integrated compact truck in the us

ketchbaw

New member
Anyone know of a company that can/does build a similar product in the us? The sunliner camper on the ranger chasis looks like a really cool way to get an overland type camper on a smaller footprint. The youtube video has a pretty great layout. I posted the question in midsize truck area but this looks like a more appropriate forum. Apologies for duplication.



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ketchbaw

New member
Roger that. I was hopeful since it was on a ford ranger chasis (diesel though). GMC canyon diesel is available for 2021 and would figure the payloads would be similar to the ford in australia.
 

Herbie

Rendezvous Conspirator
Roger that. I was hopeful since it was on a ford ranger chasis (diesel though). GMC canyon diesel is available for 2021 and would figure the payloads would be similar to the ford in australia.
A brief check on the payload tables for the Canyon/Colorado shows that generally the available payload is worse for the diesel models - because the power package is heavier. Towing capacity generally higher, which seems to be what most American customers are shopping for these days, but payload is limited, for sure.
 

lanceatm

Founder and CEO of EarthCruiser
Anyone know of a company that can/does build a similar product in the us? The sunliner camper on the ranger chasis looks like a really cool way to get an overland type camper on a smaller footprint. The youtube video has a pretty great layout. I posted the question in midsize truck area but this looks like a more appropriate forum. Apologies for duplication.



View attachment 611826
Can one get a the single cab in the USA?
 

David_h

Member
A Australian fellow on the Ford Tremor forum posted his available payload of 2800 pounds for their version of the Ford Ranger with the 3.2 turbo diesel. The payload for the USA spec Ranger is less than half that!
 

Todd n Natalie

OverCamper
A Australian fellow on the Ford Tremor forum posted his available payload of 2800 pounds for their version of the Ford Ranger with the 3.2 turbo diesel. The payload for the USA spec Ranger is less than half that!
That's a 1,000 lbs more than my F150 is rated for, haha
 

DzlToy

Explorer
A camper on the back of a quarter ton pickup is a really bad idea. These small trucks are made for going to Home Depot, carrying mountain bikes and going to the mall. I am a firm believer in Toyota quality and have owned multiple Toyota cars and trucks over the last 25 years. With the exception of a RCLB Tundra, there isn't a single Toyota vehicle that is suitable for an integrated camper when you account for gear, people, water, fuel, storage and the like. The handling, braking, fuel mileage and capabilities will all suffer drastically. Try to stop a 7,000 pound Tacoma on a gravel road from 35 MPH with factory wheels, tires, brakes and a 7 foot tall camper on the back and let me know how that works out.

I laugh my ******** off regularly at the foundations of most of the builds I see: 50,000 pound Class A trucks, 8 foot (floor) campers stuck on the back of a Gladiator, triple cab trucks with 10 - 12 foot boxes and 170" wheelbase, high top Sprinters with 6" of wheel travel and about the same in ground clearance.

Where are you going to go in these vehicles? If you want to go off road, truly off road, buy a vehicle for that and carry what you need to support yourself when you get there. If you want satellite TV, a king sized bed and an oven, buy a Newell, Prevost or Marathon coach or rent top notch accommodations wherever you chose to go. You can travel there by car, truck plane, bicycle, bus or boat and have lots of money in your pocket from not buying a $150,000 - $750,000 "expo" rig to drive from one National Park to another.
 

DaveInDenver

Middle Income Semi-Redneck
The handling, braking, fuel mileage and capabilities will all suffer drastically. Try to stop a 7,000 pound Tacoma on a gravel road from 35 MPH with factory wheels, tires, brakes and a 7 foot tall camper on the back and let me know how that works out.
I wholeheartedly agree with you but what's interesting to me is that the Tacoma and Hilux share some common parts, at least in design, such as brakes (both are still disc front, drum rear), front suspension, steering, similar family transmissions (gearing varies).

At a high level their main difference is the frame (Hilux being fully boxed, Tacoma being open 'C' from the front door rearward) and rear suspension (Hilux still is traditional compression shackle, Tacoma being flipped tension shackle like domestic trucks). I think the Hilux still has inboard shocks, the Tacoma's shocks got moved to the outside of the frame rails.

Point being the Tacoma brakes do stink but in that respect the Hilux wouldn't really be any different and shouldn't on paper seem to deserve 2x the GVWR that they get anyway.

I think a factor in payload ratings is the relative expectation of use at very high speeds on good pavement. GVWR isn't simply a measure of suspension squat or frame deflection but handling dynamics factor in.

