Flatbeds with FWC's

[krj]

That is an awesome Rant!
Thought about the Yakima rack air deflector but, truth is, no time before leaving next Tuesday. Also thought about trying to fabricate some kind of storage under there, but again, no time. I'll be lucky to get the other box finished before I leave. It's hard to get stuff ready for a warm weather road trip when it continues to dump snow! Love La Nina here in the NW.

 

[teleturns]

La Nina is definitely a double edged sword. During La Nina here in New Mexico it is extremely dry with 5-10 degree warmer temps. I love to ski, but I also love the mild winter climate during La Nina. It is nice to be able to mountain bike through the winter. For Southwestern US the worst part about La Nina is lack of moisture. We might have an explosive forest fire season this summer.

You should have amazing weather on your Baja trip. Write a trip report for us and take a lot of pictures. I have not been to Baja for about 6 years. I think it is about time to go back. Let us know what the situation is like crossing the border both ways. I hope you have a great trip and be safe!

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

(Returning to the topic of flatbeds and FWC's) A newer truck with a flatbed enables you to largely disregard the "will it fit" questions of older and larger FWC's. You still need to honor the GVWR, however...

 

[krj]

Correct on both accounts.
I weighted the rig yesterday; 6140lbs with half a tank of gas, me, and some random stuff in both truck and camper. GVWR of my '03 Tundra is 6200lbs.
Will I be overweight? Yes, I will. I'll minimize where I can - the back seat is not needed and has been removed. All water (except the camper tank) will be kept in the backseat to try to keep weight forward. I added airbags, which help with ride but don't increase axle, bearing, or frame strength. I love my Tundra, but do wish it had more payload.
Lunch is over, back to the shop to finish the second box.

 

[MakersTeleMark]

Back in the eighties I had a home-made camper on a '79 toyota flatbed. Framed with 2x4's and sided with cedar, it had a boot which made an easy hop from the bench seat of the 4 cyl, 4 speed work truck to a foam bed that flipped up during the day. I briefly lived with my dog out of the vehicle when I was in my mid-twenties. Drove that for 13 years and almost 200k miles. But I digress. . .


While not a flatbed, it reminds me of my buddies. Well over 200k and still on the road. He just drove it back and forth from NM to MA. Gypsy Dancer looks a bit different now, with a Turquoise paint scheme to match the new NM license plates. If you see it on the road, as Charlie (a professional bagpiper) travels a lot, say hello. He's also an avid telemarker who I ski with quite often.

Drop the knee, squat to pee.

 

[DirtyDog]

Here's a flatbed specific FWC posted up a couple years ago:

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/1298/