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Yeah doubles and triples have that same setup however the tongue is a little longer to facilitate backing. That thing will be m i s e r a b l e to blind side back into a camping spot after dusk.
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Aug 29, 2021 22:21
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Atticus_1354 posted:That's just the same idea as a jeep axle for an 18wheeler. The idea is fine. It's more the execution and scale that are the problem. cursedshitbox posted:Yeah doubles and triples have that same setup however the tongue is a little longer to facilitate backing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STO7x1ETSuc Their claims aren't entirely off the wall, it's just one of those things that's just weird enough to be hard to be comfortable with.
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Aug 30, 2021 21:49
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wolrah posted:Same idea, larger scale: How on earth would you back up with that?
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Sep 19, 2021 16:50
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Hasselblad posted:How on earth would you back up with that? It's not a trailer dolly that adds another bending point, it's more of a tag axle/frame extension, so backing up works the same as it always does just with the hinge point moved further back.
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Sep 20, 2021 14:59
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So I'm doing my first winterization and I'm curious what folks do with their batteries. Should I yank them and put them on a trickle charger if I'm not going to use it for six months?
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Oct 13, 2021 02:48
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if they are lead acid that would be fine, or disconnecting completely but topping them off regularly. lead acid likes to be at 100%. they will self discharge several percent a month if left alone. if they are lithium, they are happiest around half charged, and self discharge very slowly, so you should be ok to disconnect and leave them for a while. make sure they are NOT below freezing when you do charge them, as this can permanently damage them real fast. low humidity would prob be good for both.
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Oct 13, 2021 19:14
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They're deep cycle marine batteries so I'm pretty sure they're lead acid. I installed a disconnect switch on the batteries yesterday because I'm too lazy to figure out what is drawing down my batteries slowly (probably the CO monitors? Inverter?) Before I was unbolting the negative lead off of the batteries manually but now I have a nice chunky switch to throw.
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Oct 13, 2021 19:20
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yeah deep cycle is lead acid with thicker plates. just make sure your trickle charger is a decent one. lovely ones can do too much charging and slowly boil/vent your cells dry.
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Oct 15, 2021 14:57
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Just got my RPod back from the shop after having all of the original seam seals scraped and reapplied. It looks so drat clean. Next season is gonna be so dope. Our first full season with the camper so we will be out there from April until November.
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Dec 2, 2021 07:42
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Circumstances have come up for me and it means I have to rough it without a fixed address until my number comes up at a subsidized housing facility, in about six weeks- Luckily I have a large 00s minivan and no shortage of friends willing to let me boondock at their homes for a few days at a time, so I'm making myself a little living room/office so I can keep up my freelance work while also having a place to relax and sack out in Ive picked up some basic supplies for safety, comfort, and warmth at Menards- I figure the considerations for cold-weather camping in a tent apply here, aside from relying on combustion heat- I don't have the resources to go full hog on a conversion, but with what I have I think I can make it liveable barring -15°F weather (and in that case I can find a couch indoors)- So like a $600-1000 12v battery system is out, I'm looking at hoping for 110v AC to plug into, bundling up if not, and buying a bunch of cheap-but-reliable 5v USB batteries and maybe a ~$100 12v capable power bank- it can be heavy as poo poo, it's just gonna sit in the van- what's the go-to for: -cheapo 5v batteries for charging phone/tablet/ecig/flashlight/Bluetooth/etc and driving ambient LEDs, maybe driving a Raspberry Pi 3 -a 100-200wh brick that can kick out 110v (at less than 100A) in a pinch but mostly deal in 12v and can power my 12-20v soldering iron (over barrel or usb-c-pd) For the latter, I'm seeing dozens of configurations- I don't need a lot of features like built-in LEDs, a small OLED screen to monitor power usage would be nice on any kind of battery, tho Another thing that seems impossible because I can't find literature on it via internet: can I power the minivan's built in 12v accessory rail from an AC connection? Trickle charging is a thing I'm familiar with, but what about just supplying 12v/10A DC to the terminals so I can use the lights, the very nice sound system and the like EIGHT cig lighter ports in this thing? (lol maybe even the built-in kid-quieter TV I have never used) anyway idk if this is the thread for living in a van either down by or up from the river but looking online, the "camping" angle is more applicable to my situation than the "tiny home" angle- thanks for reading my info request!!
