Making a Ranger 2 Lighter

[JAS123]

Hi Folks. This is my first time posting on WTW. I recently bought a Ranger 2 to put on my 98 4x4 tacoma. I bought the camper while visiting family in California although I currently live in Utah in a small town near Capital Reef National Park called Torrey (some of you wanderers might be familiar with the location).
My question revolves around the weight of these campers and specifically how to make mine weigh less. The camper right now weighs about 750 lbs empty and without jacks. This is without any accessories (furnace, stove, sink). Basically a shell model with a counter top, a few shelves, and the couch area. So fully loaded (lets say for a surf trip to Baja….it just got really cold here so I am dreaming) I am concerned that I will be approaching the trucks GVWR. Buying a new truck isn't really an option for financial reasons.
So that got me thinking about how to lighten the camper. One idea I had was to replace the factory floor pack and build a composite floor pack using methods similar to Pods8 and homeskillet. What do people think these factory floor packs weigh? I estimate the materials cost would be between $150-200.

Thanks for any thoughts.
Jason

 

[pods8]

Don't know how much you'd save on weight when changing out the floor pack like mine but you'd definitely pick up insulation. Have you done an estimate on how much your floor currently weighs? Mine is about 1.5-1.6lb/ft^2, best case I see you maybe picking up a 50lb weight savings and it would be a fair amount of work too... Just trying to be realistic.

My floor is 2" thick foam sheeted in 1/8" ply on both sides and 2 layers of glass. The 1/8" ply with 2 layers of ~8-9oz fiberglass was mainly driven by what I wanted for impact resistance. However it's pretty strong too, before I added the walls on and the floor (82"x89") was propped up in each corner by blocking and there was easily a 5'x5' unsupported section and I could walk on it without any concerning flex. I didn't go trying to jump on it or anything but I found that comforting since it was only going to get stiffened by the walls. Anyways if you go this route and want more help let me know.

If you're trying to cut weight then take a hard look at the interior. Do you need/want a full couch if you're that concerned about weight? How thick is your counter top and what is it made of, same for the cabinet/shelves.

 

[JAS123]

Thanks Pods. I agree with you about first looking at the interior. A 50 lbs weight savings alone doesn't seem worth the $ and hassle of building a new floor pack. However the extra insulation and the ability build the floor pack to the exact dimensions of my truck is worth consideration.

This got me to thinking: has anyone ever build a floor pack to fit more closely around the wheel wells? Meaning that the camper would no longer be a slide-in but would rather be raised above the rim of the truck bed, the truck backed-up and then the camper lowered directly into position. Seems like you could gain a lot of space in the interior that you lose from a slide in?

Thanks
Jason

 

[pods8]

Keep in mind 50# was a spitball guess, you'd need to check the actual sqft involved and material thickness.

I've seen one or two modified like that, you'd want to make darn sure you'll keep it paired with that truck looking forward over the years. Also you'll need to bolt it down rather than turn buckles since they'd be in the newly expanded space.

 

[Barko1]

Thanks Pods. I agree with you about first looking at the interior. A 50 lbs weight savings alone doesn't seem worth the $ and hassle of building a new floor pack. However the extra insulation and the ability build the floor pack to the exact dimensions of my truck is worth consideration.

This got me to thinking: has anyone ever build a floor pack to fit more closely around the wheel wells? Meaning that the camper would no longer be a slide-in but would rather be raised above the rim of the truck bed, the truck backed-up and then the camper lowered directly into position. Seems like you could gain a lot of space in the interior that you lose from a slide in?

Thanks
Jason


This won't save weight but will insulate the floor, place the camper on top of blue foam insulating board. Simple, holds up well, camper stays put. I have my Grandby on 2" of 4x8 sheets and it has been working great for over a year and plenty of miles, rough and smooth. If you add heat use a Wave 3, weighs a few pounds, much less than the standard furnace. Go camping, eat Ramen for a few weeks, big weight savings Love your territory, how's the snowmobiling around there??