Double Duty F-150 Rocked At SEMA 2021

Work Hard, Play Harder: F-150 Double Duty Build exemplifies “double duty.”

The Hellwig Ford F-150 Double Duty build is equally at home on the job site or out adventuring on the weekend. This build was dreamed up by Mike Hallmark from Hellwig Products and put together by him and the team at Old Steel Fabrication in Leona Valley, California. It debuted in the Ford Booth at the SEMA Show 2021.

The concept was to build a work hard and play harder truck that you could also easily live with as an everyday driver. Creating one vehicle that can do it all is no small task. Hallmark managed to pull off the seemingly impossible.

The Foundation

The first part of the equation is to start with the right base vehicle. This means a vehicle that is comfortable, capable, economical. Plus, it’s got to be able to carry friends and family, as well as work and adventure gear. For this build, Hallmark started with a 2021 Ford F-150 Double Duty 4×4 Supercrew. The truck he chose has 3.5L Powerboost hybrid electric drivetrain and a 10-speed automatic transmission. This truck has a max payload of roughly 2,336-pounds, averages 24 mpg, and has a $65,000 sticker price.

Dialing in that foundation is a complete handling package upgrade. This, of course, starts with Hellwig sway bars front and back. They’re the ultimate choice in load control and confident handling characteristics. Hellwig Silent Ride Helper Springs help carry more gear while keeping the truck level and handling optimized. Next up is an Icon Vehicle Dynamics Stage 5 suspension system for a buttery smooth ride on road and off. Seventeen-inch Icon Alloy Rebound Pro wheels wrapped in 35-inch Falken Wildpeak A/T tires provide a smooth confident ride over any terrain.

Keeping this double duty F-150’s 3.5L engine breathing easy are an Injen cold air intake and a Ford Performance cat-back exhaust system. An Injen intercooler helps keep that engine running at optimal temps when the truck is working, or playing, hard. A Ford Performance rear diff cover adds some impact protection and cooling to the rear axle.

From Work To Play

When they designed the truck, the team thought out everything on the build to seamlessly transition from work to play. They based the entire design on versatility and efficiency.

A great example of this is the portable storage systems, the Milwaukee Packout boxes and ARB Cargo Organizers, that were ordered in duplicate—one for work and one for play. When the work week ends, simply remove the work bags and boxes and replace them with the play/camping ones.

Besides the versatility and capability of the base F-150, the main component of this build that truly works double duty is the paint matched AT Overland Summit truck topper. The topper provides a pop-up bed, secure storage, foul-weather refuge, and a secure mounting point for the Yakima Lock-N-Load platform roof rack.

Inside the truck bed is also a full AT Overland deck and cabinet system. This system creates a lower sleeping area, interior seating, and tons of secure storage. It is also the mount for the ARB fridge slide with 73-qt ARB Zero fridge/freezer.

Work Hard

The AT Overland Summit topper also has hatch doors on both sides. The passenger side hatch allows easy access to items in the truck bed while the driver’s side hatch accesses a custom-fabricated storage bin with a full quiver of Milwaukee Fuel power tools and Boxo hand tools.

Hallmark and the team secured a wide range of Milwaukee Packout organizer boxes in the truck bed. It stows tons of tools and parts to ensure you have what you need to do any job. A ladder on the roof rack will no doubt come in handy at the job site, and possibly around camp.

Play Harder

The Double Duty F-150 is ready for action at all times. Mike uses it for everything from camping adventures to overland travels to just a quick kayak. The AT Summit topper takes care of the sleeping arrangements while the ARB Zero fridge and GSI Outdoor kitchen items, including a stove, ensure no one goes hungry. Meanwhile, a Jackson Nirvana whitewater creekboat is loaded up on the roof and ready for outdoor adventure.

An Overland Vehicle Systems Nomadic 270 awning provides shade and protection from precipitation, while Front Runner Outfitters Expander camping chairs let you take a load off around the campfire. Also, a Desert Squadron trauma kit ensures you have the supplies you need to take care of most accidents that happen around camp or the job site.

Everything in this F-150 build has a place and everything serves a purpose; it’s truly a double duty vehicle. A great example of this is the CVT shower awning system that is strategically placed under the Road Shower right at the passenger rear door where the DeeZee under-seat storage drawer keeps all showering necessities close. No need to climb in and out of the bed of the truck looking for your shower time goodies. Whether working hard or playing harder, there is little better than a warm shower at the end of the day.

Off-Road Goodies

This truck has an incredible amount of work and adventure gear on board. That’s why it’s so important that the F-150 Double Duty build is ready to handle whatever the road ahead demands. To this end, it’s got a full quiver of off-road upgrades and recovery gear. The team did everything they can to ensure this build gets you where you need and want to go.

