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RE: Escape hatch REBUILD!
my northern lite has the same style hatch as you.
newer northern lites however have the seitz heki (dometic) hatch which seems like a very nice improvement.
i think it may entail oversizing the opening slightly, but def a better hatch than the one we have now.
here are a bunch of options:
http://www.caravansplus.com.au/catalog/index.php?cPath=38_99&osCsid=302d39f3c5cb69e26b6316097933dbdc
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saltamontes
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12/15/09 09:38am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Should I sell the Outfitter and get a Northern Lite???
although the 9'-6" NL will weigh more than your apex, its the higher COG that you will notice when boonie bashing. That higher COG causes the camper to pitch and roll more and you need pay close attention to both the manner by which you tie it down (torklift) and the contact points between the camper and the truck.
i started w/ 3" foam board and found the edges started to wear/compress and replaced the outer perimeter of the foam w/ rubber gym flooring. Additionally i reinforced the frt of the truck bed, added a rubber impact bumper along the frt/top of the bed and extended the camper's bump stops slightly to keep the lower frt of the camper from impacting the truck bed.
while i am not going to try the white rim trail any time soon, i can probably go most places a popup can (vertical clearance notwithstanding) but my rig is going to pitch/roll quite a bit more getting there.
it is nice to not have to pop/lower each time we stop and use the TC for lunch/etc. holding tank has never been a prob to dump. i even have a macerator pump for when dump stations are unavail.
rooftop storage weight ratings on a hardside should always be greater than a popup. i would def recommend putting the yaks on top instead of in the camper.
of the listed amenities on the new NL's you mentioned, only the heki is absent on my '06 so used may be a viable option?
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saltamontes
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11/20/09 11:04am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Picking up new NL... Advice
my NL has been very reliable so i can only tell you of the 3 issues i have had:
1. when sliding the propane tanks back into their compartment the main hose tends to kink and cutoff flow. If fridge is on propane, the flow restriction may not be immediate and you will not know your fridge switched to DC and killed your batteries as you drove. simply push in the hose as you slide in the tanks and problem will be solved.
2. had the dealer install a second battery and they used 10 gauge wire. fixed that w/ some battery cables.
3. i think it was while installing the second battery that i tripped the GFCI built-in to the plug that the fridge goes into. quick button push and the fridge ran on AC again.
thats the extent of the issues i have had w/ my '06 after dozens of trips. cannot speak highly enough of this camper and thankfully cannot speak with experience about the dealers because i have not had to visit one since purchase.
good luck and have fun w/ your new NL
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saltamontes
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11/20/09 10:09am |
Truck Campers
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RE: motorcycle on carrier?
There's a guy that's posted on this forum that has a fairly large camper on a Dodge truck with a single carrier on the front and a double carrier on a long extension on the back. That thing looks seriously scary. You can tell from the picture he posted that the rear hitch is really twisting downward, I'm surprised it hasn't broken. I'd guess two dirtbikes would be in the 450-500lb range. I'll try to find his posts.
here you go:
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/14122053/gotomsg/22833326.cfm
http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq255/mrxman69/Riding/IMG00059-20090125-1126.jpg
this guy seriously needs a trailer (and a duelly, 19.5 wheels and new tires for that Eagle Cap slide) :E
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saltamontes
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11/12/09 10:20am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Best battery
sears Die Hard Platinum series are supposed to be re-branded Odyssey AGM batteries (at a much cheaper price). If you can find the size you want, those will be better than the flooded wet cell batteries from Trojan/Lifeline.
My guess is that you're going to want to edit your response seeing how Lifelines are AGM batteries, not wet cells. http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/rv.php
my mistake. Lifelines are AGM. Looks like Trojan is making AGM now as well their flooded wet cell.
pricewise, though i would still check out the sears Die Hards as Odyssey batteries are certainly in the same league as Trojan/Lifeline.
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saltamontes
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11/04/09 11:12am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Ride-Rite Pictures
here are a couple of good links concerning broken mounts for airbags on a Ford:
http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/f32/firestone-bags-2400-stay-away-153411/
http://rv.net/forum/Index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/21110543/gotomsg/21128426.cfm
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saltamontes
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11/04/09 10:48am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Best battery
sears Die Hard Platinum series are supposed to be re-branded Odyssey AGM batteries (at a much cheaper price). If you can find the size you want, those will be better than the flooded wet cell batteries from Trojan/Lifeline.
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saltamontes
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11/04/09 09:47am |
Truck Campers
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RE: 3 days in Death Valley, what to see?
