Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to get my camper once I've placed the order? Typically around 3 months from the date you place your order, but production times vary depending on the time of year. We are usually really busy in the early Spring through the Fall each year. It's best to plan ahead or just call us if you would like to know what our current production times are. If you are thinking about having a new camper for the Summer of 2010 it would be best to get an order soon. We are swamped with orders earlier than normal this year.

Where is the closest Four Wheel Campers showroom to me? We have a factory direct store location in Woodland, CA and we also have camper dealers located in Statesville, NC / Eagle, WI / Vancouver, Canada. Please see our contact page for details.

Since you don't have many distributors and just sell many campers "factory direct", where can I look at one of your campers? We invite all of our customers to visit us here at the factory in Woodland, California. But, we now have a few dealers located in different parts of the United States. Click here to see a list of our current dealers -- "DEALER PAGE". For customers on the East Coast, our closest dealer is located in Statesville, North Carolina. If you are located in the Mid West our closest dealer is located in Eagle, Wisconsin. If you are located in Canada our closest dealer is based in the Vancouver, BC area. Each showroom has working models of most of our campers and our friendly staff can answer your questions and identify the benefits of each design. We will also gladly mail you camper details, spec. sheets, & prices on request. Please e-mail us with your name & US postal mailing address, and what information you would like us to send. Our e-mail = fwc@fourwh.com

Can I have a camper shipped to me? Yes, we now have the ability to deliver your camper to most anywhere within the USA (lower 48 states). Camper delivery is sometimes available to Hawaii & other countries (ask us for details).

What is the campers biggest benefit? Many advantages are evident throughout the Four Wheel Camper design like the welded aluminum frame, low center of gravity and profile, and the lightest camper weight in the industry. However, the greatest benefit is the flexible frame construction that allows the frame to move with the torque generated by the bed of the truck and manage the weight over the center of the axle, eliminating top heavy sway.

What size truck do you need for a Four Wheel Camper? Most any size, except the new hybrid SUV type trucks. We even have the Falcon to fit the quad cab smaller trucks, like the Dodge Dakota Quad Cab. Either short bed or long bed, full size or small/mid size, Four Wheel Campers are built to fit with excellent weight and balance characteristics, as well as low profile. Six or eight cylinder engines provide the best performance, and 2 or 4 wheel drive depending on your driving conditions, payload needs, or height restrictions.

Are the prices negotiable? No, your opportunity to deal factory direct provides you the lowest possible price. We do not negotiate prices. Most of our customers really don't want us to engage in the typical RV sales games. We want to provide you the best possible service and the most knowledgeable sales staff, without the high pressure sales environment. Factory tours always welcome (upon request).

Do You offer custom work? Not really. As a California manufacturer we must submit our designs in blueprint format and must be approved by numerous state agencies. Any alterations to these original plans must go through the same process. The design of the Four Wheel Camper has a 30 year history of proven success. What we build, works. If you have something special in mind, please fell free to run it by us. We might say no, but sometimes we can change small things to better suit your needs.

How is the camper attached to my truck? 4 small, forged eyebolts are placed into the truck bed in front of and behind the wheel wells. The base of the camper is manufactured with eyebolts and interior access ports, allowing the use of four (4) turnbuckles to hold the camper firmly in place. This makes for a very strong installation and a clean look on the outside of the camper (no chains or turn buckles hanging off the outside of the truck/camper). *Note: Our Falcon Model is usually required to be bolted on to the truck bed, or we can use external turn buckles if you prefer for a slightly extra charge. CLICK HERE FOR SAMPLE INSTALL PICTURES

How do I raise or lower my camper roof? Our patented "Easy Lift" roof system requires a simple push that locks two (2) panels past center vertically to hold our lightweight aluminum roof securely in place.

How much weight will the roof hold? The lightweight aluminum roof will hold 1,000 pounds of evenly distributed weight in the raised position (example: snow load of 1000 lbs.).

If you plan to carry luggage, coolers, kayaks, canoes, etc. on the roof, we usually recommend keeping the weight to approx. 200 - 300 lbs.

Can I keep my tailgate on with the camper installed? No, our design does not allow the tailgate to close after the camper is installed. You can leave the tailgate on the truck if you would like, but it will not close when the camper is on. Most customers prefer to remove the tail gate so it does not get in the way.

