Robert Rhoads welding an aluminum frame
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Jesse Rodriguez inserts cut aluminum sections into a jig before welding
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Juan Ledesma inserts foam insulation in an aluminum roof
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Dennis Barnes and Brenda Jackson sewing vinyl side liners
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Lynne Zenovitch cutting material for the vinyl side liners
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Miguel Salazar sands a kitchen cabinet face
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Jorge San Miguel sands a new lift mechanism
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Dorah Medina assembles a three-piece portable free-standing table
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Silvestra Garcia applies vinyl in the cabinet shop
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Pedro Santiago installs an optional air conditioner
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Humberto Segoviano installs molding trim
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Arthur Narbaiz stapling enamel finished aluminum skin onto the aluminum frame
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Woodland, California – For our first Four Wheel Camper tour article, we focused on the FWC concept, mindset, and community. For our second installment we will cover the materials, construction, and people who make the campers.
Welding and Woodshop
The FWC manufacturing plant is divided into eight areas and stations; welding, woodshop, walling and skinning, plumbing and interior finishing, roofing, topping, and final finishing. Quality control is also done at the last station.
The welding and woodshop areas are located in the rear of the building on opposite sides. We observed the welding team cutting aluminum tubing, placing the aluminum tubes in large jigs, and welding frames. Tom Hanagan, President, explained that the aluminum frame on a FWC is specifically designed to be light, strong, and flexible for off-road use.
Once the aluminum frames are welded, exterior welds are grinded down to give the aluminum skin a flat surface to attach to. For the record, grinding aluminum makes a noise that would wake any teenager to full attention.
On the opposite side of the plant, the woodshop was working on kitchen cabinetry. Tom explained that FWC pre-fabricates their drop-in modular cabinets improving quality and efficiency on the assembly line. He also made a point that FWC does not use particle or press board.
Two Assembly Lines
Moving from the back of the building forward we walked FWC’s two parallel assembly lines. On most truck camper assembly lines, the first station would be floor or basement assembly. At FWC, the first station has complete aluminum frames including front, rear, and side walls fresh from the welding team.
The first station is walling and skinning. The two-person walling and skinning team installs the wiring, interior walls, main cabinetry, insulation, enamel finished aluminum skin, windows, and trim. We observed the team running the wiring harness through the frame, putting in the interior white luan walls, and stapling the aluminum skin into the aluminum framing.
The second station prepares, installs, and tests the electrical, propane, and water systems. The third station installs the vinyl flooring, carpet, settees, and closets. The fourth station assembles the roofs and folding panels for the lift system on the side of the assembly line and installs the roofs and liners on the assembly line. Entry doors, awnings, and roof racks are also installed at the fourth station. The fifth station is final finishing and quality control. For final finishing, the cushions, curtains, tables, hardware, and logo stickers are installed and applied. For quality control, the campers are then cleaned and inspected against a quality control checklist.
Table to Go
We watched Dorah Medina, Final Finisher, assembling the three-piece portable free-standing table that comes standard with every FWC. Stan Kennedy, Sales Representative, had showed us the table when he walked us through the FWC line-up an explained its evolution.
For many years, FWC mounted a table socket in the floor in front of the sofa. Some customers complained that they would stub their toes on the socket and that the socket was in the way. So FWC removed the socket and created a free-standing portable table that can be used in or out of the camper and completely stowed away. Stan explained that some customers remove the table and never use it while others use it regularly both inside and outside of the camper.
Sewing an Ocean of Liners
FWC has a three-person in-house liner manufacturing team. The process begins with Lynne Zenovitch, who cuts the liner fabric. To better see her cutting table, she has a small movie set worth of shop lights. Speaking of Hollywood, Lynne also has a frequent co-star in resident mouser, Ziggy. Lynne told us that she takes good care of Ziggy and keeps his food and water bowls full.
Right next to Lynne’s fabric cutting table is a set of stairs that lead to the sewing department. At the door at the top of the stairs the sewing department has a Denny’s sign. So naturally we walked in hungry and looking for breakfast. We were very disappointed to only find FWC’s sewing team, Dennis Barnes and Brenda Jackson, and not a pancake, sausage link, or bacon strip in sight. Why do we bother?
Dennis developed a way to close the liner windows from the inside to prevent rain and moisture from entering the camper. Tom Hanagan, President, explained that this is a more convenient solution and prevents the customer from needing to go outside to close the liner during inclement weather.
Stan later told us that the windows in a FWC have three layers which a customer can use depending on weather and preference; screen, clear panel, and inside privacy. Customers can also order an optional arctic pack which is a layer of insulation material that goes over the interior liner walls for cold weather camping.
Lower, Less, and No
After we completed our time in the assembly plant, we again talked with Stan about the core benefits of the FWC design. After looking at our notes from that conversation and reviewing the FWC web site and materials, it all seems to boil down to lower, less, and no; lower profile, lower center of gravity, less wind drag, less fuel consumption, and no sway. Their web site also mentions that you can often park in a home garage with a FWC on your truck.
Look, No Turnbuckles
Four things you won’t see on a FWC are exterior tie downs and turnbuckles. The campers are held in place by four eyebolts located behind the wheel wells in the truck bed. The interior turnbuckles are accessed through access ports in the camper. Stan explained that having the turnbuckles located on the inside further reduces wind drag and improves the fuel efficiency of a FWC camper.
Team Hanagan, Again
Tom and his wife, Celeste, also run Six-Pac Campers in Riverside, California. Tom spends his Mondays at FWC, then turns the reigns over the Celeste for the week and flys or drives down to Six-Pac. We’ll see more of the Hanagan team when we visit Six-Pac in Riverside, California just after Christmas. Happy Holidays.
For more information about Four Wheel Campers, visit their web site at www.fourwheelcampers.com .
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