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FWC and ATC Comparison (what are the differences ?)


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#1 Stan@FourWheel

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Posted 12 September 2007 - 04:36 PM

*Update Message* 10/20/2009

Some of the most recent changes we are excited about ...

Eagle, Finch, Falcon, Fleet, & Ranger Model now have 6' 4" of interior headroom.

The Finch, Eagle, Fleet (wide body eagle), Hawk, Kestrel, Ranger, Grandby, & Keystone Models all have a 22 gallon fresh water tank now !

Most all of our camper models have room up under the front couch / settee for 1 or 2 deep cycle batteries. We have made extra room because many of our customers these days are wanting dual camper batteries.

We now have a "wide body eagle" model available for customers that might want a little extra room inside their camper. The Eagle Model is 69" wide. The "wide body" Eagle Model is 75" wide.

In the wide body Eagle Model we can install the hot water w/ the outside shower option now. So if you have a small truck like a Tacoma, we can now put hot water & an outside shower on it. Yea !

We are using 6 gallon aluminum hot water heaters now. No anode rod required. These new tanks hold more water and are lighter than the older hot water heaters.

We are installing hot water bypass valves and a low water drain in the campers that have the hot water system. So if you want to easily winterize and not fill the hot water heater beacuse the weather might get below freezing, it is very easy to winterize the camper now.

We are now offering a small opening drivers side window on the Ranger, Grandby, and Keystone Models.

We are now an authorized distributor for the Engel refrigerators and can install the Engel coolers in most any of our campers if the customers would prefer this over a 3-way refrigerator. Please call or e-mail for current prices.

We can now install a 2-way "compressor" refrigerator/freezer in most all of our campers if the customer would prefer this over the 3-way gas absorption style refrigerator. Please call or e-mail for current prices.

We are installing a high quality 30amp marine plug on the side of the campers so you can hook the camper into your garage, generator, or shore power when available. All the campers (except the shell model) come with an IOTA 30amp power converter inside the camper as standard equipment.

We now have 4 different fabric colors available for the interor couch & bed cushions.

All of our kitchen cabinets and small storage cabinets are now hinged and can be pulled or flipped open. We don't use any of the slider cabinet doors any longer. We found the slider cabinet doors just didn't slide as well as customer wanted.

Most all of our campers now have a LED entry light to provide comfort and easy of entry into the camper as you get inside. Once inside the camper you can then turn on the interior lights.

We are now using a nice Wedgewood propane cook stove. This new stove has one large burner in case you have a big frying pan, and the second burner is the average size. This gives you more cooking flexibility depending on the size of your cooking pots and pans.

In all of our new campers (except the kestrel model) we are now using 2 smaller 10 lb. propane tanks. These tanks are much easier to find locally if you need a spare or a replacement. They will give you more flexibility on how you can use them. Customers seem to be really excited because they can now leave one tank in the camper to run propane item, and they can easily use the 2nd tank outside to fuel the outside camp stove, bbq, lantern, etc.

We have switched over to a 12,000 btu furnace in all of our models. It uses very little battery power to run the fan (the benefit ... your aux. camper batery will last longer) and the new furnaces are quieter than the old Suburban and Atwood furnaces we have used in the past.

We are offering 2 different couches for most all of our models now. We can install the original L-Shaped roll over couch bed, or we can install the new Dinette style with 2 seats facing each other and a table in the middle. There is no cost difference between the 2 styles of couches.

On the Hawk, Grandby, Kestrel, and Keystone Models we are installing quality LED running / marker lights on the outside of the campers. This will help to keep you safer while traveling at night.

We have a gas strut list assist available now for all of our campers. This is a nice feature if you are having a hard time raising the camper roof, or if you are planning to leave a little gear on the camper roof and need just a little extra help from a simple roof list assist. We can install this on any new or used FWC camper.

All of our campers are now being constructed with a very modern interior for the walls, couch, & cabinets. We felt the older style Western Oak (oak wood grain) was getting a little outdated. Customers were commenting that the oak grain cabinets looked old. We are now using what we call a "Birch" interior. It is just a little lighter, and has a much more modern look to it.

