Slide in camper dos / donts

[ChopTop84]

Mine's fine w/o bags. 2005 F250, ext cab, diesel.

Camper is 8.5, trailer weights 7000, probably 700-1000 on the tongue.

Ford trucks starting about 1999 are rated far higher than the old "one ton" and "3/4 ton" ratings of old.

My f350 (year 2000) has a payload rating of almost 3000lbs in the bed! In 2005, they bumped it up even higher, and then again for the latest trucks.

Also, remember your TOTAL COMBINED WEIGHT RATING. This is your truck, camper, and trailer combined. On my truck, its 19,500lbs.

My truck weighs 8000lbs with fuel and driver. That leaves 1900lbs of legal payload (my gvw is 9900lbs). That means I could haul a camper of 1900lbs and thats it, or a camper of 1000lbs, and a trailer of say 9000lbs with 900lbs of tongue weight. That would put me at 8000 + 1000+9000 = 18,000lbs. Fully legal.

Good luck finding a 1000lb camper with all the options tho.

Weight really only matters during an accident. If your insurance finds out you were over legal, you could be denied coverage. Very few cops I know of check private rigs for weight violations, and even fewer scales....unless there has been an accident.

 

[Binder]

Fiberglass vs metal, what's best?
:corn:

 

[Binder]

My f350 (year 2000) has a payload rating of almost 3000lbs in the bed! .........................
My truck weighs 8000lbs with fuel and driver. That leaves 1900lbs of legal payload (my gvw is 9900lbs).

Not important to this thread but is your payload 3000lbs or 1900lbs?????

 

[zukkev]

Fiberglass vs metal, what's best?
:corn:

If I could've, I'd have gone for something like the Bigfoot, or Arctic Fox campers--and they are fiberglass...that said, they all still have leakprone areas (seams, etc..) and if you get an aluminum-sided one in really good shape, and take care of it it'll work just fine as well....Like I said before I am really happy with the one I got...

 

[jimijam19K]

Fiberglass vs metal, what's best?
:corn:

IMO laminate on aluminium frame. My 84' Lance 11.5 is old school wood frame with aluminium sheet. Did extensive repair work to make it usable. Now you've already stated your buying higher in the age/price range so you shouldn't have the problem I did. The good part about fiberglass or laminate construction that is if they do develop a leak there is no wood to rot so your structure remains intact.

 

[Binder]

IMO laminate on aluminium frame. My 84' Lance 11.5 is old school wood frame with aluminium sheet. Did extensive repair work to make it usable. Now you've already stated your buying higher in the age/price range so you shouldn't have the problem I did. The good part about fiberglass or laminate construction that is if they do develop a leak there is no wood to rot so your structure remains intact.

So the fiberglass units don't have a wood frame?

 

[ChopTop84]

Not important to this thread but is your payload 3000lbs or 1900lbs?????

when I bought it, 3k, right this minute, 1900. Truck scaled 6420 when I bought it, it scales 8k now. With a 9900 GVW, minus truck weight, it worked out to 3k (or about a ton and a half). Of course you start getting into axle ratings next, and then tire ratings. My axles ratings (5200 front, 6830 rear) say I can have the truck weigh up to 12k, but my tires (3250 rating each) says I can do 13k.

The last DOT guy I talked with on one of the diesel sites says they go by the lowest number on the door sticker, and in my case, thats 9900gvw.

 

[jimijam19K]

So the fiberglass units don't have a wood frame?

Check the OEM's website to be sure but I don't think so. Newer Lance campers are built this way. http://www.lancecamper.com/camper-construction.html

Bigfoot campers use two fiberglass shells similar to boat hulls that are clamshelled together. Now there may be wood laminated inside to add rigidity similar to a 'glass jeep tub but check with the bigfoot website.

 

[cisco]

So the fiberglass units don't have a wood frame?

I dont believe so. I've got a northernlite. It's built like two fiberglass boat halfs bolted together in the middle. The floor is styrofoam sheet layed over fiberglass with a plywood sheet layed over the foam. It might have some stringers for stiffening somewhere and the interior cabinetry is wood stick construction but its inside and not structural.

I've left it on the truck out in the weather all year round for the last 4 years, no leaks. I'm pretty sure it spent alot of time outside before that too.

Like all man made ****, it's got its plusses and minuses and weekpoints and will eventually deteriorate into trash. That being said if I get another one, it's going to be another glass shell type.

