21 replies to this topic

[jbburns]

Hey Everybody,

I am new to the the truck camping world but my wife and I are super excited to get started on this journey. I am hoping to get some feedback on the rig we are creating and to see if anyone out there has similar setups and recommendations. This past week, my wife and I put a deposit down on a new FWC Fleet. We liked that the counters were lower for her and the ability to put the camper on a smaller truck. We are planning to leave the camper on the truck full time so we are getting the camper without jacks and the dealership said that they will always have them available if we change our minds down the line. The camper comes in at around 1150 pounds with all of the options. We love camping on Forest Service roads throughout Washington and Oregon and we wanted a rig that would let us travel somewhat gnarly roads without having to get stuck. 

 

As for the truck, we pulled the trigger on a lightly used 2018 Chevy Colorado with a 3.6L V6 gas engine, the crew cab and the long 6' bed. After speaking with the camper dealership we are getting Firestone Ride Rite airbags installed, a set of E rated tires and lifting the truck by 2" to accommodate the larger tires and give us added ground clearance. The truck dealership is ordering these parts right now and they said we could still change our order if we  need to change our specs. 

 

My questions for the community as a whole are:

1) Does this seem like a safe setup? It seems like many Fleet campers on a mid-size truck (Tacoma, Colorado, etc.) are likely to exceed their payload when you take into account passengers, water, and gear. 

 

2) Is there anything you would do differently with the truck? 

 

3) I am concerned that with the added height from the airbags, lift kit, and the extra platform needed to install the camper on a Colorado, will make the truck too tall. We are planning to have a collapsible step stool that we can use to enter the camper and to operate the latches on the camper. Does anyone have experience with a similar setup? 

 

4) We have a large dog (about 85 pounds) we know that space will be tight in the camper when he is in there too but we plan on being in the camper primarily when it is time to sleep and when the weather is at all decent we will be hanging outside next to a fire instead. Does anybody use a Fleet with two people and a large dog? 

 

Thanks for considering everyone. I am feeling a bit nervous about such a big investment but at the same time I am really looking forward to the camping opportunities that will open up with this setup. 

Edited by jbburns, 06 December 2018 - 03:11 AM.

[trikebubble]

Congrats. I think you're on the right road. My . 02? Just go out, camp, explore, and have fun. Don't overthink it too much at the beginning. The additional things you may need will come down the road.
Our FWC dealer told us that 75% of the campers they sell go on the mid-size Tacoma, so I wouldn't be too concerned about your setup at all.
We have two dogs (55 and 75 pounds) and we fit them in our Hawk no problem. We generally leave the table down in the bed position, and they hang out an sleep in that. If we do need the table, the dogs just go up on our bed.
Enjoy the adventure.

[jrwdlw]

I think you answered you own question with point #1.  You are going to be significantly overloaded right at the get go.  There are many issues that aren't readily apparent.  A quick google says your truck can carry about 1500 lbs. in a 2WD version.  That will be a zero option truck.  What options do you have?  You need to know your weight as the truck is delivered, without the camper.  I'll bet you don't even have 1500 lbs.  Just because you put E rated tires on, doesn't mean the rims can support the weight the tire can carry.  Check that.  Your brakes are going to be an issue, and so will handling and stability.  I would find a heavier duty platform for the camper.  Just my opinion.

[camper rich]

The secret is keeping it as light as possible. We traveled to Baja with our 1998 FWC Ranger II Shell Model on a 1998 Dodge Dakota. While the camper only weighed 700 lbs, and the truck had a 5300 lb GVWR, we were always overweight because we had sea kayaks up top and were towing about 1000 lbs of aluminium fishing boat and motor, along with bicycles packed inside, ARB Fridge, groceries and water jugs for 2 week stays offroad. We weighed as much as 6800 lbs when we did the last and toughest miles into our campsites, loaded with food, extra water and gas. The truck did eventually die and early death after 10 years, I felt in no small part, because it was usually overloaded. When I got a new truck it was a 3/4 ton and we continued traveling to Baja for another 10 years now and the truck is still going strong. We eventually, in 2016, sold the old Shell Model and moved up to a new Grandby, which is much more confortable. It has plenty of room for two of us plus our 12 lb cat. We still overload it, but we are much closer to the GVWR now.

On the Dakota I had installed Airlift air bags, but I ditched them after a few years in favor of an addition leaf spring on the back. My 2500 Ram has Timbrens on it which are trouble free and do the same job as the airbags would, although not adjustable like the airbags. I never had a problem with the 31 x 1050 x 15 C rated BFG A/T tires on the Dakota. I use E Rated tires on the Ram, but it's GVWR is 8800 lbs. I personally don't think they are necessary on a mid size truck.

Anyway, good luck and welcome to the FWC world.

[Wandering Sagebrush]

JD, congrats and welcome. I think you’re on the right track, but not sure that the lift is needed. There are a couple of folks herewith Colorado’s, so hopefully, they will give you a shout.

It’s going to be tight in there with the fur baby. I have a couple of Wirehairs, one that is pushing 80 pounds and the other at 60. The big male takes up most of the aisle or the lower berth. I can’t imagine having both in there. Consider removing the back seat and letting the pup sleep in the truck.

[kmcintyre]

Welcome.  You'll get a lot of input and here's mine :-).

