using the camper off the truck?

H

hpcbmw

Advanced Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2011
Messages
95
Location
Northern Cal
I've searched around and found alot of discussion about this with other campers, but found nothing about a FWC. My camper is 1997 Granby. It's got the short overhang. I'm heading to Moab for a mountain bike trip with a group of friends. They will be renting a house and I'll be staying in the FWC. I'm thinking of unloading the FWC for the week either in the driveway or the garage.

If I unload the FWC and let it sit on the camper jacks, about 1' off the ground, will this be stable enough? I'll mostly be sleeping in the FWC with my wife, but eating and hanging out in the house with the friends. Will I need a support for the cab overhang (I was thinking a couple 2x4's mounted to a 2'x2' piece of plywood, mounted in a "V"). The wife and I are pretty slim, about 250lbs for the two of us.

I'd rather not haul a bunch of extra wood, etc to make a rack.

I'll probably need the truck to shuttle 6 bikes and people to and from the trails and possible for some 4wd trails.

Thanks for any ideas!
 
You will need to put supports under the floor. The floor in FWC campers aren't built to support weight on just the jacks.
 
The floor does need support, however, something as simple as a couple of pieces of plywood to make an "X" (looking down from the top) under the camper floor will do.

Make the two plywood pieces as long as the camper floor is diagonally, corner to corner, Then as high as you want the bottom of the camper off the ground. Half way down the length of the plywood make a notch half way across the short dimension on each piece of plywood. The notch opening width needs to be able to have the other piece of plywood fit in the notch. In other words these pieces of plywood "nest" in each other's notch and will stay upright. Place the "X" under the camper and lower the jacks until the camper bottom is resting on the "X". Keep the jacks on the camper and in contact with the ground to add stability.

This technique is easy to carry as it is only two pieces of plywood and no hardware.

The front cab over support will be a good thing, build what you want.
 
Thanks for the ideas. I hadn't thought about the need to support the floor. I'll look into making an 18" X out of plywood like Alley Kat suggests. I'll test it out and see if i need any support for the overhang.

Thanks!
 
I have been curious as well. We just picked up our new 2015 Hawk and would like to take the camper off truck for our surf trips so we can set up a home base. When we picked the camper up the dealer here in BC told us it would be fine off truck and that the floor would have no problem supporting us but we may want put a piece of wood underneath to stop the camper from shaking. Has anyone here done this with the new/newer campers?
 
I think in addition to supporting the floor you take lots of stress off the camper corners where the jacks are mounted if you rest the camper on some supports.
 
We were told when we picked up camper last year that it couldn't be used off the camper unless the floor was fully supported. We have a 4' x 8' sheet of 3/4" treated plywood on the ground, 2-24" high 3/4" treated plywood "X's", with another full sheet of 3/4" treated plywood on top of the "X's". I climb into the camper all of the time. Not sure I would want to climb into the bed for fear that it might tip.

jd
 
As others have suggested. i would use plywood with a X configuration. There was another post from a member where his corner bracket started bend/separate because he left his camper on jack and unsupported for a period of time and that's with a static load.
 
Years ago the guys at All Terrain Camper gave me this sheet. They made it very clear that the floor pac had to be supported if people would be walking inside while the camper was off the truck.
 

Attachments

  • Camper Xs.jpg
    Camper Xs.jpg
    198.3 KB · Views: 766
Regardless, if can load floor or not (FWC told me must be supported), mine is very wobbly just on the jacks anyway and I wouldn't want to be in it without something under it. I have used picnic tables and other assorted makeshift supports the few times I have jacked it free to use my truck while fishing somewhere for an extended stay. With the floor supported and on jacks I have hung on the forward edge of the cab-over and my 200lbs does not tip it. Regardless, I still feel better anchoring the rear door end by putting down a couple of spiral dog anchors and tying them off to the top of the jack at the rear corner brackets with a truckers hitch. Okay, okay, I'm a belt and suspenders kind a guy.....

The typical architectural standard for a picnic table is 28". My truck bed is 33", so not much jacking but you do need help moving the table. I have used them length ways and sideways depending upon the table and site concerns. It also obviously needs to be leveled up.
 
Sweet, the plywood X solution is great, Cut them and load them flat in the bed of your truck before loading in camper, you have them if you need to unload in the woods, just need some scrap wood, rocks to level them up when off loading.

I need to raise mine up anyway to get it to clear the bed rails on my 2010 F150, this will be a new solution to my bed platform.
 
wpage66 said:
Sweet, the plywood X solution is great, Cut them and load them flat in the bed of your truck before loading in camper, you have them if you need to unload in the woods, just need some scrap wood, rocks to level them up when off loading.

I need to raise mine up anyway to get it to clear the bed rails on my 2010 F150, this will be a new solution to my bed platform.
Click to expand...
Better be careful, if you have a full water tank and your camper is loaded. That is a lot of weight to be lifting.
 
longhorn1 said:
Better be careful, if you have a full water tank and your camper is loaded. That is a lot of weight to be lifting.
Click to expand...
I agree, you should always be careful.

Each camper jack is rated for 2000lbs. Lowering the camper down on a stabilized platform will only add more stability. I see no issue. You just don't want to start cranking 50 cranks on one jack at a time. I do 5 cranks at a time on each jack (I actually count, just to keep things even).

If you already have plywood in your truck box to raise your FWC to clear the bed ralls, why not have it serve multiple purposes? I like the idea.
 
My comment wasn't directed at the lifting rating of the jacks, but the amount of weight on the unsupported floor. If you go to take it off while camping with a full water tank, full porta potti you are liable to damage the floor or have everything come crashing down.
 
I wouldn't leave mine unsupported camping but I have gone inside while its supported by the jacks to do maintenance and it seemed pretty stable. Still I don't see much reason to do that while actually using the camper.
 
I used a couple of plastic sawhorses under the floor (1000 lb. capacity per pair) from HD or L for $25, cheaper than plywood and weigh less. Support left on jacks AND sawhorses, feels pretty stable.

Bill
2104 Grandby/2015 Tundra (8-ft bed)
Steilacoom, WA
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads - WTW

Wyo4Life
New FWC Hawk is in the house
K7MDL
K7MDL
J
Camper Dolly Rails for Steep Garage Ramp
Glenn
G
C
Truck and Camper Dropped Off Lift
2
Jon R
J
M
Grandby vs Kenai?
Wallowa
W
J
Junkyard 80's Fleet Rescue and Refurb, AKA the only FWC in New Orleans
Vic Harder
Vic Harder

New posts - WTW

Back
Top Bottom