A couple newb questions on buying used

[Hausa]

I'm looking for a used 3/4 ton and used Hawk or Grandby... I'm open to ATC and Hallmark, among others, but I'll be living pretty close to a FWC dealer and like the idea of being close if I want to upgrade or need help with repairs.

I've been reading and appreciating the wealth of info on this forum, but I have a few lingering questions I'm hoping y'all can help me with.

The prevailing wisdom seems to be, find the camper, and then buy the truck to match.

1) If I find a used FWC I want to buy how do I cheaply transport it to my place if I don't have a truck to pick it up? (seems like i need a truck to pick up and transport a camper, especially if my search radius for a used camper is like 500 miles)

2) Many FWC campers seem to be built for certain trucks. E.g. i've seen numerous ads for FWC campers built to fit tacomas or tundras. Can they be easily modified to fit different trucks? I'm mostly looking at mid-later 2000s-early 2010s Ram and Chevy 3/4 ton diesels.

3) How hard is it to fit a camper to a truck from scratch - tie downs and wiring? I noticed ATC is charging $400 for this service.

I imagine these questions have been asked before, but I haven't found the answers from my search. Thanks for any experience or ideas you can share!

Matt

 

[RC Pilot Jim]

Hi Matt,
Email Stan Kennedy at Four Wheel Camper stan@fourwh.com. They have a very good customer service department. Since we have an "improved" shell they helped a lot with our project.

Transporting it after buying it.
Direct this question at Stan he can advise you with safe solution.

 

[longhorn1]

FWC has a guide to match truck and camper on their Web site. Also you should go to the Gear Exchange post on this site to see what is available. Happy hunting. jd

 

[kmcintyre]

I'd get your truck ready and if you find something you like, pounce quickly. They go like hotcakes. I had the eye bolts, airbags, tires, etc. all ready to go and when I found one, I was on the road the next day. Actually tires came afterwards as I waiting for the existing ones to wear out. If the camper doesn't have jacks, find out where you can rent some and take them with you. When I bought my camper, it didn't have jacks and the people selling it thought we could just lift it off and on the trucks. Luckily, I found some cable jacks I could rent in the morning. Loaded the jacks up and off I went. 12hrs later, I was home.

 

[Hausa]

Thanks everyone for responding. Any other thoughts out there?

Matt

 

[2trout]

https://westslope.craigslist.org/cto/6009318848.html

Not sure where you are, but this seems to be a fair deal.

 

[rilcombs]

Hey Hausa,

1) You are correct. Trailers are not cheap. Maybe you could borrow one from FWC if you live nearby?

2) Use the website, or call them. The Four Wheel Campers customer service is really good.

3) You'll probably want FWC to do this for you. Drilling holes in the truck is not something you want to get wrong.

Good luck!!

 

[Hausa]

https://westslope.craigslist.org/cto/6009318848.html

Not sure where you are, but this seems to be a fair deal.

Thanks for the share, I like that set-up. My wife and I are expecting and we have a dog so a four door is a must.

We're in Seattle now, moving to Montana this summer (sweet relief!).

 

[Pax2525]

Hey Hausa,

1) You don't need to have your truck at the moment. You could use a trailer or a buddy's truck if needed. Yes it would be better to have your truck ready to go but sometimes the stars don't aline just right.

2) Going off of #1, you do need to know what truck youd like to get. As campers are made for certain size trucks. You don't want to put a small camper (Eagle, Fleet) on a full size truck and vice versa. You can see the different models on FWC page to help determine which model is appropriate. With what youre saying truck wise you need a Hawk or Grandby (maybe a Keystone even)

3) You can do the instal yourself. There was a video just published showing you the idea of how to do it. Asses your skills and go from there. If you're questioning it, get it done professionally. If you're confident you can handle, go for it.

Good Luck in finding the right camper, check out here and other resources to find the right one.

-Dave
@UsedFourWheelCampers

 

[Squatch]

I brought my FWC hame on my boat trailer 12 hours from Florida to the Mid Atlantic. It can be done.


This was 2 years before I had a truck ready for it. We used it as a tag along on the trailer for several trips.


Tied to trailer with chain and factory turn buckles. Quite secure.


These campers would probably carry well on a landscapers trailer of the right size. I recently bought a small gated trailer like this to keep mine on when not in use. just note. You will need not only jacks but extension plates for the jack to load onto a trailer. Most trailer that can carry one tend to be 80" wide.

Extension brackets temporarily on my camper after loading it into my truck.


Smaller camper can indeed be used in a full size truck. But once again the extension brackets are needed and you may have to build a platform to raise the camper some.

 

[Hausa]

Thanks Dave and Squatch (nice photos!).

Matt

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Matt, you're getting a lot of good info, so I won't add anything.

Welcome to WTW.

 

[2trout]

Hausa,

If my truck had an 8' bed my search would have been done many months ago.

In terms of campers in general, I've been looking used for quite a while now. If you are looking used, and a truck with an 8' bed is OK with you, I'd recommend the 8' bed. The reason i say that is there seems to me to be LOTS more Four Wheel Campers and Halmarks out there for an 8' bed.

2trout

 

[BFH4N]

A couple of thoughts:

Maybe the sellers would transport it for you. Presumably they had been using it on their truck.

I have a small trailer, about 4' x 6' I think, that I got at Tractor Supply for about $450. It seems like it would be adequate, in terms of weight-rating and size, to haul a FWC camper, with the right tie-downs. An additional cost, but probably not too significant compared to the cost of the camper. And afterward, maybe useful to have.

Good luck...

- Bernard

 

[Squatch]

A couple of thoughts:

Maybe the sellers would transport it for you. Presumably they had been using it on their truck.

I have a small trailer, about 4' x 6' I think, that I got at Tractor Supply for about $450. It seems like it would be adequate, in terms of weight-rating and size, to haul a FWC camper, with the right tie-downs. An additional cost, but probably not too significant compared to the cost of the camper. And afterward, maybe useful to have.

Good luck...

- Bernard

I just bought a used 4x7 like this used, 2k weight rating. The only issue is the wide part of my Eagle is about 51" behind the wheel wells at the base. The inside width of the trailer is 49". I need to do a little fab work to widen it a couple of inches from the fenders back. After that it should fit nicely.