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Dec 8, 2021 21:32
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Peanut Butler posted:Another thing that seems impossible because I can't find literature on it via internet: can I power the minivan's built in 12v accessory rail from an AC connection? Trickle charging is a thing I'm familiar with, but what about just supplying 12v/10A DC to the terminals so I can use the lights, the very nice sound system and the like EIGHT cig lighter ports in this thing? (lol maybe even the built-in kid-quieter TV I have never used) In theory, a decent-sized automotive battery charger should be able to keep up with lights / sound / seat back TV needs, as long as you're not running the headlights and trying to power a space heater. Just pop it on the battery terminals -- it will keep your battery topped off and supply all the extra power you want. Something like the Noco Genius 10 is probably what you want, but a cheaper 10A battery charger would probably do. (maybe not too cheap -- some of them might futz out in the cold) Steve Wallis on Youtube has a lot of good videos about sleeping in vehicles in the dead of winter. I imagine you could find good information about what kind of insulation you'll need and how to cut down on condensation. https://www.youtube.com/c/thestevewallis You might also get some more opinions in the stupid questions thread over in AI: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3699520
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Dec 9, 2021 03:32
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Peanut Butler posted:Circumstances have come up for me and it means I have to rough it without a fixed address until my number comes up at a subsidized housing facility, in about six weeks- Be sure to check out your local libraries for free wifi and a spot to hang out and work in the warmth. If you can swing it, a gym membership might be great for getting a hot shower and getting some workout time in to feel better. Beware condensation as well, I would think it would be difficult keeping an uninsulated space comfortable without ventilation. I don't know if you can swing the mileage but it may be easier to move south or see if you can at least couch surf with a friend inside overnight. Don't forget that cold kills batteries too. Don't forget to check out stuff like allstays and Boondockers Welcome for free and safe places to park overnight. There's a camping gear thread here too that might be useful to pop into for information about stuff. Godspeed and stay safe goon
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Dec 9, 2021 04:26
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Some jump start kits come with a built in power inverter. That might provide what you need. Reverse biasing the power outlet may or may not work. It'll be typically limited to 10A/1200W. Afaik most are switched with the ignition. You're better off adding a dedicated charge connector for that. A deep-cycle battery will be of better use than using the van's starter battery. Its a good idea to keep the two disconnected unless charging or at least with some kind of switch so that your coach battery doesn't accidentally kill the starting battery.
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Dec 11, 2021 03:17
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ty for advice! I'm out the other end and found a room to stay in for the couple months it's gonna take for my subsidized housing to come thru- Ended up spending some ¢ to stay at the state park, with a triple 15A/15A/20A elec hookup. It wasn't perfect (as a last-minute no-build conversion) but after a couple design iterations I managed to keep it 20°F warmer overnight inside just from blankets/body heat (tho it never went below 20, and 45 at the coldest point of morning was enough to wake me up) . Biggest hurdle was days where it never went above 35- very difficult to clean out the van without being able to comfortably work outside Put a desktop 400W heater in there, and it performed pretty well; also semi-installed a 1500W infrared heater (w/thermostat) in front of the rear air cycling exchange that would seep in cold outdoor air all night. With the 1800W heater, I could keep the rear third of the pretty spacious ~20yo Chrysler Town and Country at 60-75 degrees- my cords arent rated for that and the kettle running at the same time, tho This was a somewhat successful experiment, given I had about 48 hours of moderate weather on the winter sunlight schedule- very interested in getting the van kitted out for spring/fall camping- when the weather cooperated, it was lovely, some of the best sleep I've gotten in years
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Dec 27, 2021 19:22
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All in all, if I were to do something like this in winter again, I'd want a camper/truck topper/trailer than I can stand up inside of- I'm a small person and it's an uncommonly big minivan, but still only has ~4.5 feet of clearance from floor to roof- one more foot of clearance and I could walk around in there
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Dec 27, 2021 19:24
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Hey RV goons. The girlfriend and I purchased a travel trailer yesterday and are planning on spending 4-5 months in it during 2022 driving around the US. We're probably doing this in a bit different order than a lot of people because we currently live in Europe and don't own a car - so I'm shopping around for a full size SUV or truck to pull the thing. Any suggestions on what to look out for if I'm buying a vehicle specifically for pulling the trailer and traveling the US? We'll be moving back from Europe around June so I have a while to shop around for something before committing. The trailer we bought is a lightly used 2020 Dutchmen - Coleman Light LX 1705RB. It's right around 3500lbs dry weight. We're pretty flexible in what kind of vehicle we get for it, considering something like a Grand Cherokee or maybe a Tacoma, but figured it might be good to get some advice from people who have experience pulling these things. Also happy to hear any other tips or resources for first time trailer-dwellers!