Can I put a long bed camper on my short bed truck? Yes, but with some simple considerations you should be aware of. Many owners purchase a long bed camper and have it installed on a short bed truck by leaving the tailgate on the truck and in the down position. In this case, our camper design does not really interfere with towing trailers, but having your tailgate down might decrease your turning ability or require you to get a hitch extension so your trailer does not hit your tailgate. When putting a long bed camper on the short bed 1/2 ton trucks, most of our customers will usually get "over-load springs" or "Air Bags" installed to help stiffen up the rear suspension of their truck. It is not really the extra weight that requires the rear suspension upgrade, but where you are putting the weight (too far behind the rear axel - might squat the rear of the truck a bit). We can install SuperSprings or Hellwig Springs here at the factory for your truck for an extra charge (www.supersprings.com) (www.hellwigproducts.com). For 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks, most customers do not need any type of suspension upgrade to put a long bed camper on a short bed truck.

Another important consideration regarding putting a long bed camper on some of the newer short bed trucks: "Spare Tire Access". On many of the newer trucks, access to get the spare tire out so you can use it, can only be accomplished (easily) with the truck tail gate up (closed) or with the truck tail gate removed. When the truck tail gate is down (in the lowered position) many times it blocks the access hole to be able to crank down the spare truck tire. Example. If you have a long bed camper on a short bed truck with the tail gate down, and you get a flat tire, you most likely will have to remove the camper temporarily from the truck (on the side of the road) to be able to change your flat tire. Not a big deal for most customers, but it could create a big problem if you are not carrying camper jacks with you !

Do I have to remove my plastic bed liner? Yes, our unique design of attaching the camper to the inside of the truck bed with eye bolts and turnbuckles creates problems when a plastic bed liner is present. A plastic liner would need to be cut to install the eyebolts and the loading and dismounting of the camper is much more difficult with a liner in place. If a bed liner is a must, we suggest using either a "spray in liner" or a rubber bed mat.

Do you make a model for my Extended Cab or Quad cab truck? Yes, we offer an extended cab-over bed option for most all of our camper models now.

Here are the basic cab-over bed details.

Standard Cab-over Queen Bed VS. Extended Cab-Over Queen Bed ...

The Standard cab-over bed on the Grandby & Hawk camper is 64" x 77" ---- the cab-over portion of the camper goes out 32" over your truck cab and the bed inside the camper pulls out an additional 32" --- this makes the bed 50% over the truck and 50% inside the camper area (we use 2 -- 2" thick cushions for this bed because we have to stack them when the bed is pushed in). This is what comes standard on the Hawk & Grandby models - no $$ charge option.

The Extended cab-over bed. This option has a cab-over length of 48” (goes out 16" farther over the truck cab). This set up has 75% of the bed over the truck cab (48" cab-over distance) and it also has the additional 16" slide out inside the camper to keep the bed a queen size. The big difference for this option is that we use the 4" thick mattress, instead of the 2" mattress that comes with the standard cab-over bed. It is very comfortable and the best use of camper space (puts most of the bed out over your truck cab). The extended bed option also looks a little better on the Extended cab and Quad cab trucks. This is a $ 575.00 option (upgrade).

Click here for basic sketches of what the different beds look like on our campers

What is the " Arctic Pack" option? In extreme cold weather conditions, the side liner can be outfitted with the optional ARCTIC PACK insulating system, which installs on the interior walls of the liner.

Is there an outside shower option available for my camper? Yes, we do offer a built in Hot Water / Outside Shower package on the Hawk, Grandby, & Keystone Models. Customers ordering the Eagle, Ranger, Finch, or Falcon models still have the option to order a portable hot water camping shower from Zodi (www.zodi.com).

Does the camper work well in cold weather? Yes, a Four Wheel Camper is designed to provide maximum comfort on or off road in all climates. An available 16,000 BTU furnace and an Arctic Pack option will enable occupants to efficiently and comfortably camp at below sub zero temperatures.

Does Four Wheel Campers make an empty shell model? Yes, we make a shell in all model sizes. The interior is finished allowing the owner the opportunity to create and build their own interior layout. For more specific information on our shell model please click here to go to the shell model page.