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RE: After market rear bumper?
It really makes no sense to me to have the bumper attached to the camper. If someone rear ends you, guess what, you get a totaled camper, and a messed up truck.
Camper bumpers are not for rear-end protection. My Adventurer came with one and it is just thin diamond plate aluminum. It makes a great step, good sewer hose storage inside, storage shelf when camping and it gives the camper a finished look with a little bling ;) . My hitch extension has a large plate on the end of it that provides some rear-end protection but the camper bumper is not designed to take a hit. With or without the camper bumper your camper is going to be screwed up in a rear-end collision. If I was in the market for another camper it would also have a bumper as I like the many advantages of one and think they look unfinished without one. I have even set our TV on it and watched a movie while sitting around the campfire, nothing like a outdoor theater :)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/Crumm99708/Camper/Hitch018.jpg
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Crumm
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09/29/08 03:25pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Mudflap options
crumm, the reason I'm on my third set is we have bought 5 new Duramax/Allison since Jan 05 and just hated to remove a professional set of Mud flaps from a awesome Truck. As for quality they are the best on the market. Go to the web site and take a look, very easy to understand. GBY...
Well I guess rather than questioning the quality of the mud flap I should have questioned the quality of the truck. Five new trucks in 3.5 years:E........ My Ford has lasted me 12 years and should go another 12 without a problem.
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Crumm
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09/29/08 04:33am |
Truck Campers
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RE: enclosed trailers, drag, and mpg
I would appreciate any imput from enclosed camper owners. Mpg with camper with and without the trailer. Thanks in advance.
I pull a 14' enclosed Wells Cargo behind our camper and it only makes about a 1-2mpg difference when the trailer is loaded full of stuff and less when empty. The wind is cut by the camper so the only drag from the trailer is the weight. I run ez-lift bars on mine and find that they actually make the camper more stable than without a trailer. I also have brakes on both trailer axles which really helps out too. If given a choice I will pull the trailer rather than leave it at home even if I only need to haul minimal gear. Only time it really gets left at home is when the boat is in tow.
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Crumm
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09/25/08 01:28pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: enclosed trailers, drag, and mpg
Can you guys who are towing motorcycle or enclosed trailers tell me what you use to get the tow hitch to the back of your campers. It looks to me like I'm going to need a 48" extension for my 11.5' camper. I don't think I need solid bar stock, 2" steel box with 1/4" wall thickness should do it for this smaller size trailer but I'm wondering what you use.
Thanks,
Don
For a 48" extension you will want to go with a Tow Beast or Superhitch. While your trailer will be light 48" gives it alot of leverage back there. The 2" wall extensions are for much shorter extensions. I have a 18" home built extension that does a great job but for 48" you need to step up to the next level.
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Crumm
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09/25/08 01:23pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: enclosed trailers, drag, and mpg
Unloaded (4500lbs) my Ford gets a hair over 14MPG. Fully loaded (17,000lbs) it still gets 12MPG.
What all do you unload to get your CrewCab PSD down to 4,500#? Mine is close to 8,000# empty. Our mileage is much different too, I get 16 empty and 10 loaded. Think our trucks are close to the same other than mine has a manual transmission.
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Crumm
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09/25/08 01:18pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Mudflap options
If you want the best go with Duraflap the most professional mud flap out there. I'm on my third set now.
If you are on your third set I would have to question the quality of the flap. I have the same flaps on my truck that I installed in 1996, 12 years and going strong.
As far a length DO NOT let them touch the ground. I see many RV's that come up the Alcan with flaps dragging on the ground and they throw up more than the tires themselves. There are many toads, trailers and rv's out there with major rock chip damage from over length mud flaps.
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Crumm
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09/25/08 01:11pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Guides to get camper in straight?
My centering guide thread from the TCU. You would have to move your front guides back a bit so that they would work in your application.
This is exactly what I was looking for! Great job. I'll have my buddy fab a couple up for me next week. Love it.
You did also say "I want to be able to take them out when the camper is not on the truck so the bed is clean for other use" but you might find that they don't get in your way. I have never taken mine out since I installed them and actually find them to be useful as a cargo tie-down point. A sheet of plywood fits in-between them and longer lumber and steel are kept away from the wheel-wells by them so all around they help more than they hurt. When the tailgate is closed mine are within 1/8" of it so they don't take up any bed space to speak of. If you do think that they will be in your way you should install them with nutserts so you don't have to fight with the nuts, they are a bit hard to get to in that location. If you don't have the installation tool I am sure your local body shop would install the nutserts cheaper than you could buy it.
http://www.zygology.com/images/parts_photos/tier2/9658placed.jpg
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Crumm
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09/22/08 11:22am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Guides to get camper in straight?
My centering guide thread from the TCU. You would have to move your front guides back a bit so that they would work in your application.
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Crumm
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09/22/08 04:12am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Picking Up My new camper....
does anybody know the approx weight of a full 10# LP tank
Stamped into the side of the tank should be the letters TW followed by a number. This number is the weight in pounds of tank when empty, or its tare weight. Each gallon of liquid propane weighs 4.23 lbs.