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Jan 1, 2022 00:50
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Thats a small light one. Taco or grand cherokee would be fine. Get a good weight distribution hitch and a sway control either way. Half ton crew cab 4x4 pickup would work too. Look for a vehicle with factory trailer brake controls if you can. They work much better than aftermarket stuff. If anyone wants it I listed my 2020 Pinnacle 32RLTS for $60k. I can include or sell separately the ram mount demco autoslide hitch for it.
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Jan 13, 2022 15:52
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Absolutely stay away from a tacoma. The gear ratios on them are terrible right now and it will suck pulling even a light trailer. I would look at a nice 1/2 ton truck with 4x4 if you think you will ever want to hit dirt roads and do some exploring.
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Jan 13, 2022 16:07
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hello RVers. do any of you use powered coolers? I'm looking at refrigeration options for our tundra build-out and I'm trying to figure out what to do for refrigeration both in terms of style and in terms of capacity. Is 42 quarts enough for 2 people? 25? 100? Fridge-freezer combos? Fridge-only? There are so many options!
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Jan 17, 2022 00:14
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Hi folks, hopefully there's still enough of you reading this thread to give me a bit of guidance. I've got a family of four, two 4.5 year olds, and a regular sized dog and a small dog. My wife (and myself, but more importantly my wife) are interested in getting some form of camper to start spending more weekends away from home and taking advantage of the copious open space near and not so near to home. We've spent a lot of time talking and a fair amount of time researching, and now a bit of time today driving around looking at stuff, and I think we're leaning pretty heavily towards a truck camper, though also considered and looked at smaller travel trailers. We're not going to be living in it, and expect to mostly be taking short (weekend+) trips, and so we don't feel like we need something terribly large. We have a truck already, though it's an F-150 so we'd be looking to upgrade that which is  but there are other things we would like a bigger truck for anyway. We live in the mountains (Sierra), so we are pretty close to a lot of places we can get out there and specifically have a lot of interest in some of the more boondocking side of things, hence interest in the truck camper over the travel trailer, which I'd be a bit more hesitant taking a lot of places.First, the camper. We are eyeing the Lance 855s, which has a slideout dinette with an optional bunk above it, and fits into a short bed, which would be great as my kids are stoked about bunk beds and that would also mean they wouldn't _have_ to share one. We went to a Lance dealer today and liked what we saw (865, 850, though they didn't have an 855 on the lot). Questions regarding that: - are there any other similar truck campers that I should be looking at? (space for 4, ideally three separate sleeping spaces, fits in a short bed) - are there any particular features or options I should be really looking to get and/or avoid, specifically considering intended use (weekend drives out into the woods, maybe an occasional winter ski trip to Mammoth or further away spots)? - what am I not asking that I should be asking? Second, the truck. We like the F-150, we test drove an F-350 and liked that. We poked at some Rams and some Sierra HDs and they seemed okay, but overall probably preferred the Ford though not married to that. What, specific to truck campering, should we look out for there? Gun to my head, if I were ordering one now, I'd get an F-350 crew cab short bed lariat 4x4. 4x4, short bed, and crew cab are hard requirements for us, I think (winter necessitates 4x4, kids and dogs necessitate crew cab, and I just don't think we want to have to deal with driving a crew cab long bed around). Would the FX4 or Tremor package be good or bad ideas, given interest in getting off the beaten path a bit? I haven't had any issues with our F-150 with the base offroad package here and some ~33" KO2s, but not sure how much the bigger truck plus load would change that. Seems like maybe the FX4 is maybe a bit useless, and the Tremor might negatively impact payload rating too much? Or just make center of gravity a bit too high? I'd want to take the camper off and on fairly frequently, rather than just leaving it on. How hard is it with all the electronics these days to deal with this? (Including, like, removing a tailgate that probably has a bunch of cameras in it). I'm guessing that removing the tailgate and slapping a giant camper on the back totally wrecks all the fancy 360 camera stuff? Or maybe just puts a blind-spot in it? Also curious about the engine options; it seems like capability wise any of them would be fine for us; the diesel is expensive and overkill probably but also seems like it maintains value the best and might have the least impact on fuel efficiency when loaded, so might still be a smart buy? Pretty excited about the whole idea, to be honest, and my wife even more so. And it was awesome to take the kids along to see some campers, they were off the wall. Thanks in advance for any help, and excited to be maybe joining you all in your adventures this summer. Steve French fucked around with this message at 05:09 on Mar 13, 2022 |
