chassis

Bent chassis an slide on camper excellent recipe for bent chassis all the new model utes more so dual cabs are doin it not just a single manufacturer
mechpete

Do you have a link to that photo? I haven't been able to find it so far.

I agree with mechpete, slide ons and cab/chassis utes don't go all that well together. The campers usually have too much weight at their rear ends. They may not overload the car but the location of the material in them is the problem. The end of the chassis has to constantly heave it up suddenly or catch it as it falls, particularly on unsealed roads. It is continually flexing the end of the chassis up and down and if it happens for long enough the chassis will eventually bend.

Supporting it with heavier springs or air bags will not take it away.

The problem is so common that this magazine did a story on it last year. bent chassis

I agree with the last statement about airbags .
Being a panel beater , i have seen many , many bent and broken chassis due to air bags and too much weight over hanging the chassis .
most of all Mitsubishi Triton utes are the worst for bending and breaking , i saw a Mitsubishi snapped completely in half near Borroloola in the NT , and another bent so bad that the tail shaft was grinding its way into the gear box, all in all i have seen 6 Triton utes and one Nissan Navara all duel cabs except for the single cab Triton broken clean in half.
I have repaired 3 mildly bent all with air bags .
Tritons have very thin chassis .
Oh , and one Triton ute that the tub hit the rear of the cabin from the flexing so it bent upwards behind the Cabin .

It does happen to single cab utes as i have seen one .

Read post just today BENT CHASSIS

"Single cab utes are OK if you select the correct unit."

PeterD

True but what it the correct one? Another way of looking at it is they are all ok providing you put the right car under them.

This is what causes so many problems for buyers. Very few people have any real knowledge of vehicle dynamics, weight distribution, the difference between weight and mass and the mechanical side of the car. I came to that conclusion after three years of working behind the service desk of three new car dealers and many more years as a mechanic.

When they buy a car, slide on camper, caravan or camper trailer they are bombarded with glossy brochures and specification sheets that give weights and carrying capacity, which they understand, plus a lot of other specifications that just go over their head. They think they just have to match weight with carrying capacity and everything will be fine.

In far too many cases the results are bent chassis or jack knifed caravans because the van was physically so big and right on the car's maximum towing capacity that it overpowered the lighter weight car when something knocked it off its straight ahead course at cruising speed.