AEV Prospector XL Flatbed Adventure Rig

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cuzitsmyUSofwtvr

Member

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Having traveled and camped in several Tacomas, we’ve been through various iterations of home-made campers. In 2018/2019 we made the decision that full size truck and a Four Wheel Camper was the best choice to gain more livability while still preserving functionality and the ability to get off the beaten path. We also wanted a vehicle with a bigger towing capacity than a Tacoma without having to remove the camper to stay under the GVWR. We wanted to document our here build here from start to finish to serve as a guide for anyone attempting anything similar and to show that you can really have a full size truck platform that can do it all. We ultimately decided on a Ram Diesel platform, more on that later.

I'll continue to update this thread with specific topics related to the truck and list them in a table of contents below:

Post #1 - Background, Intro, etc (this post)
Post #6 - Gas Mileage
Post # 8 - Gallery (Pre Camper Install)
Post #18 - Weight Estimates (Base, dry, wet)
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Background

Our first build was a 2012 Tacoma TRD off road Pre-Runner (6 ft bed). We built a sleeping platform with storage underneath, enclosed under a canvas truck topper. This was a great budget set-up and extremely functional. Over time, we found the head room was slightly cramped if we wanted to maintain under bed storage. This is still our favorite budget truck option due to the ability to build this for less than $1000 including the topper.

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Our second build was a 2016/17 Tacoma TRD off road 4x4 (5ft bed). This time, we opted for a hardshell topper with an extended height to give us a bit more head room. We opted for the shorter bed in favor of having 4 doors for more practicality in every-day life and used a tent extension to compensate for the shorter bed. Ultimately, we found this set-up not worth the additional expense from our 2012 Tacoma. If I were doing this again, I would have substituted the truck topper for a Go Fast Campers (https://gofastcampers.com/).

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The Mid-Size vs Full-Size Debate

Humans will argue over this for the rest of eternity. Each has has its pros and cons, but here are a few reasons why we decided on a full size, diesel, truck platform.....
  • A single cab to keep the wheel base as short as possible while still being able to have an 8ft bed. Yes, it'll never be as short as a Tacoma (sigh) but will more than make up in capability. For reference a 3rd gen Tacoma DCSB wheelbase is 127" and this truck is 140", so about 13 in longer. The Tacoma DCLB has the same wheelbase as this truck (140").
  • A camper that we can explore and live out of indefinitely [or for long periods of time]. More comfortable then our previous camping set-ups on longer trips. More capable then a sprinter van (A popular choice these days!)
  • Flat bed to allow us the best use of space for a camper. We've found that the typical slide-in truck campers are very practical for everyday use, but don't utilize the space as well if its a permanent addition.
  • Something that would not be underpowered when loaded up with gear and be able to haul a*$ on the highway.
  • Something that could stay well under the GVWR with a camper, gear, and everything we want to make it feel like a home.
  • Carry up to 65 gals of fuel without having to strap jerry cans all over the truck
2017 AEV Ram Prospect XL Tray Bed

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In 2019, we purchased a "new to us" Ram AEV Prospector XL Tray Bed. We heavily considered building one ourself on a new truck off the lot, but ran across one of them that was looking for a new home which saved us a great deal of time. Ours is serial #2 of 10. We've got a flatbed camper on order from Four Wheel Campers that is due to arrive this month and few more modifications that we will document on this thread as time goes on. We are running the following on this build:
  • AEV Katla Wheels (17x10) with 41" Irok Super Swampers
  • AEV 3" lift kit, fender flares, Bilstein 5100's
  • AEV bumpers
  • Re-geared with 4.30's
  • ARB Air Lockers (Front and Rear) & Air Compressor
  • Warn 16.5 Ti winch
  • Ute Tray Bed
  • AEV Switch Pod & Switch Pro for lockers, air compressor, lights
Over the next year we will add the following:
  • Camper and ancillary components
  • Aux Fuel Tank (30 Gal) + spare jerry can (5 gal) - Total on board fuel capacity will be 63 gallons
  • 320 Watts Solar
  • Additional on-truck storage for backpacking gear, kayak, recovery gear, etc
  • 10 gal air tank
  • 10 gal grey water tank
  • Communication/Navigation in cab (Ipad and HAM radio)
  • Firestone Air bags and Daystar Cradles
  • Swaybar disconnects
Thanks for looking!


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Adventurous

Adventurous

Explorer
Hell yea! Looking forward to seeing this progress. Like you, we started with a Tacoma but quickly found it to be a bit small and underpowered.

After living out of our truck + camper for the past year, I can confidently say that youll very much appreciate the flexibility the flatbed affords. Our current setup has a lot of dead space that could otherwise be very useful.
 
C

cuzitsmyUSofwtvr

Member
Gas Mileage

One of the first questions I get asked is what kind of gas mileage I am getting in this rig. Its surprisingly good for this truck given the setup, keep in mind the Super Swampers are an extremely aggressive tire. The tire noise with the current combo is very loud on the highway. There are not many options in the 40-41 in tire size for a 17in rim. Going to a 20in rim opens up a ton of other tire options that might get you improved mileage. Its not that big of a deal for me because we don't use this is a commuter vehicle.