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Mar 13, 2022 04:29
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A F150's payload is about a ton tops. that doesn't include you, wife, the kids, pets, a tank of fuel. You're looking at a F350 for a Lance 855s. 865 is around 2500 they say wet. 855s at 3000 wet. figure another 5-700 in camping config. a SRW 1 ton might be enough for your needs here with 3-4000lb payload in shortbed crew cab 4wd config. (probably a 7.3 over the 6.7, if you want diesel, you're gonna opt for the dual rear wheel.) If you wanna stick to the half ton you should be looking at pop up style truck campers. Even then, its going to be very marginal. Off road packages aren't conducive to the heavy weight of a TC. Inspect the payload sticker on the B pillar closely before selecting a truck that'll not fulfill your needs. Manufacturers print the vehicle's payload capacity there. Don't forget to factor in the weight of fuel, your family, and supplies on top of the campers wet posted weight. Which those aren't typically dead nuts accurate. iirc ford has a remote mount camera option for their upfitter packages. not sure on how it affects their 360* view. Get the rear swaybar and camper prep spring package for it. Opt for the lower gears and their e-locker. It'll be nice to have in the mountains. You can't go wrong with a LS or the 7.3 gasser. Diesel? pick your favorite flavor. Ford has a 10 speed automatic behind either engine. Avoid the first year for it. GM's powertrains are solid. Chrysler, yeah well. Keep a slush fund around for when its automatic pops. Chassis wise GM is gonna give you the best ride with ford being a little more robust than either of the alternatives. Dodge...still needs a blunderbuss of aftermarket front end parts to avoid issues. If you're looking at a Lance and considering winter camping, see also Host (heavy but good in the cold), Northern Lite and Bigfoot. NL and Bigfoot are gonna be slideless afaik but typically lighter than everybody else. Floorplans are going to be very... specific. Look at a lot of them.
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Mar 13, 2022 06:51
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Thanks, that's all really helpful. I guess I wasn't clear in my post; definitely not considering keeping the F-150 for a truck camper, if we got a truck camper we'd be getting a 1 ton for sure. I don't love the idea of a dually, but maybe I should reconsider it if it'll remove any question of the truck's ability to do what we want. Why go DRW with the diesel though? Is it heavier than the 7.3? (edit: okay yeah looking at Ford's spec sheets looks like the 6.7 adds about 700 lbs to curb weight over the 7.3... that's a good bit more than I would have expected) Thanks for the pointers on other brands, I'll check them out. Steve French fucked around with this message at 17:57 on Mar 13, 2022 |
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Mar 13, 2022 17:37
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7.3 weighs in at 540lb. 6.7 PSD weighs in at 1170lb. The 10R140 behind the 6.7 weighs 140lb more than the 10R80 behind the 7.3. Ford also opts for lower differential gears with the 7.3 The chassis/tires/springs are set for so much weight. If you're running a srw with 4 tires with a total weight capacity of ~12 thousand pounds, an extra 770lb of truck can make the difference between carrying the camper you want with some comfortable overhead or have no overhead at all. Hence drw, it'll give you the extra capacity out back and a larger axle from any of the big three. drw is more stable with a top heavy tc, especially in off camber moments or when cross winds are excessive. You can ditch the factory tires for some E/F load rated rubber. There's 19.5 conversions, they're limited ish with off road rubber selections and have pretty short sidewalls. Gotta be careful when tire shopping that your tire capacity doesn't surpass that of your rim ratings. OEMs are pretty cagey about rim capacity. There's an alternative to dual rear that's using whats called a super single. Its an extra wide single tire. It likely won't clear a stock srw bed however. This is the route I went with my truck/tc setup.
