2021 Ford F250 Tremor Adventure Rig

[Todd n Natalie]

I'm still trying to sell the bed and not having much luck. Not in a huge hurry so it's fine but eventually I'd like to get rid of it.

Why not keep the bed so when you sell it you have the option to sell it with the tray or bed? I'm thinking a tray my limit your market when the time comes to sell.

 

[badm0t0rfinger]

Virtually unlimited government jobs available, just very few who want to do the work.

Its a dirty job but someone's gotta do it.

 

[BretEdge]

Why not keep the bed so when you sell it you have the option to sell it with the tray or bed? I'm thinking a tray my limit your market when the time comes to sell.

No interest in storing it for several years and if things go according to plan this will be our retirement rig, anyway.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

No interest in storing it for several years and if things go according to plan this will be our retirement rig, anyway.

What if you put it to use instead of merely storing it? Reduce, reuse, recycle haha!

 

[BretEdge]

We've been out on a couple adventures in the new rig and are heading out again in a few hours. Unfortunately, I crashed mountain biking and had to have shoulder surgery so we're limited in what we can do for the next couple of months but we'll get out as much as possible nonetheless. Our first trip was a three day, two night jaunt through SE Utah. Last weekend we spent a couple days exploring the San Rafael Swell. Both areas were busier than we've ever seen them but we were still able to find quiet campsites with exceptional views.

Also, if you're interested in a flatbed conversion I wrote a blog post about my experience in which I attempted to answer many of the questions I didn't know to ask...but wish I did. I think many people will find it helpful. Here's a link > Flatbed Tray Conversions

 

[bernardocolorado]

Oh man, you're doing exactly what I've been wanting to do! Stoked! Rig looks beautiful.

What made you go with the 250 over the 350?
No concerns with payload?
I'm considering the 350 so I can start with the small camper I have (Cirrus 620, 1700lbs wet) but quickly upgrade, and not worry about water, toys, etc.
I've been racking my head on getting an 8ft vs. the 6-3/4ft bed - looks like the 7ft Norweld fits really well, any thoughts on whether you'd get any benefits from an 8ft bed rig?
Thanks for the flatbed conversion blog post, exactly what I was hoping for.

How do you envision storying mountain bikes? Skis? Aaaalll the additional gear?
I'm considering hitch racks (the new Yakima Exo system is very interesting) but I fear the additional weight, the lever arm, the additional extension affects departure angle, etc...

 

[mk216v]

Good article Bret.
Wasn't your F150 a SuperCrew (quad cab), or was it a SuperCab(xtra cab)? If SuperCrew, then the truck cab is basically the same as your F250....so besides more payload (and some Tremor bits) on your F250 vs F150, I'm curious what else did you gain to help with a family of 3 and dog?

Highway Products is another excellent flatbed builder to add to your article; best of the best IMHO. https://www.highwayproducts.com/c/custom-flatbeds/

They easily reuse factory Ford parking sensors, and backup camera (in a standard HPI housing). For coding out your BLIS sensors, find someone with Forscan and they can code it out for you, as can a Ford dealership, so no annoying warnings.

Another pro to a chassis-cab is that at least with the Ford's, the frame rails are inset closer to centerline of the rig, meaning that your under-belly/under-bed boxes can be deeper(towards the centerline of the truck), therefore increased storage capacity.

Regarding weights, at least from HPI; aluminum flatbed is ~500#, crossframe is ~200#, underbelly boxes are ~40-50# each.

Hope that helps to add into your article as you see fit.

Let's see more adventure! (after you heal, sorry to hear that)

 

[BretEdge]

Oh man, you're doing exactly what I've been wanting to do! Stoked! Rig looks beautiful.

What made you go with the 250 over the 350?
No concerns with payload?
I'm considering the 350 so I can start with the small camper I have (Cirrus 620, 1700lbs wet) but quickly upgrade, and not worry about water, toys, etc.
I've been racking my head on getting an 8ft vs. the 6-3/4ft bed - looks like the 7ft Norweld fits really well, any thoughts on whether you'd get any benefits from an 8ft bed rig?
Thanks for the flatbed conversion blog post, exactly what I was hoping for.

