Wedge Life

The Hest is super easy to fold over itself forward to open up the truck bed area.

 

Yeah super easy

 

The link doesn't seem to be working for me, whats the part number I'm looking for?

Thanks!!

 

For those who have put solar, did you use flexible panels and if so how do you like them?

 

I am running two 100w CIGS Flexible Panels and love them. With the camper not opened I am pulling an average of 145 on a normal day. When I pop the tent up I'm getting 185+. I used 3M Adhesive Promoter to prep the area and then used the 3M sticky back that came with the panels.

 

I have 1 flexible 220. Used the sticky backside and some 3m tape on the perimeter. That plus the acr to the alternator keeps the x2 power battery real happy.

 

Link still works fine for me. The full part number depends on the force rating you need.

 

I ended up driving around with no tent or a half tent for about a year.
I finally got around to making a tent last year sometime. I kinda miss the open air of no tent though.

 

I have ran several solar setups. On flexible ran 2 110 watt panels and used 3M Velcro’s worked well but if you don’t seal around the edges it’s gets funky.

Recently pulled them off and upgraded to a 360 watt Merlin panel. will be connected to a red vision setup but haven’t completed the new setup but Merlin’s are great panels. Picked it from Rhino Adventure Gear in Fremont.

 

Due tomorrow, do tomorrow as the saying goes. Finally made some braces for the drip gutters I had come up with earlier this year. To catch the water that drips out of the frame of my stupid OVS Mamba tent.

The issue has gotten worse over time, luckily the inside is still dry but Im not sure how much longer that will last. Big trip to Colorado for a few weeks coming up in early Sept. Glad to finally have this resolved, and for anyone looking in the future you can bend your own brackets, but you will need some sort of brace like this to maintain its shape on the highway unless you build different or use very thick material.

 

How tight do you all tighten down your clamps to your bed rails? I’m getting some popping and clicking noises from one side of mine when my suspension is flexing over stuff and I can feel them coming from the clamps. I don’t know if I have them clamped down too hard or not hard enough and I’m nervous to go too tight and damage the t rail

 

What type of clamping system do you have? What camper?

The Alu-Cab Canopy Camper uses flat plates, so I torqued the bolts down a bit less than what an M8 bolt is supposed to be torqued to in a generic situation. But the plate is directly on the rail. If you have a clamp that has a bend in it or something, post a picture.

FWIW, a lot of campers attachment plates are subpar. This could be your issue in and of itself.

 

I've been getting similar noises lately, including loud creaking, and I'm pretty sure that's the reason. I had my camper off the truck to replace the triple bulb seal several months ago, so I'm betting the clamps are (over)due for a re-torque.
I'll report back on whether that resolves it.

 

I’ve got a Drifter which just uses traditional style two piece clamps to the t slot. It’s not my favorite for sure. I really like the way AluCab does there’s. But it hasn’t budged at all so at least it’s working.

I did back off the torque a couple turns on the clamp that was making noise and that seems to have made it stop making noise. It’s still plenty tight. Maybe some day I’ll just through bolt it.

 

Vagabond torque the clamps to 80 inch pounds, 6.67 foot pounds.

 

I ended up finding some seat back molle panels on Amazon that were the right dimensions. I took a chance and they ended up fitting really well. I cut off the straps they came with and had to drill out the holes that were really close to lining up but not quite in the right spot. They are surprisingly good quality though. I added some 3/4” spacers behind them and swapped out the 6mm button heads for some 35mm long ones and they came out pretty great!



Here are the links to what I used

Molle Seat Back Organizer Molle...

$109 Molle Seat Back Organizer Molle Panel Gun Holder Gun Rack For Vehicles Tactical Truck Mount Panels(2 PCS)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09W2CQD2W?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

M6 x 35mm Button Head Socket Cap...

M6 x 35mm Button Head Socket Cap Screws 10.9 Grade Alloy Steel, Allen Socket Drive, Black Oxide Finish, Machine Thread, 25 PCS

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08P1P32ML?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Aluminum Spacer 1/2" OD x 1/4" ID...

$15 Aluminum Spacer 1/2" OD x 1/4" ID x Choose Your Length, Round Spacer Unthreaded Standoff Bushing Plain Finish, Fits Screws Bolts 1/4" or M6 by Metal Spacers Online (3/4" Length, 10 Pack)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0842G2D8H?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

Yep, that was it.
I forgot that my buildout actually blocks access to the clamp in the one corner where the sound was mainly coming from, but tightening the other 5 down almost stopped the noise entirely.

 

I’m selling my fwc project m for 2nd or 3rd gen long bed for absolutely dirt cheap in SoCal (ad is in the parts fs section)

 

That's no wedge! But I'll let it slide, since unlike other 4WC products, it's just a topper with a bed platform that happens to be parallel to the ground instead of at an angle when open (like a wedge).

Comparing this to most other wedges, you end up with a larger bed and more usable space if you're taller since your feet aren't stuck in the short part of the wedge, rendering the bed shorter than the measurements. Also, unlike the SuperPacific/GFC, you don't have to disassemble the bed or crawl down a ladder to get out of bed since there is an opening down into the truck bed while the bed is fully deployed (like a Vagabond Drifter).

 

A few of us lived the Wedge Life along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon last week:

@Sixthelement

E5 Ski + TM3 - GC - Sept 2023 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr