Working behind the scenes does not get any credit. For example in the movie industry, the average number of film crews in Hollywood movies between 1994 and 2013 was 518, according to Stephen Follows Film Data. Iron Man 3 had a staggering 3,310 crew members working behind the scenes in the movie, but when everyone thinks of the movie, they think of Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow. And it's the same with every movie - folks think of the most popular actors, sometimes the director, and the rest of the people involved are just ‘left behind’.
So if you were to work in a vehicle product manufacturing industry that provides behind the scenes safety equipment, what would you do? One solution is to show off amazing rigs that are not possible to safely operate without the safety equipment the company provides. That is what Hellwig Products has been doing for the past few years. Hellwig makes load control and sway control solutions for trucks, RVs, muscle cars, classic cars and fleet vehicles. They recently made a splash with a camper rig on the back of a new Ford Ranger at SEMA 2019 in early November in Las Vegas.
The Hellwig "Attainable Adventure" Ford Ranger has it all. It looks like an overlander’s dream, where the Tepui Hybox Roof Tent sits on a variety of awesome off-grid products, like the ARB Elements Freezer, Specialized bikes held on with Yakima racks, and for fun an awesome Rockford Fosgate sound system. All of it is ready for off-road adventure, thanks to the Hellwig adjustable rear sway bar. Hallmark says the extra weight caused the rear to slouch about 2 inches, so the new Hellwig steel helper springs balance the truck out.
A full scope of the extensions and amenities from the truck camper [Photo/Hellwig Products]
"In the past, we’ve built a Nissan Titan, Ford F-150 and a couple F-350’s, this year we went with the Ranger," says Mike Hallmark, Marketing Manager for Hellwig, "it's all to show how necessary it is add some load and sway control when adding weight to your vehicle."
Hellwig recognized that overlanding is becoming popular in certain circles around the world, where folks outfit their vehicles to be able to go off-road and have camping capabilities when they get to some remote destination. The trend may be somewhat new in the USA, but the behind the scenes adjustments that should be made to a vehicle when pursuing the outfit is sometimes ignored and can cause safety concerns.
"Some people who set up their vehicles think that the poor vehicle handling that results from the added items is just the way it is now for them and we show them it doesn't have to be that way," Hallmark says. People don't realize that adding all that extra weight changes the center of gravity which can be very nerve wracking in crosswinds and cause undesirable body roll and poor steering. Hellwig Products are Made in the USA and designed to help alleviate those challenges.
The most common feedback they get when they properly setup vehicles is that it is a "night and day difference," according to Hallmark. "You'll, of course, know you have some extra weight, but instead of it feeling unstable with less control, it will feel easy to handle and make the whole trip much more comfortable," he adds.
Hellwig Products has been around for over 70 years. It is family-owned and in it's fourth generation. "It started with my bosses great-grandpa getting an idea in his garage in1944. He noticed that a lot of the sedans parked in driveways around him had the, 'saggy bottom blues,'" Hallmark recalls, "So after the war when steel became available again, he would go around with Hellwig helper springs and put them on in driveways for $7 a piece."
The price point and vehicles they service has changed, but the desire to solve a problem and make things more safe are still the same. "When we put the outfit on the Ranger, it sank the back of the truck about 2 inches, so we used our helper springs and sway bars and made it look and drive great," Hallmark says.
We all love to see awesome campers, some of the things that are possible to do with the new pickup trucks and incredible overlanding setups on display in conventions across the country. But, just remember, in order to fully appreciate and enjoy the experience, make sure your behind the scenes is taken care of and who better to do that for load control than a company that has products Made in the USA and been doing it for decades.