34 replies to this topic

[Bombsight]

Pictures?  I forgot, what year is your FWC?

 

Thanks,

 

Phil

Bought in May 2016 ... Might have moved it in and out of position 30 times max.

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[Wallowa]

Bought in May 2016 ... Might have moved it in and out of position 30 times max.

 

 

Thanks!  I thought it was a 2016 model.  "moved it in and out of position 30 times max"...you are referring to the lid and not the camper?  

 

I think I see the problem you mentioned and the repair in the photo.  What does FWC say about this?

 

Phil

Edited by Wallowa, 07 January 2017 - 06:42 PM.

[Bombsight]

Thanks!  I thought it was a 2016 model.  "moved it in and out of position 30 times max"...you are referring to the lid and not the camper?  

 

I think I see the problem you mentioned and the repair in the photo.  What does FWC say about this?

 

Phil

Yes, cover was used little before edge fell apart. Did not contact FWC. As long as I can fix it relatively cheap and long term, I won't bother them.

[Miketeleskier]

I have 24 years of experience with a Granby.  The camper gets used a lot and spends lots of time on rough roads up to the ability of the camper-truck combo to negotiate.  I've spent over three years of nights in this camper by now and here are my problems and observations:

 

1.  Replaced the 1993 K2500 with a 2007 2500HD Duramax.  The old truck got the chevy V8 over heating syndrome but we still use it around the ranch.  Duramax = best vehicle I've ever had.  Good mileage and power like a locomotive.

 

2.  The liner.  I'm on the third fabric liner.  The first was great, the second was loose and floppy, and the third is the best of all.  Expect to replace the fabric liner every 5 - 10 years even if you use vinyl cement to fix the worn spots.

 

3.  The lower assembly of the camper.  The plywood dry rotted and the camper was rebuilt at considerable expense.  I then replaced all of the worn and beat up factory cabinets with custom mahogany work (by me of course).  At the same time, three of the front aluminum frame members had to be re-welded and the front of the camper re-sided.  The disintegrating vinyl flooring was replaced with newer and better stuff by the current, better, owners of 4 wheel.

 

4.  When the third liner was put in, the roof was redone and new insulation put in.  The roughly repaired old vent was replaced by a modern magic fan.  Two rafters at the front of the camper had broken welds and were re-welded and reinforced.  The weld breaks were a result of carrying a canoe on rough roads whenever not skiing.

 

5.  Appliances.  Yes, they are lousy RV stuff and don't last very long.  I'm on the second furnace, the fourth refrigerator (3-way absorption), the second water pump, and the second radio. 

 

6.  The door.  The doors are also RV junk and I had to replace the door and screen door.  The replacement door was the best manufacturer that 4 wheel could find but still took extensive work to get into the opening square and working well.

 

7.  After 22 years and untold meals, nights, and dogs, the upholstery wore out.  Fabric and foam were replaced by an upholstery shop for a surprising amount of money.

 

8.  Electrical.  Batteries are the bane of campers, especially skiers, and I've gone through at least a dozen and a half batteries.  I run three deep cycle batteries, one inside and two in front of the wheel wells, and I've set up the electrical inlet so any battery can be taken out of the system.  If any one battery in a bank goes bad, that becomes the maximum voltage the entire stack can store.  Carry a generator in the winter - the EU 100i is small, lightweight, and will run a 40 amp charger convertor.

 

9.  Outside.  I've replaced the gas door and the refrigerator door with used ones from "RV Doctor George".  I first cleaned them and repainted them.  The jack mounts on the four corners rusted and I've cleaned, primed, and painted them black.  I now have to replace the water drain for the second time.

 

10.  Latches.  After lots of weirdness with the liner escaping the side of the camper on the road and bulging in the wind, I put a fifth and sixth latch in the middle of each side of the camper.  The top is now fool proof unless this fool forgets to latch the top.

 

11.  The truck.  I now buy the highest load rating I can find in tires.  I'm at a "g" now.  Likewise, I had to re-arch the springs on the 1993 chevy and I put Air Lift 3500 lb airbags on the duramax.  The airbags with an onboard compressor are clearly the way to go.

