Your boyfriend would be right if it was a wood framed camper which are often stapled together and come apart. FWC have welded aluminum frames and hold up well to off road driving. The weakest point appears to be the attachment points, both the turnbuckles and the bolt attachment to the camper. After breaking one bolt I have upgraded to #8 strength bolts all around and also added 4”X5” metal plates on the inside and outside to reinforce the wood where the bolts go through the camper. Many have also upgraded the turnbuckles. I have a lot of miles with my Tacoma/Fleet combo on logging roads, forrest service roads, and mild to moderate off road without any problems except the attachment points.
First time camper owner - looking to add struts to popup
#11
Posted 28 March 2017 - 08:51 PM
#12
Posted 29 March 2017 - 05:42 AM
In contrast to the strong and reliable welded aluminum frame portion of the camper, FWC assembles the plywood portion by stapling and screwing into the end grain of said plywood without benefit of adhesive.
#13
Posted 24 April 2017 - 11:03 PM
LarryQP
Edited by larryqp, 25 April 2017 - 01:55 AM.
2016 F150, FX4, XLT super cab
2019 FWC Hawk Shell
2009 Ford Ranger 4x4, XLT, Supercab total loss on 7/30/19
2014 FWC Shell total loss on 7/30/19
Towed behind our home which is a 2005 Kountry Star Diesel Pusher
#14
Posted 24 April 2017 - 11:46 PM
Here is my experience with my On Stage SS8800BPLUS Speaker Stand...
Bought 7/29/2012: only used 89 nights since then, times 2 up/downs of speaker stand = 178... round up for the very few times we would use other than spending the night = 225 up/downs.
On our 11,555 mile bucket list trip (52 nights in camper), I noticed the cranking was getting MUCH harder. When we got home I opened up the speaker stand and it had ALOT of brass "dust" in the unit. It appears the steel gear eats the brass gear.
'08 ATC Cougar (built 06/16/08)
# of nights in camper: '08=15, '12=21,'13=16, '14=10, '15=52, '16=11, '17=20 (equals 145)
Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: struts, camper, four wheel, popup, springs
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