49 replies to this topic

[Wallowa]

Couple of add ons...ours is a '05 AC Tundra SR5 w/'16 Hawk...side dinette...correct on 20 gal water tank [and 6 gal hot water]  and  2 AGM batteries at front of Hawk..that is a lot of weight...but forward in truck bed..

 

Next the tail gate is damn heavy..[75lbs?] and down to support the camper that weight gets further aft of rear axle..with Hawk and no tail gate I shaved off that extra weight.

 

Some even hang fuel cans or other items on rear of camper...more weight aft of CG..

 

Lastly...however  while I love our Tundra/Hawk combo, I have no illusions that it is anything but a 1/2 ton truck....it is not, nor can it be configured into a 3/4 ton truck..we have Firestone air bags and Heliweg rear anti-sway bar...still a 1/2 ton...

 

Just me...but I always strive for weight near CG and low...not afraid to 'load it up" but slow down off [most of our use is off road] and on road mostly due to braking distance increase with extra weight; but also to go easy on vehicle and camper..and unless trailer has brakes, a trailer pushing you during deceleration can get scary...

 

Personally, I would not go the larger FWC Grandby in a Tundra but would stick with the perfect fit of a Hawk...sometimes ya just gotta say enough is enough...

 

Phil

Edited by Wallowa, 12 October 2018 - 03:56 PM.

[ottorogers]

Also, make sure that the tailgate being down does not prevent you from lowering the spare tire. Not sure how Toyota does it, but a lot of trucks require that the tailgate is not down so that you can access the spare tire winch system to raise and lower it. I've heard this mentioned several times on "FWC with tailgate" threads. 

Yes good point, I did try it out and could not get the rod in towards the tire to let it down, so i made the hole bigger, and it now works with the tailgate down, thanks for suggesting it may be a problem, because it sure was, all fixed now!!!

[ottorogers]

Couple of add ons...ours is a '05 AC Tundra SR5 w/'16 Hawk...side dinette...correct on 20 gal water tank [and 6 gal hot water]  and  2 AGM batteries at front of Hawk..that is a lot of weight...but forward in truck bed..

 

Next the tail gate is damn heavy..[75lbs?] and down to support the camper that weight gets further aft of rear axle..with Hawk and no tail gate I shaved off that extra weight.

 

Some even hang fuel cans or other items on rear of camper...more weight aft of CG..

 

Lastly...however  while I love our Tundra/Hawk combo, I have no illusions that it is anything but a 1/2 ton truck....it is not, nor can it be configured into a 3/4 ton truck..we have Firestone air bags and Heliweg rear anti-sway bar...still a 1/2 ton...

 

Just me...but I always strive for weight near CG and low...not afraid to 'load it up" but slow down off [most of our use is off road] and on road mostly due to braking distance increase with extra weight; but also to go easy on vehicle and camper..and unless trailer has brakes, a trailer pushing you during deceleration can get scary...

 

Personally, I would not go the larger FWC Grandby in a Tundra but would stick with the perfect fit of a Hawk...sometimes ya just gotta say enough is enough...

 

Phil

Phil, appreciate the feedback, I have gotten opposite feedback from others, that have a Grandby in their 6.6 bed Tundra and have no issues, some leave the tailgate down, and it works fine, others remove the tailgate and have no issues, FWC and the dealer I purchased from say to leave the tailgate on and down, so I am doing that. If we remove the jacks we will be 100 LBS lighter than we were with the Hawk (they both weight about the same), so at 100LBS lighter, and we were fine with the Hawk at 2200 fully loaded, we should be fine with the Grandby at 2100 LBS, we may remove the rear seats of the truck to have more back seat storage as well, and remove another 50 LBS or so, so my way of thinking (not always correct I admit) I should be more than fine, the COG is not a concern I am told by the dealer and FWC (with my setup)

[ottorogers]

I bought my new Grandby from Rocky Mountain FWC, picking it up in mid November, almost a fully loaded unit, many have a Grandby on a Tundra DC, some with the tailgate down and some with the tailgate removed, I am going with the tailgate on and down for support. I removed the rear seats in my Tundra (70 LBS or so), I will also store the 4 jacks at RMFWC until I return to Canada, that is another 100 LBS, I will be lighter than I was last year with my FWC Hawk model, I left the 4 jacks on for 4 months, plus the rear seats in the truck, from talking to many owners, all said I will be fine. I have 2 extra leaf springs installed at Deaver Springs in Santa Ana (dangerous area at night), airbags, sway bar, and General Grabber X3 10 ply "E" rated tires.

