06 Tundra AC as a base for a flatbed camper?

[pjinus]

Looking for some feedback. We are coming from the Westfalia world and are transitioning to a truck camper. We love the short wheelbase of the Westy and are thinking of having a flatbed installed on an 06 Tundra with an access cab. We are drawn by the reliability of the Toyotas and the relatively short wheelbase of the first gen Tundras. The one ton trucks I've seen are a little too big for us.




So any thoughts or feedback on our plans would be appreciated!

 

[Beach]

Just took my Hawk off of a 06 access cab. Had the 4.0 six and it got us around but not much extra power for the hills, so go with the 4.7 V8 if you can. I used super springs to help carry the load, not a fan of air systems. If I had it to do over I would replace the entire stock spring pack with H.D. units, not helper springs. Other than that, H.D. shocks and some E rated tires, maybe a sway bar, and you should be good to go.

 

[Lighthawk]

I come from Westy-world too and have spent the last five years with 06 AC Tundra /Hawk combo. It's an awesome platform, capable of jeep trails my VW never would never have done. There's a big difference between 8" ground clearance on a Westy and 12" on my slightly lifted Tundra (Bilstein's plus rear airbags).

IMHO the Hawk is the max on the Tundra and flatbeds are heavier. Engine power is excellent with V8, but brakes and suspension are at limit. I'm attracted to the flatbed idea and may tackle that in the future, but it will be on a 3/4 ton full size rig.

 

[Beach]

Thought I would add something to my reply above. I removed from the A/C Tundra to put it on a F250.

 

[pjinus]

Thanks for the replies.

So could the suspension and brakes be built up to support the weight? I am hesitant to go 3/4 or full ton as I like the shorter wheelbase and size. Hmmmm

 

[fuzzymarindave]

I also had an '86 Westy Syncro for a while. Then had a Hawk on a SuperCrew F150. Now have a Hawk on a SuperCab F250. I just weighed the truck with no camper, just me and 1/2 tank of fuel; 7000 lbs. I wish I could get the same features with a lighter rig but the pickup truck/camper is not as weight efficient as a van camper. While I appreciated the engineering package of the Syncro I would not go back to such an old vehicle for camping/travels. I have my old vehicle as a hobby Jaguar.

Back to the truck. Is an access cab having seating for 5 or 6? If you ever anticipate such a load think carefully of that weight plus their gear. I have made some trips with 6 adults, camper, and gear in my SuperCab with a payload of 2500lbs. And, at 142" wheelbase it is only 14" longer than the tundra.

 

[srileo]

Thanks for the replies.

So could the suspension and brakes be built up to support the weight? I am hesitant to go 3/4 or full ton as I like the shorter wheelbase and size. Hmmmm

Unless you live in a very tight city like Manhattan or SF, you will be surprised at how quickly you get used to the longer wheelbase. A crew cab is always better - not necessarily for seating, but for the space to carry gear. You will find that the interior of the camper is not really a great place for storage access.

Can a 1/2 ton be built up - yes, but it is only as good as the weakest point in the system - usually the axles. You can upgrade the tires, suspension, brakes, but its usually only a stopgap. Go with the F250 class and dont look back.

 

[fwc4me]

Hi all, I currently have both a Full Camper Westy and a 1994 Diesel Ram 2500 regular cab long bed with a FWC Grandby on it. I'm also friends with the original poster and may be the reason he left the Westy World! Yikes!

I think the concern here is being able to maneuver off-road; i.e. forest Service trails with the long wheel base and additional weight. His Westy had a 2.5 Subaru engine and limited slip in the rear. With the extra power, a 96 inch wheel base, and being around 4000 pounds it can climb just about any hill and overcome obstacles, and narrow roads etc.

Does anyone have experience with the two different vehicles off road? How do they compare? Will the truck/camper be able to get to the same places as the Westy? Is it more difficult to maneuver etc?

p.s. I'll be leaving the Westy World and putting my Westy up for sale in a little while. Although IMHO it's the most unique (stock) vehicle in the world, the ability to separate the vehicle from the camper is what made me decide in favor of the FWC. The truck keeps breaking down? It isn't doing what you wanted? No problemo, just unload the camper and find another truck!

 

[pjinus]

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate all of you who took the time and shared your knowledge.

Yes, coming from the small wheelbase of the westy I'm wondering how a much longer wheelbased truck will do off road.

Part of my leaning towards the Tundra was also the reliability of the Toyotas. The VW westphalia definitely took a bit of care and I'd like my next camping vehicle to be more trustworthy. I frequently hear about the Tundras going 300k miles. Not so sure about the F250.

Has anyone who had a heavier camper on a Tundra actually had parts fail or was it just the worry that it could?

Again, thanks for your input!

 

[UHAULER]

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate all of you who took the time and shared your knowledge.

Yes, coming from the small wheelbase of the westy I'm wondering how a much longer wheelbased truck will do off road.

Part of my leaning towards the Tundra was also the reliability of the Toyotas. The VW westphalia definitely took a bit of care and I'd like my next camping vehicle to be more trustworthy. I frequently hear about the Tundras going 300k miles. Not so sure about the F250.

Has anyone who had a heavier camper on a Tundra actually had parts fail or was it just the worry that it could?

Again, thanks for your input!

Domestic full size trucks are very reliable. Look at most construction companies, most use 3/4 and 1 ton trucks that go for hundreds of thousands of miles and are worked hard. I had a roofing buddy with a 99 f250 diesel with 540 thousand miles on original running gear. I'm not anti Toyota, I've had quite a few, the last one was a 94 4x4 pickup that we had for 22 years, but they are not all wonder vehicles like everybody makes them out to be. I think any modern, well maintained truck will be fine.