2021 Ford F250 Tremor Adventure Rig

[BretEdge]

I'm now the very stoked owner of a 2021 Ford F250 Tremor that will be the base of my family's upcoming adventure/overland rig. My wife, son and I live in Moab. We're mountain bikers, hikers, backpackers, occasional canyoneers, avid road trippers and overlanders. I'm a professional adventure and nature photographer/writer with a full-time government job. Previously we owned an F150 with a Four Wheel Campers Raven in the bed, which we used extensively during the year and a half we owned it. In that time we logged almost 100 nights in the camper in 12 states. We loved it, but the Raven was too small for a family of 3 plus dog and a mountain of outdoor gear, which brings us to this build...

In a couple of weeks we're installing a Norweld Weekender tray and then next month we're dropping a Four Wheel Campers flatbed Hawk camper on it. The tray and camper were purchased from Denny at the FWC dealer in Jackson, Wyoming, whom I highly recommend if you're in the market for an FWC. This is the second camper we've purchased from him and both experiences have been outstanding. We're working with Boulder Vehicle Outfitters to install the Norweld tray. Thus far, that experience has also been fantastic. Later we're having BVO to do some electrical work on the FWC to include the installation of an inverter, upgrade some wiring and replace the stock FWC fans with MaxxAir fans. We have no affiliation with either company but I do like to promote companies who take pride in delivering high quality customer service.

The rest of the build will progress as time and funds permit but will include suspension, lighting, armor, recovery, tires and wheels, etc. You know, the usual stuff. This thread will document the build as well as our (mis)adventures.

Thus far, the only modifications we've made are WeatherTech floor liners and Blue Ridge Overland Gear MOLLE seat back panels. On one panel I installed a small basic survival kit and a trauma kit. The other one will be storage for my son's stuff while traveling.

To kick us off I've included a few photos of the new rig in stock form and the MOLLE seat back panels. I'll do my best to document the build at each step while including as much information as possible about why specific products were chosen. In my next post I'll dive into the details of why we went with an F250 Tremor. Until then, I hope you enjoy the photos.

 

[BretEdge]

Last weekend I made the trek to Boulder Vehicle Outfitters in Frederick, Colorado for the Norweld Deluxe Weekender tray install. I can't say enough good things about the entire BVO crew. These are people who know what they're doing, take pride in their work and in their customer service, and are fair and trustworthy. Though I live six hours away I've decided that any significant work to my truck, including suspension and camper upgrades, will be done by them. Highly recommended!

I got home Sunday night and on Monday I had to do a photo shoot for OutdoorX4 magazine for a review I wrote of the Off the Grid Surplus Trailblazer pants. While I was out I did a little exploring and snagged a few photos of the truck wearing the Norweld. Initial impressions of the tray are positive. Lots of room in the rear pullout drawer, awkward but useful space in each one of the four underbed boxes. Build quality is stellar and the aluminum is gorgeous. Stoked to have a large water tank built into the tray that we can use to store water for our hydration packs. The truck was so attractive with the factory bed I was a little stressed about yanking it off and replacing it with the flatbed but in my opinion, it looks great. Only a couple minor complaints thus far:

- The backup camera relocation kit that came with the tray didn't work so I have to buy an aftermarket camera and figure out how/where to install it.
- As is common with flatbeds, filling the fuel tank requires one to manually operate the fuel nozzle, feathering the lever to keep the gas flowing. When I pull the lever in for maximum flow it automatically cuts off. Frustrating, but not a huge deal.
- No way to relocate the blind spot sensors. I knew this going in but didn't realize how much I relied on the stupid things. I do wish there was a way to relocate them but there isn't, so I'll get over it.

I'm traveling to Bozeman at the end of next month to have the camper installed. Probably won't be a whole lot of updates here until after the camper installation. I will try to post some more detail photos of the flatbed, though. Let me know if there's a specific part of the tray you'd like to see and I'll do my best to get a photo.

 

[McCarthy]

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BretEdge]

Picked up our Four Wheel Campers Hawk UTE in Bozeman on Tuesday. Denny and Steven of the FWC - Jackson/Bozeman/Boise dealer are outstanding. Second camper we've purchased from them and they've taken great care of us both times. Sunset last night looked promising so I took the rig out for its first official photo shoot with the camper. The light did not disappoint. I'm recovering from shoulder surgery and I'm not sure when we'll embark on our first adventure in it but hopefully soon.

I'm in the process of developing partnerships with various brands to support the build. I'm beyond stoked to have been invited into the KC HiLiTES family. They're the OG and, in my opinion, still the best, lighting manufacturer on the market. Like everyone else, most of their product is backordered but later this spring I'll install a full complement of KC lights to keep us safe at night and help find those elusive campgrounds at the end of a long day. The first real modifications I'll make will be suspension, wheels and tires. Still working on securing a partnership for these items. Anyone know somebody? ;-) Haven't yet decided if I'm going up to 37's or if I'll stick with a 35 (albeit a real 35, not the skinnier ones on the truck now). In talks with a bumper manufacturer and hope to have that lined out soon.

For those of you interested in such things, I average 13.8 MPG's from Moab to Bozeman without the camper and 12.5 on the return trip. Same route, same speeds, although more weather on the way home including some scary crosswinds in Montana and Utah.

 

[BretEdge]

Reserved for photos/build details

 

[BretEdge]

Reserved for photos/build details

 

[BretEdge]

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you! To say that we're excited would be an understatement.

 

[jaxyaks]

Nice!...I have been looking at the F250/F350 w/tremor package myself....if you don't mind my asking what does the payload sticker on your set up read?

 

[sokoloka]

Beautiful Tremor! Glad to see you went with the 7.3L just like I did with mine. Excited to see how this comes together!

 

[skrypj]

Gorgeous truck. This truck has been on my radar for sure and the 7.3L/10 speed is a monster. Which axle ratio did you go with? I'm on the fence about 3.73's or the 4.30's.

I am really hoping in the next year or two that we see the 2021 F150 interior carry over since they share a cab, and the icing on the cake would be if the superduty got the ProPower 2kW inverter.

 

[BretEdge]

Gorgeous truck. This truck has been on my radar for sure and the 7.3L/10 speed is a monster. Which axle ratio did you go with? I'm on the fence about 3.73's or the 4.30's.

I am really hoping in the next year or two that we see the 2021 F150 interior carry over since they share a cab, and the icing on the cake would be if the superduty got the ProPower 2kW inverter.

I was tempted to wait for that too but we're not in a position to delay the build. We sold our other other truck and are selling our motor home so we needed something for upcoming trips.

 

[BretEdge]

Nice!...I have been looking at the F250/F350 w/tremor package myself....if you don't mind my asking what does the payload sticker on your set up read?

2,827 pounds

 

[Regcabguy]

2,827 pounds

If you have an extra $7K.

 

[BretEdge]

If you have an extra $7K.

I'm putting Carli suspension under my rig but not the full blown Pintop. Overkill for a rig that isn't going to be doing any desert running while carrying 3,000 lbs. of camper and gear.

 

[Trixxx]

If you have an extra $7K.

I have a 2020 Tremor and the Carli Backcountry Kit on order. Should be here in a few weeks. I also have the exact same wheel/tire size combo As that truck. 37”x12.5 Ridge Grapplers, 17” wheels with +0 backspace. Only difference is the wheel brands. They have innov8 and I have methods.

My wheels and tires are already installed. I have a build thread in this section but I haven’t updated it for a while, need to.