How much creaking and twisting is ok when jacking/loading?

[WillTheThri11]

Ugh, photo rotation is killing me!

Photos below show some of the end rot of the plywood floor. I’m thinking of possibly packing that with bondo or epoxy of some sort.

 

[Karlton]

Hi there - what year is the camper?

As far as the rear of the camper goes, the primary features that I see on other FWC are lights and steps to access the roof. There are other mods for carrying stuff like gas cans, shovels, etc. However, you mentioned that you have an 8' camper on a 6.5' bed and aren't using the tailgate. Any further additions to the back of the camper is only going to add weight.

Your thread has certainly expanded in scope from your first post about creaking and twisting while on jacks. There might be experienced builders on here who would provide input on a new thread about the repairs and build.

Best

 

[camelracer]

I believe FWC only partially welded the frame to allow it to flex. I think my '06 is only welded on one side.

 

[bimmeryota]

Have you considered consulting ATC campers? They restore and repair many of the older FWCs since their current design mimics the older style. I think your statement about where the camper is designed to flex is an important one. Don’t let just any welder fill every crevice and joint. You may transfer a regular load to another spot that cannot handle it and create more problems. Engineers designed those welds to be where they are for a reason. It’s hard to guess unless you’ve seen a bunch of these completely bare.

 

[WillTheThri11]

I believe FWC only partially welded the frame to allow it to flex. I think my '06 is only welded on one side.

I'd be a little surprised about the '06, but maybe. Do you have a square door? And no frame cracking damage?

Have you considered consulting ATC campers? They restore and repair many of the older FWCs since their current design mimics the older style. I think your statement about where the camper is designed to flex is an important one. Don’t let just any welder fill every crevice and joint. You may transfer a regular load to another spot that cannot handle it and create more problems. Engineers designed those welds to be where they are for a reason. It’s hard to guess unless you’ve seen a bunch of these completely bare.

I contacted FWC directly and this was the response I got regarding welding both sides:

Almost every camper(any brand) with a square door had an issue with cracks in the corners of the door frames. Your best bet is to clean up the old welds and reweld them on at least two sides, instead of one side like they did back then. This area and the area at the front window was also an issue so, check there as well. Other than that, you don’t have any major underlying issues with the framing. After numerous frame redesigns, we ended up going with a radiused doors and windows to prevent any further cracking in that area.

I can't see why you would want a frame to flex at a weld. The welds will have a heat affected zone that is more brittle and prone to cracking than the length of the tube. I would think you'd want very good joints that won't flex and long lengths of tubing to absorb the flex.

Hi there - what year is the camper?

As far as the rear of the camper goes, the primary features that I see on other FWC are lights and steps to access the roof. There are other mods for carrying stuff like gas cans, shovels, etc. However, you mentioned that you have an 8' camper on a 6.5' bed and aren't using the tailgate. Any further additions to the back of the camper is only going to add weight.

Your thread has certainly expanded in scope from your first post about creaking and twisting while on jacks. There might be experienced builders on here who would provide input on a new thread about the repairs and build.

Best

Yes the scope expanded far beyond what i had hoped it would.

I believe my camper is a '92 (based on hand writing on the water tank)

I do use my tailgate currently, but am considering removing it to reduce overall weight. I plan to build an aluminum tubing platform to replace the 2x4s I'm using now and am thinking that will add as much or more support as the tailgate does, especially if I tie into the tailgate cable mounts or support it with a hitch extension/support dealy. Now that I'm getting a tig welder, the possibilities are endless.

Good comments on the lights. I think it would be nice to have lights on the sides of the camper instead of just the back. I don't really plan on putting stuff on the roof, but I do feel like those folding steps would be handy. Other than the lights, those things should be pretty easy to add later. I'll probably take some photos with a tape measure so I know where all the studs are before I button it up.

Also, good comment on starting another thread. I may just do that.

 

[WillTheThri11]

ok I decided to start a new thread y'all can find it over here:

https://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/20512-fwc-ranger-ii-frame-repair-and-continued-build-thread-maybe/

 

[WillTheThri11]

I believe FWC only partially welded the frame to allow it to flex. I think my '06 is only welded on one side.

You might check back on the photos on page 1 of this thread by @

CoreyTrevor

His camper is a 2012 and has some welds on the inside, but not all of them. I plan to mimic at least this but I will probably match all the exterior welds to keep the welds from seeing all the flex/fatigue.