[klahanie]

otto, congrats on the new camper.

 

Yeah, rear seats and the tailgate are about the only things I've come up with to reduce vehicle wt, plus maybe the front air defector and removing a leaf spring or two, vehicle depending. Every other vehicle mod adds it: tires, suspension, storage structures, you name it.

 

I'm familiar with driving 700 and more over, tho on a different chassis with different payload and overhang vs wheelbase ratios. Prob more important I think is how and on what type road the is rig is being driven and the driver's own confidence from risk assessments.

 

I've driven some off highway out your way, from Points North to the Big Muddy but never in Mexico, where you're headed. I didn't realise you were going to be diving right into a long trip. I sincerely hope it goes well but don't doubt you will get though it ok, given your current deliberation and previous experience.

 

Around now would be a good time to get another base line wt on the empty truck.

 

When you return, I think the readership would be interested in another report on just how much that platform can take and over what kinds of roads.

 

Best of luck with the adventure and enjoy your time away from the cold GWN !

 

~David

[camper rich]

We have some Baja friends who have a 2000 Tundra that they had removed the bed from and made an alluminum flatbed to carry a fiberglass camper on. It was extened out a couple of feet beyond the original bed and bumper that they removed and they are living in it full time ovelanding in Baja. Last year while decending the dirt road into Agua Verde they broke their frame on both sides. I wish I could tell you the weight involved but I don't know. What I do know is that they were loaded with extra jugs of water like we all are when going in there. They had it repaired in Loreto, but I don't know how that has held up. I only post this to let you know that there are limits.

Edited by camper rich, 22 October 2018 - 12:59 AM.

[LosAngeles]

I'd like to add another variable to the equation:  What if the Grandby is a flatbed edition, with nothing much behind the wheels except the dining area?  Seems like the weight distribution would be fine then.

 

I'm really curious about this too..... I would love to do the setup below...

 

1st post here… have been reading many threads and doing searches for a while. 

 

Have owned two travel trailers in the past, now looking to not tow. 

 

Sometimes I go out solo, or with a pal, but often with the three of us. May want to bring a 4th person occasionally. 

 

Current plan is: custom order (from Ford) a 2019 or 2020 Ford F150 * 4X4 * SuperCrew (with maxed out cargo carrying capacity)  and keep the pop up truck camper in it always. I have no need for a pickup other than to haul a truck camper. 

 

Would likely get Ford to put on LT245/70 R17E BSW all-terrain tires at the factory to save hassle. I believe this is possible.

 

I like the 3.5L V6 EcoBoost however i read that under load, it’s MPG drops a lot, but if I get the 5.0L Ti-VCT V8 Engine it hardly drops in MPG under load, so it works out better to have the 5.0 V8 for a truck that will always be hauling a big load.

 

Due to storage  / height limitations, i am pretty sure we have to get a pop up. 

 

My wife and our ‘tween’ daughter love camping, and I like the large amount of storage in the F150 SuperCrew rear seating area, and the flexible 66/33% flip up seats there for storing camping stuff if need be. 

 

I dont want to move to an F250 - the F150 drives significantly better to me and I’m willing to get airbags, suspension upgrades / whatever it takes to make it ride well. Also the F-250 is going to be too big for my better half to approve. She would not want to drive it.

 

In a perfect world I’d get the flat bed (I love how a side entry and rear dinette would have a better traffic flow with three people, in my mind)

 

and would love the extra storage areas.

 

and on the flat bed Grandby or Hawk I could get the indoor shower option (curtain, floor drain) and this would be very handy as we like to 4 season camp, all over, and nothing like a very quick, occasional shower to freshen up!   :-)

 

but various reasons …. may have to get the standard drop in design.

 

So I have the same questions being discussed on this thread....   :-)

 

On this truck, with a 6.5’ bed, am I crazy to put a Grandby?

