Lance truck camper

[AClayton]

I was at the RV Show in Hershey yesterday and found a good deal on a Lance truck camper. I already have the air-bags on my rear-axle for towing my utilty trailer but the saleswoman suggested that I need other wiring for the ref. 12V circuit. I've heard of the 3-way fridges but won't the #4 terminal on our 7-way plugs be good for this also? I'm all for reliabilty and so forth but this sounds like overkill to me... . Help!



BTW... . I own a class A Winnebago and was looking to downsize in a conscience effort to reduce RVing costs while still being able to go camping. 7 to 8mpg hurts guys and my family and I were considering another option. Unfortunately,the economy has me placed in a situation where my MH is worth nothing. Trade in was a discouraging $47K for an 04' Brave with only 34K miles. I loved that Lance but I cannot justify losing my arse like this. Trying to sell outright today and have gotten a few responses even this early,but it seems it is a buyers market and the buyers are educated of this.



Alan

 

[KevinLewis]

I belive that lances use there own plug not the standard 7 way RV plug. If you don't want to install a plug in the bed you can make and extension/adapter from the plug at the rear of the truck.



The DC operation of the refer draws around 15 amps and the stock wiring is not large enough to support that much current. I have a 3 way fridge and the dc was unhooked when I got it and I have never used it on DC.

 

[wcoomes]

From what I have read in other forums, Kevin Lewis is correct about the Lance plug.



I down-sized from a 5th wheel to a TC 1-1/2 years ago and yes I lost mine,too. But I sure like the versatilty of the TC when I'm towing my boat. With my 5er I was 65 feet long when I towed the boat behind it.



If I remember correctly, Outdoor Express from Falling Waters, WV is the Lance dealer at that show. From what I have red they have a pretty good reputation.



If you have more TC questions, you might try here:



truckcamperforums.com



rv.net is good, too.

 

[rwitt]

The 12 volt circuit that would run the refrigerator is also the charge circuit for the camper battery. As was said in earlier posts, this charge circuit is not large enough to run the refrigrerator on dc. Those that do want to run on dc, install a larger conductor, seperate from the standard camper wiring, to handle the increased load of running the refrigerator and charging the camper batteries. You could just not run the refrigerator on dc, and just use the propane and ac for it's operation which is what I do with my camper.

Rich

 

[Jumbo Jet]

I just returned from a 4,000 mile trip and I ran on DC most of the time while traveling with no problems.

I did change out the 6 wire plug for a 7 wire long time ago.

I have a Lance 1030 and a 2008 Dodge 3500.

 

[Bill Stockard]

I've owned four Lance campers since the mid-80s. Currently I own a '03 Lance 1121 which is 11'6" with a slide out. As posted above, Lance uses their own electrical plug. The charge line and ground in the wire harness is 8 gauge. I have those two wires connected directly to the driver side battery. Most late model Lances have a built in battery isolater so there's no need for a relay to prevent discharging the truck's starting batteries.



The fridge will automatically select LP gas or 120-volts AC in the "Auto" mode, but has to be manually switched over to 12-volts DC. I run my fridge on 12-volts when traveling on windy days to prevent LP gas flame blowout. Running on 12-volts, the fridge will stay cold if the fridge and contents are already cold, but isn't very effective cooling down a warm fridge and/or warm contents. Be sure to change the fridge over to "Auto" mode after you shut off the engine. It will deplete the camper house batteries quickly.



Bill

 

[LRutigliano]

I was at the RV Show in Hershey yesterday and found a good deal on a Lance truck camper. I already have the air-bags on my rear-axle for towing my utilty trailer but the saleswoman suggested that I need other wiring for the ref. 12V circuit. I've heard of the 3-way fridges but won't the #4 terminal on our 7-way plugs be good for this also? I'm all for reliabilty and so forth but this sounds like overkill to me... . Help!



