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Pickups Pickups - Archived Discussions Cabover Campers & Camper Trailers (pickups) 
1377 messages, Last post on Nov 20, 2003 at 1:43 PM
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henne, Thanks for your reply. I'll have to talk to my wife before I start cutting holes. I noticed when I was lowering my camper that the back legs would alternate touching the ground when lowering either the front or back supports. I guess that means I could lower one of the backs all the way but that would leave it ready to teeter and I feel better if it didn't move too far. I am also concerned that if it is leaning too far that there would be too much strain on the supports. I also worry about lowering each leg too far would rack the supports and I don't know how much they will take, although #1050 is a light weight. Also how high do you lift the camper to slide the truck in and out? Probably high enough to allow one to disconnect the electrical outlet, rather than pull forward enough to expose it. If you unload the camper on a slight slope, will the legs take the strain? How do you line up the camper? the clearances are rather small. My wife and I are considering putting the camper on wheels so we could push it into more perfect position as well as into the garage between trips. |
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I have found it is best to only lower or raise each leg 3-4 inches at a time and always keep the front higher than the back. I connect the powercord after the camper is in all but about a foot or two. When disconnecting, I do that through the access panel from inside so that I dont accidently forget. Loading, I measure the back of the bed and make sure the front and back of the camper are about 2 inches higher so I have plenty of clearance and I just back it straight in under the camper. I have a natural nack of backing up to trailers and such so I just do it so I cant really give any advice on it. I just back up and its always centered and straight. When the camper is down in camp mode, there is a little wobble from where the legs slide up inside themselves. I am fashioning a rod or line to put tension on the legs so that the sleeve is always pushed against one side with slight pressure to get rid of the wobble. Let me know how things are going. Robert |
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| we are currently pulling our 24' travel trailer max 6020# wet with a 94 explorer. We just purchased the camper in June and were told this vehicle would work with it. we are finding out however it pulls but that's about it. we are wanting to upgrade but not sure what to go with either a suv or a pickup. 3 people over 5'8 would need to be comfortable on long trips front and passenger seat alike. we are however on a limited budget so the newer vehicles are out of range we are thinking 97-99 in that area. we checked into a suburban but that is a lot of vehicle for 3 people. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.. sorry for the long post!! | |
| Don't count on that Explorer transmission to put up with your trailer for very long. Your best bet is a full size SUV like Tahoe or Expedition if you want to stay with an enclosed rear. Also good would be a 4-door full size truck however they are still too new to be very cheap. Whatever you select I'd try to stay away from one that has been used for towing since it does stress the tranny and you don't know if it was maintained properly to take that into account. Any auto trans towing that load should have an aux cooler. Most trucks do but I don't know about SUVs. It's cheap to add one if needed. You should also have a load leveling hitch with sway control and good shocks like Bilstiens on the truck. | |
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I finally managed to get the FourWheel camper in my garage but it took a bit of work. I can't fit the truck in the garage with the camper on so it has to come off in the driveway, then somehow go up the slanted driveway into the garage. To accomplish this I built a 4x9' dolly out of 2x6" boards and six wheels, 4 locking casters and 2 fixed, so I can turn it. I mounted a 2000lb manual winch to the back wall of the garage, connected the cable to the dolly, and cranked it into the garage. The back goes airborne as it crests the angle change at the garage entrance but it's always on at least four wheels so it works fine. It was a little scary because I didn't know if everything would hold and it took a surprising amount of pull to get it started. I draped large canvas drop cloths on the cable as MikeL and I learned in a 4-wheel safety class. If that cable snaps it is deadly. In the end all worked well except that I can't park my car in the garage any more  .
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So you have the FourWheel camper in the garage, and the Lance in the driveway, the truck in the street and the car in the driveway? Starting to sound like my used car lot. Mike L |
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Seems like I've read this post before. Anyway; My suggestion is a 3/4 ton crewcab with a short bed. 6k lbs is a lot of weight for any 1/2 ton to handle. I seriously doubt the suspension, brakes and tranny can handle it over the long haul. The 3/4 ton not only will handle that load with ease, it will also make you, the driver, more relaxed while towing. After a couple of hours, being relaxed could be the difference in you avoiding a wreck. These trucks have been built for years, so it's a matter of how long do you want to look for one and how much do you want to spend. |
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| Sorry for the repeat in posts! thanks to everyone who has given advice it's all appreciated. One more thing Is there any noticable difference in the rear seating from a 3 dr pickup to a 4 door or quad cab?? That was a concern with triing to chose between a pickup or an suv. We'd prefer a pickup over a suv as far as hauling would be concerned on those rare occasions- I think from what I see a 3/4 ton would be the best. dumb ?? though is that like a 1500 or 250 as you can tell we haven't chosen a make or model yet either. | |
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A three or four door extended cab will not be very comfortable for your backseat adults. You need a crewcab, or whatever name it has in the brand you choose. Four full size doors. Ford offers this in the F-250 and Chevy has it in the 2500. Chevy also has a 1500-HD that has four doors. I don't know how capable it is to tow. Dodge has a four door truck in the Ram series, but they are not full size doors, basically just a glorified extended cab. Their numbering scheme is similar to Chevy, the 2500 is the 3/4 ton. IMO: Whatever you choose, make sure you get at least a 3/4 ton chassis. Whether it is a Chevy 2500 or an F-250, an Excursion or a 2500 Suburban. Very few folks ever regret having too much truck, but most regret having too little truck. |
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| When I had a Jeep Wrangler I would winch the hard top (#150) up to the top of the garage and leave it there all summer. I suppose someone (not me) could do the same with a truck camper although I would image I would be more at ease if there was at least a small sliver of lumber holding it to the rafters. | |
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