Questions on Ranger + Swift Model

[heytexas]

Hello everyone,

I've been looking into campers for about 3 years now, and being very limited on what I can tow and haul I've settled pretty much on the 4wheel camper.

I have a 2022 Ford Ranger XLT with a 5ft bed. In hindsight I wish I had gotten a larger truck with a larger bed but that's what I have and with truck prices now and having a great interest rate I can't upgrade. I honestly love the truck.

On Fourwheelcampers website its pointing me towards the Swift model (smallest model they have) with the slide in. It's small and will fit in my garage.

My question is what upgrades should I be doing to my truck? I saw a comment mentioning leaf springs or airbag suspension upgrades. Google says I can carry 1770 pounds in my bed payload, and I don't plan on bringing heavy bikes or canoes etc.

Anyone with a Ranger, swift or have recommendations? When I look into leaf springs and airbags theres so many options.

Thank you!

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

You should consider adding airbags and/or a new spring pack. Member Occidental has a Ranger with a FWC, and I believe he went with a spring pack, which is probably the best option if the camper is on most/most of the time. I have a ‘19 Ranger with 5’ bed, and like you… wish I’d have gone for the 6’ SC version. Air bags help significantly with leveling the truck. No one wants to get flashing bright lights in the face while driving at night.

Welcome to WTW!

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Welcome to the cult.Give Marty at ATC a call about a camper for your Ranger.
I think the Bobcat might work.
Great folks to work with. Great campers and great prices/value.
Frank

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

@heytexas

You might want to check, and double check on a camper tie down system before you get too far along.

I don't think that FWC has any tie down systems available to mount a Swift Model, on to a 22' Ford Ranger with the really short 5.0' bed.

I have not seen any aftermarket solutions, there is no room in the front of the bed for eye bolts, and the gas tank covers the entire underside of the truck bed, so no bolt down available.

I could be wrong. But worth looking into.

 

[rubberlegs]

It's small and will fit in my garage.

Our normal-height garage door isn't tall enough for our truck/camper (sure wish it was!). The top of the camper, if I recall correctly, is 7'-3" and the truck is not lifted. We built a dolly to store the camper in the garage.

Possibly the camper will retain its value better than the truck, so you might consider trading trucks...

 

[KLillie]

Welcome to the cult.Give Marty at ATC a call about a camper for your Ranger.
I think the Bobcat might work.
Great folks to work with. Great campers and great prices/value.
Frank

I Second this. ATC will make you a shell model whatever size you want. I had a custom one made the same size as the discontinued FWC Finch model for my 2003 Tacoma.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

I Second this. ATC will make you a shell model whatever size you want. I had a custom one made the same size as the discontinued FWC Finch model for my 2003 Tacoma.

Thanks for sharing that info.I figured Marty could have something available.
Frank

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I Second this. ATC will make you a shell model whatever size you want. I had a custom one made the same size as the discontinued FWC Finch model for my 2003 Tacoma.

Thanks for sharing that info.I figured Marty could have something available.
Frank

Absolutely, it’s just a short Bobcat.

 

[Taku]

I would go for a spring pack - airbags work well but require more maintenance.

 

[Doekele]

Hi! We got the 2023 Ranger, because of it's heavier payload (compared to the Tacoma) It's a crewcab, and we fitted a FWC fleet on it. We are going to travel the US/Canada in it for a year (starting April-2024), and then we are going to ship the combo with us back to the Netherlands after working working in the US for 20 months. The upgrades I've done/doing:
- Old Men Emu heavy load leaf springs
- Old Men Emu BP-51 shock (front/back)
- Powerbrakes - full front brake upgrade.
I'm doing all the upgrades in the US, because it's way cheaper then in Europe, and we are planning to keep the combo for a long time. So yes, it is a big investment, but it will be worth it.
Let me know if you want more information!

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Hi! We got the 2023 Ranger, because of it's heavier payload (compared to the Tacoma) It's a crewcab, and we fitted a FWC fleet on it. We are going to travel the US/Canada in it for a year (starting April-2024), and then we are going to ship the combo with us back to the Netherlands after working working in the US for 20 months. The upgrades I've done/doing:
- Old Men Emu heavy load leaf springs
- Old Men Emu BP-51 shock (front/back)
- Powerbrakes - full front brake upgrade.
I'm doing all the upgrades in the US, because it's way cheaper then in Europe, and we are planning to keep the combo for a long time. So yes, it is a big investment, but it will be worth it.
Let me know if you want more information!

Is it a crew cab or a super cab? To the best of my knowledge, the Ranger CC only comes with a 5’ bed, and that is shorter than I would want for a Bobcat or Fleet. Did you leave the tailgate on and down?

 

[Doekele]

Is it a crew cab or a super cab? To the best of my knowledge, the Ranger CC only comes with a 5’ bed, and that is shorter than I would want for a Bobcat or Fleet. Did you leave the tailgate on and down?

It's a Super Cab, with a 6' bed... We have the tailgait removed, it needs to be removed to be honest... The Fleet has a bit of an overhang on our Ranger, but we don;t mind at all... Also the space between the cabin and the FWC is a bit more than I see in other FWC combo's. I can send you pictures if you want...

 

[rubberlegs]

As a retired aerospace structural engineer, I'd counter that 50% of payload is very conservative. If the manufacturer says it can carry 100%, I'm comfortable with it. We designed airplanes to have very little margin of safety (due to weight constraints), but they still carried full payload for the designed life cycle.

 

[Occidental]

We have a 2020 Ranger, the smaller cab - is it a super cab? - the adjectives for the various body styles aren't plain text and confuse me. Anyway, we had a Dobinson leaf pack installed as that was the option we could find at the time we did the install. I think now, as already noted OME also does aftermarket leafpacks and other products. The capacity of the OEM springs met the weight we were carrying, but we didn't like the ride of the single leaf springs and wanted something heavier duty so we went with the extra leaf pack. With the camper fully loaded it still sits higher and rides better than the empty truck did with the original leaf springs. We had an OME pack on our previous truck (tacoma) and liked those as well.

I can't comment however on how the shorter bed will work out for you. Definitely look into mounting before any significant expenses (as Stan already noted).

If you have other specific questions I'm happy to answer as best I can. We love our Ranger!