FG 649 2004 with frame rust - to buy or not to buy
- Thread starter FGwannaB
- Start date
Congratulations! and welcome to the Fuso Family 
The two biggest things (so far) to improve ride quality for me : 37" tires and 3000 pound insulated box on the back.
I'm going in for some spring work in a week or two and will see how that goes.
As a 6' 220 guy, the seating position isn't great, but hopefully some new seats will help.....
The two biggest things (so far) to improve ride quality for me : 37" tires and 3000 pound insulated box on the back.
I'm going in for some spring work in a week or two and will see how that goes.
As a 6' 220 guy, the seating position isn't great, but hopefully some new seats will help.....
FGwannaB
Member
Sounds like we're about the same size. What kind of spring work are you planning and what type of shop is it?
Seems like lots of people recommend the ATW suspension system for the FG's
allterrainwarriors.com
I have a friend who works at Ohlins (https://www.ohlins.com/) and he said "wait till you finish your camper build out, then do the suspension". I guess that makes sense since the truck weight will change from what it is now with a flat bed to what it will be with a camper.
Seems like lots of people recommend the ATW suspension system for the FG's
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Parabolic Suspension A more comfortable ride with better capabilities The parabolic leaf springs took 2 years of intense research and development by All Terrain Warriors offering the best on and of…
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SkiFreak
Crazy Person
I absolutely agree with this suggestion.
I am in a very different situation with my truck, as it has had a complete change in its suspension, but one thing to remember with leaf springs is that they are normally designed to function at a specific weight.
In the case of the Fuso, that would be at maximum GVM, so with less weight than that on the back the suspension does very little, resulting in a rough ride.
Yes, parabolic springs will give you a better ride, but from what I have seen over the years, that type of suspension is also pretty hard on the shock absorbers.
Something to remember is that a camper is significantly different to a goods truck, in that when it is fully setup the weight will remain relatively stable.
Knowing that, designing a suspension setup to suit that specific weight should be relatively straight forward.
I would argue that putting in some longer springs, especially on the front, along with some good shock absorbers, should greatly improve the overall ride quality.
If I did not have the coil setup I have now, this is definitely what I would be doing.
yabanja
Explorer
We had friends with an auto transmission model of the same year fuso on their expedition truck. It had fewer gears than the manual making an already slow truck into a glacially slow vehicle. It was leaking very badly so they had a supposedly reputable shop do a complete re-seal of the transmission. It failed completely two months later on a hundred degree day pulling the hills out of death valley with no warranty coverage. Replacement was horribly expensive. If you keep the truck light, mount a significant transmission cooler, and use caution in very severe conditions you will probably be ok.
Personally, I prefer manual transmissions in all of my vehicles.
Allan
FGwannaB
Member
SkiFreak, I've read many of your posts on your web site. They are fantastic and many are way over my head. I have a buzz box arc welder and can fuse 2 pieces of steel together roughly. That sums up my technical abilities. In short, taking on this FUSO camper project is way over my head however, I don't mind taking my time and doing things correctly. I'd like to build an aluminum frame and use panels for the outer shell. So many things to learn. The rabbit hole is getting deeper and wider...
SkiFreak
Crazy Person
I have seen some commercially built aluminum subframes that are exceptionally nice, but they were not cheap.
Be mindful that to get a similar strength for anything built from aluminum you will need to use much larger sections. Welding aluminum is also not for the "handyman", as it is a specialist skill. If not done correctly you will get fractures.
If you plan on doing most of the build yourself, using steel will be much easier, as it is a significantly easier material to work with. I say that as a Fitter that has built things out of most metals/alloys.
Be mindful that to get a similar strength for anything built from aluminum you will need to use much larger sections. Welding aluminum is also not for the "handyman", as it is a specialist skill. If not done correctly you will get fractures.
If you plan on doing most of the build yourself, using steel will be much easier, as it is a significantly easier material to work with. I say that as a Fitter that has built things out of most metals/alloys.
I drove mine home from NC to Denver with no load and 80psi in all the tires. Talk about a nightmare. I began looking at every bridge joint with sheer terror.
A camper, timbrens and new shocks solved the problem. Mine comes in at around 11,900 lbs with the full service body, Northstar TS1000 camper and fully loaded for camping and extended canoe tripping. I run 60psi in front tires and 40psi in the duals. (based on a tire company's load v psi chart) Get yourself a utility body, slide in a truck camper and you're good to go. I thought the Fuso automatic had a pretty large cooler with its own electric fan mounted forward of the batteries on the left side? At least I've seen a few that way. When I bought ours, the dealer had two identical trucks with the same mileage, one standard and one auto. I chose the standard. Your friends experience confirms the wisdom of my choice. We drive in the Rockies a lot. I want even more gears than 5, not fewer.