How do you envision storying mountain bikes? Skis? Aaaalll the additional gear?
I'm considering hitch racks (the new Yakima Exo system is very interesting) but I fear the additional weight, the lever arm, the additional extension affects departure angle, etc...

I got the F250 because I knew I'd be replacing all of the suspension and it didn't make sense to pay extra for something I wasn't keeping.

The obvious benefit of the 8' bed is more room for a bigger camper OR tunnel storage in front of your camper. For us, it was more important to minimize the vehicle footprint to maintain as much offroad capability as possible. It's already a BIG truck and going w/ the longer bed would have made it even more challenging to navigate in challenging offroad environments. The bigger fuel tank would have been really nice, though.

We'll carry our MTB's in a hitch mount rack; either our current Velocirax or a 1Up rack. Either way, it'll be mounted in a swing-away that allows access to the rear door. Top contender is currently made by Wilco, which will also carry a 37" spare tire. There are definitely offroad capability tradeoffs when you hang stuff off the hitch but we're mountain bikers so...it is what it is.

 

[BretEdge]

Good article Bret.
Wasn't your F150 a SuperCrew (quad cab), or was it a SuperCab(xtra cab)? If SuperCrew, then the truck cab is basically the same as your F250....so besides more payload (and some Tremor bits) on your F250 vs F150, I'm curious what else did you gain to help with a family of 3 and dog?

Highway Products is another excellent flatbed builder to add to your article; best of the best IMHO. https://www.highwayproducts.com/c/custom-flatbeds/

They easily reuse factory Ford parking sensors, and backup camera (in a standard HPI housing). For coding out your BLIS sensors, find someone with Forscan and they can code it out for you, as can a Ford dealership, so no annoying warnings.

Another pro to a chassis-cab is that at least with the Ford's, the frame rails are inset closer to centerline of the rig, meaning that your under-belly/under-bed boxes can be deeper(towards the centerline of the truck), therefore increased storage capacity.

Regarding weights, at least from HPI; aluminum flatbed is ~500#, crossframe is ~200#, underbelly boxes are ~40-50# each.

Hope that helps to add into your article as you see fit.

Let's see more adventure! (after you heal, sorry to hear that)

That's all great information. Thank you! I'll add to the article when I have time. That Highway Products flatbed looks killer. I wasn't even aware of their product but I really like it.

Yes, the actual cab of the F250 is basically the same size as the F150, both of which are SuperCrew configuration. But, the flatbed provides WAY more living and storage space than the slide-in Raven, which is where we picked up the extra room. The flatbed tray also has a 15 gallon water tank, the underbed storage and rear drawer so much of what we were carrying in the cab of the F150 is now in the flatbed tray.

One of the main factors that played into my decision to build on a 3/4 ton platform instead of 1/2 ton was the extra strength and payload capacity of a 3/4 ton truck. The F150 was tapped out with the Raven on it. I can't imagine adding another 1,200+ pounds to it. It'd be scary. The F250 also provides more ground clearance and better approach/departure angles than our F150 did, so even though it's longer it will serve us better when traveling offroad.

 

[mk216v]

That's all great information. Thank you! I'll add to the article when I have time. That Highway Products flatbed looks killer. I wasn't even aware of their product but I really like it.

Yes, the actual cab of the F250 is basically the same size as the F150, both of which are SuperCrew configuration. But, the flatbed provides WAY more living and storage space than the slide-in Raven, which is where we picked up the extra room. The flatbed tray also has a 15 gallon water tank, the underbed storage and rear drawer so much of what we were carrying in the cab of the F150 is now in the flatbed tray.