 

Like 'camper rich' I had my Eagle on a Dakota w/ E tires and airbags.  We also did a 2 month Baja trip and had it on a Dakota for 4 years or so.  Jumping forward and a long story, we turned the Dakota to the daily driver (NOT because of the camper although the truck was somewhat underpowered, we take our time so that wasn't a total issue) and we got a diesel RAM 1500.  Our FWC is on full time too so I did similar to what you did.  Airbags, tires, etc.  I also put heavy duty springs on the truck (rear).  Lots of power.  We are over-weight too and have a dog, etc. like you.  It's pretty easy to exceed the GVWR.  On the other hand, I would bet 90% of the FWCs on 1/2 ton trucks are overweight and still going strong.  

 

If I had to do it again and had unlimited funds and didn't care about mgp, I'd go 3/4 or 1 ton.

 

So... back to your question.  I'm not that familiar w/ the power on the Colorado but assuming you are ok with that and that the camper will be on full time, I'd put springs on.  My thought on my truck was, 'what happens if an airbag fails in Baja/Mexico or somewhere where I can't fix it?'.  Check w/ Boise Spring (search this forum).  A lot of people have used their springs and you can probably find someone near you that can add a spring.  Boise spring also sells FWCs (I think) so they know what you need.

 

I originally didn't have jacks/brackets on my camper either but eventually had them put on.  I don't carry my jacks with me but it's cheaper to do it at the factory (IMHO) as you can't find used jacks and the brackets are expensive (there are was to do it DYI if you want to mess with it).  The reason I had/needed jacks was that my RAM is very high.  I was renting cable jacks when I needed to take the camper off for some reason (Maint, etc.) and the cable jacks are a) scary not high enough.  Considering what you are spending at this point, another $600ish isn't very much to have them from the start.  I had mine installed at ATC on a trip home through CA from Baja.

 

We originally "overloaded" the camper w/ things we didn't really need. We've been pulling stuff out we don't need. You'll figure that out over time.  

 

Good luck and have fun!  

 

Kevin

[rando]

There are many thousands of FWC fleets/eagles/rangers driving around on smaller trucks (mostly Tacomas, but also Colorados, Rangers etc) and you don't really hear of issues, and I have had no issues with my Fleet flatbed/Tacoma combo.   That said,  you need to be very conscious of the extra weight you add - it is probably not wise to add another 500lb of wince/bumpers/bike racks on top of what you have.

 

My only comment is that if your camper will be on the truck full time, and it sounds like you want to use it in rougher conditions, you should get new springs that are appropriate for the weight as opposed to relying on air bags.   I have OME heavy duty Dakar leaf springs in the back and airbags, and never put more than about 25 psi in the bags to adjust for small changing loads.   If you are taking significant weight on the airbags, the ride will suffer and you are introducing a stresses part of the frame that was not designed for it, you are also in trouble if the airbags leak/burst which is likely to happen in rougher terrain.  

 

Finally, as others have said - rethink whether you need a lift.   You are already going to be top heavy, particularly with the slide-in model in a deep truck bed - raising this even further with a lift will make the handling (which is going to suffer no matter what) even worse. 

[buckland]

Howdy and welcome to the WTW forum and know that this is a wonderful place to get help and share experiences. I too have a 2016 diesel Colorado with a 6 ft bed. I have done over 15,000 miles with the camper on....AK, Yukon.... it has been put through some rough tests and came out smiling. Like the Tacoma which I had when I first got my Eagle FWC, it is up there on the edge of max load. There are a lot of ways to deal with that. On my Tacoma (a little 4 cylinder manual 4WD) .... it did great ...I had an add a leaf put on and had Firestone bags. I am always around 1500 lbs load... no problem. On the Colorado I have dealt with the height issue my way but there are a few options. I did not like the pre-existing 'rake' Chevy have. (Not level) I replaced the shocks with Bilstein 5100 RHA shocks for the front. I installed them in the +2" height which leveled my truck. (I also added Bilstein in the back but they are not height adjustable). E rated tires Copper  AT3 Discoverer. At first I put on an add a leaf... didn't like it mostly as I tried the Air Lift bags (junk IMO) and three sets failed. PITA. I wish I had used Firestone again....but anyway I eventually decide as I will retire soon and keep the camper on all the time ...was to have Boise Spring Works in Idaho make me a spring pack....they take out 2 large leaves and added 6. Man it is nice now. They work with FWC and have had a lot of experience.... If I was going to only have the camper on a month or two a year I would simple stay with just the Firestone air bags to bring up the back ... The Colorado and the Eagle is a great match. What pleasure to drive... the diesel has tons of power. In the summer months I pull a trailer as well for my job (antique restorations) and have had it full and the camper and hardly knew it was there. (The diesel also has an exhaust brake that helps a lot on mountain road descents as well as a 'haul mode' that uses a different shift pattern for same up and down.  I do not travel light but I travel safely. I did put on a sway bar as I felt having to raise the camper up to get above the side rails put the center of gravity a bit higher so the sway bar really stiffened up the cornering  and made me feel fine. BTW my truck is still nearly level (be sure to adjust your headlights after you have the lifts done or you'll have a lot of angry blinded people. Best of luck and feel free to ask any specific questions. This is a very polite and friendly forum I think you will find some great connections here.  

[longhorn1]

Welcome to the group. I can't comment on the weights. We have a fully loaded Grandby on a F-250 crewcab, 8' bed. We have a front dinette and the dog bed for our yellow lab is between the seats and under the table. We have a dog ramp for getting her in and out of the truck and camper. We also have a small off-road trailer to haul our gear.

[Ace!]

Airbags are not for offroad use.  They defeat the purpose of a well-sprung 4x4.  That being said, it may be a non-issue for you, especially if you stay on FS roads.

 

Otherwise, you're going to have a lot of fun.

Edited by Ace!, 06 December 2018 - 08:02 PM.