What's new
By:
Ram Heavy Duty Forum

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

2022 Ram 2500 BH with Bowen Customs flatbed + Total Composites camper build

sn_85 said:
Sure, after all said and done it was about $11K. Keep in mind this is their “overland” style tray which uses high strength and lightweight aluminum so it’s more expensive than a typical heavy steel tray. The look, styling and pricing is indicative of that as well. Compared to other camper and overland specific trays the price is about on par with OEV, Mits Alloys, Norweld, Summit Expedition Trucks. I doubt that you could do a goose neck option with their overland trays. I know Brent had been doing commercial trays prior to getting into the off-road and overland space so you may have to talk to him about some of his commercial products if you wanted to add a goose neck option.
Click to expand...

Not to bad really My put a steel flat bed on my chevy 3500. all said and done i was about $8k and that was 2 years ago and a steel bed. ive been tossing around of doing a nicer flat bed on this truck as its my personal work truck. ill have to keep these guys in mind.
 
UglyViking said:
I'd guess that a gooseneck wouldn't be too much of a challenge, as it's not connecting to the bed, it's simply a pass through, and it's especially "easy" as you had done it @sn_85, where the drawer isn't there so you can have it closer to the bed. You may need to find or fab a extension, but it seems rather straight forward as all things go. The only real downside I could see, would be losing the drawer, which can be quite handy for storing all the recovery gear.
Click to expand...

Most of the steel flat beds goose necks are connected to the bed. they utilize the bolt holes on the frame for existing hitches.
 
Dinky503 said:
Most of the steel flat beds goose necks are connected to the bed. they utilize the bolt holes on the frame for existing hitches.
Click to expand...
Right, I'm just stating it would be a pass through on the aluminum beds. I can see how that wasn't clear though.

Obviously the aluminum bed isn't going to have the tear strength that a steel bed would, so you can't get away with attaching it directly. It should be possible though, at least I don't see any reason it wouldn't.
 
UglyViking said:
Right, I'm just stating it would be a pass through on the aluminum beds. I can see how that wasn't clear though.

Obviously the aluminum bed isn't going to have the tear strength that a steel bed would, so you can't get away with attaching it directly. It should be possible though, at least I don't see any reason it wouldn't.
Click to expand...

Yeah I am sure it could be done. A removable bed plate is all you would need.
 
I believe it wouldn’t be too hard to retain the factory gooseneck hitch with a Bowen bed. Either on their website or instagram I believe I had read their bed height is the same as factory, so I’m sure they could retain the the holes for the factory hitch. Probably could get really creative and still have a small drawer that sits in between the frame rails but stops short of the gooseneck hitch.

The price for that is extremely reasonable given the quality and time it takes to make one of those beds. A skirted aluminum flatbed from say CM will run you that much. Also their beds are somewhat modular so you can replace boxes, panels, etc if they become damaged, you can’t do that with a standard flatbed.
 
Got my new tires and wheels mounted. They are the Nomad Wheels Sahara in copper and they look SO DAMN GOOD!!! The wheels are a +25 offset so I'll definitely need to get some from fender flares. The tires are actually take-offs from my LC which are Toyo Open Country ATIII in 285/75/17 size. I really like this tire size for a few reasons but mainly because I already had them sitting in the garage and they have less than 10k miles on them. Most people want to run at least a 35" tire on their trucks but most 35's are a nominal 34.5". A 285/75/17 is 33.9" in diameter. So really I'm missing like 1/4 in radius which is much at all. Perhaps I'll go up in size when these wear but for now these will do.

PXL_20230723_021713410.jpgPXL_20230723_021703300.jpgPXL_20230723_021731574.jpgPXL_20230722_231744939.jpg
 
Aside from already having the tires, why drop to a 17” wheel and limit LI to 121 for a camper build?
 
AH64ID said:
Aside from already having the tires, why drop to a 17” wheel and limit LI to 121 for a camper build?
Click to expand...

TBH I come from the Toyota world so it's what I understand. They use a lot of 17" wheels. For the longest time I was just gonna get some AEV wheels which are 17" so that's was my initial baseline. You make a good point though, with an 18" wheel there are lot more tire options with higher max load capacities. My camper won't be done for another 6-9 months so I'll run these for the time being. When I get the camper I'll probably switch to a Falken Wildpeak AT3W which have 17" tires with a 128/125 rating. I'm still very new to the HD towing and hauling world so there are a lot of things I need to learn about these platforms.
 
sn_85 said:
TBH I come from the Toyota world so it's what I understand. They use a lot of 17" wheels. For the longest time I was just gonna get some AEV wheels which are 17" so that's was my initial baseline. You make a good point though, with an 18" wheel there are lot more tire options with higher max load capacities. My camper won't be done for another 6-9 months so I'll run these for the time being. When I get the camper I'll probably switch to a Falken Wildpeak AT3W which have 17" tires with a 128/125 rating. I'm still very new to the HD towing and hauling world so there are a lot of things I need to learn about these platforms.
Click to expand...
sn_85, Thanks for posting your build! I am building a very similar setup but with a 3500 SRW, an 8' bed, and a Kodiak Bear 8.0 Camper. I've run across a couple of questions I can't get a solid answer on. Maybe you can help? Thanks for sharing your experience! These are expensive rigs, and I want to get it right.

