Hondo Garage's New Thing

For those that are new to this project, or didn't yet realize

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destructive_testing

"These [Destructive] tests are generally much easier to carry out, yield more information, and are easier to interpret than nondestructive testing."

Its science

 

I’m scared to weigh mine..........

My camping weight would actually go down with a GFC

I guess the plus side is my E load rating tires aren’t bad

 

@jp88 If that 900lbs is distributed throughout the truck, and especially if ~300lbs is you and a passenger I wouldn't be too concerned with the frame plates.

I think the frame boxing is easier with the bed off but I did plates with just the tires removed. Super easy and I think an exhaust shop could probably do it in an hour. Took me under two in my driveway taking it slow.

If you do get them, make sure to alternate sides frequently while welding and take a few breaks to limit the overall heat input.

The thing I always worried more about was killing the differential/rear axle bearings. "8.4" or e-locker housing it doesn't matter, it's a long way between a fairly small wheel bearing and the side gears. You start bouncing lots of weight on top and something is going to bend. I'm surprised we don't see more failures on these actually as the rear end has stayed more or less unchanged since the early 90s, while our trucks have ballooned in weight. This is a big part of why the reasonable weight of the GFC is important to me.

 

Highest I've hit is 5800lbs. I have E rated tires and hate that you can't hardly get a C rated tire in a 16'' or 17''. C rated tires are soooo much more comfortable

 

Looks awesome! I'm glad they're sharing progress with us. I hope this thing turns out to be a HUGE success for them!

 

Me too.
Hope it takes some market share from the Habitat. More competition is good.

 

I think it's going to eviscerate the habitat.

If someone (with a platform GFC supports) was looking to buy new today, unless they absolutely needed the additional hammock sleeping space option above the truck bed, I'm not sure what the habitat would win out on?

 

eh some people will like that the bed doesn't have to be essentially half removed to stand up and cook a meal in the back of the truck. Few other things that could be more appealing as well.

But considering the price difference...I doubt that will make most go for a habitat vs the GFC.

 

At the same price I would get the habitat due to almost double the sleeping area (family), but at half the price the go fast camper wins out hands down.

Also the go fast you don’t have to pay more for “windoors”, or any color than bare aluminum.


Also another big plus is that you don’t have a tent “ceiling” it’s not fabric so that’ll help with any bad weather and probably some insulation.

 

What are your thoughts on aerodynamics and wind noise while driving? I saw that you will be offering a fairing? The front overhang looks like it will grab a lot of air.

 

This is why I went to 17" specifically; more tire options. I'm running C-rated 285/70/17s, although I like the look of thicker sidewalls when running 16" wheels, personally.

 

16s are limited. But i find 17s just a limited. You can't find anything other then KO2s in C rated i think in a 17'' wheel that isnt smaller then a 33.

I'll stick to my 15'' wheel on my main wheeling rig. Cheap tires too!

 

My Nitto Ridge Grapplers are 33s c-rated, and I have a 17 inch wheel. Fantastic tires so far. Your truck looks familiar, did you go on The Tour with the rest of the NW guys?

 

haha...yeah..i planned that trip haha

interesting and good to know!

 

Like I said - for those who really need the extra sleeping space I get it. In reality, seeing Inv3ctiv3's pictures of sleeping three adults in a flippac, I don't see the space over the bed as sleeping more than one adult. If you go to two, how is anyone going to get out? Sure, one person could sleep below in the bed, but that's also still an option with the GFC. So I will grant that the flippac provides room for one more adult at a significant cost. Everyone has different needs and to each their own.

In terms of cooking a meal, I would only consider doing that indoors if the weather was really nasty - and I don't usually find myself doing many trips when that's the case. Otherwise, it's much nicer to cook outside than it is inside either camper, as they're not RVs and I'm OK with that. I'd get a hotel or AirBnB if I wanted to be inside all the time.

 

Completely agree.

Flippac

1) No flippac for me because the amount of time I would use it doesn't justify the cost. Or the weight. Or the size....
2) not sure how much more room a flippac really has - even though it looks f'ing cool.
3) inclement weather - I'm in the PNW - it rains a lot. Fiddling with a rainfly 10' off the ground (in the rain) seems like a PITA.​

RTT

1) same cost for canopy, rack, tent as for GFC.
2) Easier, simpler, lighter, and should be better in inclement weather.
3) again, no damn rainfly to muck around with
​

As far as cooking inside goes - I would never cook more than boiling water for soup inside the enclosed canopy/gfc. I'll get a canopy to attach to the back and cook on the tailgate - or even further away for that matter. Up here bears are a big problem and just what I need is a nosy bear trying to get into my bunk because it smells like bacon....​

Since we're all off topic and all over the place (I mean someone was posting tire pix a minute ago -

I'm thinking of ditching the FrontRunner rack. It doesn't fit with the GFC and I'm not sure it's worth the effort to cut it down. I haven't found that I use the damn thing for much other than mounting the ski box. I was going to put a RTT up there but the GFC is going to make my life much easier in that regard (see above) so I'm 99% sure I'm going to ditch it and just use a ski box on top of the GFC when I either go skiing or need extra storage space up top.

Anyone have a good reason to talk me out of it?

Very soon for sale in Vancouver BC (I can deliver across the border as well) - Minty Front Runner Rack and Minty Inferno Canopy!

 

I think rack questions are on-topic and it's something I keep forgetting to ask!

I would like to figure out what my rack options would be with an access cab and the GFC, so I can mount my solar panel to it. I previously have used one set of yakama towers and cross bar and attached the rear end of the panel to my shell. The mounting allowed for flex between the bed and body, but would slowly loosen my towers over time, and I would periodically have to snug them down.

Are there options to use the factory channels on the access cab to attach a low profile rack that will fit under the GFC?

 

I thought I read that there will be a rack option (like Rhino Pioneer Platform) soon that you can walk on. I hope so, because this would be a great option for hauling lumber or using your truck as a work truck.