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Comments
I don't imagine there will be a lot of difference in the handling, but with the 9'6 opposed to the 10'6, & several hundred lbs. lighter, I think I will notice some. The center of gravity will be different as well. Once I get the Ranchos & the Hotchkiss, it to should make a world of difference. I will let you know though. Looks like I'll be running into a little rain on my trip. Should be back Sat. late, or early Sunday.
Mike, aren't you getting the regular cab? Short bed as well? LS, LT ? I missed some postings, or maybe I just can't remember.
David, what camper is it you have? I guess I need to read some back postings since I've been out of touch.
Gary-
It's good you improved the door however I would say even a few drops is more than should get inside. Sitting in a rain storm is different than driving in one. Try shooting it with the hose from a front-to-rear angle to simulate driving.
I made my own brackets where necessary to hold the tray in place. The Ford had wiring under the battery location so I first covered the area with very tough plastic (swimming pool cover) duct taped to the walls. It was good I did because after a few years there was white battery acid residue on the plastic.
For other details I suggest you click on "see all responses" and use the Edit Find function to search for "battery." We also had a lot of discussion on the archived Camper topic but I think we covered it all again here. Anyway that was mostly GM specific. In summary, you need an isolator or relay, some 8 gauge (or so) wire and one or two circuit breakers. Years ago I bought an isolator kit from JC Whitney which had all the fittings and wire and such. The quality was good enough and the price was very decent. Also, the Optima battery ($) is the shortest one I've found and it may be installed sideways if necessary.
Do you have room under the hood? Where will it go?
My friend put his Fleetwood Angler on his truck this weekend and headed out of town. Temps dropped down around 20ish. His battery died around 1am and he had to crank up the generator to run the furnace. He doesn't have any special arctic packaging, and he has a standard deep cycle, but the battery was fully charged, so it just shows how much juice the furnace requires. I'm still not sure that two of these Optimas will run the furnace all night when the temps are around zero, but they will do get me farther through the night than most.
I went out of country to buy my camper. I picked it up in Canada when I moved back to Alaska from Dallas. Bigfoots are made in Armstrong British Columbia. I bought it from Rosman RV in Vernon BC which is a few miles south of the factory. He had the best price and there was no sales tax. Oregon was a very close second with almost identical prices. No sales tax up here in Alaska, but no real deals either since they know your choice is to fly to Washington or Oregon and drive back 2,400+ miles.
Sunny and close to 50 today with over 14 hours of daylight.
The truck I have on order is:
2000 2500 LS 4x4 Reg Cab, Longbed 6.0L, 5spd, Posi, Forged Aluminum wheels, Foglights, Skid plates, On-Off road tires, and all the LS stuff.
Last year we waited forever for delivery, this year not so long.
With the camper, you can buy it else where and save the sales tax, with a truck you cannot. If you buy it elsewhere and bring it into CA they will charge you the sales tax under the name 'use tax'. I know, I had to pay it once for a car I got in Iowa before I moved to CA. This is a tax hungry state.
Brutus,
I really did like the sunlight in Alaska. I know the high temp when we were there for 3 weeks was 67. In CA that is cold. In Alaska that was quite nice because the sun was always there to warm you. I would have guess the temp was at least 10 degrees warmer than the thermometer said.
Don't know how well I would handle the dark days though.
Mike L
I'm looking forward to getting the Fantastic Fan project going and get that running. I also have the Ford truck on order.
Does anyone have any info on the building material (some type of insulating board) placed on the truck bed to elevate the Lance camper to fit in the new Super Duties? Thanks again for any info !!!!
What a great forum !!!
Vince, do you drop down in gears when going down any grades? I'll let you know how I like the electric jacks.
Gary-
djpstman, it sounds like you have the door problem solved. Now one more and you're done. On the Ford SD, I've read that a bedliner or thick rubber mat is enough. However Brutus said he has a 2 or 3 inch wood frame. Brutus please elaborate, would a liner be enough?
Gary, I do drop gears going down hill but it is almost never needed on a freeway. This is one time when the massive air resistance of a truck/camper is helpful. Typically I drop down on mountain roads. It's probably not required as our trucks have overkill brakes but I got in the habit with my 1/2 ton truck with drums all around. Anyway it bugs me to ride the brakes. What I do use almost always with the camper on is tow/haul. It's better without it in town but on the road it's nice, especially in the mountains.
