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RE: New Lance, Refused Delivery; Your Opinions Please
This doesn't look like something recent to me. I notice the concentric rings of staining where water has built up, then evaporated, then built up again. This puddle of water could have been there since 2011 - i.e. that part of the roof could have been almost continuously wet since then. Also, the brown staining implies that dirt had built up on that roof, so even in dry weather that build-up of mud would still keep the roof underneath wet.
Plus that open caulking looks awful (or rather the visible gaps in it). My caulking looked similar, but my camper has spent over 20 years in a wet climate. In the case of my camper water got in through the caulking and ruined the timber components of the roof below causing be to have to replace much of the roof timber. Is that new white caulk they have applied directly to the mud?
I can't believe this dealer wasn't aware this camper had water pooling on its roof. I bet they were really happy to move this on when someone came to look at it when the roof was covered in snow and couldn't be seen.
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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05/09/13 01:56am |
Truck Campers
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RE: I built some stairs for my Bigfoot 10.4E
You put a lot of effort into that - very good quality job - love it.
The video shows how well they work too.
Thanks for sharing with us.
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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05/08/13 03:59pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Use of air bags
I added airbags thinking I would need them and also found they made the ride worse. I now keep them at the minimum pressure the manufacturer recommends, which is something like 10 psi, but I can still feel them. The back definitely feels more bouncy with them on, and it bounces at a faster frequency which is less comfortable than the sort of wallowy bouncing I got before. I can see that if your front shock absorbers were tired then the rear bouncing more might mean that instead of the rear suspension absorbing the movement, it could be acting more like a pivot so the up and down movement is translated into a rocking movement.
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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05/08/13 12:28am |
Truck Campers
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RE: My Home Made Tiedowns with Pics
Very nice. Thanks for showing us what you did there.
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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05/08/13 12:22am |
Truck Campers
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RE: TC in South America / Design choices
67avion, Jefe,
Unfortunately, I think we're out of time to make the expo - but we are planning on being there next year. I know this is off topic, but what are some other truck camper related gatherings you would recommend?
Pity - it would be great to see you there. We are flying in for this one as a one-off trip (we will probably be doing the Dolomites / Austria next year instead). You only need to book in advance if you want to attend classes. There are tons of presentations, slide shows, films, etc. that are open to everyone.
Here is my thread on the subject:
Truck camper meet at Expo
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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05/07/13 02:01am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Resources for locating campgrounds
Thanks for the ideas guys.
Plus, glad the weather is improving Robert.
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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05/03/13 11:44am |
Truck Campers
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RE: '90 Chevy 1/2 Ton 305 V8
Fred's advice above is good.
The 'dry weight' a camper is advertised at can often be optimistically low. It probably also excludes the weight of batteries and propane cylinders, plus typically any accessories the original owner ordered with the camper or added afterwards as well as the things Fred mentioned - all adds up to a lot of extra weight. Remember there is also the weight of you, family, gasoline, tools, etc.
People are typically shocked to realise: 1) These campers weigh that much? and 2) Is that all my truck is rated to carry?
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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05/03/13 12:54am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Sagging floor repairs
http://www.simulationfx.com/basement2.jpg
That's a useful child-storage option your Alpenlite comes with there Mark :B
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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05/02/13 01:28pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: bronco 800 on 2003 tundra
also...what do y'all use to support the floor while off the truck AND what do you use to support the "bed" area that is over the cab..how do you keep it from tipping over? thx
There should be no risk of the bed area tipping over given the weight of the rest of the camper behind - Given the physics I think I would need to squeeze two horses in the overcab area of my camper to topple it, and I am pretty sure I would have a major structural failure of the camper long before I got enough weight in to cause it to fall over.
I don't know about your particular camper, but some aren't designed to be used off the truck with an unsupported floor, while others (the majority I believe) are structurally designed for this.
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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04/30/13 08:53am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Very basic question about wiring for solar
This was also a concern of mine, but we haven't had a problem.
We have solar going through a charge controller to the battery. When the truck is running that charges the battery directly too. I have a small cheap battery charger in the camper if I need to charge the battery when I have hookup, but I rarely plug that in since the combination of other sources tends to provide enough power, especially given we drive almost every day.
My solar installation - though I probably have way more solar than my little battery will handle - however I don't live somewhere sunny, so I need every bit I can get ;)
The other thing I like with the solar is it maintains the battery all year around.
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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04/30/13 08:03am |
Truck Campers
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RE: How to enjoy packing for a trip
We keep as much stuff in the camper as possible all the time, including non-perishable foods (such as tinned goods, sauces, salt, individual portions of breakfast cereal), all the cooking-ware, dishes, etc., battery chargers (for cameras / AA batteries), USB cables, that sort of stuff. I keep an appropriate set of tools and spares in each vehicle - that avoids me taking them out to use for other jobs. Note that I keep the tools in the truck, not the camper since we often use the truck without the camper, but never the other way around.
