Something New Is Afoot

[SunMan]

Congrats! Look forward to seeing the new combo.

 

[SLEDAWG]

Exciting! New truck and camper will be fun to prep for more adventures.
I appreciate all your stories over the years.

 

[ski3pin]

congrats, and good luck. low miles , and i like the extended cab design (vs the larger back seat area). i think u have squeezed a LOT out of your current truck.
did u find it on craigslist or FBmarket place ?

We bought it off the lot at a Ford dealership in Oregon. It is a preowned certified vehicle with a warranty - some parts better than the warranty that comes with a new vehicle.

Yes, we put up with the stupid dealership sales tactics. At one time we excused ourselves from the negotiations, went outside but within sight, and belly laughed out loud.

As I said above, 2020-2023 extended cab with the FX4 package are hard to find. We had 5 possibilities - Oregon, Colorado, Ohio, Connecticut, New Jersey.

 

[ski3pin]

I'm curious what you like about the 2021 vs the 2003 truck. Did Ford do the right thing for you, or do you think the older one had better features?

Interesting question. Julie's response during her test drive was very similar to mine - "This feels like driving our old truck." A big reason we liked and bought it.

I've crawled underneath it, popped the hood, and looked at the parts that matter. The rear axle and differential are very much like on the 2003, although the 2003 level II has a bit larger ring gear and thicker axles. This one has a locking differential. The old Ranger had a mechanical limited slip Torsen differential. We always were able to get where we wanted to go with it. The front axle is very similar but easier to service. I do like the coil spring suspension on the new truck as the torsion bar suspension on the 2003 hung down underneath the truck. The seats in the new truck are comfortable and supportive and were fine on the long drive home. I like our old seats - even after 274,000 miles - a bit better. The new truck has disc brakes all the way around. So does our old Ranger (DIY project). I've not yet driven it in 4x4 low with the 10 speed transmission. All the technology bells and whistles are okay, sometimes a chore to learn, does not get me much excited, but, as I said, are okay. I do like having new airbags and the side curtain bags out of the side of the new seats.

It's footprint on the ground is only slightly larger than the 2003. It is 1" longer wheelbase, and the width is 3" wider. I believe it will be able to maneuver in the tight places we go. It feels and looks like a larger truck. Much of this comes from the foolish height of the bedsides. This I do not like. The bedside depth is 21". The 2003 was the old standard of 17".

We both like the additional power and torque. How we like the 10 speed auto and the 2.3 turbo, time will tell. Without a load, I need to be very careful with the go pedal.

It looks just as clean and new as our 22 year old truck. I'm a geezer, you know.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

That sounds like a good one.
I agree about all the high tech stuff.Some is useful others are a PITA.
That 21' bed depth does cause a problem with your old Bobcat
and I think getting a new camper made for the truck is better then placing the old camper on a platform.
Dealing with "car salesman" yeah been there done that.
Enjoy many , many trips with the new white truck.
Frank

 

[goinoregon]

We bought it off the lot at a Ford dealership in Oregon. It is a preowned certified vehicle with a warranty - some parts better than the warranty that comes with a new vehicle.

Yes, we put up with the stupid dealership sales tactics. At one time we excused ourselves from the negotiations, went outside but within sight, and belly laughed out loud.

As I said above, 2020-2023 extended cab with the FX4 package are hard to find. We had 5 possibilities - Oregon, Colorado, Ohio, Connecticut, New Jersey.

thx for info. maybe it was a lease return. i am ok with the preowned cars/trucks. my little city car/suv was purchased just like yours. a newer vehicle, with low miles, is like new. now that we have the van, and city car, i am finding that i am not a huge fan of driving around the pdx area with a tall sprinter van.... might look into an extended type mid sized truck like yours - i sold my old gmc after getting the van, and have regretted it. good luck with the new rig, and upcoming new atc.

