go all in, well, i'd rather do fiberglass. I plan on painting it white or light grey with the best paint I can afford. It will need 3-4 coats from what i've read.

Lol about the weight, my wife and I definitely aren't the 1950's body type. I think that is why I overbuilt it the way I did, and why the frame is so heavy. So many of these that i've seen are like "GOTTA SAVE WEIGHT MAKE IT LIGHT" and i'm like, there is no way in heck that is gonna hold up.

 

Maybe make the part that sits on the bed rail out of 2x 2x6's mounted vertical and sandwiched into a 4x6 (do they sell 4x6?) then drill holes for a pin to insert when installing or removing the camper? Or something to that effect.

Much like how euro cars use a stock jack for tire changes when you get a flat.

 

Just stumbled on this thread as i was searching for bed stiffeners for our trucks. I like your build and hope to see some progress! Hows the build going?

I will add, for my DIY wedge style camper i built, i used ACP (Aluminum Composite Panels) used in the sign making industry. I used these panels for the outer skin of my camper and they are used in a lot of similar camper builds. They come in 4x8 and sometimes 5x10 sheets I believe and are very rigid without being too heavy.

 

As for the bed stiffeners, it's too bad that no manufacturer of our gen makes them, even though they do for 2nd, 3rd gen ones. Maybe one day! They don't look terribly hard to make you have the ability to cut/fold/bend metal of that thickness.

As far as the build, I put the brakes on the "on bed rail" solution. It was just not going to work with the way I had intended. I tried to keep as many of the panels that I could in tact, but i've taken most of it apart. You can see the deconstructed panels behind the "tub" section that will sit in the bed of the truck. I was also running up against height issues if I had just built a tub section on to what I had already done. It definitely needed to not be as tall.

It's been on hold since January. I was pretty discouraged when I had to take a majority of it apart so I just had to let it sit for a bit. I'll get back to it, but just on pause for now.

 

This company has been making these for quite a while and I've never heard of any problems. I think they also sit on the bed rails. Google search say they weigh about 550 lbs. They are wood framed too.
https://belairshells.com/custom-camper-shells

 

I was literally just looking at their site, cool stuff. They have some cool options and not crazy expensive.

The one issue is that I'm not sure (or maybe you can) have the above the cab over be high enough and support enough weight. My guess is not or else i'd be all over that. I have to account for sleeping area for my wife and I and the cabover part seems like the best option.

 

I see you are in Ca. they are in SoCal. I've talked to them before, easy to communicate with and they answer questions without any pressure to buy a unit.

 

Like most peoples build that do this, I plan on having the basic shape roughed out to something like this shape attached. I just need to keep the weight down, more ripped 2x4's and less non ripped 2x4's

 

I hear ya on taking a break from the build for now. Like you said earlier, better to take your time and build it right than rush it.

I used to have a Bel Air shell on my Tacoma. It was great but definitely not strong enough to try to sleep in the cab over area. I dont think they are made for that, but you might give them a call and see. They might be able to add extra support for a sleeping area.

As far as bed stiffeners, i definitely wanna try to make my own but was hoping to see some already on our truck to get an idea. But Ill share some pics if i end up making some, hopefully soon!

 

Also you could try to sleep below and make something like i recently built. Heres a pic to give you an idea.

But I also understand wanting a hard shell style camper as well. But at least you have an idea of something that lets you sleep down below vs up in the cab over.