Forum Discussion

joerg68's avatar
joerg68
Nomad III
Jun 18, 2016

Arctic Fox 865 on a SRW, Regular Cab pickup

Has anyone carried an AF 865 on a regular cab truck?

We are currently camper-less and suffering camper withdrawal syndrome.
Our last camper was an Outfitter Apex 8 LB. Due to health reasons we want to go back to a hardwall camper that is somewhat easy to enter. That is, replace scissor steps with fox-landing like amenities.

Problem: Our truck is a 2008 Silverado 2500 HD, regular cab, long bed, work truck 4x2. That is one of the lightest trucks out there and it has a payload capacity of around 1700 kgs / 3700 lbs. We carried a Lance 915 on it and were a couple 100 kgs below maximum weight. Handling was OK unmodified. I am reasonably sure we *could* carry an AF 865 (that has no slideout, it is their "smallest" model) with some modifications, mainly to control sway.

But... I have a feeling this will look very much out-of-sync, the tall camper on the short truck. Has anyone done that? Pictures?

I do consider replacing the truck. Being in Germany, this is not as easy as going to the nearest dealership for a trade-in. And the Chevy has been a great reliable truck and is in very good shape. We bought it new in 08 and it has accumulated less than 40k mls since. A different truck will set me back a few 10000$....

Comments appreciated!
Truck Campers
  • timn's avatar
    timn
    Explorer
    Jun 18, 2016
    I can tell you I bought a new af 990 and tried to use it on my chevy 2500 long bed 4x4 and it was way to much. Bought me a very good used 08 chevy 3500 and it works very good.
  • romore's avatar
    romore
    Explorer II
    Jun 18, 2016
    What is the loaded weight of the camper you are looking at? Another thing to look at is height, a tall camper is like a giant sail. If the tires and suspension are too light it will be a handful in a strong wind.
  • jimh406's avatar
    jimh406
    Explorer III
    Jun 18, 2016
    There are pictures of people with larger campers on a regular cab. Search the archives, or look at the picture thread. Sure, they look a bit out of balance, but they work just fine.

    You can look at some pictures here, too. Regular Cab with larger campers.

    Here's one.

  • joerg68's avatar
    joerg68
    Nomad III
    Jun 18, 2016
    The weight for the 865 is officially "TBD".
    http://northwoodmfg.com/af-camper-865/

    The next heavier model, the 811, has a slideout and weighs 4569 lbs wet per TCM buyers guide.
    Surely, without the slide it will be lighter.
    The rear suspensions of the 2500 / 3500 Silverados of that year appear to differ only by nr. of spring leafs. I am not sure if any 3500 SRW will give me significantly more payload. The Crew Cabs are inherently heavier already.
    If it was as easy as driving over to the nearest dealership where a couple dozen trucks await their new owner, I would likely trade the truck.
    I may have to look for a smaller camper. But the interior of that AF is very appealing...
  • brholt's avatar
    brholt
    Explorer II
    Jun 18, 2016
    Looking at an old brochure the 865 weighted about 230 pounds less than an 811. It does have smaller tanks. ( note the weights listed are low as they do not include all of the options. Carefully read what it says about what the weights include)

    Here is an old brochure:

    Old Arctic Fox Brochure
  • SoCalDesertRid1's avatar
    SoCalDesertRid1
    Explorer
    Jun 18, 2016
    Many moons ago, when 4 door crew cab and super cab pickups were non-existant, or very very rare, folks carried all types of campers on regular cab trucks with 2 doors, which were simply called 'trucks' in those days. :)
  • joerg68's avatar
    joerg68
    Nomad III
    Jun 18, 2016
    Thanks for the replies so far!

    That Wolf Creek looks sharp. I am seriously considering it, but I have trouble climbing -both the cabover and bathroom access will probably not make me happy.

    The strongest competitor in the game is a Northern Lite 9-6, as it has a similar raised floor. Good quality, not cheap.

    One option we were discussing is getting an AF and try it on our truck. We won't have many heavy extras, especially no AC on the roof. That may help a little.

    Here is a pic with the old Lance:
    http://www.walzenbach.de/MK/images/image001.jpg

    The AF is more than a foot taller yet. Weight was well below limits with the Lance, sag was OK, sway was bad. But that was without any modifications.

    I can see the wind issues...

    More thinking required. We have a few more months to decide. Want/need a new camper for the 2017 season. Fortunately other issues are even more importanter right now :-)
  • Cabman_850's avatar
    Cabman_850
    Explorer
    Jun 19, 2016
    timn wrote:
    I can tell you I bought a new af 990 and tried to use it on my chevy 2500 long bed 4x4 and it was way to much. Bought me a very good used 08 chevy 3500 and it works very good.


    Did you buy a dually or stick with a SRW?

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