Lance camper/new 2015 Ram 3500 dually

[JAndrus]

I loaded my 2004 Lance camper 835 (weighs 1900 pounds empty) to see if it would sag the rear end and need Firestone Ride Rite airbags to level. Nope, not at all, it only squatted about 2 inches. I will have to drive the front tires up 2 inches onto a plastic leveling square to make the camper level inside.

I'm having the dealership add the 5th wheel prep kit for my Reese fifth wheel hitch. Now I'm wondering if I'll need airbags to level my 14K lb trailer??? I'll have to look up the pin weight.
The rear suspension seems a little beefier than my 2002 3500 dually.

I turned on the sirius radio to see if it would still work with the overhead camper blocking the antenna on top the cab and it did, off and on. Drive South it works, drive North not so much. On my last truck I had to add an extension cable/magnetic antenna and put it on top the camper and run it inside the cab to the back of my dash mount Sirius add on box. I am wondering if the UConnect AN 8.4 has a connection on the back for an extension antenna when installing a slide in camper?

Any TDR Lance Camper guys just connecting to the 5th wheel plug in the bed, or are you installing a Lance plug with a heavier 8 ga power wire/fuse to the battery. Does Ram offer a plug in adapter for a camper in the electrical harness somewhere?
Thanks

 

[JAndrus]

2006 Keystone Raptor TH pin weight 2860 lbs. I'll have to haul the trailer to see if I need to add airbags to level or decrease porpoising on rough roads. I really liked the Firestone on board compressor/airbags for hitching up, unhitching, leveling camper right or left, air tank for airing up tires (future train horns?) etc. The new Ram 3500 may not need them?

 

[Bill Stockard]

Any TDR Lance Camper guys just connecting to the 5th wheel plug in the bed, or are you installing a Lance plug with a heavier 8 ga power wire/fuse to the battery. Does Ram offer a plug in adapter for a camper in the electrical harness somewhere?
Thanks

I made up an adapter to connect my Lance power cord to an earlier model Ram dually truck that I owned at the time. The small diameter wire in the factory 7-way cable wouldn't fully charge the camper's battery and I couldn't run the fridge on 12-volts without running the camper's battery down. On my last two Ram trucks, I used the Lance 6-way receptacle with the 8-gauge wiring. I ran the 8-gauge positive and negative charge wires directly to my truck's driver side battery via a 40-amp circuit breaker. My Lance camper battery stays fully charged when running the fridge on 12-volts. My Lance is equipped with a factory built-in automatic battery separator to prevent running on the truck's starting batteries when parked; therefore, no ignition triggered relay was necessary in the camper charge line.

If I trade for a new 3500 DRW truck (14,000-lb GVWR), I'll install the Lance 6-way receptacle with 8-gauge wiring as my present truck. With my Lance, the only suspension upgrade suspect I might need would be a set of upper Torklift StableLoads, but I would try hauling it first without them before spending the $$... just depends on the sway from passing trucks and crosswinds.

Bill

 

[Dieselnerd]

I plug my Lance Camper into the 5th wheel plug in the bed. Charges my battery just fine. I rarely use the 12 volt refrigerator function though.

Mine rides slightly high in the rear too. It even rides slightly high with the 5th wheel with about a 3500# pin weight although it's getting better as the springs are getting older.

 

[RWBaker]

the connection for the sat antenna is behind the passanger side a pillar cover. u can disconnect factory ant there and hook up add on. I have 2015 3500 with 1996 lance 990 ec. it weighs about 3500 loaded. Used set of sumo springs on rear and they work great. so if u need help with fifth wheel they will work great. I used them on my 2007 3500 with 5th wheel pin weight of 2800 lbs. took them off and installed on 2015 when I traded, they replace the jounce bumper.

 

[Bill Stockard]

the connection for the sat antenna is behind the passanger side a pillar cover. u can disconnect factory ant there and hook up add on. I have 2015 3500 with 1996 lance 990 ec. it weighs about 3500 loaded. Used set of sumo springs on rear and they work great. so if u need help with fifth wheel they will work great. I used them on my 2007 3500 with 5th wheel pin weight of 2800 lbs. took them off and installed on 2015 when I traded, they replace the jounce bumper.

The Lance 990EC, in my opinion, is the best size and floor plan of any camper Lance has ever made. I should have kept our '94 Lance 990EC.

Bill

 

[JAndrus]

The clearance between my Lance Camper and the top of the antenna on the front of my cab is about 2 inches. Wow, that makes me nervous. I have a 2x4 wooden frame I built to provide clearance for the Reese 5th wheel bed rails in my 2002. I may use it.
I looked up the connector in the A pillar from a link posted previously on TDR, and it has a connector that does not match my sirius magnetic antenna. I'll bet I have to buy an extended antenna with the factory connector.
Going to AZ Camper today to buy a Happi-jac camper frame mount and Lance wiring harness and plug.
My camper looks so much older on a brand new truck?! Any tips on cleaning the aluminum siding and dirt/stain on the old caulking to make it look newer?
Thanks

 

[Bill Stockard]

The clearance between my Lance Camper and the top of the antenna on the front of my cab is about 2 inches. Wow, that makes me nervous. I have a 2x4 wooden frame I built to provide clearance for the Reese 5th wheel bed rails in my 2002. I may use it.
I looked up the connector in the A pillar from a link posted previously on TDR, and it has a connector that does not match my sirius magnetic antenna. I'll bet I have to buy an extended antenna with the factory connector.
Going to AZ Camper today to buy a Happi-jac camper frame mount and Lance wiring harness and plug.
My camper looks so much older on a brand new truck?! Any tips on cleaning the aluminum siding and dirt/stain on the old caulking to make it look newer?
Thanks

I used regular automotive cleaner/polish and followed with paste wax on my '94 Lance 990EC to keep the painted aluminum siding looking new and shiny. A good wax coating on the front makes it easier to remove bug debris after a trip.

Bill

 

[Boomer II]

the connection for the sat antenna is behind the passanger side a pillar cover. u can disconnect factory ant there and hook up add on. I have 2015 3500 with 1996 lance 990 ec. it weighs about 3500 loaded. Used set of sumo springs on rear and they work great. so if u need help with fifth wheel they will work great. I used them on my 2007 3500 with 5th wheel pin weight of 2800 lbs. took them off and installed on 2015 when I traded, they replace the jounce bumper.

That's what I did, mounted the shark fin antenna on the hood with a magnet.
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