New Ford Ranger FWC Fleet Installation

[Andy Douglass]

X2 on the Easy Hitch Step. Another feature that Andy did not mention is that the steel gridwork that makes up the surface of the steps provides excellent traction in all weather conditions, and you can use the steps to clean mud from your shoes before entering the camper. We have the two step version and it does not make any noise at all. We did add a Quit Hitch from Camping World which is a large square "U" bolt that cinches the step to the receiver and eliminates any rattling in that area. Pricey, but we could not be happier.

The one drawback is that it is definitely not bare foot friendly. It feels like walking on a large cheese grater. On the old truck, I wedged some beer cardboard in the receiver to make it more quiet.

 

[gkendrick]

Update on our Ranger suspension testing. Our dealer (Main Line Overland) is recommending a leaf spring upgrade to provide better handling of a full load. Our stock Ranger suspension came rated with a 1,550 lb payload (which I understand is around 300 lbs higher than a comparable stock Tacoma), but our new Fleet shell came in with a higher weight than expected (the shipping paperwork showed it as over 1,100 lbs dry - I still need to weigh it on a scale), which caught us by surprise. We had added about 200 lbs of Fleet shell options (propane furnace, flush mount stove, 160w solar, rear steps, second 6v AGM battery, Yakima tracks, second roof fan), but we were still hoping it would come in around 1,000 lbs. As a result, we'll probably end up right around our payload capacity when fully loaded wet.

So, Main Line will be installing a set of Dobinson heavy duty leaf springs (4 + 3 Leaves, 280Kg Constant Load - I believe they may be model L19-132-R). Unlike the USA, Australia has enjoyed an uninterrupted supply of Rangers over the years, so they've developed a lot of Ranger aftermarket parts. These springs might allow us to to forego installing Firestone airbags (which aren't available yet anyway), unless we decide we want them for leveling at campsites. We'll do some testing and report back.

I'm also preparing to add shore power and an Iota converter soon, along with a couple of additional 12v outlets to power a Dometic CFX40W fridge.

By the way, has anyone tried the newer Iota DLS-X converters yet? They seem more compact than the tried-and-true DLS models.

 

[gkendrick]

Upgraded leaf springs were installed on our 2019 Ranger yesterday to better handle an 1,100-lb FWC Fleet shell load. The first photo below shows comparison between the stock single-leaf parabolic spring (bottom) and upgraded multi-leaf progressive spring (top). We've already seen a huge improvement in handling as a result of this upgrade. We found the rear of the truck had dropped 2" under load with the Ranger's stock single-leaf spring, and we felt the truck was leaning and rocking a bit too much when driving. Our FX4 off-road suspension package is robust and solid, but we felt that the FWC load (although we're still under the payload rating) was pushing the single leaf spring's capabilities, especially for going off-road. The multi-leave progressive springs (Dobbinsons, made in Australia for their Rangers) immediately addressed the 2" sag (truck is now level under load) with no more sway evident when driving on forest roads.

We might consider a modest lifter and coil spring upgrades for the front suspension sometime in the future depending on performance, and perhaps go with upgraded shocks even beyond the FX4 shocks depending on how things go off-road, but for now it looks like we've fixed the load handling response.

 

[BillTheHiker]

thanks for sharing. I find it interesting the ranger can achieve its GVWR with a single leaf. Is a single leaf common in pickup trucks?

 

[gkendrick]

thanks for sharing. I find it interesting the ranger can achieve its GVWR with a single leaf. Is a single leaf common in pickup trucks?

Good question. I'm no engineer, but our Ranger's GVWR with the single parabolic spring is 6050 and the payload rating is 1530. With the camper on, the single leaf parabolic spring was still above the helper spring, so apparently we still had more payload capacity left.

 

[ski3pin]

thanks for sharing. I find it interesting the ranger can achieve its GVWR with a single leaf. Is a single leaf common in pickup trucks?

The new ranger uses a single parabolic spring in the rear. The previous ranger and most pickups use a multi leaf rear spring.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

IMO the multi leaf spring seems like a much better way to go,even just for normal driving.
Very nice looking rig.Thanks for sharing.
Frank

 

[So Cal Adventurer]

thanks for sharing. I find it interesting the ranger can achieve its GVWR with a single leaf. Is a single leaf common in pickup trucks?

I was wondering that too! Never seen a single spring pickup in my entire life.

 

[DavidR]

Our Ranger is still on order, should be arriving in 3-4 weeks. Thanks to the OP and others for all the great information posted here.

Our Fleet is currently on our 25-year-old Ranger with 250,000 miles, and the new truck will be a welcome change. After making measurements at the Ford dealer, I'm aware of the need to raise the Fleet a bit. My current plan is to build a frame out of a combination of 2x4s and 3/4" or 1" plywood strips to raise the camper about 4", and then use the space below to build a gray water tank out of multiple sections of 3" ABS. I currently have a grey water tank I built from 4" ABS that hangs from the side of the truck, but an under-the-camper version should be a much cleaner approach.

I'm hoping to avoid buying completely new leaf springs, and go with air bags or helper springs, but it sounds like there's a chance that might not be enough with the single parabolic leaf spring.

I'll keep following for all the great info, and report back on how things go with ours.

 

[ski3pin]

How 'bout an update on your new ranger and how in works with your pop up? It would be appreciated!

 

[gkendrick]

OK, here's a quick trip report. After extreme social distancing and boondocking in AZ and NM for 5 weeks in March and early April, including some isolated spots deep in the Kofa NWR, we abandoned ship and drove home to Maine in mid-April. We had begun our trip before the pandemic madness began, and were responsibly isolating while we hoped for the situation to improve, but it became increasingly challenging to safely re-provision, with more land and facility closures.

This was an extended 9,000-mile shakedown cruise for our new Fleet shell and 2019 Ranger, both of which performed flawlessly. Last fall we spent 6 weeks cruising from Maine to Arizona, testing the rig in a variety of settings. We left the rig in Phoenix for three months, and picked it up in early March for phase 2 of the trip.

The FWC systems all ran perfectly, the new Ranger handled jeep trails as well as highway speeds comfortably, ranging from 15-21 mpg depending on headwinds and the amount of low-range jeep trail adventuring versus highway cruising. The Main Line Overland mod to our stock Ranger suspension (replacement of stock springs with Dobinson multi-leaf springs) seemed to handle the Fleet weight very well when off-roading. We only experienced occasional slight camper oscillation in very rough terrain, which we might address in the future with some air bags, but for the most part the setup is working well.

The return 4-day cross-country drive was uneventful but challenging, with traffic consisting of 90% trucks on the interstates, plentiful gasoline, decreasing options for boondocking and stealth camping, and very few restrooms open. A strange experience to be on the road in these times, but we're relieved and happy to be home.

I posted a couple of videos on Facebook that show the truck handling some terrain with the FWC:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FourWheelCampersOwners/permalink/2911909828885094/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FourWheelCampersOwners/permalink/2910026849073392/

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

You probably made the right choice to head home when you did.
Gets pretty scary out there when food/facilities get harder to locate.
Stay safe out there.
Frank

 

[ski3pin]

Ah, we see you made it out past White Tanks. Thanks for the update.