Your typical 20# tank(bbq size)+ 4.1 gallons of propane weighs 37 lbs. Your camper has 10# tanks?
Typical sizes are 20# - 4 gallon, 30# - 7 gallon, 40# - 10 gallon, 60# - 15 gallon and 100# - 25 gallon. 10# would be very small, A 10# tank only holds like 2.6 gallons.
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Crumm
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09/22/08 03:56am |
Truck Campers
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RE: 1300 feet west
I am thinking that your fuel bill for the weekend was about $300 less than mine but it looks like you had just as much fun :)
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Crumm
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09/18/08 05:10am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Major Leaker is Back...
Alpenlite out of business.....
I had not heard that they went under. I always heard that Alpenlite was one of the good ones?
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Crumm
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09/18/08 05:04am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Backup Propane Tank
is there a pressure regulator needed? i dont really understand how this works. is there a link to an example?
Click for link
Click to purchase
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Crumm
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09/17/08 11:51pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Picking Up My new camper....
The tech that did the install started with about 70 psi in them, and they came up to 95 with the camper on the back. My overloads weren't really close to touching at all.
Overinflated airbags and overloads that are not touching are a very good recipe for serious sway. You might look into some Energy suspension 9.9109 bump stops to put in between the perches and the overloads to make them come in contact. Here is a thread about the bump-stops being used for perch extensions.
Superspring also makes some that cost a few pennys more. Superspring sway stops.
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Crumm
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09/17/08 11:29pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Anyone using 5w-40 for winter camping?
The engine would not turn over because the hpop was not getting oil.
Thats correct. When the oil is too cold to flow(like molasses)the High Pressure Oil Pump Reservoir runs dry as the HPOP will pump molasses to the injectors but the low pressure oil pump will not pump molasses up to the HPOP reservoir. No oil in the reservoir = no oil to the HPOP = no oil to the injectors = NO Start. It is actually a good thing that it wont start since if the low pressure pump isn't pumping oil up to the reservoir it is also not pumping any oil to the bearings.
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Crumm
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09/17/08 04:06pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Anyone using 5w-40 for winter camping?
If Mooney can plug in at night,
Another thing you can do Mooney is get one of those Katz magnetic heaters. Using plumbers tape (that metal stuff with all the holes in it) and mount it permanently to the oil pan. Then plug in both hot plugs and oil pan heater at night.
Up here we use heating pads that you silicone to the bottom of the oil pan on both the engine and transmission. If a plug-in is available then a oil pan heater will keep regular oil flowing. Camping in my mind is done out in the boonies but some guys camp next to an outlet ;)
http://hoofinitnorth.com/images/fowl/waterheater/75wattheater.jpg
Keep in mind that there are a few other benefits from using synthetic besides just the cold start ability.
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Crumm
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09/17/08 12:51pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Tool Time! I can hear the grunt.
Wouldn't those solar panels get a bit spattered with bugs? They would up here.
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Crumm
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09/17/08 04:00am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Anyone using 5w-40 for winter camping?
I hadn't really thought about the cold start ability of synthetic. Right now, I've only stayed at ski lodges where I could plug the block heater in because I was chicken about the ability of my truck to start in the 0's. I might be more daring if it was a bit easier to start.
I once started mine at -35º with 5w-40 Delvac. My truck is normally inside at home and plugged in at work but one time I had to start it after it had been sitting for over a week in -30º to -40º weather and it started right up. I would not recommend those kind of starts on a regular basis but sometimes you got to do what you got to do. Even with the block heater and oil pan heater plugged in I like having the 5w-40 in the engine when the temps drop to -60º as there are still some cold spots in the block.
Oil really will not make that much of a difference, even at temps down to zero or even -10 F. Below that, yeah, I can see where the 5W/40 helps.
Have you ever tried to pour 15w/40 dino oil out of a jug at -10º? It thickens up like molasses and when in this state engine damage will occur.
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Crumm
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09/17/08 03:45am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Anyone using 5w-40 for winter camping?
I run Mobil Delvac 1 5w-40 Synthetic year around in my PowerStroke. Engine runs quieter and smoother with it along with the better cold start capability.
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Crumm
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09/15/08 05:35pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Picking Up My new camper....
As someone before mentioned, If it wasn't a crew cab, that might help as well, but we are a family of four, so it's kind of necessary.
The rear axle placement is the same on a standard cab as far as where it is under the bed so if you didn't have the crew cab holding the front down you would probably tip over backward ;)
How heavy are the axles under your light trailer? You might try getting a heavy-duty ez-lift type hitch and transferring some of the rear axle load to your trailer and steer axle. If the trailer frame, tongue and axles are not stout then don't try this idea.
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Crumm
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09/14/08 06:44pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Tie Downs 101
Home made Belly bars, NO FRAME DRILL
Nice job on the belly bars but the eyes you are using are very weak. Get some closed end machine eye bolts or weld on a tab with a hole in it. The low grade hardware store eye bolts that you have will open up if placed under any stress.
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Crumm
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09/14/08 06:36pm |
Truck Campers
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