Loading a small/midsize pickup with 2,500 lbs of payload would make it very roll-over prone at Interstate speed. It's a routine refrain that Americans complain about not having enough engine power to cruise at even higher than posted speeds. Read threads in the Toyota specific subforum, the 4Runner's 270 HP V6 is routinely panned for not being a V8 capable of holding 75 MPH at 10,000' while in overdrive.

Giving a Tacoma Hilux-like GVWR would be suicide for Toyota. In fact when we actually did effectively get a Hilux from 79-95 the GVWR was reduced. My made-in-Japan 1991 Toyota Truck door jamb said 5,350 lbs GVWR while a Hilux destined for Australia or elsewhere coming from the very same factory would have been rated 3,000 or more kg, so 6,600 lbs.
 
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Paddler Ed

Adventurer
Giving a Tacoma Hilux-like GVWR would be suicide for Toyota. In fact when we actually did get a Hilux from 79-95 the GVWR was reduced. My made-in-Japan 1991 Toyota Truck door jamb said 5,350 lbs GVWR while a Hilux destined for Australia or elsewhere coming from the very same factory would have been rated 3,000 or more kg, so 6,600 lbs.

Interestingly, I just looked at the numbers on Redbook (sort of equivalent to KBB/Edmonds I think) for the 1991 Hilux in Australia:

RN110 single cab, 22R, manual, 4x4: https://www.redbook.com.au/cars/details/1991-toyota-hilux-manual-4x4/SPOT-ITM-277366/ GVM = 2520kg, towing = 1500kg
RN105 double cab, 22R, manual, 4x4: https://www.redbook.com.au/cars/details/1991-toyota-hilux-sr5-manual-4x4-dual-cab/SPOT-ITM-277365/ GVM = 2730kg, towing 1500kg Payload = 750kg

I think those numbers are almost identical to your US ones.

Amusingly, my little Daihatsu F25 (single cab, 1600cc Toyota 12R, 4x4) has a tare of 1400kg (with me (100kg) and 1/3 tank of fuel) and a GVM of 2310kg.... so somehere around an 870kg payload
 

DaveInDenver

Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Interestingly, I just looked at the numbers on Redbook (sort of equivalent to KBB/Edmonds I think) for the 1991 Hilux in Australia:

RN110 single cab, 22R, manual, 4x4: https://www.redbook.com.au/cars/details/1991-toyota-hilux-manual-4x4/SPOT-ITM-277366/ GVM = 2520kg, towing = 1500kg
RN105 double cab, 22R, manual, 4x4: https://www.redbook.com.au/cars/details/1991-toyota-hilux-sr5-manual-4x4-dual-cab/SPOT-ITM-277365/ GVM = 2730kg, towing 1500kg Payload = 750kg

I think those numbers are almost identical to your US ones.

Amusingly, my little Daihatsu F25 (single cab, 1600cc Toyota 12R, 4x4) has a tare of 1400kg (with me (100kg) and 1/3 tank of fuel) and a GVM of 2310kg.... so somehere around an 870kg payload
Well there you go. Mine was an RN110 (even so stamped on the frame rail, complete model was RN110L-CRMDEA - 22R-E, W56, XtraCab, DLX trim) so 2,520 kg = 5,556 lbs. That 2,730 kg = 6,018 lbs. So it's a little higher but not 3,000 kg that I thought. In a move somewhere along the way I lost the brochure a buddy found in New Zealand for Hiluxes back in the 1990s so my memory was clearly faulty. Good thing I didn't swear by a Bible. The more recent ones (like the 2020) have those higher payloads only then?

HiLux Spec Data Feb2020.jpg
 
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DzlToy

Explorer
An interesting comparison for sure, but I still stand on, "small trucks are not mega-overlanders." I would be scared to death to drive a HiLux at 75 or 80 MPH with a large camper on the back. It just isn't safe, in my opinion. A friend has a 900 HP Ram 3500 and routinely pulls a 32' gooseneck trailer at 80 - 90 MPH on open freeway. Quite irresponsible, if you ask me. Another friend is in the, "Toyotas are garbage because they don't have 400 horsepower"-camp. Why? Go slow, be safe, enjoy the journey. If you want to get somewhere quickly, buy a plane ticket or a sports car and stay in a Holiday Inn.

The EU mandates strict speed limits for commercial vehicles, such as lorries and OTR tractors. I am not sure if this is the case in Oz or if an RV or camper van would be included in this mandate. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that running a 10 tonne camper down the road at 80 MPH/130 KPH, isn't exactly safe. Handling and braking are severely compromised in these types of vehicles typically and high speeds exacerbate these issues.

On another note, what upgrades do companies like Maltec make, if any, to handle the weight of the camper and associated gear? Is GVM upgraded? Brakes? Springs? What is a curb/kerb weight on a LandCruiser-based Maltec truck?

Cheers
 

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