From 1-10, how bad of an idea can this be?

Double_Eh

Member
I’ve been posting around here a little bit lately, trying to find a camping solution for my wife, myself, our baby. We have a 1st gen, double cab Tacoma TRD. The tiny 5’ bed was replaced with a flatbed by the previous owner. I recently came across a 1979 FWC Hawk. How bad of an idea can it be to put these two things together?


1595221918470.jpeg





The flatbed dimensions are 72” long by 67” wide, and it sits 32” below the top of the cab. I believe the base of the hawk is 64” by 76”. I don’t know any other dimensions yet.

Concerns I have are primarily the weight of the camper and the fact that weight could sit relatively high and behind the rear axle. I do have relatively stiff Dakar leafs in back and the flatbed is noticeably lighter than the stock bed.

The camper seems plenty affordable, looks to be in good shape considering it’s 41, and I kinda like the idea of restoring it. I’m a little excited. Somebody save me from a bad decision, or better yet, give me a push!
 

Peter_n_Margaret

Adventurer
We had a slide-on on a 1987 Ford F350 4WD (351 Cleveland) single cab for 12 years.
I think your proposal will all end in tears.
Not only is the CofG high, but it will also be a long way back, possibly behind the rear axle and that is a recipe for disaster.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome
 

Organic

New member
The price on the camper seems pretty good so if it doesn't end up working out I think you could make your money back selling it. I have never used them, but possibly an air helper kit for the rear if it feels sloshy and squats too much when it's installed. They look simple, relatively easy to install and are priced around $200-$400 depending.
 

Double_Eh

Member
We had a slide-on on a 1987 Ford F350 4WD (351 Cleveland) single cab for 12 years.
I think your proposal will all end in tears.
Not only is the CofG high, but it will also be a long way back, possibly behind the rear axle and that is a recipe for disaster.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

Yeah, this is exactly my concern. The wishful part of me is hoping the camper isn’t actually that heavy (I need to call FWC or do some research to find the weight), and I can possibly lighten it more doing the renovation. The base is about 6’4” which isn’t that much longer than a new FWC swift- designed for the 5’ bed Tacoma.

I think my flatbed sits about 3” higher than the bottom of the stock truck bed. I probably need to figure that out with more precision too.
 

Tex68w

Beach Bum
Loaded out full size FWC's are around 1500lbs. The issue is the GVWR of the Tacoma, it's hard not to exceed that with nearly any build on that platform. You really should be looking for a Swift or Fleet for that size truck. I'd pass or do like suggested above and renovate it for a flip, you'll likely make money on the deal if you did.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,530
Messages
2,875,570
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top