Questions four wheel camper

[rrliljedahl]

My wife and I are retiring in Jan of 2014.

We presently own a Jeep Rubicon tricked out as a camper to include rooftop popup tent, 12 refrigerator/freezer, 10 gallons of water by gravity feed, and a 2 burner propane stove. Our interests are vacationed in the western US hiking, fishing, and looking for rock art.

We are looking to buy a popup truck camper for a flatbed so that we can continue travel in more inclement weather and with a greater degree of comfort.

Our present plan is for:
Popup
passenger side entry
dinette in the rear of the camper
flatbed for extra storage
200-300 watts of solar on the roof
12 volt compressor refrigerator/freezer
cassette toilet
indoor/outdoor shower
North/South sleeping

The new Four Wheel Flatbed Pop-Up but in a Grandby or Hawk might work for us.

I have a couple of questions for Four Wheel owners.

The present campers only come with 20 gallon fresh water tank. Four Wheel told me no when I asked about installing a larger tank. It looks like it is beneath the step-up for the over cab bed and would not be that hard to make it larger. Has anyone remodeled their camper to fit a larger tank?

We would like to be able to remove the camper at times and use it as a base camp off of the truck. I have read that I must build a floor support to do this. Is this correct? If so, what designs have worked well with minimum storage capacity?

I notice that the front and rear of the pop-up interior is black. What is the purpose for that?

Thank you in advance.

Ron Liljedahl

 

[RC Pilot Jim]

Ron
FWC is offering a new optional "Silver Spur' edition that is black. or gray/black. The standard edition is still blond wood I believe..

Removing camper off truck
I would remove then lower it to the ground or set it on three 2x4's . They want the floor supported because the corners and jacks aren't designed to support the camper weight AND people weight.

Check with Terry Todd at FWC for these types of questions terry@fourwh.com

Can't help you with the water storage question.

-Jim

 

[billharr]

I think the black he is talking about this the new material the hinged sections are made of. No longer plywood most of us have.

Bill

 

[rrliljedahl]

Bill
You are correct!! I was wondering what that black material was.

Does anyone feel limited by only having 20 gallons of fresh water?

Is there a way to fit a larger tank into a Hawk or Grandy?

 

[craig333]

The only time I even come close to using up the water is using the shower. Otherwise its plenty of water for all other uses. Unfortunately in regards to taking it off and using it as a base camp, its just something that theres little demand for. In all my years of reading WTW and Expo I've only seen a small handful of people who wanted to do that.

Oh, almost forgot the water bladders. I didn't pay much attention to the thread that had them but theres some interesting ways of carrying water in the wheel wells and other areas. Maybe someone else remembers the thread.

 

[Marshfly]

For what you are looking for you may want to check out the Northstar options. Still rough road capable but definitely able to set up off the truck as a base camp. Larger freshwater tank. They make a hardside flatbed model but also make slide in popup models. They would probably be able to make a hybrid.

 

[Lingenstein]

I would also be interested in hearing people's systems for unloading the camper for "base camp". I did see two pop ups in Whistler this summer that were unloaded in the campground and set up nicely. The campers were sitting on what basically looked like automotive jack stands (screw stands?) with brackets built to hold a 2 x 12 board on its side. They were adjustable in four corners and stabilized with the camper jacks. Looked good to me...should have grabbed a pic. The stands are probably made for campers, just never really looked into it.

 

[BobM]

On the water, if you order a water heater, it stores an additional 6 gallons

 

[Rick NV]

I would think about alternate water carriers that can feed the 20 gallon tank rather than making the tank larger if FWC won't install a larger one.
Perhaps you could fabricate an aluminum tray that would be the underside of the entire camper so you can take it off and safely walk and use the camper while its off the truck- maybe add some corners where bottle jacks would make contact.
sounds like a lot of work taking it on and off.
good luck with your new home away from home....

 

[Espresso]

20 gallons is quite a bit of water if you are staying in a campground and can use the water spigot for filling pots, washing, etc. I've never come close to using the 12 gallons in my Grandby, but I don't have an external shower.

I find loading and removing the camper a hassle. I would have to be in one spot for at least a week or two before considering the base camp idea.

I would add a heater to your list. There are many areas in the west that can get cold at night, even in the beginning or end of summer. The heater is very handy for taking the edge off the morning or warming up the camper before you turn in for the night.

 

[rrliljedahl]

Esoresso
We like to dry camp and boondocks so fresh water and electricity are an issue. Outfitter puts 40 gallon tanks in their 8 ft pop-up campers. Northern and Hallmark 30 gallons. With Four Wheel now offering a popup in a flatbed design, I would think that they could easily put in a larger fresh water tank. So far Four Wheel simply said "no" but with no explanation.

 

[ntsqd]

With a flat bed you'll have opened up a bunch of space for storage that is otherwise lost to the pick-up bed. It may be that you can find an existing poly tank that will fit somewhere under the bed to increase your total on-board capacity. Add a second pump to move the water from the lower tank into the camper. If you put the spare somewhere other than the stock location that will open up a huge space for an additional tank. (I didn't like having the spare under the truck, can be hard to get it out with a rear flat on uneven surfaces, and the cable was frayed so I built a swing-away articulated spare carrier.)

Keep in mind that water weighs 8 lbs. per gallon when looking at tank sizes. You're likely already are frugal with water use, but conservation of water goes a long ways towards needing greater capacity with it's greater fuel cost and range reduction penalties.

I'm suspecting that the stands previously mentioned may have been these:

http://www.amazon.com/Camco-44561-Olympian-Aluminum-Stack/dp/B000760FX4/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1375968879&sr=8-6&keywords=RV+support+stand

They're pretty light, come two to a box, and the with the screws pulled out of the top (the nuts just sit in a hex shaped depression) the castings will stack nicely. If the lumber had appropriate sized counter-bores at each end they couldn't slip off the stands.

 

[Lingenstein]

Yes thats it. But more of a combination of that stand and this mount. Made to fit a board.

 

[Cerdahl]

I heard a couple of plastic milk crates will support the floor. This from FWC when I bought the Eagle in 2008.