- Are you running airbags with the truck?
- How much does the truck weigh with Bowen Bed vs stock?
- How much published payload do you have left after the bed install?
- Have you received the Bear Camper yet?
- If so, how much does the Camper weigh? (Dry vs Wet)
- How did you attach the camper to the tray?
- Have you had any vibration and/or flex issues transfer to the camper?
- Any must adds to the camper or anything you wish you had done?
- Is there anything you wish you knew when you started down this road?

Any help would be much appreciated!
 
sn_85 said:
Got my new tires and wheels mounted. They are the Nomad Wheels Sahara in copper and they look SO DAMN GOOD!!! The wheels are a +25 offset so I'll definitely need to get some from fender flares. The tires are actually take-offs from my LC which are Toyo Open Country ATIII in 285/75/17 size. I really like this tire size for a few reasons but mainly because I already had them sitting in the garage and they have less than 10k miles on them. Most people want to run at least a 35" tire on their trucks but most 35's are a nominal 34.5". A 285/75/17 is 33.9" in diameter. So really I'm missing like 1/4 in radius which is much at all. Perhaps I'll go up in size when these wear but for now these will do.

View attachment 59990View attachment 59992View attachment 59993View attachment 59994
Click to expand...

That looks really nice.

Do you think that there is enough room for chains with that tire size ?

___________
 
Last edited:
Hi - did you notice any difference in weight from removing the bed vs what you have ?

I am wondering if there is any ability to save 400 - 500 lbs by removing the bed or if they weigh a lot less.

Thanks

Harry
 
ratherBcamping said:
sn_85, Thanks for posting your build! I am building a very similar setup but with a 3500 SRW, an 8' bed, and a Kodiak Bear 8.0 Camper. I've run across a couple of questions I can't get a solid answer on. Maybe you can help? Thanks for sharing your experience! These are expensive rigs, and I want to get it right.

- Are you running airbags with the truck? Yes I have air bags. They're the Air Lift Load Lifter 5000 bags
- How much does the truck weigh with Bowen Bed vs stock? The Bowen bed was 40lbs over stock
- How much published payload do you have left after the bed install? Sticker says 2180lbs
- Have you received the Bear Camper yet? Yep, after some delays finally got it in January. It's totally awesome btw
- If so, how much does the Camper weigh? (Dry vs Wet). I haven't weighed it yet, I'm probably scared to do so :D
- How did you attach the camper to the tray? The Bowen bed has side L-track rails. I had Zero Declination in Reno fab up some brackets to mount the camper using Torklift Fast guns
- Have you had any vibration and/or flex issues transfer to the camper? Don't think so but I also haven't taken it on any rough trails yet
- Any must adds to the camper or anything you wish you had done? So my camper started out "simple" and then progressed to something more robust and completely built it. Were all those things necessary? Probably not. I ended up going with a combo diesel and hot water heater. The heater will be great in the winter but the water system will have to be winterized. So some times I wonder if a simple water system would have been easier to deal with since we do a lot of ski camping. I went with a 12V 270ah lithium battery, 400W solar and full Victron components and have no regrets. It's robust and reliable. I would advise against any Goal Zero or battery station style systems. I would consider going 48V though. I avoided propane and also went induction. I love it so far. It's easy, fast as hell, and renewable energy via solar and dc-dc charging. Induction is the way to go and you avoid the weight penalty and having to worry about having enough propane. Also makes it easy to avoid too carry too many energy sources i.e. diesel heater for the truck, propane for the heater and stove and still have to have a battery.
- Is there anything you wish you knew when you started down this road? Wish I would have been smart like you and got a 3500. I bought the truck during the pandemic when supply was ridiculously low and probably panic bought a 2500 that was on the lot. I have done upgrades to make it ride better but would rather have more legal payload.

Any help would be much appreciated!
Click to expand...

Hey,

Sorry for the late reply. I have been slacking a lot when it comes to updating this thread. I hope you're still around on the forums and I can try and help as best as I can. I replied in red above
 
HarryN said:
That looks really nice.

Do you think that there is enough room for chains with that tire size ?

___________
Click to expand...

Should be. I have a set of tire chains for that exact size in 285/75/17.

HarryN said:
Hi - did you notice any difference in weight from removing the bed vs what you have ?

I am wondering if there is any ability to save 400 - 500 lbs by removing the bed or if they weigh a lot less.

Thanks

Harry
Click to expand...