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Mar 13, 2022 18:11
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cursedshitbox posted:7.3 weighs in at 540lb. Gotcha, thanks. Interestingly, playing around with the Ford build tool, there's a 10k GVWR package and a 11.4k GVWR package, and for crew-cab short bed, the latter is only available with the 6.7. I of course have no idea why, but seems to me that 11.4k even with the heavier 6.7 would have a higher payload rating than 10k with the lighter 7.3? Not sure if there are other configurations that end up with more with the gas. This doc indicates you can configure a 4x4 crew cab short box to end up with 11.3 GVWR and payload rating of 4460 lbs, but not clear to me how to end up with that combo. At any rate, you've given me something to think about with the DRW, stability seems like a pretty compelling justification. Just hesitant that for non-camping trips it might be a bit much to manage as a family vehicle without a good middle ground between that and our sedan.
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Mar 13, 2022 18:20
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Those are downgrade packages. You get more cargo capacity on the sticker without them.
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Mar 13, 2022 19:04
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Steve French posted:Gotcha, thanks. Interestingly, playing around with the Ford build tool, there's a 10k GVWR package and a 11.4k GVWR package, and for crew-cab short bed, the latter is only available with the 6.7. I of course have no idea why, but seems to me that 11.4k even with the heavier 6.7 would have a higher payload rating than 10k with the lighter 7.3? Not sure if there are other configurations that end up with more with the gas. This doc indicates you can configure a 4x4 crew cab short box to end up with 11.3 GVWR and payload rating of 4460 lbs, but not clear to me how to end up with that combo. No f350 should be used as a daily imo. To arrive at 4460lb payload you likely need the crew cab, short box, XL trim, 7.3/4wd. Payload and GVWR are two different things. Ford sells option packages to increase or derate GVWR. Some states tax based on stated GVWR hence why its a thing you can just 'buy'. Payload can only be increased by changing out its powertrain/suspension/tires/creature-comfort options. The GVWR for the diesel is going to be higher due to it having double the torque of the 7.3. The chassis is the same between the two. It may use different front springs but I kinda doubt it. The axles and brakes are the same regardless of the engine, however the gearing will be different. The gearing difference combined with the powertrain's torque capability contributes to its gvwr. 6500lb for the super 60 up front, 9750lb for the sterling 10.5, a dana 80 at 11,000lb. The diesel is going to have less payload configured as a srw despite Ford touting that it can tow up to 22,800lb. This is that thing in the room that the truck manufacturers are doing now sorta like the rv industry was doing 20-30 years ago. They're fumbling numbers around to spreadsheet wag cocks with each other when in reality, they fall short of their statements. 22,800lb on a 5th wheel is right about 5700lb of pin weight. As you've found there is no srw with that payload. The drw touts 35,750lb 5th wheel towing, that's almost 9000lb of pin weight. Nevermind either configuration's GVWR. Most anybody running a TC is going to be over GVWR... with even more over the tire capacity...
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Mar 13, 2022 19:22
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cursedshitbox posted:No f350 should be used as a daily imo. When I say family vehicle, I don't mean daily driver; we don't drive daily as we both work from home. "Family vehicle" means what we would take if going on a trip with all the kids and dogs. I understand that GVWR and payload are different, my understanding was that generally GVWR - curb weight = payload capacity, hence my confusion around the GVWR packages where the higher GVWR of 11.3k with the diesel would result in a higher payload capacity than GVWR of 10k, despite the added curb weight (since the curb weight difference is < 1300 lbs). If that math isn't right, I'd love to know. That said, seeing that it's a downgrade I understand a bit better, so not worries on that particular point. At any rate, looking a bit closer at Lance's options, I think we might go for one of the lighter campers anyway; we were mostly interested in the 855s because of the bunk over the dinette, so that there were 3 different sleeping spaces, not that we really felt like the slideout was needed. Looking further, we had missed that it's an _option_ on the 855s, but standard on the 850 and 865, and we stood in an 850 yesterday and felt pretty good about it. I'm certainly much more comfortable wading into this without pushing the limits of the vehicle, so I'm thinking we will likely go for the lighter campers with a bit less space given our goals.
