How easy is it to ding the truck?

[tuffr2]

I have been youtubing truck camping. One of the things I have seen was loading / unloading. For some reason I did not think about this aspect of a truck camper very much...until now. It looks like a very detailed event loading the camper. Also looks like it is easy to ding or scratch the truck.

In my mind I would be loading and unloading the camper as I traveled from spot to spot about once every few days. Like unhooking / hooking a travel trailer. But now I am rethinking that.

I also saw one person use carpet and boards to keep the truck from getting scratches and dings.

[Electrojake]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

I have been youtubing truck camping. One of the things I have seen was loading / unloading. It looks like a very detailed event loading the camper. Also looks like it is easy to ding or scratch the truck.

In my mind I would be loading and unloading the camper as I traveled from spot to spot about once every few days. Like unhooking / hooking a travel trailer. But now I am rethinking that.

I also saw one person use carpet and boards to keep the truck from getting scratches and dings.

Greetings tuffr2,

Since I dont 'dingy' a second vehicle, I off-load my TC at every stop so I can use my truck for local touring. I have never scratched anything loading (yet).

Off-loading is easier than on-loading.

Small campers like my Northstar Arrow-U (a short-bed and only 3750 pounds wet) are a lot easier to load than say a big side-entry long bed.

Loading on firm even ground is a snap!
Conversely, loading on rutted uneven ground is indeed a tricky process.

When I'm at a rutted or un-level camp I make it a point to look at the jacks (and note their position) before pulling out and leveling up the camper.
I guess you could take a picture with a cell phone if you wanted a reminder of where the jacks had to be extended to in order to get the camper off the truck in the first place.
The key is that when it comes time to re-load you have to consider that the camper must be at the same "un-levelness" as the truck you are backing under it with or you will have a very difficult time getting back under the camper.

I use no sort of guides or carpet-boards since the clearances in the bed of my truck are so close I wouldn't have room for them anyway.
Besides... (and keep this a secret)
I'm already over my GVWR so I have no capacity for the extra lumber & carpeting.

Keep us posted!
Regards,
-Jake-

[tuffr2]

Overloaded...shhhh.

I was at an RV show once. Walked in and at the other corner of the building I thought a camper on a little Toyota Tacoma. When I walked up to it, it was a dually Ram with a huge truck camper.

So, nothing makes a big truck look small than putting a truck camper on it.

In my research I am still trying to wrap my head around the weight of truck campers. I was thinking 3,000lbs would be a nice camper...but a nice camper with 1 slide is more like 4,500lbs and a real nice camper with multi slides is 5,500lbs.

[Bedlam]

My single slide 9' camper was about 4000 lbs ready to camp and my triple slide 11.5' camper is closer 6000 lbs. There are things you can do to make a SRW carry a single slide well, but you really need a big DRW once you start looking at the triples and you may need go beyond pickup capacities into Class 4 or 5 trucks.

[laj]

AF arguably their most popular camper, the 990 will weigh ready to go wet between 5-5200k. not light by any means.

[Electrojake]

Ya, exactly what laj and Bedlam said.

And I'll reiterate a bit on my own comments. . .

The truck camper experience is a lot different for a big TC than it is for a small TC.
I'm not saying one is better than the other, it's according to your own wants and needs, but (as an example) my little RAM-3500/Northstar compared to Bedlam's 5500/HOST. They are both truck-campers but the camping/traveling experience they each provide are considerably different.

In my case I have a RAM specifically because it is by far the smallest one-ton short-bed truck made. Chevy is a little bigger and Ford is a lot bigger. The F350 is almost a foot longer than my RAM 3500!
This also brings us into the art of fitting the right camper on the right truck.
For instance: The NorthernLite I almost bought would overwhelm my little RAM 3500 but would fit an F350 perfectly.
Keep in mind that the "fitment" issue is more pronounced with short-bed TC's than it is with long-bed TC's, but it still an issue to be considered.

So now we're curious tuffr2. . .
What are your TC wants and needs?
Big & luxurious? Small & flexible? Or perhaps a little of both?

Sorry for another long-winded post.
Regards,
-Jake-

[Bedlam]

Originally Posted by Electrojake

In my case I have a RAM specifically because it is by far the smallest one-ton short-bed truck made. Chevy is a little bigger and Ford is a lot bigger. The F350 is almost a foot longer than my RAM 3500!

I think the extended cab short bed offered by Ford in the F350 is actually the shortest. My F250 had to be under 20' long when I originally bought it and that was my configuration.

[Electrojake]

Originally Posted by Bedlam

I think the extended cab short bed offered by Ford in the F350 is actually the shortest. My F250 had to be under 20' long when I originally bought it and that was my configuration.