I expect to see some pictures of the new rig. If nothing else, mail me some photos and I'll scan and post them. You can get a cheap scanner for $50 or less, are you willing to venture into that brave new world? A digital camera is better but 5-10 times as much. Hmm, maybe your next project?
Vince
You will also have to put a 1/2 inch spacer on the rubber bumpers on the camper to keep it back far enough in the bed of your truck or it will crush your tail lights.
You can also go directly to Lance and get aluminum spacers for your truck and camper but I figured it was just as easy to make my own. hope this helps.
John
I ordered the standard LS bench seat. We have the base model bench now, and it is OK except the passenger side has no backrest angle adjustment, both seat have no lumbar support, and the center seatback is fixed. We think the center fold down feature is the part we will enjoy the most.
Are you going to buy some wheels later? You said the chrome will do for now. If you buy wheels, use caution: most aftermarket wheels are not rated for the load of a 3/4 ton truck. And those that are, are very expensive. If you are interested in a factory set, I can check at the local dealer that does a lot of upgrades. He sells wheels and tires, complete new take-offs for $500/set. That is what I have on my 1500 now. That is less than the cost of the wheels and about equal to the cost of the tires. I don't know if they have any 2500 wheels, but I could check for you if you are interested.
Later,
Mike L
I'll be dewinterizing the camper and putting it on the truck the week of May 1st after I get the airbags on and possibly Ranchos. I try to get my hands on a digital camera and forward some photos for Vince to post. I'm thinking I will break down and buy one. Any recommendations on brands of digital cameras? My preference is to stay in the $300 range.
Mike, thanks for the info on the wheels, I'll let you know. Vince I'll try & get you some photos to up load. The camper goes perfect with the truck. I better get out of here-------One more thing- the 15.9 was with the tailgate off. Maybe it made a difference.
Gary-
You make me envious talking about the electric jacks. Keep it up so I have a reason to replace mine. Does the battery need to be fully charged to use them? How fast do they go? Do they have a manual crank as a backup?
It sounds like you have the proper appreciation for your truck. Believe me, all camper/truck rigs on the road aren't so nice to drive or so safe. I'm still thrilled every time I drive mine. Imagine going up a freeway hill not in the right lane. Wow, a new concept.
You really made good time for such a long haul. Now you can relax and wander around somewhere with the new rig. So what do you like/dislike about the new one? Are you happy with the size? How much does it weigh?
I too am jealous of those electric jacks. Don't ever let me find out where you live or the may be missing some day.
John
Some years ago GM did a series of windtunnel tests and proved a pickup is more aerodynamic with the tailgate up. It seems the tailgate captures some air and makes a 'pressure' bubble in the bed. This bubble smooths the airflow over the vehicle. Removing or opening the tailgate leaves a big vaccuum behind the cab and adds drag.
I guess it is all theory without meaning to anyone with a camper on.
Do you leave your camper on? Or take it off like Vince does? I rarely remove my camper, OK never.
Good luck with the new toy.
Mike L
If you are interested in adding an on-board compressor later I can comment on that.
With the two sides separated by about two feet, I can fill both without moving, and it is easy to judge the levelness of the camper/truck.
This location was also easy to route the lines to. I routed the lines inside the frame from the air bags to the rear bumper for a clean installation.
Good luck,
Mike L
Mike, I recall reading about aerodynamics on trucks with & without tail gates, tonneau covers, etc., somewhere on one of the chat pages. Whatever it was to get 15.9, I'll take it. I take the camper off, but now with the electric jacks, life WILL be easier.
John, my jacks are programmed to work only with my camper. LOL!
Gary-
so i thought about mounting them on the back end of those. With my camper on the truck sits about level from side to side so I was thinking about useing only one air valve for both air bags, don't know yet.
I would like to go with the on board compresser, but I think i will wait for a while to see how things work.
John
You said the owner got inside when the jacks were fully extended. I thought you bought it new, is it used? Did he have to use a ladder to get inside? It must be pretty high.
The weight is about 150lbs over mine. Do you think the truck is a little bouncy, or floaty, with the camper on? I don't remember if you got the firm ride option or not (I didn't). I'm leaning toward a set of Edelbrock shocks based on some testimonials on the Silverado topic.