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Mar 13, 2022 19:41
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Payload isn't (gvwr-curbweight=payload) at all. see my previous post for details on why. A given truck almost always have more payload than gvwr. Payload only takes into account how much weight it can statically handle, not how much weight it can safely move(this is gvwr) without overloading its brakes, transmission, etc. Its payload is posted on a label on the driver's door jamb under "tire and loading information". Its highlighted in yellow. Nearly every truck will be different, even in the same line up. This number is factored on what it weighs with its options with respect to its loadout in spring capacity, tire capacity, and axle capacity. It does not include occupants or fuel. GVWR is comprised of numerous tests. An explanation we can use is the J2807 towing test as its similar to how a manufacturer will select gvwr loading. (There's also the whole dingus wagging thing mentioned in the above post but this gives you a gist of the engineering that goes into the numbers) There's three areas we'll look at. Climb the hill. Descend the hill. Evade the rock that just fell onto the roadway. Here's a given grade the vehicle and load must climb. The vehicle must start from a stop, climb said grade without any systems overheating or any fluid loss, and accelerate to a preset speed within a determined time frame. This tests the gear train, engine, cooling systems. if its under geared, it will be too slow. Power can make up for this. Power makes heat. It could overheat if the cooling systems aren't sized appropriately. If its over geared, it will have no problems. Add more weight, redo the test. The vehicle must also bring the vehicle and its load to a stop from speed under the same conditions while descending said grade. This tests the vehicles braking system. Modern trucks transmission programming that allows for engine braking and some offer exhaust brakes which acts as a secondary supplemental brake. Can the vehicle be brought to a complete stop at its max stated load within x number of feet is the test. Can it do it repetitively? Can the parking brake alone hold the vehicle and its intended weight? Will it stabilize the trailer without veering out of its lane? There's a handling test that tests its ability to handle emergency manuvers, sway, and trailer response. Swaybars, springs, suspension and chassis design, tires, all factor in to this area of the test. There's a lot of software behind this. ABS/Stability control/traction control working from an IMU all help control the vehicle and its trailer. The firmware here is proprietary so one manufacturer could have a competitive edge over another just in software alone. There's a dozen other metrics tested here so I'm paraphrasing a lot. lance is solid, you won't regret them. The over-dinette bunk is good, know that your kiddos will outgrow it quickly... They're rated for 50-100lb usually.
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Mar 13, 2022 20:21
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cursedshitbox posted:Payload isn't (gvwr-curbweight=payload) at all. see my previous post for details on why. A given truck almost always have more payload than gvwr. Payload only takes into account how much weight it can statically handle, not how much weight it can safely move(this is gvwr) without overloading its brakes, transmission, etc.
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Mar 13, 2022 21:29
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DR FRASIER KRANG posted:Just got my RPod back from the shop after having all of the original seam seals scraped and reapplied. It looks so drat clean. Took it out of storage last week and found a wet mattress and mold under it because the shop hosed up one of the seals  Fortunately they're remediating it for free and even came and picked it up from my house. Next project is installing an overhead shelf over the dinette so we can keep our bags up there and run the heater below the dinette benches worry free.
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Mar 13, 2022 22:15
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I removed the microwave from my camper because we never use it and I want to make the cavity more useful so I'm looking to install a shelf inside of it. If I want to get composite/particle board to match the existing veneer of the cabinetry that is already installed, where should I be looking or what google search terms should I use?
