need opinions on slide-in campers

[rich m]

nice truck, CrewCabDiesel! I think my boat's too big to be permissable that way (21ft pontoon #ad
)

northernlite (or similar), overloads,and a superhitch may be the way to accomplish what we've got in mind...

Now, who makes good overloads, and what lb rating would be best, if the camper (wet-weight) loads out at, say 2500-3000 (yeah, I know, past GVW, but that's why I got the Ram. built-in overkill is cool!

 

[JRG]

air bags! the major problem with the "helper springs" is that when you dont have a load in your truck the back will bounce around like a tank! as for all the guys with sway problems you need a good quality HD sway bar. (about $50) I have a '98 11. 5ft fleetwood caribou, gen, a/c dry bath queen extracab ect. ect. I looked at every camper i could find and it had the best fit and finish i thought,(i will be trading/selling it for the new slide out model in the distant future) mine weighs 4000 lbs in the back of my 3/4 ton. I pull a 4000 lb 18. 5ft boat behind that. no problems stopping thats only about 14000 lbs gross, way less than alot of these guys pulling hay and stuff. sure i put the bag pressure right up to 100 psi. but that is what the are rated for. I had mine installed at les schwab for about $250 with lifetime waranty. remember all the big rigs use air, infinate adjust!
so, i think the key with the 3/4 is the sway bar(quiker 3/4"). mine drives fine.

ps. good quality tires at higher air pressure is a lot of help, you might find that your local tire shop may run your rear tires at a lower pressure so you dont run the centers out if you dont carry a load all the time.

 

[CrewCabDiesel]

Rich
I see guys around here pulling car haulers and other dual axle trailers/larger boats behind their 5th wheels. The key is a good trailer/brakes and a proper hitch. So pulling a 21' pontoon boat should not be a problem. Also I would tend to believe I get better fuel milage pulling a 5th wheel than carrying a truck camper. Truck campers have about the same wind resistence of a 10' high brick wall. As for off roading with a truck camper, can you say top heavy #ad
. Sorry I don't mean to be a smart a** but I would hate to see someone make the same mistakes I did. I have tried just about all of the different types of campers and have the scars to prove it #ad
. The best advice I can offer you is to go to the RV dealer and drive each type of rig you are interested in. It will require a little time, but you will be happier in the long run. If the RV doesn't want to work with you, move on, there are lots of dealers that want your business.

[This message has been edited by CrewCabDiesel (edited 03-05-2001). ]

 

[LandShark]

Rich: My . 02. I've put 50,000 miles on my Elkhorn in the last 5 years, including two trips to Alaska and circumnavigation of the 48 states. About 1/2 the places I've spent the night at, a 5th wheel wouldn't even dream about driving into. I've done a fare amount of off road driving and a lot of beach camping. I've driven thru downtown New Orleans, Key West, and St. Augustine. You won't see any 5th wheels in those places. It's tough of the truck and tougher on the camper, but if you take it easy you will not have many problems. This is what I bought a Ram for.

I tried the 3000# overload springs but they didn't keep the rear from sagging and the sway was bad. I switched to air bags; they will easily support the weight. I still have the sway problem. I think the factory overloads with air bags would be best. In any case, with all that weight you must drive carefully! I use the Ricka (www.dualwheels.com/) dual wheels to keep tire flex to a minimum and to avoid running the 'E' rated tires at their maximum rated load. The Rickson wheels are a great choice and If I were doing it over again I would probably get them if I could find a wide 19. 5" tire. The duals are great for flotation in the sand.

My Helwig sway bar helped some, but not nearly enough. I'd like to find a much bigger (1 1/2" ?) bar to try. Again, I think the key is to have stiffer springs with a low bounce (spring) rate. (wish I knew more about this stuff!)

The Elkhorn is not the best quality but I got a great deal on a two year old camper ($5,500). Separate gray and black water tanks are a must and it's worth the extra money to get fiberglass sides and good insulation. Get the premium tie downs; I've cracked the two forward bed brackets with the cheap ones! The rear bumper ties are probably OK but the forward ties are best connected to the frame.

Hope this helps... ... . Good luck! Let us know what you end up with.