Here is the low down, I'll continue to update this over time:
  • My average city mileage is 15 mpg, this figures about 65mph (but nothing higher) highway speeds
  • On flat ground, 65 mph, cruise control set you can expect to get 15-17 mpg. If you bump that down to 60 mph the average goes up to 16-18 mpg.
  • This truck does not like going over 65 mph, the mileage drops off a cliff at speeds over 65 mph. On a recent drive along a windy highway cruise control at 70 mph, I was averaging ~14 mpg.
  • On a few trips over the California Sierras recently I have averaged 16.5 mpg at 60mph round trip. This includes a pretty considerable amount of elevation change and grades on twisty roads.

I am curious to see what it gets fully loaded up. I'll report back at the end of the month once the camper is mounted.
 
Explorerinil

Explorerinil

Observer
cuzitsmyUSofwtvr said:
Gas Mileage

One of the first questions I get asked is what kind of gas mileage I am getting in this rig. Its surprisingly good for this truck given the setup, keep in mind the Super Swampers are an extremely aggressive tire. The tire noise with the current combo is very loud on the highway. There are not many options in the 40-41 in tire size for a 17in rim. Going to a 20in rim opens up a ton of other tire options that might get you improved mileage. Its not that big of a deal for me because we don't use this is a commuter vehicle.

Here is the low down, I'll continue to update this over time:
  • My average city mileage is 15 mpg, this figures about 65mph (but nothing higher) highway speeds
  • On flat ground, 65 mph, cruise control set you can expect to get 15-17 mpg. If you bump that down to 60 mph the average goes up to 16-18 mpg.
  • This truck does not like going over 65 mph, the mileage drops off a cliff at speeds over 65 mph. On a recent drive along a windy highway cruise control at 70 mph, I was averaging ~14 mpg.
  • On a few trips over the California Sierras recently I have averaged 16.5 mpg at 60mph round trip. This includes a pretty considerable amount of elevation change and grades on twisty roads.
I am curious to see what it gets fully loaded up. I'll report back at the end of the month once the camper is mounted.
Click to expand...
That fuel economy is not bad considering what you are driving... don’t expect much better, you have the aerodynamic of a brick. You may consider 40 inch toyos when the swampers wear out and some free spin hubs, you will free up about 2 mpg, don’t expect anything better. For your extra fuel consider a titan spare tire tank, I got it and love the extra 30 gallons of fuel.

My main question is how did you find a used tray bed truck? I would have been all over that if I found one. Just curious what did they ask for it?
 
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onemanarmy

Explorer
Why not get some 37-38 regular AT/MT tires? Will help with acceleration, braking, handling, overall wear and tear, and fuel mileage. Or is that the plan?

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
 
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cuzitsmyUSofwtvr

Member
Explorerinil said:
That fuel economy is not bad considering what you are driving... don’t expect much better, you have the aerodynamic of a brick. You may consider 40 inch toyos when the swampers wear out and some free spin hubs, you will free up about 2 mpg, don’t expect anything better. For your extra fuel consider a titan spare tire tank, I got it and love the extra 30 gallons of fuel.

My main question is how did you find a used tray bed truck? I would have been all over that if I found one. Just curious what did they ask for it?
Click to expand...


Yep, plan is to do the Titan tank where the spare tire used to go. I really like that set-up.

I found the truck AEV's forum. Appeared to be well taken care of with low mileage (11k miles).
 
C

cuzitsmyUSofwtvr

Member
onemanarmy said:
Why not get some 37-38 regular AT/MT tires? Will help with acceleration, braking, handling, overall wear and tear, and fuel mileage. Or is that the plan?

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I will probably go to 40's when the current tires wear out, possibly the Toyo Open Country. I'm also considering the Michelin XZL or Continental MPT 81 on hutchinson 8 lug beadlocks. Both have a much higher load rating than the Toyos. I've got some time as these tires still have over 50% tread left.

https://www.csmarmytires.com/33580r...ces-125r20-xl-excellent-quality-375-each.html

526175
 
ttengineer

ttengineer

Adventurer
cuzitsmyUSofwtvr said:
I will probably go to 40's when the current tires wear out, possibly the Toyo Open Country. I'm also considering the Michelin XZL or Continental MPT 81 on hutchinson 8 lug beadlocks. Both have a much higher load rating than the Toyos. I've got some time as these tires still have over 50% tread left.

https://www.csmarmytires.com/33580r...ces-125r20-xl-excellent-quality-375-each.html

View attachment 526175
Click to expand...

Those MPT81s will ride like utter dog poop.

Those are meant for much heavier vehicles and I bet you’ll be lucky if you’re pushing 10,000 lbs fully loaded with a camper. Therefore you won’t have the weight to properly squish the tread. This will also cause very poor performance off road as well.

I’d wait a year and see what comes out. I’ve heard both Toyo and Nitto are considering a 40” RT/ridge grappler.

I also have a contact at Maxxis that says they will be releasing an “all terrain” in upto a 42” but for sure a 40” for 17s soon too.

So for us guys looking for a more versatile 40, it looks like we will have options soon.

The R/T is currently available in a 40”, but it’s a race compound tire and only available from one shop.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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