An Addictive Desert Designs (ADD) Stealth front bumper houses a massive Rigid lightbar and a Warn M-8000 winch with a full collection of Factor55 winch accessories. An ADD rear bumper and rock sliders/side steps round out the armor package. Rigid cube lights on ZROADZ Hood Hinge LED light brackets ensure you can see what’s on the sides of the road in front of you no matter the time of day. All the electric accessories are managed via an SPod Bantam touchscreen.

Recovery gear is essential, even if it you hopefully ever use it to recover others. The F-150 Double Duty carries Maxtrax recovery boards in an Expedition Essentials Quick Mount on the roof, a Warn off-road recovery kit, Factor55 soft shackles and a tree saver, an ARB Jack and jack baseplate, an ARB portable air compressor kit, and a Krazy Beaver shovel. If you can’t get out of a bad spot (or prevent yourself from crashing in the first place) with that assortment of tools, then… good luck.

Finishing Touches on the F-150 Double Duty

The F-150 Double Duty is a SEMA build and the 2022 show vehicle for Hellwig Products. So of course it had to have a ton of high quality finishing touches. While most of these items are just for looks, they give the build a cohesive design language.

The truck has a full custom Katskinz interior with yellow accents. That yellow carries over to the functional beadlock bolts on the wheels, logos on the AT Summit topper, and the stripes down the sides of the truck. A blue stripe accompanies the yellow one down the length of the truck, terminating at the front where it meets the custom Hellwig-branded Billet Badges.

A T-Rex Laser X grille in black cleans up the front of the truck, while color-matched OE Bushwaker fender flares streamline the sides of the truck. Ford Performance tray-style floor liners and off-road under body lighting round out the build.

F-150 Double Duty Versatility

Mike Hallmark and Old Steel Fabrication knocked this build out of the park. It is a great showcase for Hellwig Products for a variety of markets: overland, off road, outdoor, and work truck. It also shows off the double duty capabilities of the 2021 F-150. Its ProPower onboard generator and fuel-efficient and powerful hybrid drivetrain power this rig impressively. This well thought out and executed build will definitely inspire others to create their own. It’s off-road capable, overland ready, adventure vehicle that works just as hard as it can play.

Hellwig F-150 Double Duty

Platform: 2021 Ford F-150 4×4 Supercrew

Engine: 3.5L Powerboost hybrid electric drivetrain, 10-speed automatic transmission, Injen Intake and Charge Pipe and Intercooler

Wheels & Tires: Icon Alloys 17” Rebound Pro Wheels, Falken (35×12.5R17LT) Wild Peak A/T Tires

Suspension: Icon Vehicle Dynamics Stage 5 Suspension System, Hellwig Front and Rear Sway Bars, Hellwig Steel Helper Springs

Interior Accessories:  Painless Performance PowerBraid Kit, SPod Bantam Touchscreen Accessory Switch Panel, Katskinz Custom Interior, Ford Performance Tray Style Floor Liners and Off-Road Under Body Lighting Kit,  ARB Zero 73 Qt Freezer/Fridge on ARB Fridge Slide,  GSI Outdoors Camping Stove and Kitchen Items, Milwaukee Assorted M18 and M12 Power Tools and Packout Organizers, Boxo Tool Bag and Hand Tools, DeeZee Under Seat Storage Drawers, Console Vault Vehicle Safe, Bolt Receiver Lock and Padlocks

Exterior Accessories: Addictive Desert Designs Stealth Front and Rear Bumpers and Rock Slider/Side Steps, Ford Performance 3.5L Cat-Back Extreme Exhaust and rear Diff Cover, Billet Badges Custom Hellwig Side Badges, Bushwacker OE Color Matched Fender Flares, T-Rex Grilles Laser X Grille, Warn M-8000 Winch, Expedition Essentials Recovery Board Quick Mount w/Maxtrax MKII Boards, ARB Portable Air Compressor Kit, Warn Off-Road Recovery Kit, Factor 55 UltraHook and Soft Shackle and Tree Saver, ARB Jack and Jack Baseplate, Krazy Beaver Shovel, ZROADZ Hood Hinge LED Light Bracket, Rigid Site Series LED Lights, AT Overland Summit Topper w/Truck Bed Tray and Cabinets, CVT Awning Shower, 10 Gal Road Shower, OVS Nomadic Awning 270, Front Runner Expander Camping Chairs, Desert Squadron Trauma Kit, Expandable Ladder, Yakima Lock-N-Load Heavy-Duty Platform Roof Rack, Jackson Nirvana Kayak