The Bowen bed weighed 40lbs heavier than the stock bed. It's made out of aluminum and very lightweight compared to a steel bed. I don't think you'll be saving 400 or 500lbs with any flatbed unless it was really just a flat deck and nothing else. I'm sure the headache rack and side boxes fill up the weigh too.
 
sn_85 said:
Hey,

Sorry for the late reply. I have been slacking a lot when it comes to updating this thread. I hope you're still around on the forums and I can try and help as best as I can. I replied in red above
Click to expand...
No worries! This is helpful; thank you. I went with an F-350 SRW 8' for the increased payload over the Ram, and Ram was dragging its feet updating the HD. I had to pull the proverbial trigger before the new rigs were available. The flatbed through Dropout Fabrication is being installed today, and the team at Bear is currently building the Kodiak 8'. I'll share more about the build as we get further along.

Did you choose an A/C unit for the camper? If not, do you wish you had? I am leaning towards yes, so the dogs can stay cool and comfortable if left behind in the summer months.
 
ratherBcamping said:
No worries! This is helpful; thank you. I went with an F-350 SRW 8' for the increased payload over the Ram, and Ram was dragging its feet updating the HD. I had to pull the proverbial trigger before the new rigs were available. The flatbed through Dropout Fabrication is being installed today, and the team at Bear is currently building the Kodiak 8'. I'll share more about the build as we get further along.

Did you choose an A/C unit for the camper? If not, do you wish you had? I am leaning towards yes, so the dogs can stay cool and comfortable if left behind in the summer months.
Click to expand...

Good choice with the Ford platform. They make a good truck as well and in some ways it’s better than the Ram in terms of comfort and space. The Ford has a massive 2nd row and the Ram has this weird transmission hump on the passenger front that is annoying for leg comfort on long trips. Good thing I’m the driver 80% of the time. Never heard of Dropout Fab before but they look like they build an awesome flatbed.

I did not go with A/C for a few reasons. I didn’t want the extra height or weigh and I didn’t want to add an any extra complexity or cost at that point. My build went from “simple” to a “full” build and at some point I just had to stop adding things and just have it be done to enjoy it. I had considered doing A/C very briefly but there’s significant penalty to it. You probably need at least 500-600ah at minimum which adds weight, space, and cost. It also adds at least another 75lbs and height to an already tall truck/camper combo. I had also been inside a total composite camper at OE PNW where it was 85-90 degrees outside and it literally felt 10 degrees cooler in the camper. I think these things are very thermally efficient in both hot and cold weather. So with that I decided against an AC unit. If needed I could add one down the road but don’t envision it as a need. We have two dogs as well but we’ll likely take them wherever we are and never leave them inside the camper alone. I think in your case where you have an 8’ camper along with a 3500 you won’t have the same constraints as I did and it would at least be something to think about.

Looking forward to seeing more of your build!!! Has BEAR started your build yet?
 
sn_85 said:
Good choice with the Ford platform. They make a good truck as well and in some ways it’s better than the Ram in terms of comfort and space. The Ford has a massive 2nd row and the Ram has this weird transmission hump on the passenger front that is annoying for leg comfort on long trips. Good thing I’m the driver 80% of the time. Never heard of Dropout Fab before but they look like they build an awesome flatbed.

I did not go with A/C for a few reasons. I didn’t want the extra height or weigh and I didn’t want to add an any extra complexity or cost at that point. My build went from “simple” to a “full” build and at some point I just had to stop adding things and just have it be done to enjoy it. I had considered doing A/C very briefly but there’s significant penalty to it. You probably need at least 500-600ah at minimum which adds weight, space, and cost. It also adds at least another 75lbs and height to an already tall truck/camper combo. I had also been inside a total composite camper at OE PNW where it was 85-90 degrees outside and it literally felt 10 degrees cooler in the camper. I think these things are very thermally efficient in both hot and cold weather. So with that I decided against an AC unit. If needed I could add one down the road but don’t envision it as a need. We have two dogs as well but we’ll likely take them wherever we are and never leave them inside the camper alone. I think in your case where you have an 8’ camper along with a 3500 you won’t have the same constraints as I did and it would at least be something to think about.

Looking forward to seeing more of your build!!! Has BEAR started your build yet?
Click to expand...
Yes, Bear has started the build, and we're connecting with them today about AC options. Not entirely sure if we’ll add one yet—it really depends on the cost. We went into this build with the goal of keeping it simple, but it’s funny how the feature creep sneaks in. Definitely trying to be mindful of that.

Dropout Fab is putting together some solid builds. I will share some pics of the flatbed soon.

Your take on AC makes a lot of sense. The weight, space, and power requirements are definitely things to consider, and hearing that the total composite campers perform well in the heat is reassuring. I like the idea of leaving room to add it later if it ever feels necessary.

If anything else stands out from your experience—things you’d add or maybe skip—definitely let us know. Our intended use is really similar to yours (skiing, mountain biking, surfing, camping), so any insights would be helpful. Looking forward to sharing more as the build progresses!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top