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Matching a pickup to a demountable

Posted: July 25th, 2016, 2:06 pm
by MrDTB
Hi.

There seems to be a lack of advice of how to match a pickup to a demountable. I guess because most people will already have a pickup before starting and be matching the demountable to it.

Anyways having never owned a pickup does anyone have any advice on buying a (very) cheap old pickup for a demountable? I seem to have noticed that the navara has some chassis issues so best avoided I guess?

I can see some buying guides for pickups on the web, but they aren't great and nothing seems to cover the specific issues of using it as a camper.

Thanks

Re: Matching a pickup to a demountable

Posted: July 25th, 2016, 3:30 pm
by zildjian
No, you're quite right, there isn't anything on the net, camper-specific but looking a what's popular here would suggest Nissan though you've noticed they don't do so well on their own let alone with a camper to carry,
L200 come along quite cheaply, Hilux older models MK5's and earlier,
Mazda are reliable and strong, Isuzu are joining the used market,
We don't know your budget of course but a cheap Navara is likely to be a false economy
(and that is on the net in public)

Re: Matching a pickup to a demountable

Posted: July 25th, 2016, 5:06 pm
by MrDTB
Yeah. I'm kinda coming up against the whole Navaras are really popular so easy to get 2nd hand.

But I'm really sketchy about getting something that might snap!

My budget is about 5000 but really I don't have much budget at all. And then there's the anchor points and air suspension and grey hookup etc etc on top to take into account.

I'm leaning toward a L200. Didn't know Mazda made pickups so I'll have to have a look.

Re: Matching a pickup to a demountable

Posted: July 25th, 2016, 8:40 pm
by saDgit
MrDTB wrote:Didn't know Mazda made pickups so I'll have to have a look.
The Mazda's the same as the Ford Ranger - just different trim and badge. Mk.2 Rangers (2003-2006) come up reasonably cheaply quite often and, if in decent nick, are a reliable workhorse. Less complicated than the Mk.3 and better for it!

Re: Matching a pickup to a demountable

Posted: July 25th, 2016, 10:51 pm
by MrDTB
Thanks saDgit I'll look into them.

Re: Matching a pickup to a demountable

Posted: July 26th, 2016, 5:50 am
by zildjian
Yes Ranger/Mazda, there are a few of those here working out well too. I'm guessing its a double cab you are looking for, single cabs come up still but difficult to find corresponding size camper to fit.
King cab is best option all round but again quite scarce

Re: Matching a pickup to a demountable

Posted: July 29th, 2016, 7:33 pm
by Alexd
Those new rangers look just great as well don't they.

mind you my workmate had an earlier on in single cab and that got hammered all the time

Re: Matching a pickup to a demountable

Posted: August 1st, 2016, 10:29 pm
by sabconsulting
If you really don't need 4 full size seats then a supercab or single cab pickup will mean less chance of having to spend money on suspension changes and will put less stress on the chassis because more of the camper is forward of the rear axle. Have a look at a few pictures of trucks with campers on and try to imagine where the centre of gravity of the camper is and where that point is in relation to the rear axle. Ideally the weight of the camper should be on or forward of the rear axle. If most of the camper seems to be hanging behind the rear axle then that is probably not a great match. Once you get your eye in you can spot those that look well matched regarding weight distribution.

(edited) here are some simple drawings illustrating different length campers and the trucks they belong on together with rough Centre of gravity vertical lines

Image Image Image

Image

As was mentioned above the Ford Rangers up to 2006 are effectively re-badged Mazdas. After 2006 they have much more powerful, but very complicated Ford engines. But when looking at adverts keep an eye on the power; early / lower spec ones had about 83 BHP and I wouldn't fancy carrying a camper on that; but later ones were around 109 BHP - though you are probably looking at around £3000 for one of those.

Once you have decided what size of truck you want you should check the dimensions of any camper you buy carefully against your truck. Old campers were designed for trucks that had lower cabs, so may need to be raised slightly to clear the truck cab.

Also look at the length - my camper sticks out about a foot from the end of the load bed and I probably wouldn't want anything that sticks out any further than that.

If the camper is not European-built (e.g. American) then check all the dimensions very carefully, e.g. width between wheel arches, width between tailgate, since it might have been designed for a full size US truck which will be wider than a European truck.

Steve.

Re: Matching a pickup to a demountable

Posted: August 2nd, 2016, 1:35 pm
by Big Jim
I have a 2005 Ranger( Mazda type) Spercab 2x4 . I don't know the BHP . I have a Northstar camper which is pretty heavy . I am very satisfied with the performance , it pulls well and travels plenty fast enough for me . I have had many types of camper which were 2x4 and have never got stuck , It depends on how "off road" you want to go , I suspect a fair few 4x4 's have got stuck as it is tempting to go places beyond it's limits .
Good luck in your search.

Re: Matching a pickup to a demountable

Posted: August 2nd, 2016, 5:55 pm
by MrDTB
Thanks guys

That's esp. useful walk through Steve.

I've now got a 2004 Northstar 700; I'm currently looking mainly at an old shape L200 to go under it, but am flirting with a U.S pick up such as a f150 or Dodge Dakota (but finding one at a good price is proving a challenge)