Then during the last few days before a trip I start stacking stuff in our staging area (generally our front hallway) as I think of it - cameras, laptops, washing kit, coats and hats.
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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04/30/13 07:46am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Undecided on how to proceed
If you could post some pictures it might help us visualize it.
Here is what I did when I rebuilt my roof. However, I had the aluminum bent over and then screwed it into the side of the camper with sealant in between:
Clicky...
Or maybe look at the page before that one (page 8).
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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04/29/13 07:25am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Extended / Crew Cab, Rear Seat Storage
We put a plywood shelf in the back of ours and ratchet-strapped it down. We keep light stuff like maps, pens, clothes on the shelf.
http://www.sabconsulting.webspace.virginmedia.com/images/germany2012/20120601a1.JPG height=480 width=640
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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04/28/13 03:19pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Custom campers in Australia
Very impressive if home made. It would be very easy to start building something with good intentions and end up with a real ugly mess.
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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04/28/13 02:05am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Opinions of truck camper
I would say look for water damage of any kind. I'm sure you already know what to look for. It looks like it already has the dually swing out jacks in the front, so that's good.
Good luck!
Josh
x2
Can you be sure this is all fibreglass and aluminum? I.e. no timber frame / plywood roof to rot. Obviously the last thing you want to face is the same roof problem you thought you had left behind by discarding your old TT. My Shadow Cruiser was built around 1990 and I found I had to replace the roof since it was timber and had rotted.
Good luck
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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04/28/13 02:01am |
Truck Campers
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RE: I guess this counts as a truck camper?
AnEv942: I saw that Mercedes too - I've not seen many of those with 4x4, let alone made into a camper. If I wanted a class B that is exactly what I would want.
Despite what the description about the VW says, the license plate's N prefix tells me it is a 1996 model. I thought these were a 2.4 litre turbo diesel (still only 100 bhp) - a 2 litre diesel must be pretty awful (at least one of that age - modern small diesels are brilliant, but also much more powerful).
67avion: Ha ha - imagine if you turned up at a rental lot at Heathrow airport thinking you'd ordered a nice new motorhome for your vacation and they pointed you to this hiding in the corner. Of course, you wouldn't have to worry about overtaking anyone in this, or it being stolen, and if you crashed it you wouldn't owe them much money - so there might be advantages.
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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04/28/13 01:50am |
Truck Campers
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I guess this counts as a truck camper?
I always like to keep an eye out on eBay for truck campers on my side of the Atlantic, since they are pretty rare - not because I want to buy another one, just out of curiosity.
Did a search today; wasn't expecting this:
Clicky...
:B
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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04/27/13 01:37pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: basic RV refrigerator question
Wayne makes a good point - with an older absorption fridge like an RM2400 almost all the bits that do the work are the coils (cooling element). The selector switch, manual ignitor, 110v & 12v heating elements are really simple and should be reliable or at least easily serviced or replaced.
So if the coils at the back get hot when you select the power sources you are likely to use (LP & 110v), proving those heating sources are working, and the body of the fridge is in good condition, consider getting the coils replaced. The Amish supply new replacements for them (absorption fridges allow them to chill their produce without needing electricity). The only reason I didn't go down this route was they could only ship to an address in the US - I laugh to think of the conversation if I tried to convince an airfreight carrier to fly a pressure-vessel containing hydrogen and ammonia across to Europe!
Assuming you decide to replace the coils the next question is whether you feel confident doing the work yourself or you can get a shop to do it for you. If deciding on the former you might want to take it apart before ordering the replacement coils in case you end up damaging the fridge during disassembly.
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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04/27/13 01:20pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Move Over, Boys...
Geh, that thing just keeps coming around :p and it hasn't gotten any less ugly or looking like something your proctologist uses :p.
I won't ask how you know that Matt :E
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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04/27/13 10:55am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Move Over, Boys...
There's more to life than gas mileage....
Ya mean...like standing up? I couldn't agree more!
Since those things can't go more than a hundred miles or so without a charge, how much boondocking ya think they'll be able to do?
Interesting - the same concept was offered some years ago on Saabs, but unlike a truck camper you are pretty much stuck with this thing on your car. In my mind a better bet would be a small van, like a modern version of the classic VW camper. There are various ones available, e.g. based on the Ford Transit Connect. They don't have the hybrid engines yet, but often have very fuel efficient small diesels.
The range on a Prius isn't really an issue because it is a hybrid. But of course much of its efficiency gains are based upon the assumption you are driving it around the city where the electric motor can take over from the gasoline engine. Out on the highway it really just becomes any other small gasoline powered car.
It would be interesting to see if hybrid technology starts to make it into these small vans as well as for business use they often do lots of stop / start city work.
Good to see people are trying ideas out though.
Steve.
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sabconsulting
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04/27/13 03:13am |
Truck Campers
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