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1995 2500 SLT Club 4x4, auto, 3. 54, 3300 pound Elkhorn slide in camper, AirLift air springs, Ricka dual wheel adapters (used only with the camper on), K&N, DC tow hooks, Rancho RS9000, Hellwig rear sway bar.
110,000 miles and counting.

 

[RobG]

I've come to the conclusion that truck manufacturers are rating the trucks' payload capacity so low that it's about impossible to NOT go over it with a slide-in camper.

I have a 2000 Lance 1030 and I'm sure it must weigh close to 4000 lbs wet. I carry it with my 2001 ETH/DEE just fine. The most important suspension mod I made were the Rancho RS9000's. Set 'em at 4 or 5 in back and 4 up front and there's virtually NO sway.

I also have airbags, but only use 'em when I'm towing, to help keep things level. Other than that, they don't get much use, because the camper doesn't weigh down the back of the truck.

I see that "rich m" has 19. 5's on his 2500, so that's a Very Good Thing in terms of handling the weight. Next, I'd be concerned about the axle. I know I'm right at my rear axle rating of 7500 lbs with my camper loaded, so he may be over his. I would suggest a temp sender in the diff and keep an eye on temps.

Rob


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2001. 5 RAM 3500 QC 4x4 ETH/DEE Silver/Agate 4. 10 USGear OD, Rickson 19. 5 Wheels, Edge EZ, SPA Guages, Psychotty, Firestone Airbags, Hellwig Rear Swaybar, Torklift Superhitch & Camper Tiedowns, Mag-Hytec Diff Cover, DD 4" Exhaust, US Gear Exhaust Brake, etc.

 

[JRG]

REMEMBER TO ALWAYS CHECK THE LAWS!! IN OREGON YOU CANT PULL DOUDLES(5er & BOAT TOGETHER) EVEN IF IT IS LEGAL IN YOUR OWN STATE. SO YOU MAY BE LIMITED IN WHERE YOU CAN GO. THIS IS ONE REASON SLIDE-INS ARE STILL SOLD.

JRG

 

[rich m]

hi, again, everybody!!--

I see that "rich m" has 19. 5's on his 2500, so that's a Very Good Thing in terms of handling the weight. Next, I'd be concerned about the axle. I know I'm right at my rear axle rating of 7500 lbs with my camper loaded, so he may be over his. I would suggest a temp sender in the diff and keep an eye on temps.

got a Mag-Hytec (still in the box #ad
) diff cover just the other day, and have been seriously considering a tempsender and a switch to toggle the guage-feed between the transmission and the rear-end...

REMEMBER TO ALWAYS CHECK THE LAWS!! IN OREGON YOU CANT PULL DOUDLES(5er & BOAT TOGETHER) EVEN IF IT IS LEGAL IN YOUR OWN STATE. SO YOU MAY BE LIMITED IN WHERE YOU CAN GO. THIS IS ONE REASON SLIDE-INS ARE STILL SOLD.
JRG
----yup, along with the consideration that we have oodles and oodles of morons who don't respect 1 trailer (lane changes, ramp entries, etc) much less a mini-train with 2 trailers... the physical capability of the truck would handle all this quite well, just like Crew-Cab's rig, but we've got some very bad drivers here in So. Nevada. (Some might even say that I'm one of them #ad
)

scoresheet so far:
superhitch 2-Bigger conventional (Titan!) 1
(due to design and long-reach rigidity, not a quality difference)

bags, combined with Rancho adjustables, and still consider a sway-bar.

BOMBing is fun... planning can be not so straightforward...

 

[bbutler]

If you dont have a 3500 I would'nt put a slide in camper on over 10'. Lance makes an exelent camper but there not made for cold weather. To many air leaks not enough effort spent on making it tight but it is made in Van Nuys CA (the sun shin state). I've had slide in campers from day one and I was'nt as happy as I am know with my 3500 HO to hall that slid in.

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2001 3500 HO with all the yada yada yada.....