One of the main factors that played into my decision to build on a 3/4 ton platform instead of 1/2 ton was the extra strength and payload capacity of a 3/4 ton truck. The F150 was tapped out with the Raven on it. I can't imagine adding another 1,200+ pounds to it. It'd be scary. The F250 also provides more ground clearance and better approach/departure angles than our F150 did, so even though it's longer it will serve us better when traveling offroad.

You're welcome.
Other stuff I've learned in my HPI flatbed process ('19 F350 SuperCrew 6.75'bed 6.2L, HPI flatbed with crossframe tunnel box + 4underbelly boxes, ATO Aterra XL composite camper);
--What departure/breakover angles do you want from your setup? This will determine underbelly box heights and lengths.
--Where to put your spare if you don't keep it in the stock location? Surprisingly HPI hasn't done any tire swingouts on their flatbeds.
--HPI specifically has built a LOT of flatbed configurations (private individuals, municipalities/govt/fire/rescue, farmers/ranchers, miners, commercial/industrial, etc), and so they have a LOT of engineering plans to borrow ideas from. Means you don't have to pay the engineering costs if something has already been engineered.
--If the flatbed is full custom like HPI (or AlumLine--although ask Jon Burtt about his AlumLine experience, or Hillsboro, or CM, or maybe even AT Overland if they're offering custom--their setups are a mix of aluminum and composite boxes), then the sky is the limit as to how you configure everything. HPI engineers need to know stock susp or susp lift, stock tire size or upgraded. They can do crossframe/tunnel boxes for storage(popular is a storage box on driver side, open space for spare tire on pass side). They can add E-track or L-track to the box(inside or out). They can do angled end corners as shown, or 90deg end corners. They can do truck frame extensions so that you have a longer flatbed than your pickup bed was. There's a minimum thickness height to the entire flatbed (with HPI it's about 6-7"H), but if you need it taller than that, they can build it with taller sills. Under-belly boxes can be off-the-shelf boxes with 90deg edges, or angled like shown(more $$). They can add filler triangles to mimic a wheel well. They can build the flatbed deck with an actual wheel well contour as shown. They can add a rear winch as shown. Mudflap of all different heights, or no. Side steps that slide out, rear fixed steps, rope tie downs on the side as shown, small or large clearance lights as shown, all different finishes (paint to powdercoat as shown), different surfaces on the box faces (Gladiator dimples as shown), minimum faces/edges on the box construction so that you're maximizing the loading area, LED lights inside the boxes, shocks or cables or chains as shown for box doors, etc etc...so many options it can be overwhelming. So it's certainly quicker to go with something like a Norweld which is much more standardized. The Norweld water tank and rear drawer is a very nice feature. Based on the way HPI engineers their flatbed structure(horizontal/transverse beams), it's not easy to have an under-bed water tank, or rear drawer. Possible, but high engineering costs. I guess the wildland fire crews don't request it, so there's no previous engineering to borrow from.
--Lifetime warranty. Worth it IMHO.
--All made in USA, in southern Oregon. Impressive facility which you can tour (even more impressive is their boat division; https://pavati.com).
--It's a long process to nail down exactly what you want/how you want it, especially if you're OCD and want to maximize your $. Be patient. I've been at my HPI plan for 6mos easy, refining and refining--have a great sales guy (Aaron Taylor, head of fire/rescue dept). 5-6mos to build from when order was placed.

That HPI flatbed is pretty much the extreme. Guy named Chuck owns it, he does defense/weapons contracting for the gov't, so has the $$$ for something like this.

While it'd be ideal to have a dual purpose flatbed (camper on, and then remove the camper and use the flatbed for hauling material), this is challenging, at least in the configuration HPI is building for me. They need to engineer backing plates into the flatbed deck for the camper. But the access points for the 4 camper tie downs will be behind the underbelly boxes. So, to retain HPI's legendary box sealing (keeping dirt/dust/water out), I can't easily have camper tie down access holes in the tops of the boxes, as the boxes wouldn't seal 100%. I'd need to remove the boxes, access the tie downs, then reinstall the boxes and re-seal them to the flatbed. I'm sure they could engineer a solution, but for the $$ to do so, and the amount of times I'd use the flatbed sans camper, it's not worth the cost IMHO. So, decide if this feature (of camper off/on often) is something you'd REALLY use.

