dstefan
Well-known member
At 68 and 6'3" with some manageable back/neck issues, my perfectly built '09 Tacoma for tent camping and pretty serious off-road is just too small/uncomfortable. And, we want out of the dust, wind, rain, and cold sometimes (do a lot of shoulder season outings, usually) for longer trips, and Phoenix heat in the summer! Two years of research later -- from off-road trailers, through Four Wheel Campers on an F250 (including visiting the factory and showroom) -- we ordered an OVRLND pop-up camper shell for a planned Tundra, as the optimum weight/size/capability combo. Can have it in January, or back out for a $500 deposit loss.
Flatbed Hawk's were always attractive, but seemed too difficult to create and too expensive. We thought about several rigs, but rejected them due to diesel (asthma, cost/weight) and/or size. We passed on a nice flatbed FWC Hawk/Norweld tray on a Power Wagon in September due to the size issues, but kept going back to the posting. We're now 90% ready to buy it -- have had it mechanically checked and extensive conversations and research, and it's a great rig, but the nagging question is: the high VERTICAL center of gravity, not fore and aft placement. Also NOT payload (it's a '12 PW with HD aftermarket leaf springs, airbags, a stock 1800 lb payload, and can handle the weight)! I get all the pros and cons to payload, stickers, and GVWR.
My wife and I come from many years off-road, some in jeeps, some in mid-size trucks, but never full-size, and going some difficult places (eg, around Phoenix which can be challenging, Elephant Hill and many other places in the southwest). I know I can't take this rig some of these spots, but I know it can do White Rim, Anza Borrego, or some of the other places in the Southwest we love and want to revisit more comfortably (but certainly NOT E. Hill!). Thing is we don't want to buy a fancy truck RV, that's going to be unsafe or too white knuckle in some mildly off camber trails.
The challenge is the rig has a Norweld tray with the drawer, which is great, but really puts the flatbed Hawk high up (bottom of the camper starts about 6-7" below the door handles. The current owner, mainly uses it in Anza Borrego and in Baja, and I know it's quite capable, but he isn't familiar with the trails we do. I know the Power Wagon can go just about anywhere we would want to itself, but I'm still a bit hinkey about the high vertical COG of the camper on the Norweld tray throwing things off too much, or limiting where we're willing to try going. I'm willing to be stuck, but not rolled over!
I know I can set up a DC Tundra with a light weight shell pop-up to actually be somewhat more capable, with lower COG, and the process of doing that plus building out the OVERLAND with a newer Tundra will be in the same ballpark cost-wise. Thing is, it's a ton of work and time to get the camper shell where we'd want it, so the turnkey rig is highly attractive. We're going to meet the owner halfway and drive the flatbed rig this weekend, but won't really be able to assess the off-camber handling. I'd like to bring it home to Phoenix, but would love to hear some other folks experiences before we drive it.
So, can anyone give me an informed opinion on the vertical COG issue with with a flatbed camper and how it affects off-road handling?
Flatbed Hawk's were always attractive, but seemed too difficult to create and too expensive. We thought about several rigs, but rejected them due to diesel (asthma, cost/weight) and/or size. We passed on a nice flatbed FWC Hawk/Norweld tray on a Power Wagon in September due to the size issues, but kept going back to the posting. We're now 90% ready to buy it -- have had it mechanically checked and extensive conversations and research, and it's a great rig, but the nagging question is: the high VERTICAL center of gravity, not fore and aft placement. Also NOT payload (it's a '12 PW with HD aftermarket leaf springs, airbags, a stock 1800 lb payload, and can handle the weight)! I get all the pros and cons to payload, stickers, and GVWR.
My wife and I come from many years off-road, some in jeeps, some in mid-size trucks, but never full-size, and going some difficult places (eg, around Phoenix which can be challenging, Elephant Hill and many other places in the southwest). I know I can't take this rig some of these spots, but I know it can do White Rim, Anza Borrego, or some of the other places in the Southwest we love and want to revisit more comfortably (but certainly NOT E. Hill!). Thing is we don't want to buy a fancy truck RV, that's going to be unsafe or too white knuckle in some mildly off camber trails.
The challenge is the rig has a Norweld tray with the drawer, which is great, but really puts the flatbed Hawk high up (bottom of the camper starts about 6-7" below the door handles. The current owner, mainly uses it in Anza Borrego and in Baja, and I know it's quite capable, but he isn't familiar with the trails we do. I know the Power Wagon can go just about anywhere we would want to itself, but I'm still a bit hinkey about the high vertical COG of the camper on the Norweld tray throwing things off too much, or limiting where we're willing to try going. I'm willing to be stuck, but not rolled over!
I know I can set up a DC Tundra with a light weight shell pop-up to actually be somewhat more capable, with lower COG, and the process of doing that plus building out the OVERLAND with a newer Tundra will be in the same ballpark cost-wise. Thing is, it's a ton of work and time to get the camper shell where we'd want it, so the turnkey rig is highly attractive. We're going to meet the owner halfway and drive the flatbed rig this weekend, but won't really be able to assess the off-camber handling. I'd like to bring it home to Phoenix, but would love to hear some other folks experiences before we drive it.
So, can anyone give me an informed opinion on the vertical COG issue with with a flatbed camper and how it affects off-road handling?
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