 

[ski3pin]

Marty called and said they'd like to do a test fit of the camper to the bed of the new Ranger. We were down this morning. This also gave us all the opportunity to go over how I was going to lay out the interior and where I'd be wanting the exterior plumbing and interior wiring in the frame, and a few other minor items. This is the kind of service I love and why we are going with ATC because of the attention to detail and always dealing with the actual builders of the camper.

It was great to fine tune some of the layout. This greatly built up the excitement level.



Brad rolled the camper into place and ready for the lift with the forklift.

Marty joined in. There was a joke that Brad and Chad were able to get Marty into a uniform shirt.

It fit like a glove. We had done all the measurements a few weeks back. I believe this is the first ATC for the new generation Ford Ranger with the 21" deep bed.

Brad, Marty, Chad, Matt

And then we went to work on the layout that I will be doing.

Brad went over with me on additional framing placement. Yes, we are getting excited!

Oh, Julie baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies early this morning for Marty to take down with us.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

That's looking good.You can't beat working with them.
They just have that whole costumer service all through
them. Camper fits perfect.I like how snug it is to the bed rails.
Thanks for sharing and keep us updated.
Frank

 

[AWG_Pics]

Keep on Truckin!

 

[Vic Harder]

Get Marty to run good marine wire up to the roof... much less risk of the wires fraying behind the end panels...

 

[JaSAn]

No wonder you get such good service . . .

Julie bribes 'em with home made cookies

 

[rubberlegs]

Looks great and thanks for letting us tag along with your new build. The only problem I see is you may need more insulation, since there's no walls or ceiling.

 

[ski3pin]

Get Marty to run good marine wire up to the roof... much less risk of the wires fraying behind the end panels...

Thanks for the suggestion, Vic!

 

[PaulT]

Looks great and thanks for letting us tag along with your new build. The only problem I see is you may need more insulation, since there's no walls or ceiling.

Now,now. It has been reported that Scotty visited Marty to take orders for transparent aluminum. Marty may used some panels of that for roof & walls.
The real question is whether one can spin transparent aluminum like steel wool for the insulation.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Paul

 

[ski3pin]

In preparation for carrying the new camper Julie and I did a little Saturday wrenching. Out with the old and in with the new.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

That's a nice looking set of springs.Will you add air bags,possibly?
What's the time line for the new camper?
Frank

 

[Tom n N]

Wow, quite a difference between the old and new spring packs! I know there a several good companies out there making custom springs, any reason you picked Dobinson over the others? Are they the Australian company, and was that a custom or off the shelf kit?

While I’m pretty sure you keep the camper on your truck all the time, I’d be curious to know how the ride quality and rear height compares before the camper is installed.

Having fun following along, as like most of us, my camper is an ongoing project, so your pictures and information are very helpful. Please keep them coming.
Tom

 

[ski3pin]

Wow, quite a difference between the old and new spring packs! I know there a several good companies out there making custom springs, any reason you picked Dobinson over the others? Are they the Australian company, and was that a custom or off the shelf kit?

While I’m pretty sure you keep the camper on your truck all the time, I’d be curious to know how the ride quality and rear height compares before the camper is installed.

Having fun following along, as like most of us, my camper is an ongoing project, so your pictures and information are very helpful. Please keep them coming.
Tom

I went with Australian Dobinson because they have been making aftermarket suspensions for the International Ranger for years. I also had a long talk with Tom at Main Line Overland in New England. They have experience with installing Dobinson on Rangers that carry FWC popup campers. Tom was very helpful with his recommendations, and, he told me, owns a Ranger.

The ride height is about 2.5" higher than stock without the camper aboard. I also am curious how much the camper weight compresses the new springs. Without the camper I do not find the ride too harsh and prefer it to the stock FX4 that felt too soft and bouncy to my liking. It now feels much more like our old 2003 Ranger.

 

[buckland]

I love a project! That is a beautiful spring leaf pack. Smooth sailing on that. It must be like Christmas every day building the whole shebang. Can't wait for the test-drive summary.

 

[fish more]

Some robust spring packs, should not need air bags.