ramblinChet
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2021 - Very easy choice since there are virtually zero FWC campers available let alone a Grandby Shell.
Most likely I will be building this out with a diesel powered heater from Eberspächer or Webasto. After spending time this past week in a brand new FWC Hawk I was was confused by the performance of the factory installed heater. It would turn on and blast us with air that was too hot for several minutes followed by a cooling period that was followed by a chilling one. The system does not seem balanced and I wonder why this particular model was selected. The Hawk had a thermal pack and the outside temperatures ranged from the high 20s to low 40s.
Scary looking. I'd have ripped that off by now.Torklift frame-mounted rear tie downs D3112 mounted today. Install took about an hour and used basic hand tools to include calibrated 30-250 lb-ft torque wrench. Instructions called for three main outboard bolts to be torqued to 200 lb-ft with the single inboard bolt torqued to 75 lb-ft. The rear mount is effectively an extension of the existing frame and is solid beyond question.
Picture under driver's side rear quarter showing part of frame and OEM receiver hitch per-install:
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Same area post install with part number D3112 installed:
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Lowest part of rear tie down is 2" below bottom of rear bumper. Outermost section extends 4.25" from widest part of truck.
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I though FWC used a steel turnbuckle that connected the camper to a forged eyebolt that passed through the bed of the truck and then through an aluminum plate with a nut on it. That does not go anywhere close to the vehicle frame - it mounts into thin sheet metal and is a flawed design. And why use aluminum for the plate since aluminum has such a poor fatigue life?
And I agree the Torklift is not an ideal solution although it does transfer the forces to the vehicle frame and not the thin sheet metal of the bed.
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Preparing to depart on my 2,300 mile trek from Virginia to Montana to pick up my new Grandby shell. I am spending tonight in Blue Earth, Minnesota.
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