FOUR WHEEL CAMPER (FWC) THREAD!!

Very interesting. After you made the frame and axle mods, did you somehow get the truck re-engineered to increase your payload total??

Part of my concern is not only the safety of the truck carrying weight, but the issue of going over payload when it comes to insurance.
Getting into an accident where it can be proven that the truck is over payload could have very bad results.

Just mocked up a modestly built fleet with the side rollover couch option with no interior shower (not available on the rollover couch model).
The approximate weight was like 1250 dry.
That is a big difference from the 1450 dry of the front dinette with interior shower.
Getting closer to the weight of a Kimbo with the fleet side rollover couch option.

 

Also wanted to get opinions of 4 Wheel Camper owners on the weather proofness of the pop up vinyl material and overall pop up design.

How have you faired in strong rain, wind, snow etc??
Have you experienced any water leaks with the camper raised up??
Any water leaks from the velcro designed upper windows or leaks from where the vinyl meets the camper and/or roof??
What about when you lowered the camper and the vinyl was still wet from rain... did water leak into the camper through any creases/folds in the vinyl or through the folded upper velcro designed windows??

For those with the thermal pack upgrade, what are your thoughts on its effectiveness??
Has it dramatically increased the insulation and warmth retention??
Has it been effective keeping out cold drafts from the outside??
Hopefully it has also helped keeping the plumbing from freezing up while the furnace was on and the thermal pack installed??

 

For comparison, I just installed the Deaver Expedition, Stage 3 springs. Unloaded, the rear sticks up 5" higher than front. It probably would go higher but I kept the stock shocks on to act as limit stops until I get longer brake lines installed. Loaded with a FWC Fleet, it drops a little but rear is still 4" higher than the front. Hoping the springs will drop a little after running a few miles as I don't plan to keep the camper on full time.

Measurements Unloaded from ground to fender, Stock TRD Sport suspension in front. I should point out ground was not level which may explain difference in side to side numbers.
LF 35-1/4, RF 35-1/8, LR 41-1/8, RR 40-1/4

Measurements with Camper, zero miles since installation, Camper water tank 2/3 full, measurements taken on a level surface this time
LF 34-1/4, RF 34-14, RL 38-5/8, RR 38-1/4

So far it is much higher than the 2" I expected. Also beginning to wonder if I still need airbags with this amount of lift from the Deavers or if I might have been OK with the Stage II. Next step is to change out the front coil overs to regain the 1" height lost in front from the camper weight.

Looking for feedback from other with the stage IIIs if the Deavers settles down an inch or two after a few miles.

 

In the USA there’s no such thing as “getting re engineered”, and where im at there’s no vehicle inspections. the payload vs insurance is a debated topic on the internet, but also hard to find any examples of this (supposedly. I haven’t bothered digging into it myself)
As an engineer in the auto industry with knowledge of how GVWR and payloads are decided/calculated, it’s really just a number you can choose to follow or choose to ignore, and hopefully you just understand the potential consequences before making that choice

 

Thank you so much for this! This is incredibly helpful!!

And sweet truck, sweet setup!

 

Anyone know what type connector or adapter I need to plug a remote Sirius XM antenna into a 3rd Gen headunit?
I'm dealing with sporadic satellite reception with camper overhanging the sharkfin but surprisingly the GPS seems to work fine.

Will this work?
NEW Satellite Radio Antenna Fakra K Curry Female Connector Sirius XM Car Vehicle | eBay

 

Try here
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/sirius-antenna-relocation.420350/#post-19701838

 

Thanks for the link! Looks like there is a few option in the link to decide from

 

@Desert Dog
Here are some details on the shark fin removed

 

Howdy Partners,

Sorry for this quick product plug, but I think it's worth sharing.

I've been working for this guy Russ and his new company DAYLODGE based in White Salmon, WA. Russ has invented this mobile camp kitchen/tool bench/remote office bag for vehicle-based adventures called the Workspace Table Bag.

We just set up a local customer with a Workspace to use on the exterior of his 4WC.
This was our first use of Workspace on a 4WC and it fits to the right of the camper's door, perfectly placed under the exterior light haha.