 

or much much better to stick to the Hawk?

 

3.5 Eco Boost or 5.0 V8?

 

How hard is it to install a flat bed? How much do they cost, approx? 

 

Would it be best to order the Ford F150 as it comes, and somehow store the truck bed in case i ever wanted to switch it back to being a pickup? (this sounds like a pain)

 

or order the F150 as a “no bed” order - bare chassis? 

 

In that case - where do the tail lights, backup camera, etc all go?  :-/

 

Thanks

 

John

[Wandering Sagebrush]

The only person I know with a Grandby on a short bed F150 says he wishes he would have gone with an 8’ bed, and F250/F350.

Since I’m old and lazy, I have a Ford dealer on the Oregon coast service my trucks. When I was thinking about a F150, I asked the service manager and a couple of the techs about choice of engine. All said they would go with the 5.0, although they also said there were no significant issues with the Eco Boost. My son-in-law has the 3.5 Eco boost in his, and while he loves it, he’s says it’s either Eco or Boost. In other words, mileage drops with a load or more aggressive driving.

[LosAngeles]

The only person I know with a Grandby on a short bed F150 says he wishes he would have gone with an 8’ bed, and F250/F350.

Since I’m old and lazy, I have a Ford dealer on the Oregon coast service my trucks. When I was thinking about a F150, I asked the service manager and a couple of the techs about choice of engine. All said they would go with the 5.0, although they also said there were no significant issues with the Eco Boost. My son-in-law has the 3.5 Eco boost in his, and while he loves it, he’s says it’s either Eco or Boost. In other words, mileage drops with a load or more aggressive driving.

Thanks - very helpful.

 

Yeah I had heard exactly that about the Eco Boost.... and as the FWC would be on the back the whole time.... mileage would drop. 

 

Is the 5.0 V8  a tried and true engine? 

 

The only good thing about going with the F150 SuperCrew is that there is a LOT of space in the 2nd row, and with the split rear seat - it would be very easy to load some stuff (bulky) into the space and still have lots of room for our daughter. 

 

I'd secure it somehow with a net or something. :-)

 

john

[klahanie]

Welcome LosAngeles !

 

Would likely get Ford to put on LT245/70 R17E BSW all-terrain tires at the factory to save hassle. I believe this is possible.

 

I just plowed thru the F150 order guide and specs. My advice is to find a competent sales person to order your vehicle for the best configuration result. I'd want the highest weight ratings and would order the tires above, or the 18" LTs to ensure the higher rated rear axle even if I was going to swap the tires out on delivery.

 

I dont want to move to an F250 - the F150 drives significantly better to me and I’m willing to get airbags, suspension upgrades / whatever it takes to make it ride well. Also the F-250 is going to be too big for my better half to approve. She would not want to drive it.

 

Understood. Just one point about the ride, it really should be compared when loaded. The F250 has heavier springs because of higher curb weight and vehicle load design. There may be an inverse effect to ride quality when heavily loading a F150 vs F2/350. You are prepared for the former, fair enough, am just mentioning the later, fwiw.

 

How hard is it to install a flat bed? How much do they cost, approx? 

Varies, I'm gonna say 5-10K without searching online. That would be with under deck boxes. If you're thinking camper slide in model to save $ over the FB model, much of the savings will prob be spent on the flat deck itself, if you are thinking one without the other ...

 

Would it be best to order the Ford F150 as it comes, and somehow store the truck bed in case i ever wanted to switch it back to being a pickup? (this sounds like a pain)

 

Agreed, good for resale if reusing flatbed but a pain if no easy storage avail.

 

or order the F150 as a “no bed” order - bare chassis? 

 

Didn't see box delete as an option in the F150 literature I looked thru. Think you'd need at least an F250 long box before that becomes a factory option.

 

In that case - where do the tail lights, backup camera, etc all go?  :-/

 

Good question. With factory bed delete the tail lights will be attached to the frame to meet DOT requirements (often just temporarily until body is attached). The flatbed or bumper would likely need to incorporate tail lights. For a permanent mount these could also be mounted on camper rear wall and be more visible.

 

 

Edited by klahanie, 26 November 2018 - 05:45 PM.