BTW... . I own a class A Winnebago and was looking to downsize in a conscience effort to reduce RVing costs while still being able to go camping. 7 to 8mpg hurts guys and my family and I were considering another option. Unfortunately,the economy has me placed in a situation where my MH is worth nothing. Trade in was a discouraging $47K for an 04' Brave with only 34K miles. I loved that Lance but I cannot justify losing my arse like this. Trying to sell outright today and have gotten a few responses even this early,but it seems it is a buyers market and the buyers are educated of this.



Alan

Putting a heavy truck camper on your 2001 Dodge will probably put you in the 12mpg (at best) range. And you will be giving up a ton of camper space compared to your MH. Is getting 4mpg improvement worth the $$$ lost on the trade and/or sale of the MH.



Our 2003 Eagle Cap weighed 4100 lbs and it CRUSHED our 2001 2500 CTD even with the airbags.



Plus, a new RV always entails lots of extras of new stuff that "must" have with the new camper...



My suggestion is to camp closer to home and enjoy your beautiful MH.

 

[Xgunfighter]

My Lance takes a Lance plug, expensive, but has a 8 ga 12v wire. I used this to a smart relay for the camper. Works great. Great camper. Mine was on my 2001 Dodge, Have not pout one on my 08 yet. Wish I still had the 01.

 

[jeepit]

I have a Lance Lite Series. The 2500 handles it fine. A 3500 would be even better. We love ours and are currently camping as we speak. I get 13 mpg with it loaded.

If did it again I would have a 3500 with slideouts for extra room.

 

[litespeed]

I was at the RV Show in Hershey yesterday and found a good deal on a Lance truck camper. I already have the air-bags on my rear-axle for towing my utilty trailer but the saleswoman suggested that I need other wiring for the ref. 12V circuit. I've heard of the 3-way fridges but won't the #4 terminal on our 7-way plugs be good for this also? I'm all for reliabilty and so forth but this sounds like overkill to me... . Help!



BTW... . I own a class A Winnebago and was looking to downsize in a conscience effort to reduce RVing costs while still being able to go camping. 7 to 8mpg hurts guys and my family and I were considering another option. Unfortunately,the economy has me placed in a situation where my MH is worth nothing. Trade in was a discouraging $47K for an 04' Brave with only 34K miles. I loved that Lance but I cannot justify losing my arse like this. Trying to sell outright today and have gotten a few responses even this early,but it seems it is a buyers market and the buyers are educated of this.



Alan

I don't know what exactly it is you are planning to do or where you are planning to go... I have played with the idea of selling our giant 5th wheel and taking off across the country in something much smaller and more manageable.



Anyway, I found this site VERY informative for a lot of my "Lance camper" questions. It will depend on what model you buy (of course). Some are heavier than others.



We play with wind and solar power as well. So... . If you are into it... . Lots of other info. there as well.



Check out this site. Lots of info. on here. In some cases you have to "look" for it. Lots of "hyperlinks":



Where RV Now? Teresa and Sterling on the Road



Regards,



AJ

 

[Bill Stockard]

I have played with the idea of selling our giant 5th wheel and taking off across the country in something much smaller and more manageable.

AJ

That's what we did... sold our NuWa Hitchhiker 5th wheel in late '01 after it set in our storage building unused for over a year. We were traveling on our Lance camper instead and we haven't missed dragging around a big heavy trailer.



The truck and camper combination will go anywhere the truck can go and we have our own air conditioned kitchen and bathroom (no public toilets) with us all the time.



Bill

 

[Grizzly]

I've owned four Lance campers since the mid-80s. Currently I own a '03 Lance 1121 which is 11'6" with a slide out. As posted above, Lance uses their own electrical plug. The charge line and ground in the wire harness is 8 gauge. I have those two wires connected directly to the driver side battery. Most late model Lances have a built in battery isolater so there's no need for a relay to prevent discharging the truck's starting batteries.