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Mar 16, 2022 00:12
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Given the availability situation of both campers and trucks, we're leaning towards being patient and just ordering what we want and waiting at this point. Leaning towards custom ordering an F350 Lariat, crew cab, short bed, 4x4, with 7.3L, 4.3 rear, camper prep package, and not too much additional stuff (value package basically). From pinging a bunch of dealers with somewhat similar trucks available and asking for GVWR/payload ratings on them, it seems like that would get us in the ballpark of 4k lbs payload. A Lance 850 with standard equipment is 2700lbs, which seems like a decent amount of headroom for wet weight plus people and gear? This is a pretty interesting thing to dig into, since it seems quite clear (both explicitly and implicitly) that a bunch of truck camper users and manufacturers sort of ignore GVWR? The 855s for example with a dry weight, before any options, of 3064 lbs, seems a bit much for a short bed SRW one ton when they seem to max out a little over 4k lbs payload rating. But yet, it's clearly designed _for_ a short bed SRW. I chatted with two Lance dealers today who basically told me that an F350, in most configurations, would be fine for basically any short bed truck camper, which was reassuring in some ways but also raised other questions (and of course I've got to imagine that they're maybe a little incentivized to sell something bigger / more expensive). On the other end of the spectrum, there's this https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/newbie-articles/match-truck-truck-camper/, where the "Fast Match" system they recommend to be conservative (take their wet weight listing and add 1k lbs buffer for a desired payload rating) would put not only the 855s (4034 + 1k lbs) but even the 850 out of reach (3611 + 1k lbs) for basically any short bed truck, which seems ridiculous since that's what they're supposedly meant for? One of the dealers recommended against the 865 for the F350, since it's narrower and would have tighter clearance between the jacks and the bed sides, making it harder to load/unload the camper. So I'm still leaning towards an F350 short bed plus a Lance 850 or similar, and will hopefully be going to take a (another) look at one this weekend perhaps to gain confidence in it being the right size for us, but the wide disparity in guidelines I'm finding is not making this easier (nor is the fact that vehicle listings and window stickers don't include GVWR or payload ratings). Please tell me if I'm being stupid here! I think my wife will murder me if I analyze this to death and end up doing nothing.
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Mar 16, 2022 01:52
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DR FRASIER KRANG posted:I removed the microwave from my camper because we never use it and I want to make the cavity more useful so I'm looking to install a shelf inside of it. That stuff is typically gonna be wallpaper or something like it. some will use a real woodgrain but that stuff changes often. Home centers are your best bet. typically 1/8" thickness for shelve bases, 1/4" for the structure. IMO? paint it. Steve French posted:Given the availability situation of both campers and trucks, we're leaning towards being patient and just ordering what we want and waiting at this point. Leaning towards custom ordering an F350 Lariat, crew cab, short bed, 4x4, with 7.3L, 4.3 rear, camper prep package, and not too much additional stuff (value package basically). From pinging a bunch of dealers with somewhat similar trucks available and asking for GVWR/payload ratings on them, it seems like that would get us in the ballpark of 4k lbs payload. 1300lb imo is not a lot of headroom. This of course assumes that the camper's listed weight is dead nuts accurate. (they aren't) The Lance 850 holds 30 gallons of water, that's 250lb. The F350 holds 34 gallons of fuel. 204lb in petrol, 241 in diesel. This is 491lb. You have 809 left for you, your family, provisions, and holding tank weights. The mutant of an Alpenlite that I rebuilt in 2020 weighs more than double what its brochure says with 'standard options' yet it was on a 3/4 ton diesel for years before I came along. Its equipped with srw jack plates.. No single 10 ply light truck tire with enough weight capacity existed for this camper prior to about three-four years ago. quote:This is a pretty interesting thing to dig into, since it seems quite clear (both explicitly and implicitly) that a bunch of truck camper users and manufacturers sort of ignore GVWR? If your tires and such are overloaded leading to a systems failure and you take out a bus full of nuns, your insurance likely will not touch it. LEOs don't care as long as the tires aren't overloaded. Which, the F350 I own, going by the factory label from when it was built, had the payload capacity of less than a Honda Ridgeline or a Ford Maverick even though its a cab/chassis F350. It underwent a 4 year mild restoration/refit/modernization to allow a payload capacity of around three and a half tons. There's another goon here that rebuilt their K3500 into a K4500 with an extensive amount of work. quote:The 855s for example with a dry weight, before any options, of 3064 lbs, seems a bit much for a short bed SRW one ton when they seem to max out a little over 4k lbs payload rating. But yet, it's clearly designed _for_ a short bed SRW. I chatted with two Lance dealers today who basically told me that an F350, in most configurations, would be fine for basically any short bed truck camper, which was reassuring in some ways but also raised other questions (and of course I've got to imagine that they're maybe a little incentivized to sell something bigger / more expensive). The RV dealer is there to sell RVs. They do not care about what you tow it away with so long as they're making the sale. They're could also be ignoring the trucks stated gvwr/payload and going directly off the tire ratings. Which your modern 275/70-18E is good for around 3300-3500lb per tire giving you around 7000lb out back minus whatever the truck weighs. The modern aluminum bodies are pretty light. That leaves you with an effective weight capacity of probably 5 thousand pounds on the rear axle. There's an "options package" that adapts a SRW camper to DRW. it literally swings out the jack to clear the rear fenders and that's it. quote:On the other end of the spectrum, there's this https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/newbie-articles/match-truck-truck-camper/, where the "Fast Match" system they recommend to be conservative (take their wet weight listing and add 1k lbs buffer for a desired payload rating) would put not only the 855s (4034 + 1k lbs) but even the 850 out of reach (3611 + 1k lbs) for basically any short bed truck, which seems ridiculous since that's what they're supposedly meant for? Correct. about a thousand pounds for weekenders, up to double for fulltime/long term travel. TCs are heavy. Especially with slides. (about 4-700lb extra per slide) quote:One of the dealers recommended against the 865 for the F350, since it's narrower and would have tighter clearance between the jacks and the bed sides, making it harder to load/unload the camper. What's the difference? 2-3"? that's plenty. If not. see above with the swing out jack plates. As far as I know if you're running a new camper on a new truck they'll work out fine. In width. In cab clearance. You run into issues trying to put a really old camper on a modern truck or vise versa.