I see you have all the comforts of home with the micro and air. I doubt you have a generator so you will only be able to use those with AC hookup. They make a swamp cooler for the roof which can run off the battery, I think about one of those every summer.
Do you know yet if the shower drains into the gray or black tank? A few models (mine included) drain into the black tank which is rather a drag.
Gary-
Keep those bags separated. It is a little more work to fill them, but it is safer overall.
Mike L
The prewired camper connector pulled up thru that drain hole you mentioned perfect. I have a 7 wire connetor and the Chevy wire colors don't match up with colors on the connector at all. Are those connectors on the campers universal in color coding, the place I boaght the camper from isn't much help. Any suggestions? Otherwise I can just ring out the wires when I get to the camper, it's 5 hours away.
Someday I'll get this rig and my pontoon boat on the road and I'll share some fishing and crabing stories from the East side of the country. Don't like that cold weather stuff!
Steve
I will definatly go with two air lines. Thanxs.
John
I don't know what to do on the shocks. Mine aren't bad enough to worry about right away. Some of the reports on the Edelbrocks are so glowing it's tempting to give them a try. So far everyone that has installed them has a 1/2 ton truck so no direct comparison for our truck. One post a long time ago said they didn't do anything and are a waste of money. But a few others have contradicted that quite strongly. The benefit over the Ranchos is a better unloaded ride if you believe the marketing.
Well I'm off to Paradise for the Easter weekend. Talk to you when I return.
Vince
There is no standard on color code or pinout of camper connectors or even for trailers for that matter. The Chevy wires are well marked, you just need to know the camper end. The camper literature must have the pinout, certainly the service department of the dealer knows since they wire the trucks. Try calling them rather than a sales person. We all know how knowledgeable most sales people are. To figure it out on your own, it would be easy to identify the ground and +12V leads. Then I would use a jumper to apply 12V to the unknown pins and see which lights come on.
Where did you get the connector? If it is a factory part you could call the camper manufacturer and get the pinout. What are you going to do with the cable? Will you let it sit in the bed or do you have a liner to run it behind?
I choose the Air Lift light duty dual gauge kit. It sells for around $160. They sell a kit with a bigger compressor and Firestone sells a really nice one with a holding tank for $300+. Air Lift recommends the light duty kit for pickup trucks. It has two pressure switches to automatically kick on the pump if the bags go below 10psi. They say this prevents damage to the bags from pinching and double the warranty of the bags if you have the kit. The compressor is a plastic box about the size of two paperback books. I wanted to put it in the engine compartment to protect it from the weather but all their suggested mounting locations were under the truck and they say not to mount it on the firewall because it will be loud in the cab. So I mounted it on the frame, driver's side, just behind the cab. Just drill 4 holes and use the supplied self-tapping screws. I'm still a little concerned because it will get water inside it through the cooling slots but I guess it's made for that. I also connected regular fill valves and mounted them in each wheel well.
Inside I mounted the gauges under the dash directly below the steering column. They aren't very noticeable but actually look kind of cool. There is one switch to turn on the compressor and two air bleed valves to trim each side independently.
With the compressor there I can use the air bags to help level the camper. They don't have too much travel but so far it's been enough if the spot isn't very off-level. In the morning I just pump them back up and go. The other use is to put the rear end at unloaded ride height at night so my headlights are correctly aimed. I could leave it that high in the day of course but my truck's rear end is pretty high unloaded so it's kind of goofy to keep it that way with the camper on. I run about 50psi in the day and 75psi at night. Actually the truck is pretty level with 0psi but I like some additional lift. It's not very fast once you get to the higher psi range. I guess it takes about 1.5 minutes to go from 0 to 75psi.
So that's my compressor story. Hope it helps. I'm glad I have it even though I could live without it. What's another few hundred after spending $30k on a stupid truck anyway!
Question: on the AirLift bags, can you buy the "Lance version" from anyone or is that version only through Lance?
Highdesertrat, thanks for your input on the location of the display. I'm wondering if I have that spot on my y2k unit. I haven't picked it up yet so I will see when I get it home.
Took my truck to one of the local Ford dealerships (Worthington Ford, yeah the same guy who is in CA) today for the 30,000 servicing. Believe it or not, Ford replaced a rear and front hubcap under warranty that I had lost. My truck has premium wheels and I've heard the rear hub cost about $50. I'm impressed, but I've never been dissatisfied with this dealership's service.
