DesertDog
Advanced Member
In response to the first question on compensating for bed heights.
I had same issue putting a Fleet, sized for a 2nd Gen Tacoma onto a 3rd Gen Tacoma which has 1" taller bed sides.
I went with the rigid pink foam insulation panels found at many home improvement stores and suggested by others on the FWC Facebook site. The rubber mats are heavy and doubling them up to get extra height is weight inefficient. The foam is much lighter and comes in 1-1/2" thickness which should provide an extra inch of height after removing the rubber mats and cutting the foam to fit between the tiedown bars.
The rigid foam may at first seem too soft, but in reality, is rated for about 15 psi, so a 100 sq inches of contact is enough to support a 1500 lb camper. For reference, a 30" long 2X4 laying flat provides 105 sq inches of contact and a FWC has significantly more contact surface than a 30" 2X4. The other question is if the foam provides sufficient friction to keep the camper from sliding around. I've noticed on mine, after the first trip, slight indentations of the foam to match the ribs under the camper and the ribs molded into bed of the Tacoma so I feel that this will help lock it in position to prevent it from sliding.
I've haven't taken many trips with the foam so I can't comment on long term solution. I did notice some surface cracks on the face skin of the panel when I removed the camper. They are not deep nor causing the foam to break apart, but something to watch. On other hand, the material is inexpensive so even if I have to replace it after a year, it won't break the bank. Only other comment is to regularly check the turnbuckles to compensate for any compression of the foam and don't forget to remove them whenever camper is removed so they don't fly away when driving.
I had same issue putting a Fleet, sized for a 2nd Gen Tacoma onto a 3rd Gen Tacoma which has 1" taller bed sides.
I went with the rigid pink foam insulation panels found at many home improvement stores and suggested by others on the FWC Facebook site. The rubber mats are heavy and doubling them up to get extra height is weight inefficient. The foam is much lighter and comes in 1-1/2" thickness which should provide an extra inch of height after removing the rubber mats and cutting the foam to fit between the tiedown bars.
The rigid foam may at first seem too soft, but in reality, is rated for about 15 psi, so a 100 sq inches of contact is enough to support a 1500 lb camper. For reference, a 30" long 2X4 laying flat provides 105 sq inches of contact and a FWC has significantly more contact surface than a 30" 2X4. The other question is if the foam provides sufficient friction to keep the camper from sliding around. I've noticed on mine, after the first trip, slight indentations of the foam to match the ribs under the camper and the ribs molded into bed of the Tacoma so I feel that this will help lock it in position to prevent it from sliding.
I've haven't taken many trips with the foam so I can't comment on long term solution. I did notice some surface cracks on the face skin of the panel when I removed the camper. They are not deep nor causing the foam to break apart, but something to watch. On other hand, the material is inexpensive so even if I have to replace it after a year, it won't break the bank. Only other comment is to regularly check the turnbuckles to compensate for any compression of the foam and don't forget to remove them whenever camper is removed so they don't fly away when driving.
