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Deb_and_Ed_M's avatar
Deb_and_Ed_M
Explorer II
Nov 08, 2014

And so it starts! (With some questions)

We picked up our 1995 Palomino Bronco 1200 this afternoon in a downpour. Hope that's not an omen for future travels....LOL! Amazingly, stunningly - this poor trusty camper shows no signs of leaking (except a bit at the back door, which we know is a common problem with this model), in spite of having been left in the weather, popped open, for God knows how long. Long enough that the previous owner forgot how to drop it. But then - the previous owner seems to have a memory problem.

The first rule of order is to thoroughly clean and Febreeze the camper. She saw me do a double-take at the brown smudges on the upper bed walls, and said it wasn't mildew - it was cinnamon. (!) And each drawer or storage compartment has a sprig of either sage or rosemary. She didn't explain why and I didn't ask. I think the camper was her "Hippie Hideaway"?

Ed backed the '07 F-250 we grabbed from work, and backed it perfectly under the camper on the first try! We didn't have to raise the camper with boards in the truck bed - it fit like it was built exactly for that truck! The jacks worked nicely, but I can see where the fitting that lets one use a drill would be awesome! The truck doesn't seem to even realize the camper is back there.

Question re jacks: our camper has the little metal loops that would hold the legs in a horizontal position once the camper is on the truck. Does everyone remove one bolt/nut, and loosen the other so the legs can rotate? or is there something "handier"?

Another question: tucking the vinyl in was a piece of cake while the camper was sitting on its base. Once on the truck, I can't reach it. Has anyone ever made a T-shaped "tucker" out of 1/2" PVC to push in the vinyl? (No fan to suck in the sides, and due to the 2-pc door, it still wouldn't work). I probably won't ever have to load the camper onto a truck by myself; but I WILL have to raise and lower the roof without help.

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