I would hope that price you got for $750 included the on board compressor and gauges, if not it sounds like they are really out to rip people off good. That reminds me of a rip off I can across about a week ago, I wanted to rotate my tires and since I have dual wheels I wanted to have the tires taken off each rim, rotated and balanced. The first place I called said It would be $30 no problem that was what I figured on. But just for the heck of it I decided to call a couple more places, one wanted $96 and the other one wanted over $170! to rotate tires? Well you know which one I went to, I always wonder how many people pay these rip off prices with out checking around first. Well I guess I have rambled on enough, later guys.
John
I knew that Dodge was switching from Dana to another supplier for 2001 rear axles but never thought that they would drop 1500 pounds of capacity as they did so. I will complain to Dodge but as the brochure footnote says: "Dodge....reserves the right to change specifications without notice" Live and learn!
Is there anyone else out there with this truck model who has noticed this change?
We are having a long slow wet New England spring after our warm winter. The rivers are full. The spring whitewater class in which I was an instructor had a bumper crop of students this year. We are looking forward to heading west to southern Utah with the camper in five weeks - a delightful prospect as I look at the rain pouring down and lots of mud.
As far as whether they make special ones for Lance campers, I don't know. I am having trouble imagining what could possibly be different based on the type of camper if we are talking about the same thing. The Ride-Rides and airlifts I'm talking about attach to the truck frame near the rear leaf springs. After that, you can put whatever you want in the bed. How about some more detail about the Lance specials?
It looks like I will be able to get my hands on a digital camera when I put the camper on next weekend, so I'll send you a couple of pics to post Vince.
highdesertrat, I'm interested to hear how the Edelbrock shocks handle the camper load. You said they improved the handling of your Ford, how about the ride?
The sliding portion is the dinette area only. However to be usable when on the truck it has to slide ABOVE the side of the bed so the entire dinette table and seating is raised up. The seat bottoms are at about shoulder height. They have a big step on the floor to get you half way up. So every time you want to sit down or get up to grab the salt you have to climb. And because it's so high you completely loose the huge storage cabinets (or kids bed) normally above the table since that space is needed for headroom. You also loose the seat that goes along the wall, there are only two opposing seats on either side of the table. They had to do this to reduce the depth of the slide-out section.
The one positive aspect is you gain a little floor space (the huge step takes up a bunch) and quite a bit of "openness" feel. The inner edge of the table and seats is parallel with the fridge door so nothing sticks out into the living space except that huge step.
To me, the gain is far outweighed by the losses. The extra weight and cost isn't worth it when you have to climb to get to the table the way you do to get to the bed. The table really looks high! And once you get there you can't hold as many people or stretch out on the long portion. This camper weighed 3400lbs but it was a big one and had electric jacks, air, etc. so I don't know how much the slide-out added. I couldn't see the price sticker. Also I suspect they only put the S.O. in the biggest model.
Gary, I looked in a 915. It's the exact same floor plan as mine, which I like better than the fancy model. Mine has the pantry above the furnace and the closet next to the fridge. The closet is full-length, it goes all the way down to the step where the water tank is. Does yours do that? They moved the closet and made it short in the other models. I store the original table in the closet and it doesn't even come up to the bottom of the door.
A suggestion to everyone: I made a small table which I use 99% of the time. It makes getting in/out of the seating area so much easier and doesn't stick out into the walk way. I keep the orig table inside in case I need a big surface and to make the second bed. I strongly recommend this modification, it really makes it easier to be inside.
(Sorry for the marathon post, I've been gone a few days!)
I thought the Lance dealer told me that the Air-Lift used a heavier plate on the mount to the truck frame? I will have to ask because I'm getting close to doing this on the new truck. Picking the truck up Thursday. Haven't sold the 93 yet. Hoping to do it soon.
John
John
I always thought the best place for a slideout in a truck camper would be from the rear. I could envision cupboards or drawers that would be over the kitchen counter and/or over part of the dinette when the slide-out was not out. I did see a rear slide-out trailer that had a patio style pullout with a mosquito net, which was a concept I had not seen before.
Air Lift will warranty a bag damaged from under-inflation.