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Mar 16, 2022 18:46
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I thought I would share something I built for boondock camping a couple of years ago. I do a lot of desert camping and my trailer holds under 30 gallons of fresh water. When doing several night camps, it's pretty tough to keep on water budget with my wife and I and usually a friend or two that goes out. My trailer is a newer type that doesn't have a gravity feed for fresh water so it's gotta be pumped in under pressure. I bought a 30 gallon RV fresh water tank from Amazon and a 12VDC water pump that's basically the same type that is inside of the trailer for its water pressure. I wired up the water pump to a 7pin tow power connector to plug into the back of my truck. Very simple and works awesome.
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Mar 21, 2022 17:31
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That's super cool! Nice work.
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Mar 26, 2022 06:33
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Took the shitbox out for a 5 day cruise of the general area behind my house. I had planned on camping at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park then Mt Laguna for some awesome mountain biking but that now requires permits to boondock, which I totally missed. Instead I headed out to Carrizo Badlands and spent a little time there. Swinging up the 6% I8-W grade and through a KOA for a night in not 100F temps, then back into storage. Bluejays! (maybe?)       While pretty, the campsite is very off level. Solar is poor, doesn't matter, won't be here long enough to deplete the batteries. Temps are in the 70s/21C during the day, 50s/10C at night. So many friggin bugs though. Onward to Carrizio!     I *really* wanted to ride this road cutting the canyon, with temps pushing 90F/32C by 8:30am it wasn't happening unless I was leaving at 5. Recorded max was 102F/39C.       Post ride gorbage. BLT+Onion+Gouda  I8-W Cliiimb into the mountain to the KOA. Its still 100F/39C and there's no a/c in the truck.   Temps here are more reasonable since its at elevation. There's some farm animals around to watch and pet. I've stayed at this KOA before, its one of the better ones I've visited. This time my bike isn't broken so I can get out and ride the trails here. More gorbage, yes     Get passed by another rver with more power than this old bucket  Maybe next time I'll get out earlier than once every six months, yeesh.
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Jun 7, 2022 16:42
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That BLT looks bomb! How is the frame holding up? Sticking with this truck or eventually moving the camper to another?
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Jun 7, 2022 17:14
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I'm still overwhelmingly in love with your truck.
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Jun 7, 2022 17:18
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everdave posted:That BLT looks bomb! 7009 miles on the repair. no sign of change in the tell tales. Whats next I do not know. I no longer have a shop to: 1. Do fun crazy things with this vehicle like further reinforce its frame, or build it a new frame. (I've started designing a reinforced frame for it) 2. Baseline a new used replacement truck. I'm not about to swap another engine on the side of the road. This is subject to change in a few years but not currently. Its a fun weekend toy. CaptainTofu posted:I'm still overwhelmingly in love with your truck. Thaanks. Its sooo good. I almost put it up for sale when it ate its engine last year.
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Jun 7, 2022 17:30
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CaptainTofu posted:I'm still overwhelmingly in love with your truck. Same. It just looks exactly like what a child draws when they draw a truck and that makes it perfect.
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Jun 7, 2022 23:18
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