The RAM HD short-bed crew cab is 19' 9" overall length. Not sure what my Ford was but I do have a picture of it parked next to my RAM someplace.

BTW, my last truck was an 07 F250 4x4 short-bed SuperCab, 5.4L gas.
It had none of the problems those trucks were known for.

And speaking of an improved center of gravity over a crew-cab. . .



Gives things a whole different perspective!
-Jake-

[laj]

long as you put 80lbs. in the rear tires and stay less than 65 you should be golden[emoji850]

[mrgrayaz]

If I recall Tuffr2 has a F-250 - so its going to small and light whatever it is....
http://www.truckcamperadventure.com/...-4-ton-trucks/
I've also been looking at the 855S - but even that i think will stress my 3700lb payload, sadly.
http://www.truckcamperadventure.com/...ne-ton-trucks/

[ScoobyDoo]

Originally Posted by mrgrayaz

If I recall Tuffr2 has a F-250 - so its going to small and light whatever it is....

But from what I read he changes trucks often. I think he is asking how hard is it to get under the camper without scraping paint off truck...

[Electrojake]

Originally Posted by mrgrayaz

If I recall Tuffr2 has a F-250 - so its going to small and light whatever it is....
http://www.truckcamperadventure.com/...-4-ton-trucks/
I've also been looking at the 855S - but even that i think will stress my 3700lb payload, sadly.
http://www.truckcamperadventure.com/...ne-ton-trucks/

Yes Sir. He has a 2017 F250. Not sure if it's a short-bed though.

1.) Although his concern was putting a 'ding' in his truck while loading the camper, I would think his challenge shall be finding a full featured camper that has a light enough wet-weight for an F250.

2.) Thank you mrgrayaz for posting the above links.
They were very handy.

Originally Posted by ScoobyDoo

But from what I read he changes trucks often.

^^^ That's a good thing! ^^^
If he can unload that 3/4 ton and get a properly configured F350 or F450 I'd say his camper shopping just got a heck of a lot easier!

[dix39]

After reading through this several times over the last few days, I thought I'd throw in my "2c".

We bought our first camper, a '72 11.5' Security that we hauled on a '69 F-250 4X4 Ford that I converted to diesel, in '78. We used it for about 150k miles until '93 when we bought a '92 11.5' Caribou and '89 W250 Dodge Cummins. After 250k miles, and a few years ago, we sold the TC and bought a '94 26' Flair MH.

In all the time we had TC's I never in any way damaged the outside of the truck loading or unloading the camper. Any damage was limited to scratches on the inside of the wheel wells. There were very few, if any, times the camper was unloaded to serve as a "stand alone" unit. Early on we used family vehicles when in WV, and later when many of them had passed away and things had changed, we started towing first a Samurai, and a few years later a Tracker. We did that for about the last 20 years we had TC's. We also carried motorbikes/cycles at different times for transportation, but generally in the early days we would use the TC (loaded) for transportation when spending a few days somewhere between OR and WV. My thought is that it would be much easier to connect/disconnect a trailer than to load/unload a camper for frequent "stand alone" camping, or as an alternative, tow/carry additional transportation along with the TC, or rent a car.

After getting the MH, because my wife was afraid one of us would fall getting into or out of the bed in the camper, she has fallen through the shower curtain, through the sliding folding door to the bath, and numerous times while being up doing things when I needed to stop quickly. In reality she was much less likely to fall in the TC because she was, for the most part, limited to sitting in the seat of the truck while moving. We did have a "boot" in both campers to allow passage between the truck and camper, but it wasn't used all that often, and I don't remember anyone falling in the campers while moving in all the time we had them.

Now I wish I'd kept the old TC, but since that's already gone, I'm planning to get rid of the MH's and buy a '94-'98 3/4 ton Dodge Cummins 4X4 manual shift and another 11.5 camper with AC and gen., probably from the '90's or early 2000's. I will prefer a wooden frame over aluminum simply because, in my mind at least, it's easier to replace/repair wood then it is to replace/repair an aluminum frame and/or delamination. All my experience in replacing/repair has been with wooden frame campers and I have tools to work on them, large staplers and other woodworking tools, etc.

I like simplicity where it is possible, minimal electronics in the truck and no slides on the camper. Although I've never calculated it, I would guess there are as many square feet of living area in an 11.5 foot camper, as there are in a shorter one with slides.

Steve

[laj]

good luck Steve with your search. i assume your looking for the good old 12 valve cummins. i agree with no slides. cheaper, lighter, and way less chance of leaks, with no possibility of getting stuck.