Thoughts on the Truckhouse Tacoma expedition camper...

[nickw]

So we've confirmed, Truckhouse #1 is likely the test mule / proof of concept, Truckhouse #2 is owned by anonymous people....good on them but still don't see it as viable until we see some on the road and we see the shortfalls of the platform after 30/50/100k miles. All std. reliability stuff goes out the window, past / historical context of Tacoma "reliability" is meaningless, this is a new unproven vehicle in my mind when operated this far out of design parameters.

May seem a bit harsh - but anybody experienced with mechanical / automotive type design background wouldn't touch this platform for this use case....can you, 100% yes you "can"....should you from a practical / legal perspective, not in any world I live in.

 

[rruff]

...still don't see it as viable until we see some on the road and we see the shortfalls of the platform after 30/50/100k miles. All std. reliability stuff goes out the window, past / historical context of Tacoma "reliability" is meaningless, this is a new unproven vehicle in my mind when operated this far out of design parameters.

Quite true... but I'd be happy just to see some thorough feedback on performance. Let someone test it? And details regarding the frame reinforcement and mounting. Kinda think they'd show these things off if they were really proud, but maybe they just don't care, as they are selling enough anyway.

 

[nickw]

Quite true... but I'd be happy just to see some thorough feedback on performance. Let someone test it? And details regarding the frame reinforcement and mounting. Kinda think they'd show these things off if they were really proud, but maybe they just don't care, as they are selling enough anyway.

Well some performance attributes can be verified without owning one...things like MPG, acceleration, braking, etc. are all less than the comparable full size truck.

I think Toyota generally does things right and on rigs that are heavy like the overseas LC70's they have bigger rear diffs, heavier duty drivetrains and FF rear axles and are rated for much less than this TH weighs.

A questionable idea executed well doesn't necessarily = smart idea. I deal with this at work all the time...sometimes poor ideas have good outcomes, then out come the "I told you it would work crowd", it happens, doesn't mean it was smart.

 

[rruff]

Well some performance attributes can be verified without owning one...things like MPG, acceleration, braking, etc. are all less than the comparable full size truck.

Actually you can get them with a supercharger if you want more power (extra cost), they are regeared, and the brakes are upgraded as well. I don't know why you think mpg will be worse? A smaller engine at higher revs will typically be more efficient. It should be, what... 1,500lbs?... lighter than a comparable camper on a 1 ton as well.

I'm more interested in how it drives and handles on the road and off, along with the frame and mounting.

I said before that they made an already difficult task much more challenging than it had to be... but if they managed to pull it off by building a good performing and reliable rig, then they deserve some kind of award.

 

[nickw]

Actually you can get them with a supercharger if you want more power (extra cost), they are regeared, and the brakes are upgraded as well. I don't know why you think mpg will be worse? A smaller engine at higher revs will typically be more efficient. It should be, what... 1,500lbs?... lighter than a comparable camper on a 1 ton as well.

I'm more interested in how it drives and handles on the road and off, along with the frame and mounting.

I said before that they made an already difficult task much more challenging than it had to be... but if they managed to pull it off by building a good performing and reliable rig, then they deserve some kind of award.

You said on post #280 it was 8500 lbs which is damn near 3000 lbs over GVWR, if that number is right it's ludicrous. Just the other day I had a yard of rock in my truck which put me right at 9k lbs, the first time I tried to stop was surprising.....this is a truck with a GVWR of 10,000 lbs.

Regardless, big campers need big HP and any slide in camper kills your aerodynamics, while towing / hauling a camper small rigs don't generally get better mileage unless you have a FWC / pop up. My Ram 2500 gets the same 13-14 that my Ranger did towing our 20' Airstream and the Ram's fuel tank is almost twice the size, stopped way better, accelerated way better and was much safer.

Yeah, you can add in a supercharger and re-gear - may get some performance back at expense of MPG.

I bet a Ram 5500 with a HUGE slide it would get the same MPG.

Can you verify the 8500lb figure?

 

[trackhead]

We (and our partners across North America) have several VIP customers. It's VERY important for us and hopefully other business owners, to keep things confidential. If you have ever "exposed" yourself on Insta or FB you probably know first hand how rude, selfentiteld and opinionated some people are. Therefore I do not blame anyone for not sharing anything publicly, no matter how much "people" are asking for real world pictures etc. The fact that Truckhouse is still in business should be enough to proof that they are doing something right.

