30 replies to this topic

[MexiDan]

Just joined, but long time reader who just picked up our new ATC two weeks ago and today arrived home to the Tulum MX area.  Something a bit new as I understand it, a flat bed bolted directly to cross supports on the frame of the truck.  I meet the ATC gang last January while in the Bay Area for business and worked long distance with them to design something for my Mexican Ford Ranger 2.2L Diesel.  The pics from the Pacific coast of MX are what we came up with.  I can not say enough nice things about the entire group at ATC, thanks guys!!

 

Now that I'm home I need to outfit the inside and will continue to post more but after 11K km in 2.5 weeks I need to rest and get some other work done first.  Hope to be back on line later this week with some pics of the prep of the truck, the camper and the inside prior to build out.

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 

[GroovyDad]

Looking forward to some pics of the inside.  Congrats on the new rig!

[Taku]

yep, some more pics would be great. I may see a rig for retirement forming......  That is why I like the ATC crew, doing custom work with them is great!

[ski3pin]

Thanks for posting about your new camper! Please also include some information and photos, if you can, on your Ranger. Congrats on your new camper!

[Durango1]

An interesting concept. Are the frame rails on your rig flat? (Like on a "chassis cab) How did they protect the underside of the unit against weather and moisture from the road?

 

If they've got it figured out it would have saved me 400# of aluminum flatbed and 5,000.00!

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Thanks for posting about your new camper! Please also include some information and photos, if you can, on your Ranger. Congrats on your new camper!

+1... I wish we could get that Ranger in the US. I'd love to see more photos on the camper and truck. Very nice!

[PaulT]

Señor Sage,

Appears you may have a road trip brewing.

Paul

[MexiDan]

Finding some other photos, some may be forever lost due to a smashed phone on the trip home.  The Ford Ranger sold in MX was available last year in a gas or diesel option, and I wanted diesel for what I think are obvious reasons. The only other diesels down here that were not 8cyl were the Nissan NP300 and the VW Amorok.  The NP300 has quite a bit less payload and just not built as well.  A real work horse but not a long haul type of truck as the Ranger.  The VW is quiet a bit more expensive and the design of the cab in relationship to the bed did not seem to lend itself to a camper (it curves back reducing the space available for the camper).

 

I would have rather had a shorter cab but they only sell the extended four door down here and I needed something for the dog, so I had to deal with a shorter bed.  They offered 4WD or 2WD.  I went 2WD based on where I typically drive (we'll see if I live to regret it).  The rated payload is 1,400kg.  The engine is 2.2L turbo that has been in use down here for a good number of years so they appear reliable.  The truck is pretty basic, air bags and AC.  No power windows, cruise or anything available with the diesel option and the color choice was white.  Prior to the camper going on I was getting around 28-30mpg and now with it on approximately 22 to 25 mph range at pretty high speeds (75mph).  More on the build as I find photos and have time.

 

 

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[allanb]

Thanks for the post. Love that you can buy a small diesel like that and mount to the frame. Would have liked to go the flat bed route, but also not willing to put out the extra $

[MexiDan]

Finding photos that I still have.  Below is the frame with the bed removed.  The other two show the side and back view after it came back from the metal shop.  They extended the rear frame by about 0.5 meters.  Essentially making it the length of the truck with the tail gate down (plus the length of the bumper).  They then added five 2" square bars to the frame, assuring that they were level on the top portion of the bars.  On each of the bars the added two tabs with 3/8" holes in them.  The metal shop also moved the mounting system of the spare tire back so that it could be reached more easily.

 

Note the very fine tail lights built out of what I could find locally.  I need to by some nicer LEDs in the near future.  I took it in for an oil change at the local Ford dealer prior to driving it north to pick up the camper and they rust proofed the entire frame for me for a relatively small fee (no pictures of this).

 

I had to move the fuel hose around slightly to place it as close to the cab as possible and still keep it up high.  It's worked out quiet well like this. 

 

While there is quiet a bit of space beyond the rear axle my plan is to put very little weight back in this area and keep as much as possible over the axle itself (more in future posts).

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 
•