The fridge will automatically select LP gas or 120-volts AC in the "Auto" mode, but has to be manually switched over to 12-volts DC. I run my fridge on 12-volts when traveling on windy days to prevent LP gas flame blowout. Running on 12-volts, the fridge will stay cold if the fridge and contents are already cold, but isn't very effective cooling down a warm fridge and/or warm contents. Be sure to change the fridge over to "Auto" mode after you shut off the engine. It will deplete the camper house batteries quickly.



Bill

We had an 11' 3", 1998 Lance Camper for 10 years. I agree with everything Bill said. We also had an 8 gauge wire from the drivers side battery for the 12v fridge, which we used while traveling. As soon as we stopped, I'd switch to LP or AC.



It was a great camper, however on our last trip to Alaska two years ago, we did get a little claustrophobic having been it it for two months. The other thing we didn't like was that when we based in Anchorage we had to unlevel and take everything with us every time we went anywhere. It would have been nice to leave it parked and just take the truck on our many one day side trips. Also we didn't have enough room to buy all the souvenirs we wanted for our Grandkids. Those are the reasons why we sold the camper and purchased our 08 27' 5er. We had planned to make another trip to Alaska this year with the new 5er, however we decided to put it off until the cost of diesel stabilizes, if it does.



The fuel mileage was about 2 mpg better with the Lance Camper.

 

[AClayton]

Thanks for all the help !! We were also considering a 5'ver which would still not benefit much on the mpg #'s. Truth is after several inquiries from RV Trader,the market is just not allowing us to get what we want to sell our MH. I really like that Lance... . well made piece,but am not interested in losing this much money. With two little ones running around in a little TC,it is likely to be a bit challenging anyway. But when we retire,it is a different story!!





Alan

 

[cksh8me]

I dropped my pants and bought a Lance. Twice so you know how far my pants are down.



TC's are the most over priced of all the RV's you get less of what you pay for.



I have a camper again because my wife didn't want to learn to back up a trailer and didn't want a motor home.



She handles it great by herself. She gets hi 14's when she travels in it. Loaded it's about 4k. Upgrades to truck weren't much air bags, bigger rear wheel cylinders, SS brake lines, 19. 5 rubber and a Hellwig rear sway bar. Every time I drive it in the wind I'm impressed as hell at how well it handles compared to the old camper and truck setup.



If I went camping more I'd get a trailer.

 

[duckcarvr]

i bought an artic fox #1140, same quality as a lance i think. mine is 11 1/2 feet w/full wall slide. four season with generator. i got the best deal by far from thunder rv in la grande or. that is where they are made. i dont know where you are at but it more than paid me to go there. if you get a 5er you can get better milage with a lower profile. mine is a 11' 2" and it catches a lot of wind robert

 

[Grizzly]

i bought an artic fox #1140, same quality as a lance i think. mine is 11 1/2 feet w/full wall slide. four season with generator. i got the best deal by far from thunder rv in la grande or. that is where they are made. i dont know where you are at but it more than paid me to go there. if you get a 5er you can get better milage with a lower profile. mine is a 11' 2" and it catches a lot of wind robert

I've looked at Arctic Fox truck campers, which IMO are about the same quality as a Lance. Both are 4 star rated.

 

[pcarlson]

I really like my 861 so far and I have no problems with weight and I get about 14 mpg with it on. The camper from the factory with options, propane and water weighs in at 3617 lbs. With food and personal affects it is probably close to 4000lbs and I sit pretty much level to maybe a 1/4" low and I do not run bags just one extra leaf in each pack.



I never run my fridge on dc even though it has that setting. Not efficient at all running that way. Traveling I would always suggest LP. The dealer told me about Lances smaller plug having the larger wire for dc use. Just to be different for all of us that already have the larger seven way in the bed. I think I will find an adaptor before I change out any plug on the truck.



Quality and functionality has been top notch so far. We have used it for for 3 months so far in its maiden voyage year and we have loved it and next year we can use it and tow a boat behind.