Yup, look at all the internet stalkers in thread....... I think the Truckhouse looks awesome, yeah it's pricey, yeah it's on a small truck, but if you aren't interested in buying one, who cares what some other company brings to market? People love those Sunraders and are considered a "classic" on an underpowered 22RE or whatever. This truckhouse is cool beans, in my opinion. If money was no object, I'd buy one. Unfortunately money is an object, so I have a DIY camper

 

[nickw]

Yup, look at all the internet stalkers in thread....... I think the Truckhouse looks awesome, yeah it's pricey, yeah it's on a small truck, but if you aren't interested in buying one, who cares what some other company brings to market? People love those Sunraders and are considered a "classic" on an underpowered 22RE or whatever. This truckhouse is cool beans, in my opinion. If money was no object, I'd buy one. Unfortunately money is an object, so I have a DIY camper

Those old 22RE rigs were a 1-T platform with FF HD rear axles designed to hold the weight, not to mention, in an era where going 25 mph up hill was 'accepted'. Never mind they were on 28" tires and designed for the road, not offroad.

I bet those Sunraders are 5-6000 lbs.

 

[trackhead]

Those old 22RE rigs were a 1-T platform with FF HD rear axles designed to hold the weight, not to mention, in an era where going 25 mph up hill was 'accepted'. Never mind they were on 28" tires and designed for the road, not offroad.

I bet those Sunraders are 5-6000 lbs.

Sure, but this thread is all speculation and the only report of the vehicle is second hand, and allegedly quite successful. Lotta armchair QB'ing is my thought, but that's what Expo is all about anyway, so I guess it's expected.

They work with Durrance Design, who seem to have quite of bit of expertise in design and engineering.

 

[rruff]

Regardless, big campers need big HP and any slide in camper kills your aerodynamics, while towing / hauling a camper small rigs don't generally get better mileage unless you have a FWC / pop up.
...Can you verify the 8500lb figure?

A Tacoma is 10" shorter in height than a F350 for starters, and the sleeping berth kinda defines your height over the cab. The rig is just under 10' tall anyway, and it's not pushing as much air out of the way as if it was on a 1 ton. The blower probably doesn't help mpg, but the regear certainly won't hurt.

He mentioned 8500 lbs in that video at 7:57.

I built a camper tall enough to stand in on a '84 1/2 ton Toyota, many years ago. The truck weighed 2500 lbs and had a 1600 lb payload as I recall, and I was well over that (had a roomate and all her stuff). Ya wanna talk about crappy acceleration, hillclimbing, stopping, and handling... but I got 18-20 mpg. If little engines don't get better mpg than big ones, then I bet some engine tuning would fix it.

 

[waveslider]

Lotta armchair QB'ing is my thought, but that's what Expo is all about anyway, so I guess it's expected.

Well, yeah…I mean who could fathom people that actually own custom built vehicles on various platforms might have an informed opinion. Clearly that’s beyond the pale. <eyeroll>

 

[tacollie]

I built a camper tall enough to stand in on a '84 1/2 ton Toyota, many years ago. It weighed 2500 lbs and had a 1600 lb payload as I recall, and I was well over that (had a roomate and all her stuff). Ya wanna talk about crappy acceleration, hillclimbing, stopping, and handling... but I got 18-20 mpg. If little engines don't get better mpg than big ones, then I bet some engine tuning would fix it.

I feel and owned my share of porky Toyota's. Maybe if you drove at the same speed that your '84 was capable of it would get similar mileage. The weight, bigger tires, and modern speed limits means there's no way you're getting anything better than my Ford 6.2. The long travel front end is going to perform well but it's also going to be much higher maintenance. They had to highly customize the truck chassis to make carrying the camper work. It's just added complexity that didn't have to happen. It's going to be a lot harder to get maintenance work done on a custom chassis. I'm sure the truck drives and handles great but that comes with complexity.

The Tacoma is due for a refresh. I'm curious what Truckhouse has planned for the long term.

 

[rruff]

The Tacoma is due for a refresh. I'm curious what Truckhouse has planned for the long term.

There was a hint that they were doing something with a Tundra.... yes, I know... but at least that chassis won't change til 2037 if the last update was any indication.

That's another way they made their lives difficult. A lot of their Tacoma development will no longer be applicable. A camper and flatbed that fits on a 60" CA chassis would have been good forever.

New Tacoma reveal on May 19.

 

[trackhead]

Well, yeah…I mean who could fathom people that actually own custom built vehicles on various platforms might have an informed opinion. Clearly that’s beyond the pale. <eyeroll>

sorry a lot of the commentary just seems super negativel for what seems like a talented group of folks.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

Yup, look at all the internet stalkers in thread....... I think the Truckhouse looks awesome, yeah it's pricey, yeah it's on a small truck, but if you aren't interested in buying one, who cares what some other company brings to market? People love those Sunraders and are considered a "classic" on an underpowered 22RE or whatever. This truckhouse is cool beans, in my opinion. If money was no object, I'd buy one. Unfortunately money is an object, so I have a DIY camper

If money was no object you’d buy a truck camper that wasn’t horribly overloaded.

 

[nickw]

Sure, but this thread is all speculation and the only report of the vehicle is second hand, and allegedly quite successful. Lotta armchair QB'ing is my thought, but that's what Expo is all about anyway, so I guess it's expected.

It's not arm-chair quarterbacking as much as it's pointing out the obvious - real world data and quantitative metrics.