2nd Jefe's racetrack road camper effects. This is a very washboaded road and if something is about to break in your camper this road will finish the job.
titus is doable in a TC, but if you have any sort of low overhang you will need to watch it (and jack legs) carefully in a couple spots. Its not a smoothly graded road in all areas and expect your camper to pitch/roll and shift about. Mine dented the front of my truck bed last time through titus (although it might have been echo canyon). Gas/Supplies in Beatty where its MUCH cheaper than DV.
not a big fan of furnace creek campground although using the public pool there is cool (furnace creek inn's pool is much nicer). Cocktail hour on the deck of the inn with views of telescope pk :C
from SF, i would take 80 to 395 to 168 to Eureka Dunes for 1st night (leave early or 1st night in mammoth). Then scotties, ubehebe and either do the racetrack or overnight in mesquite spring CG (IMO one of the nicest CG's in DV). Next night in echo canyon instead of furnace creek (to get to head of canyon is not anymore difficult than titus and its very near furnace creek)
Zabriski/badwater are cool picture opps. Pupfish will be hibernating till spring.
if you have time do the "Mints" (canyons around balarat and kilns) then leave via saline if you want the full experience (check north pass conditions via maturango)
-have fun!
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saltamontes
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11/02/09 12:10pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Racks and cabinets
nice as long as its not overloading the rear axle w/ that weight so far back.
i would rather see the sub-frame out of steel with the less stressed upper rack in lighter aluminum (mechanically fastened to steel sub-frame).
aluminum tends to crack and fail w/out warning where steel will flex to absorb some stress.
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saltamontes
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10/21/09 11:55am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Inconsiderate, selfish campers! Again!
my inside speakers keep the "mood" local, but i'm looking for some outside boomers, a laser show/disco ball and some Burning Man trance
...
start the morning fire, crack that slab (of beer) and flush suburbia from your system
We all gotta decompress :C
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saltamontes
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10/21/09 11:18am |
Truck Campers
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RE: A Tagged Bigfoot
prob hopes the tag-axle will maintain control in event of SRW blowout?
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saltamontes
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10/19/09 11:18am |
Truck Campers
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RE: DO YOU know what your TC floor is made-out-of ?
My floor is Nidacore.
Its a lightweight honeycomb fiberglass material.
no probs w/ warping or rotting (or any water-intrusion-caused problems)
Northern-Lite: Fiberglass clamshell camper w/ eternabonded roof penetrations. No problems w/ water whatsoever forever.
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saltamontes
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10/19/09 10:32am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Homemade surfer's camper
see also the Turtle V for nidacore construction.
http://www.turtleexpedition.com/
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saltamontes
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10/16/09 11:17am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Front reciever hitches with tow hooks
OEM Superduty fogs are incompatible with the Hidden Hitch and Drawtite receivers.
true, but many have done simple mods to the foglight brackets to make them work.
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saltamontes
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10/16/09 11:05am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Designing and onboard AC instead of rooftop
these guys:
http://www.golittleguy.com
sell a portable AC/heater/Dehumidifier
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saltamontes
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10/09/09 12:12pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: My Lance rot problems- my discovery
i wonder why Lance did not buy Bigfoot?
i also wonder just how much longer before the major manufacturers start using fiberglass
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saltamontes
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09/16/09 10:37am |
Truck Campers
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RE: 2005 Ford F350 Question
sounds like the vanes of the variable vane turbo are sticking.
common prob caused by junk buildup.
rerouting your crank case vent (CCV) to air (or a catch can) may help.
when out of warrantee, would suggest an EGR delete kit.
best place to look for more specific answers:
ford-trucks.com (/forum/6.0 motor)
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saltamontes
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08/05/09 10:06am |
Truck Campers
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RE: rubber for bumpers
i use the existing soft conical rubber bumpers that come w/ my NLite (only 1 bolt) but i added a hockey-puck sized piece of plastic at their base to extend the camper a little from the frt of the truck bed.
i also added a 3/16 alluminum plate at the frt of the truck bed so the camper's bumpstops do not dent the bed's relatively thin steel.
then i added a stainless top edge protector to the top/frt of the bed and used some VHB 2-sided tape to attach a rubber bumper over its entire length. w/out this, the camper pitches forward (esp at an angel) and tends to dent the top rail of the frt of the bed
next are custom toolboxes in front of the wheel wells and high-density foam mats (w/ Al backing plates) on the camper where it impacts the tool boxes and wheel wells.
i have found that when the camper moves about a lot off-road its very important to deal with the surfaces of the TC and truck making contact.
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saltamontes
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07/30/09 02:16pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Lightning
specifically to address the question about fiberglass, there are some resources online (see below) for experimental aircraft manufacturers that show lightning strikes on standard fiberglass (serious damage) and strikes on copper mesh finished fiberglass (min. damage).
Many aircraft makers have long since used a thin mat of woven copper (or other conductive metal) prior to the final gelcoat to "route" the juice out of the fiberglass skin.
Wish my Northern-lite employed that strategy. *If* the lightning were to originate from my camper (or some item protruding there from) i would expect some serious damage and hopefully limited to the outer shell and not puncture the cabin.
http://www.metallum.com.br/17cbecimat/resumos/17cbecimat-205-004.pdf
http://www.dexmet.com/Lightning-Strike-Protection/Lightning-Strike-choose.html
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saltamontes
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07/20/09 11:22am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Diesel Soot
w/ the exhaust tip turned down there tends to be a lot more dust stirred up when off road. Most noticeable at stop/start/slow going (esp. w/ soft/dusty conditions).
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saltamontes
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07/17/09 11:00am |
Truck Campers
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