 

12.  The push panels.  The stock push panels (on the ceiling) only span a couple of rafters.  I was getting a lot of roof distortion raising a boat on the roof.  I now have a piece of hickory spanning all but the outside rafters.  The push panel itself now has a 3" pocket that fits the top of the one camper jack I keep in the camper.  I use the  jack to raise and lower the top when there is a boat on top or the top is covered in snow or ice.

 

13.  Lights.  I first replace all the incandescent lights with fluorescents.  Now, I've replaced them again with LED lights.  Given the much improved cold weather starting and the lower current draw, this should be a no-brainer.

 

14.  Shrinkage.  Yes, the clear windows do shrink and get hard to close.  This is an issue for 4 wheel to get working on fixing.  On the second liner, I made some extensions with velcro tape that spanned the gap between the clear window and where it was supposed to attach.  The newest liner is getting close to gapitis, but isn't quite there yet. Got that 4 wheel?

 

Yes, the camper has been quite a bit of maintenance.  But, we use the camper a lot and we use it on hard roads all over the west.  It is, of course, my baby and I can't imagine replacing it (except maybe with a sportsmobile 4wd diesel van, no longer available.

Edited by Miketeleskier, 13 January 2017 - 07:36 AM.

[Wallowa]

Hey.."Free The- Heel- Free The Mind"...

 

Great post, I have copied and stashed it for future reference...thanks!

 

Phil

[Bombsight]

Awesome input Miketeleskier!

 

This is the kind of info that will help the FWC circle.

[daverave]

As good a place/thread as any to pose this question for you coastal guys....

 

We just got back from five days camping on the north coast of CA above Ft Bragg. Amazing weather, mid-60s during the afternoons, not too cold at night, zero fog and barely a breath of wind the entire time. Shockingly there was a high smoke deck over the ocean for most of the time due to the fires down LA way; i.e., several hundred miles away. Made for some good sunsets but I'm feeling for the people down that way. We seem to be back in drought mode :-(

 

ANYWAY, does five days of salt air require any extra maintenance? For example would the salt on the vinyl be an issue. We were right on a ocean cliff edge for a couple of nights. The obvious would be to put up the top and hose everything down assuming that is sufficient.

[longhorn1]

Daverave, when we get back from the coast we wash everything with soap and a brush and apply 301 to the soft sides. Haven't noticed any affects. We cover our bikes with a tarp. jd

[Tomas Tierra]

Living at the beach in Oxnard with the camper outdoors most of the year.. On my third FWC in twenty years, all at the beach many Baja trips.

The jack brackets will rust immediately as well as the hardware- get the aluminum brackets use stainless hardware
The clamps on the camper will last from new approx 7 years- I keep two back ups in the rig
All the trim screws will rust eventually, if you wait to long they will break coming out- replaced ALL exterior screws with stainless #8's (buy some #10's also, you will need a few) .08 each, used at least 300
The screws on the top of the fantastic fan, under the lid, will rust quickly
Stock roof screws from '01 look like heck, but are still tight and waterproof
Stock eye bolts/tie down will rust weaken, then hairline fractures- replaced with stainless overkill/overpriced eye bolts
Galvanized rear steps will get you a couple of years before they start to look like heck and leave rust stained drips- replaced with stainless rear steps, use stainless hardware

These are coastal issues, we get tons of wet salt air here

I did all of the above corrections to my '01 hawk I about used in 2014. many of the above issues were showing as the camper came from summerland,ca

All of the issues above happened on my '01 Ranger I owned previously.. To great extremes!

Other friends with FWC's in the area have gotten away for years without doing these things, but it shows..


TT

[daverave]

Thanks for the replies. Since this is a maybe twice per year trip to the coast your insights relative to your usage, TT, aren't really applicable to our rig I'd guess. If I lived next to the ocean as you do I would certainly be more proactive. I am hoping to spend some weeks down in Baja in the next year or so however.