We mounted it to the exterior using these Flexmount adhesive anchors (also by DAYLDOGE) + some carabiners and paracord to support the bag's top lid where we didn't have space for additional Flexmounts.

This creates a bonus standing-height work area on the exterior of any camper.

The bag can also be used stand-alone on any flat surface and/or you can mount it to the side of your truck bed by the wheel well using the included mounting straps. Super versatile and organized.

Thanks for reading, comment if you have any questions or ideas!

 

Talk about a random occurrence. Driving along the famous Pamir Highway in Tajikistan, we ran across a French dude with a four-wheel camper mounted on a 2021 Tacoma. He had ordered both in the US and had it shipped to France.

Super nice guy. Unfortunately in the year that he's had it, massive delays due to covid, he has his 6' camper mounted on a short bed with a foot projecting out the back. He's been driving it for a year and has already completely cracked the frame above the rear tire and had 3' area reinforced while in Iran.

Ours, mounted on a 6' bed has 120,000 miles of European, African, and now Asian roads has had only minor frame issues (knock on wood).

 

I love these four-wheel campers. I have a pop-up wedge camper on my truck, but sometimes really wish I had a larger one with more of a built-in interior.

 

Looks like his sits a bit lower, which could mean he is hitting the bumpstops more often/harder.
hitting bumpstops is a good way to banana the frame when overloaded.

Still a bummer though. glad to hear yours is holding up good!

 

Reporting back on my last post. IT DOES WORK! I gambled my $16.90 and bought one of these. Turns out it works...if you remove the yellow plastic part. Then it plugs right into back of the stock head unit without need for an adapter. Plastic part comes off easily with a dental pick and common sense. Plus it comes with a shortened 6 ft cable so you're not dealing with 20 ft of cable length when you only need 5.

I first tried mounting the antenna part to a ditch light bracket but got poor reception, probably because A) ditch bracket was stainless, B) Ditch bracket put it in a location where hood could not create a full ground plane. Have since moved it a few inches forward on the hood and now get better reception but will still drop out occasionally as camper will still shadow the signal depending on direction truck is traveling and position of the satellite. Going to start looking at mast antennas that work without ground plane but have not pulled the trigger. Anyone else use a mast type antenna? Reviews seem mixed on the two brands that show up on Amazon.

 

A question for you all. I'm thinking about getting a Project M but I have a full size Prinsu Roof Rack over the cab of the truck. Will the Project M fit or will I have to remove the Roof Rack.
Thanks in advance.

 

My swift, (full slide in camper) fits great with lots of space between my rack and camper.

 

Good deal for anyone looking for a Fleet / Taco ready to go setup

For sale 2012 TRD Tacoma Access Cab truck + 2015 FWC Fleet Popup Camper | Wander The West

 

Posted this in the suspension thread but didn't get any feedback. Let me know what yall think.

"I emailed Icon looking for advice but haven't heard anything back yet (sent over 2 weeks ago).
My current setup is extended bilstein 5100s with the RXT leaf pack setup at stage 2. I also have firestone air bags with daystar cradles. The front is 5100s with OME 886 springs. I have this setup for when we have our FourWheelCamper loaded. I don't know exact weight but I would guess around 800 or so pounds. Daily setup is pretty low weight - softopper and maybe 50 or 60 pounds of random stuff. With the stage 2 leaf setup, there is quite a lot of rake without the camper and it's a pretty stiff ride.
So, my question is whether it would be advisable to change the leaf pack to stage 1 and rely more on the airbags when the camper is installed. I need to take the leaf packs apart anyway to try to fix the squeak..."

 

What camper (assuming Fleet) and how is it outfitted? I had an Eagle on my Tacoma (2010 DCLB) and it was heavy as hell. I would leave the springs as is until you get the camper loaded.

 

It's a 1994 Ranger (6' model). It was redone a couple owners ago. No water tank or propane bottle, pretty basic inside with the pull out bed, counter top, fridge, and heater.