All of the new campers coming off the production line will come standard with dual 12v outlets at no additional charge. With todays modern society, we found customers are wanting that extra 12v outlet for running items like a laptop, dvd player, or recharging their cell phone.

In the next few weeks we will have the new "aluminumed framed" cab-over (hard side) campers available for order. So if you might be looking for a light weight cab-over camper and just are not wanting a "pop-up" style camper, please call or e-mails us. We will have these new hard sided cab-over campers available very soon !
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http://www.fourwh.co...Ccomparison.htm




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We are making tons of positive & exciting changes around here that past few months.

If you are looking at buying a truck camper and are comparing the ATC vs. the FWC, you really owe it to yourself to check them both out ! Go see their campers, and then come see our campers. The difference will speak for itself. We keep getting potential customers calling and e-mailing us saying ... "both the FWC and the ATC campers look pretty much the same, why is there a price difference between the two ?". Remember, you usually get what you pay for. Come see us.


=====================================================


Hello everyone on the forums


More and more these days with the WanderTheWest forums growing, we get the same question from people looking ... "what are some of the differences between the FWC and ATC campers, they look so much the same ?"


We put together a quick spread sheet to note the differences we can see between the Four Wheel Campers and the All Terrain Campers.


See spread sheet here ...



http://www.fourwh.co...Ccomparison.htm



Please, please, please ... take this as a positive comparison list, we are not putting this together to bash, only to note the differences we know about.


If you see anything that is not accurate, let us and we will change it ASAP !


Ben and All Terrain Campers build a great product, just different. Either way you go, you will be making the right decision. It will really boil down to what you are looking for in your camper, what you want to use it for, and what suits your needs best for options.


I hope this list helps -- any feed back good or bad is welcomed if changes are needed to the comparison.


Happy Camping !




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Stan Kennedy --- Four Wheel Pop-up Campers
1400 Churchill Downs Avenue, Suite A

Woodland, CA 95776
(800) 242-1442 or (530) 666-1442
www.fourwh.com  ---  e-mail = stan@fourwh.com


#2 benburnett

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Posted 13 September 2007 - 12:18 AM

Stan,

Thanks for fixing the list. Looks good. We still use the old style vent to keep the profile lower so that some customers can fit the camper in the garage.

I like your vents better but they add a couple of inches to the height. Seems like everything is one trade off for another.:)

Again, appreciate the way you put the list together. Very nice job.
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Ben

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#3 NJTaco

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Posted 13 September 2007 - 12:52 AM

Stan,

The comparison helps those of us who have not seen both campers. (Or either, in my case.) The current version comes across much better than the first, and appears less biased. Not that it was intentionally biased the first time, but now it "reads" better.

On a related note, you both (Ben and Stan) impress me with how well you relate here on the forum. I've worked in the RV industry at the retail level, and can't think of many professionals that act so...professionally. Best to both of you in your endeavors. I'm looking forward to seeing examples of your work on the east coast someday.

Bob
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#4 cabezon23

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Posted 13 September 2007 - 01:03 AM

Hi Stan and Ben,

the list looks almost complete, but I think to assure that you covered really every single detail you would have to put both campers side by side.

One detail I am missing on this list are the prices. I put a few months ago a price comparison here:

http://spreadsheets....e&scol=0&ecol=9

The prices might be outdated, but I think a price comparison should also be part of your list.

The tendency of both of your companies is clear. FWC is going after the more comfort oriented camper, ATC is after the KISS fan (Keep It Simple, Stupid).
But then again, the additional 4" width of the ATC doesn't make sense. It gives more room and comfort. But maybe this is the exception to confirm the rule.:rolleyes:

Food for thought.
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#5 cabezon23

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Posted 13 September 2007 - 01:07 AM

Hi NJTaco,

you'll see an ATC Bobcat soon on the east coast, but down south in Florida. My ATC should be delivered by Oct/Nov.
Just let me know if you are coming down and want to have a look at it ;)
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03 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4x4, D Cab, Air-Lift, Schroth Safety Harness, Recaro Seat (finally) on board laptop w GPS, ARB Front Bumper, Manual Hubs.

#6 NJTaco

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Posted 13 September 2007 - 01:14 AM

Hi NJTaco,

you'll see an ATC Bobcat soon on the east coast, but down south in Florida. My ATC should be delivered by Oct/Nov.
Just let me know if you are coming down and want to have a look at it ;)


My father just bought a condo down there some where...I'm to visit this winter, I hope. I'll try to contact you before we go, and get together. Thanks for the offer.

Bob
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#7 benburnett

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Posted 13 September 2007 - 01:34 PM

The extra width was so that we could put a deeper cabinet in the camper. This increased the size of the water tank compared to what we used to do and gives more storage in the cabinet area.

It also increases the size of the bed to be a little more comfortable for two people and allows us to keep the mattress a full four inches instead of splitting it into a 2" mattress.

Other than that, we keep it simple as you state. I have told most people who asks me the difference that FWC offers more options and has more standard on their campers than we do. Not everyone needs all that though and we offer a more basic camper and lets you choose the options you need for the style of camping that you will be doing.

Price wise, if you look at the updated price list, you will find us about even depending on what options you are looking for. In some cases we may be more or FWC may be more. Just depends on how you want to set up the camper. You really can't go wrong with either company and I have lost track of the amount of customers that I have recommended over to FWC because they were looking for something that we just didn't offer. Both companies fill a nitch in the industry and I hope that over time we will still be able to help each others customers in this type of forum.
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Ben

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email: benbntt@gmail.com

#8 Brewery Meister

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Posted 12 March 2009 - 03:39 AM

And liked both.

I owned a Grandby that was loadED... and was one heckuva camper. I sold it for practically what I paid for it after using it for 3 years.

My current Panther (first one sold) started out as a shell unit with an L couch, table, heater, large windows on both sides a window in the back, sliding front window, 12 V outlet, 110 inverter, extra battery with separate charging, pre-wired for solar, extra steel in the back to bolt stuff to, a "porch" light, and wired/switched for two more lights in the back, vent and mechanical jacks... The two large windows and the one in the back make the camper seem so much bigger and lighter. Great decision. I think that the ATC has a bigger door too.

I agree with what some of the people have said, the ATC is for us KISS people. I went with my unit because... and I've said this before... I've camped, traveled, backpacked since I was a kid and for me the camper serves three purposes. (1) keeps me dry in the rain, (2) keeps my poor old back off of the ground at night and (3) gives me a great place to carry all of my beer, er...camping stuff. Oh yeah and it looks cool.

I cook outside, always. I sleep inside and I'm mostly a fair weather camper. No Alaska winters for this Santa Cruz boy... Once I realized that, I knew that the Grandby was meant for someone who camped differently than I do.

So... check them both out. Talk to the guys in the shops, talk to the owners and go where your gut tells you to.

I've never met Stan, I'm sure he's a great guy and I know it's a great camper.

I know Ben, Marty and Jeff. They are the best. They've helped me every step of the way. They go out of their way to work with me ... even when it's obviously user error. And they know their stuff backwards and forwards.:D

You can't go wrong....
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Clark B :thumb:

2002 Tundra 4WD Limited...TRD package... limited slip... slight lift... custom built ATC - first one sold.

https://www.allterra...attie_Page.html

#9 Stan@FourWheel

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Posted 22 October 2009 - 05:06 PM

I just wanted to throw a quick update.

See 1st thread.





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Stan Kennedy --- Four Wheel Pop-up Campers
1400 Churchill Downs Avenue, Suite A

Woodland, CA 95776
(800) 242-1442 or (530) 666-1442
www.fourwh.com  ---  e-mail = stan@fourwh.com


#10 craig333

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Posted 24 October 2009 - 12:02 AM

Some very nice changes stan. Have any pics with the Engel installed?
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Craig K6JGV_________________________ 2004 2500 CTD 4X4 FWC HAWK 1960 CJ5





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