Makes perfect sense on upgrading from the F150 to F250 based on payload first, then moving from slide-in to flatbed for more space inside the camper, and more utility out of the camper(slide-in camper has wasted space due to the truck bed sides prohibiting useful storage).

Thanks for letting us follow along!

 

[Regcabguy]

Yeah,something to replace the step stool for entering/exiting in the middle of the night or carrying cooked food down would seal the deal.
Nice pics I remember how beautiful southern Utah was when we were up there several years ago. Extraordinary combo there bud.
I've been up to Deaver's Forge. Super nice company and perfectionists but I'd keep it close for fine tuning.

 

[BretEdge]

We only had time for a quick mini-adventure this weekend so we left yesterday morning for the Needles District of Canyonlands, arriving around noon. We did several hikes and had a late lunch in the park before heading out Lockhart Basin to find a campsite for the night. The first five miles were a stupid zoo with RV's, OHV's and tents everywhere. As soon as the road got a little rough we started to lose people. We kept going and at around mile 8 we followed two-track out into the desert until it deadended at the base of a series of cliffs below the Needles Overlook. Not a soul around and so quiet (except for the wind). Views in every direction and in the 16 hours we were there only three other vehicles passed us on the main road. Not sure what next weekend holds but it'll be local.

 

[BretEdge]

The last couple of weekends have been busy and we haven't been able to sneak out for a camping trip but on Saturday night we drove 45 minutes to a new campsite we'd discovered the previous weekend and spent a single glorious night under dark skies in absolute peace and quiet. It was hot and windy during the day but night temps dropped into the high 50's - perfect for sleeping. We're headed out (somewhere) again this weekend and then there'll be another two weeks without any action but we're planning an 11 day escape to either Idaho or Montana at the end of June and 17 days to the PNW at the end of July, with a few quick Colorado weekends mixed in for flavor.

The only modification I've made to the rig since the last post is the addition of two Maxtrax recovery boards secured to the rack on the back of the camper. I also ordered a set of custom leaf springs from the incredible folks at Alcan Springs in Grand Junction, CO. My Carli Pintop system is set to arrive sometime after June 15. Working on a partnership with a well known tire company and should know soon if that's a "go". If so, 37" hybrid AT/MT tires will be installed on some Method 703's or 701's, whichever one happens to be available. KC Flex Era 4's are scheduled to arrive at the end of June. So, the summer is going be big for modifications to the ol' rig. Stay tuned for updates and, of course, photos.

 

[Explorerinil]

Oh man, you're doing exactly what I've been wanting to do! Stoked! Rig looks beautiful.

What made you go with the 250 over the 350?
No concerns with payload?
I'm considering the 350 so I can start with the small camper I have (Cirrus 620, 1700lbs wet) but quickly upgrade, and not worry about water, toys, etc.
I've been racking my head on getting an 8ft vs. the 6-3/4ft bed - looks like the 7ft Norweld fits really well, any thoughts on whether you'd get any benefits from an 8ft bed rig?
Thanks for the flatbed conversion blog post, exactly what I was hoping for.

How do you envision storying mountain bikes? Skis? Aaaalll the additional gear?
I'm considering hitch racks (the new Yakima Exo system is very interesting) but I fear the additional weight, the lever arm, the additional extension affects departure angle, etc...

The f250 and f350 tremor only use the same 17 though 19 rear springs, the f250 tremor having the same springs just has a sticker with a lower gvrw than the f350 version. Basically when ford lowered the 2020 super duties they used their left over 17 through 19 parts on the tremors which sit up around 2 inches higher than a non tremor.

 

[Tex68w]

It's wild how much taller the 2017-19 trucks are when compared to the 2011-16 and 20+ trucks. There's a solid 2" difference.