We finally got our new Northstar 850, and are looking forward to breaking it in, hopefully without breaking it.
We took it off the truck just now and realized how many questions we should have asked at the dealer. Our driveway looked level to us, but fhe left jacks are about 3 inches longer than the right jacks.
So here are my questions, and thanks in advance for any help!
1. We have happi-jacks, and when we lowered the camper, the plastic on the jacks was peeling off. ??? Is that normal ??
2. The camper is now level. When we put it back in the truck, the truck won't be level. We recorded the "load" measurements on the jacks so that we could match the truck's level when we put it on ... but is that right? Or should the tc be loaded / unloaded level, even if the truck isn't?
I hope this makes sense. The good news is that my husband and I managed to not pass out from anxiety.
I wouldn't un-level the TC too much to match an un-level truck. Keeping the TC as level as possible side to side is the safest way to load/unload. Can you put some boards under the tires on one side to bring the truck level to match the TC?
Not sure about the peeling plastic. Is it like a cover they put on to protect during shipping that should come off like on a new TV screen for example. Or is there an actual plastic cover that is part of the working jack?
Always just lift the camper, at times one side may be 6" to a foot higher then the other as far as the jacks so. Never been an issue. Just jack it up as level as I can. Then pull truck out, same to load. One side of the bed may be 4" from the bottom of the camper while the other is 10". No issues just let it down and adjust as I drop it. That's one thing about camping, all spots are not level front to back or side to side.
Good luck and have fun.
2004 Duramax/allison Trans C/C 4x4
2012 Landmark Key Largo
2008 Lund 1825 Pro Guide Tiller, With a Evinrude 90 HP E-Tec
I used to load and unload my camper on VERY unlevel ground side-to-side, on a regular basis. I raised and lowered the camper with it level.
Only until the truck was part way under the camper did I start unleveling the camper to match the truck, and then only just enough to be able to back the truck the rest of the way in. My camper was a very tight fit with the tailgate opening of the truck. As I lowered the camper down into the truck, I made it more and more unlevel, to match the truck. No problems doing it that way. Removal was the same procedure, in the opposite order.
nancyroa wrote: Thanks - good suggestion on the boards. The plastic is part of the jack which is why I'm nervous.
Is it the black guide plastic where the inner and outer tubes meet? I had little black shavings come out once and it's not a good thing. The issue was too much side force on the jack. Sometimes you can lift the pressure off of one jack enough to get the foot to recenter itself. Like others have said, a level camper is better than parallel to the truck. The jacks only are meant to support vertical force.
We have a new Adventurer and when we took it off the truck and lowered the jacks the first time, we noticed that the paint scraped off as they went down. I guess it's such a tight fit. Not sure why they are painted if it just scrapes off during use. It doesn't seem to affect the movement at all.
2011 Adventurer 910FBS,Torklift tie downs,Fastguns & Wobbl-stopprs
2012 Dodge 3500 DRW 6.7L CTD, 4x4, LB,CC,6 speed auto,3.73 axle, General 17" on/off road
2008 Lund 1825 Explorer Sport,115 Merc,9.9 kicker,Torklift Super Hitch,42" Supertruss
USAF ret E-9&E-7
My experience has been to never again drop the TC down into the bed of the pickup that is unlevel (side-to-side) When the TC contacts the bed only on one side, high forces transfer to the other side TC jacks. The jacks bend to compensate depending how uneven the drop is. Not an issue at all when unloading, but it's scary when you realize what is happening when re-loading. I have an Arctic Fox with HappiJacs. I think that black that you wrote about is just the paint coming off the inside HappiJac painted tube, a sign of stress as it scraps the tube inserts.
RamTC wrote: My experience has been to never again drop the TC down into the bed of the pickup that is unlevel (side-to-side) When the TC contacts the bed only on one side, high forces transfer to the other side TC jacks. The jacks bend to compensate depending how uneven the drop is. Not an issue at all when unloading, but it's scary when you realize what is happening when re-loading. I have an Arctic Fox with HappiJacs. I think that black that you wrote about is just the paint coming off the inside HappiJac painted tube, a sign of stress as it scraps the tube inserts.
If I had subscribed to that rule, I would never have been able to load or unload my camper for a few years! I never let the side hill stop me from doing what I had to do!
RamTC wrote: My experience has been to never again drop the TC down into the bed of the pickup that is unlevel (side-to-side) When the TC contacts the bed only on one side, high forces transfer to the other side TC jacks. The jacks bend to compensate depending how uneven the drop is. Not an issue at all when unloading, but it's scary when you realize what is happening when re-loading. I have an Arctic Fox with HappiJacs. I think that black that you wrote about is just the paint coming off the inside HappiJac painted tube, a sign of stress as it scraps the tube inserts.
If I had subscribed to that rule, I would never have been able to load or unload my camper for a few years! I never let the side hill stop me from doing what I had to do!
My 4500+ lb TC is never kind to HJ tubes (like the OP's), and they can't handle much of a side load before they fold. Probably a different situation than loading a Callen Camper (in your sig ?)
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