bento
New Member
Tl;DR Can we use a FWC Fleet in a half ton pickup?
We've had a FWC Fleet Shell in my 09' Ford Ranger for a few years and have been really happy with it. We're thinking about taking some time off work and living on the road for six months or a year and are contemplating a bigger setup though. We're thinking of moving to a Lance camper trailer because we'll need a four season setup and more space. The Ranger isn't great for towing, especially with the manual transmission, so we figure we'll need a bigger truck when we're ready to take the plunge and go full time on the road. We're thinking of buying a bigger truck now and then finding a trailer next year when we're closer to heading out.
So, in the meantime, we'd like to sell the Ranger and keep using the FWC in a bigger truck. In a stock F150 or a Tundra, it seems like the weight of the Fleet wouldn't be an issue, but I'm wondering about the camper fitting over the cab and the walls of the bed. I'm struggling to find measurements on the height of the cab relative to the bed on these bigger trucks. Does anyone know how much of an issue this will be? Would it be possible to put some kind of shim under the camper to raise it up enough to fit over the cab/bed walls? I'm envisioning building something with 2x4s or maybe welding a little aluminum frame to sit under the camper. Would raising the weight up higher be a safety concern when driving?
Finally, if we're going to be selling the FWC eventually, would it be better to just sell it together with the truck? I've already got I-bolts in the bed of the truck and wiring to the battery as well as heavier duty leaf springs and shocks. It seems like I could possibly get more money selling the Ranger and FWC together, but that would mean buying an expensive truck and expensive camper trailer at the same time as well.
Any thoughts on our dilemma would be appreciated. Thanks for your input
We've had a FWC Fleet Shell in my 09' Ford Ranger for a few years and have been really happy with it. We're thinking about taking some time off work and living on the road for six months or a year and are contemplating a bigger setup though. We're thinking of moving to a Lance camper trailer because we'll need a four season setup and more space. The Ranger isn't great for towing, especially with the manual transmission, so we figure we'll need a bigger truck when we're ready to take the plunge and go full time on the road. We're thinking of buying a bigger truck now and then finding a trailer next year when we're closer to heading out.
So, in the meantime, we'd like to sell the Ranger and keep using the FWC in a bigger truck. In a stock F150 or a Tundra, it seems like the weight of the Fleet wouldn't be an issue, but I'm wondering about the camper fitting over the cab and the walls of the bed. I'm struggling to find measurements on the height of the cab relative to the bed on these bigger trucks. Does anyone know how much of an issue this will be? Would it be possible to put some kind of shim under the camper to raise it up enough to fit over the cab/bed walls? I'm envisioning building something with 2x4s or maybe welding a little aluminum frame to sit under the camper. Would raising the weight up higher be a safety concern when driving?
Finally, if we're going to be selling the FWC eventually, would it be better to just sell it together with the truck? I've already got I-bolts in the bed of the truck and wiring to the battery as well as heavier duty leaf springs and shocks. It seems like I could possibly get more money selling the Ranger and FWC together, but that would mean buying an expensive truck and expensive camper trailer at the same time as well.
Any thoughts on our dilemma would be appreciated. Thanks for your input
