Should FWC's Swift & Fleet be marketed towards Tacomas?

[phsycle]

But then what would I drive? We only have the one truck. What I kick myself over is selling the 1991 rather than keeping it and doing a restore. I don't want to make that mistake again.

I meant if you were going to buy that Ranger or another vehicle. Older truck, like your Hilux, would make more sense for a time capsule.

 

[beef tits]

I cannot wait for electric trucks. As soon as their ranges increase to 800-1000 miles I'll be getting one. Battery tech gets better every day.

No fluids anywhere in the vehicle, no moving parts other than motors... literally a fraction of the systems to repair or maintain. Infinite torque. Solar is getting a lot better too. In our lifetime they'll charge up from the sun in a couple hours. People in the rust belt will still complain because they get no sun. Who lives there anyway?

Internal combustion sucks.

 

[bkg]

Other good things about the latest models: 7.3L gas, torsionally stiff fully boxed frame (just hard mount everything, don't worry about pivots).

If I had it to do over, I'd be very tempted to go with a F250 or 350. 7.3L, 10spd, 4.30 gears, locker... add 37s, mild lift.

my 2016 is running 2.5" Carli up front and Carlie springs in the back with F250 blocks. Sits on 35's.

It *really* needs the front axle moved forward .5-1"... I had to pull the front mud flaps off because the tires rub. I'm too cheap to buy or build radius arms to correct the issue.

 

[GrandiOdyssey]

We went with a FWC Swift in our Tacoma because we wanted to compact setup that would easily fit in a shipping container for going international, be able to successfully navigate traffic in congested cities, and squeeze down tight trails. In order to mange the extra weight we had our Icon Stage 6 suspension valved to match the camper, 700lb in coil springs up front, OME dakar heavy rear leafs w/ + 1 add a leaf, Durobump bump stops, and E rated BFG K02s. We wanted to replicate what Australia does for their GVM upgrades and the result is exactly what I was looking for in terms of handling, ride, and off road performance etc.

I will caveat though that if you are going to run a FWC in a Tacoma, you should:
1. avoid the flat bed models
2. have occupants that weigh << 300lbs combined
3. remove unnecessary items from truck and camper (tailgate, rear seats, rear seat belts, rear window sliding mechanism, camper table, camper slide out sleeping tray, etc)
4. Get a lightweight lithium battery for the camper to replace the heavy AGM battery
5. bring only essential items, pack in light weight fabric organizers
6. Avoid heavy accessories like 33in+ tires, large steel bumpers, sliders, skids, roof racks, high lift jacks, steel wheels, etc (these things can eat up payload just as much as a camper can if you aren't careful)
7. consider regearing if you have an AT

Note that the ARB suspension GVM upgrades allow between 150kg and 456kg of extra payload on the Hilux.

GVM Upgrades | ARB Old Man Emu 4X4 Suspension

oldmanemu.com.au

 

[David_h]

Hey guys,

My old roommate (who has a 4WD Toyota Tacoma) reached out to me regarding buying a truck camper for his rig. Since I've seen a lot of FWCs on Tacos, I did a little bit of research and found that the Swift (935 lbs) and the Fleet (1,045 lbs) are specifically marketed towards the Toyota Tacoma. Just to be sure (I've had a few issues of coming close to GVWR) I asked my buddy to snap a pic of the payload sticker on his driver's side door and found that his Tacoma had a payload of 1,152 lbs (not including driver or passengers). Checking the forums, it seems that ~1,150 lbs payload is pretty typical for a 4WD Taco. Pairing a Tacoma with a Swift or a Fleet would come very close to exceeding the GVWR once you add the driver. Throw in a bunch of gear or an additional passenger and you’re over GVRW.

My question: Should FWCs market the Swift & Fleet towards the Tacoma, even though the buyer will be at max GVWR when the camper is on the truck?

Also: I completely understand this is not just an issue with FWC but other TC brands as well.

I would argue that the Swift & Fleet models should be marketed towards half ton trucks (Tundra/F150/1500). FWC should only market their Project M towards Tacomas to allow for adequate additional payload.

Thanks.

If the truck (insert brand here) can have a few hundred pounds of available payload left after the camper is installed then I think it is OK to market for said truck. A solo camper with a backpacker mindset can easily travel light enough to stay under the GVWR. If adding people and gear the user needs to understand the safety risks for being overloaded (eg. braking, panic handling, etc). I started with a truck that had a payload of around 1550 pounds. As my family got bigger I decided for safety's sake to change to a truck with a payload of about 2200 pounds. The truck has seating capacity for six persons and I've have driven with five people on one camping trip. Now I am mostly solo and I'm always interested in a smaller lighter rig- just have not found a good one yet.