ThomasELee
USA
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Do you have to remove the tailgate for a truck camper?
* This post was
edited 05/06/22 11:43pm by ThomasELee *
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joerg68
St. Ingbert, Germany
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Generally, you remove the tailgate when loading a truck camper.
Obviously, if the camper is so short that you can close the gate behind it, you can leave it on.
Some campers have an overhang that extends below the truck bed (my old Lance had the gray water tank there), so they would interfere with the tailgate. Some will technically fit, but if you leave it down, it will likely collect a lot if rock chips. I guess you could cover it with transport wrap for protection.
But the tailgate is not designed to carry any of the camper weight.
The tailgate itself is also dead weight behind your rear axle, which you usually want to get rid of when you carry a camper.
2014 Ford F350 XLT 6.2 SCLB + 2017 Northstar Arrow
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Optimistic Paranoid
East Nowhere NY
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joerg68 wrote:But the tailgate is not designed to carry any of the camper weight. The tailgate itself is also dead weight behind your rear axle, which you usually want to get rid of when you carry a camper.
There are some exceptions to this. The 10 foot Alaskan Truck Campers are designed to be used in 8 foot beds with the tailgate down and supporting the last couple of feet.
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StirCrazy
Kamloops, BC, Canada
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my tailgate had a raised inner portion for the step assist handle so it isnt flat with the bed so it would come off unless I had a 8 foot or shorter camper. with my 10.5 foot it comes off every time.
2014 F350 6.7 Platinum
2016 Cougar 330RBK
1991 Slumberqueen WS100
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JRscooby
Indepmo
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Optimistic Paranoid wrote:joerg68 wrote:But the tailgate is not designed to carry any of the camper weight. The tailgate itself is also dead weight behind your rear axle, which you usually want to get rid of when you carry a camper.
There are some exceptions to this. The 10 foot Alaskan Truck Campers are designed to be used in 8 foot beds with the tailgate down and supporting the last couple of feet.
The fact that camper is designed to be supported by tailgate does not mean the tailgate is designed to carry weight.
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Geo*Boy
Unknown
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Yes.
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BurbMan
Indianapolis, IN
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JRscooby wrote:The fact that camper is designed to be supported by tailgate does not mean the tailgate is designed to carry weight.
Beat me to it!
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Lwiddis
Southern California :(
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"The fact that camper is designed to be supported by tailgate does not mean the tailgate is designed to carry weight."
x2
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad
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mkirsch
Rochester, NY
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ThomasELee wrote:Do you have to remove the tailgate for a truck camper?
You don't HAVE to, but generally it is a good idea.
Putting 10-ply tires on half ton trucks since aught-four.
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Deb and Ed M
SW MI & Space Coast, FL USA
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I have carried my 8' bed camper on my 6-1/2' truck with the tailgate down - but I cover the tailgate with "crash wrap" to protect from stone chips.
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