Cotreker Posted January 11, 2023 Report Share Posted January 11, 2023 Interested to know what wheel base of a truck is needed to put a RZR or smart car behind cab and pull 5er? Instead of doing a frame rail extension why not look for 245” wb if that would work. Cab size will also play a factor maybe 780. Quote Volvo 670 / 2006 10-Speed ATV's & Sleds 2017 Host Mammoth Slide-In Camper on Deck Jackalopee Build article published here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickeieio Posted January 12, 2023 Report Share Posted January 12, 2023 Depends. What kind of hitch? Tandem or single? Length of sleeper, or no sleeper? What I did was lay out the required distances from hitch pin to car (60" leaves a bit of cushion) and from the car to contact point on potential trucks. Our current truck just worked with a few inches to spare, allowing me to adjust where the car sits to suit my bed design criteria. Long winded way of saying that wheelbase will be the end point, rather than the starting point. Quote KW T-680, POPEMOBILE Newmar X-Aire, VATICAN Lots of old motorcycles, Moto Guzzi Griso and Spyder F3 currently in the front row Young enough to play in the dirt as a retired farmer. contact me at rickeieio1@comcast.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl&Rita Posted January 12, 2023 Report Share Posted January 12, 2023 Wheelbase is a constant trade-off. Too long, and you'll never get into a park the rest of us roll in easily. Too short, bends will appear. Decide what you have to have, get your tape measure, do some math, go shopping. Quote I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication 2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet 2007 32.5' Fleetwood QuantumPlease e-mail us here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star Dreamer Posted January 12, 2023 Report Share Posted January 12, 2023 In many cases, you still will need to do a frame extension or move an axle in order to have space for an air ride RV hitch that might need to drop between the frame rails at the rear of the truck in order to clear rear suspension equipment. This depends on what hitch you use and what hitch height you want to have. Finding a specific wheel base in a used truck is very difficult. Now if you are ordering the truck new, then you can also specify what frame length you want so even more so you don't have to have a long wheelbase. We have a very short wheelbase but still carry a smart car, it works for us but if I had a much heavier pin weight, I would go with a little longer wheelbase. Quote 2005 Freightliner Century S/T, Singled, Air ride ET Jr. hitch 2019 46'+ Dune Sport Man Cave custom 5th wheel toy hauler Owner of the 1978 Custom Van "Star Dreamer" which might be seen at a local car show near you! Check out http://www.hhrvresource.com/ for much more info on HDT's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickeieio Posted January 12, 2023 Report Share Posted January 12, 2023 Dennis, I just realized I have a spec sheet for our truck here. Sooooo,,,,,,,, wheelbase is 234. But more importantly, Back Of Cab (BOC) to center of axles is 160. BOC to end of frame is 256. Other factors may come into play. Measurements I gave did not include fairings. Where cross members or suspension components mount may alter what you can do. I mounted our ET itch as far forward as suspension would allow, removing one cross member in the rear of the frame. Hitch is stronger than the offending cross member, so it's gone. We stayed tandem. Technically, I did not extend the frame, but the hitch extends past the end of the frame rails and is supported by 3/4" thick angle, which ties into the frame, all the way back. Quote KW T-680, POPEMOBILE Newmar X-Aire, VATICAN Lots of old motorcycles, Moto Guzzi Griso and Spyder F3 currently in the front row Young enough to play in the dirt as a retired farmer. contact me at rickeieio1@comcast.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danfreda1 Posted January 12, 2023 Report Share Posted January 12, 2023 Hey Dennis our wheelbase is also 234 we had our smart on the back in quartzite last year and have the rzr on there now. We will be in quartzite around noon today. If you are coming out this year you can take a look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cotreker Posted January 12, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2023 Will miss you all at Quartzite this year heading for a cruise in a bit (86 degrees and blue water). As for my truck issues at some point I sell the slide-in camper and find a 5er. My Volvo is 38' bumper to bumper and will have all kinds of deck space for a car or jeep on and maybe a RZR sideways? Some of my storage box would have to be cut down. If keeping my Volvo 670 it needs a 5th wheel hitch and would like to mount as far forward as possible as to reduce my overall semi and 5er length. Darryl is correct it is all about math. Start with 38' and say I want to be 75' overall in length than the 5er can only be 37'. Single my truck to reduce a few more feet; more trade offs. Note to readers here you can see my truck in my tag line Build Article. If going with a newer truck not 2024 than a long wheel base 234" + would be nice for toys/ car on deck. Like what I have 2006 670 no def and 300,000 miles but 10 speed manual which is not a big negative for me 7 mpg. Late model trucks are still expensive $60k - $100K. Are loaded with emissions stuff and an entire set of new issues to look out for. What to do in 2023? How to do it? And when to do it? Quote Volvo 670 / 2006 10-Speed ATV's & Sleds 2017 Host Mammoth Slide-In Camper on Deck Jackalopee Build article published here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franco-bolli Posted January 12, 2023 Report Share Posted January 12, 2023 You may also wish to consider how far from the campground you plan to roam. Here in Idaho, I have a plate on the back of my RZR that is regulated to driving only on non-numbered roads. No driving on numbered county, state, or interstate roads. Just thought I'd mention this, but your situation, state and use may be different. Quote +++++++++++_____________________________________+++++++++++ 2021 Ram 3500 2017 Arctic Fox 25W(to be traded??) HAM guy (Ke7FIX), photography, woodworking (mostly sawdust), Electronics Technician, USAF DAV Going where everyone has gone before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cotreker Posted January 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2023 Thanks all for your ideas now for Math and figuring out what to do and when. Quote Volvo 670 / 2006 10-Speed ATV's & Sleds 2017 Host Mammoth Slide-In Camper on Deck Jackalopee Build article published here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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