 

[rich m]

look what someone mentioned over at "brand F"
does anyone here know this product? good/bad/ugly? http://www.timbren.com/ ----------When fully loaded we come "very close" to GVWR. As I stated elsewhere, I added Timbren springs, but would go the extra leaf route if I did it again. Also, I find that the BD e-brake really helps-wouldn't be without one!
Doug-------- are these the same ones, Doug? If so, what do you not like about them?

they look as simple/maint-free as an overload spring, and (except non-adjustable again) at the same time, not detracting from unloaded ride quality, due to still being flexible like an airbag. . would still probably need a swaybar, i suspect?

[This message has been edited by rich m (edited 03-08-2001). ]

 

[Doug]

Rich M.
Yes I have the timbren springs in the rear of my truck. They replace the rubber "stops" between the axle and the frame. When compleltely empty, they have no adverse effect. When partially loaded, they can come into contact when you hit a bump. This causes a bit of a jarring action. When fully loaded (8. 10 slide in) I feel that they result in a harsher ride-the rubber hour glass shaped spring doesn't have much give, and they are always in contact.
Do they work-yes. Were they inexpensive-yes. Would I buy them again-I don't know. Considering that I either have the camper on the truck, or 8 24*30 sidewalk blocks loaded for winter traction, extra springs may serve my purposes better.
Sorry for the long winded reply. Hope this helps. Feel free to email me if you want more info.
Doug

 

[rich m]

cool, doug-- i wondered how firm they were once the primary springs were flexed enough for bag contact... i'm now leaning back towards the airbag system (Firestone) and a big torsion bar... think i may have found the camper. . there's a 2001 model here in town marked down by 4K 8-1/2 footer with a slideout dining area and the little tag says 2550lb"wet"... . puts me over the 8800, but that's why i'm askin' all these suspension questions #ad
rm

 

[reoraider00]

My two cents worth. I have a Elkhorn 11Z, 11. 5' camper and love it. Sure it's probably not the best but it meets our needs. It sleeps five comfortably, but it does get crowded with all five of us in it (2 adults, 3 kids). We generally set up a screened in awning over a picnic table and do our kitchen chores outside. I would highly recommend electric jacks and a generator for your camper. I recently had electric jacks installed, the type Lance utilizes, and what a difference in getting the camper on and off the truck. The generator is a must for remote camping, i. e. Alaska.

Regarding truck size, if you're going with one of the large 10. 5' to 11. 5' slide ins, nothing less then a 1 ton dually will suffice. Friends of ours have a 10. 5' Lance which proved too much for their 3/4 ton Chevy club cab, so they traded the truck in on a Chevy 1 ton crew cab (tried talking him into a Dodge Diesel, but no crew cab).

My truck is a 93 D350, which sagged about 3" with the camper loaded and handled miserably on back roads, especially in Maine (no overload springs). I researched air bags but was unconvinced so I went ahead and had two leafs added to the rear spring packs. The only downside is the harsher ride when unloaded. The truck handles much better and the truck rides level with the camper loaded.

As far as camper types, Lance is supposedly the best, but I like Real-Lite, Northern-Lite, and S&S campers. There is alot of great deals out there, especially on the "Trader Online" site. Not sure of the advantage of aluminum framed campers vice wood framed ones. One nice thing about Lance campers is the aluminum roof. My Elkhorn has a rubber roof that requires maintenance 2 -3 times a year.

Oh, and another advantage of a truck camper, you can pull a boat or horse trailer.

Hope this helps - John

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93 D350 LE CC, Auto, 65,000 miles, Stock, 94 11Z Elkhorn Camper

 

[Bill Stockard]

Those Timbren springs remind me of the rubber suspension-walking beam suspensions I spec under concrete ready-mix trucks. Rubber suspensions are very good for max GVW, high center of gravity loads(8-10 cubic yards of ready mix concrete sloshing around in the drum or a big camper on a pickup truck)and severe off road use. The down side is without a good air ride seat on the mixer truck, the rubber suspensions are "kidney busters" running empty.

Bill

 

[rich m]

update--update--update

due to the "cramp factor" inherent in a slide-in, we're back to a self-propelled discussion. (my fantasy for that would be the Ram/Cummins chassis-cab that had been converted to a class "c" by Serro-Scotty. )

we may also wind up with a travel-trailer... we got one for our idiot cousin-in-law to live in, and we'll probably wind up covering his monthly payment ourselves, pretty soon. Not real thrilled at that prospect, but se' la vie!