 

[cisco]

Here's a question for you guys.......I'm thinking about buying a camper. Would you buy one with a toilet and or shower? What about a outside shower? How big of a deal is it to empty the tanks? What's it typically cost? Could I just go to a RV place and pay to dump there?

Inside shitter, is really handy, the wife loves it. Inside shower, useless unless you have small kids that need to be rinsed off. Outside shower, use it all the time, rinse dishes, rinse boots, heat cold wetsuit, shower, whatever you might want to spray water on.

Here's what to look for in a camper. Assuming it's in good condition.

Bed lengthwise with cab, not across
Crapper with room to sit
electric jacks
table bench makes bed for 6' plus length people
3 way fridge
Furnace style heater

Stuff you dont really need. AC, microwave, genny, oven, tv

:awesomework:

 

[jimijam19K]

having your own crapper is the single biggest benifit IMO. I'd give up the stove/oven before the dunny.

 

[gasman1]

I'd give up the crapper for a stove and oven. Its nice to cook pizza in the oven.

Big foot are no longer in production but Northern Lite bought there patten on there two piece shell campers. They are the way to go. No seams to leak, and very strong, but you pat for it, big bucks.

Not all fiberglass side campers are aluminum framed, most are actuallt wood framed. Aluminum is the way to go be sure that is what you are getting, don;t go by someones word. See it in the papers. A buddy of mine was told the camper he was getting was aluminum framed but did not get in wrighting and when it leaked it rotted and whent to ****.

The aluminum siding is easier to dent and scratch then fiberglass, but the fiber glasss is more involved in repairing then aluminum. Its all about personal preferance, i my self like the smooth look if teh fiber glass.

 

[TreeClimber]

I'd give up the crapper for a stove and oven. .

When I'm elk hunting, there is no amount of money that would make me want that trade. At 6am, 18* outside temp, I like a nice warm crapper. I open the bath door, let the heat warm it up all nice and toasty, and crap away.

You're welcome to walk out to the 18* hole in the dirt, and drop yer britches.

 

[gasman1]

When I'm elk hunting, there is no amount of money that would make me want that trade. At 6am, 18* outside temp, I like a nice warm crapper. I open the bath door, let the heat warm it up all nice and toasty, and crap away.

You're welcome to walk out to the 18* hole in the dirt, and drop yer britches.

Well Tony, your about half my size, so i have to have the door open to use it. And if there is anyone with me, they gotta clear out :haha:

Besides, i all ready have both in my camper :fawkdancesmiley:

 

[jimijam19K]

The reason I posted about the crapper first is two-fold.

1. We cook everything outside anyway, my family doesn't wheel with me in the wet-weather season anyway so the camper is a fair-weather friend.

2. Before they placed honey buckets at the reiter staging area how far did you need to go to take care of business? That place was so packed on holiday weekends you couldn't even piss with out someone in your hip pocket.

Now I spent 20 years in the Army mind you and have left a "steamer" in plenty of places that my dog wouldn't think of squatting. Shutting the world out for just a couple of minutes is priceless.

 

[Binder]

Brought home A 2004 Lance 8'-6" tonight. Has crapper and shower but no oven or AC. All in all very clean and in great shape. Tomorrow when I get time maybe I'll read the owners manual and see how everything works.

 

[jimijam19K]

Congrats :beer:

 

[jeepermc]

Love my Bigfoot.....

It's light, It doesn't leak, It has a decent size crapper for a small guy...Kinda wish it had an oven and an outside shower...Outside shower may get added someday...Gray tanks fill up too fast when you take one inside...

 

[zukkev]

Brought home A 2004 Lance 8'-6" tonight. Has crapper and shower but no oven or AC. All in all very clean and in great shape. Tomorrow when I get time maybe I'll read the owners manual and see how everything works.

:cheer::cheer: Hell, just figure out all that crap on the fly as needed!!!:haha:
Oven is not really necessary, but does occasionally come in handy for making biscuits & gravy.....but I suppose you could make them at home, then just heat up some gravy on a grill...:awesomework: Pics????:corn: MY old camper was a 76 Lance, and I really like it, but it was tooooo far gone (-dryrot on the entire back wall) to warrant resurrecting...:booo:

 

[cisco]

Not as convenient but you can bake anything you want in a dutch oven.

Congrats on the camper