Not wanting to start a "which company is better war" just trying to get some truthful input. A little history first - had an Eagle Cap 950 which we loved, but had to sell due to a military move. We are now getting ready to head back to the mainland and have been camper shopping. We found an Arctic Fox 992 at a great price, but have had a salesman at a different dealership "warn" us to check the owner's manual to make sure it doesn't say "do not have persons in the camper unless supported by the truck" - that there have been issues with the tanks falling out of the bottom. Any information that you guys could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

Arctic Fox has no issue with tank support. I've filled my tank off the truck with no failures. I had to repair mine but it was due to aluminum frame cracks I found while making another repair.Sea Stories about these types of issue spread far and wide ever so many months but if it happens to be true, then there was a structural failure.

We looked at a 992 for a bit, sure didn't care for the bedroom access and the way it worked with the slide in. But there is the odd old remark about tanks falling out of some different rigs. I would expect most are much better now, and likely problems came from a floor soaking to soften up the tank holding members before things went south. In any case, imagine building a tank that holds 500 pounds, and figuring out how you will support it so that there is no sag or strain.

The AF 992 is one of my favorites. I like the rear kitchen and the decent dry bath. There are a lot of AF owners who use their TCs while off the trucks.I unload occasionally but I do support the under belly with (3) 2X4s on adjustable jack stands. I like the idea of having the extra support but its mainly to keep the TC stable while off the truck. The 2X4s and jacks stow neatly along the sides of the truck bed and out of the way before loading the TC, so its no big deal if you want take along a few items like this for the added support.

My feeble brain recalls that in the 2000-2002 era AF campers could NOT be used off of the truck if there was water in the tank.Myself and a friend looked at them while camper shopping. The salesman told us the weight of the tanks needed to be supported by the bed of the truck.Needless to say, I ended up with a Fleetwood Elkhorn and my friend ended up with a Citian.

No problem with tanks falling out from our 1140 and we use it off the truck a lot. AF does recommend "storing" it on three rows of 2X6's, one under each end of the floor and one across the middle.

Arctic Fox Tank Issues | Good Sam Community

20 Replies

billyray50
Explorer
Jan 12, 2015
cdbinns wrote:
We have a 2014 Arctic Fox 1150. I had seen and heard similar comments about not using off truck with full tanks so I contacted Northwood directly. They said there was no issue with using it off truck, even with full tanks.

As it should be!! I will never buy a TC that states otherwise. One should be able to use a TC off truck with water in the tank and no extra support.
cdbinns
Explorer
Jan 12, 2015
We have a 2014 Arctic Fox 1150. I had seen and heard similar comments about not using off truck with full tanks so I contacted Northwood directly. They said there was no issue with using it off truck, even with full tanks.
3_tons
Explorer III
Jan 12, 2015
bighatnohorse wrote:
I've had an Eagle Cap 1150 and the tank DID push to bottom out. (2005) The fresh water tank was supported by plumbers tape!

I disagree..The plumbers tape (while present...) is intended only to hold the tanks up in place when removing the basement floor support when servicing tanks (Caution, empty out tanks first!!). EC's tanks actually rest atop raised wood sleepers (for heat circulation) and are supported by the 2" vacuum bonded basement floor panel and parameter screwed.

3 tons
AKSuperDually
Explorer
Jan 12, 2015
My 2003 AF 1150 states not to occupy or store the camper without the floor being supported by 3, 5" minimum wide supports. It doesn't say anything about the tanks, other than being careful not to fill too fast or overfill which can swell the tank enough to cause damage....regardless if supported or not.

It's possible that these "issues" were remedied in the new aluminum frames. Mine is wood, last year I believe for the wood frames. I don't ever take mine off the truck when camping, and I always store it on timbers. 12 years and no damage so far. Well....at least not that kind of damage. I did back into it once.
sky_free
Explorer
Jan 11, 2015
My 2013 990 was regularly stored for 9-months just on the jacks with 2/3 full tanks before I bought it used a year ago. There was/is no sagging or other issue. Before I bought it I spoke with one of the AF guys who supposedly has some design input into them and he said the same thing about filling the tank with a positive seal ballooning the tank and breaking the supports.

I mostly store it on the truck now, but it does sit unsupported for a few weeks at a time when I need the truck for other stuff. Adding extra support seems like overkill to me, but time will tell.
Navy_LDO
Explorer
Jan 11, 2015
Sorry about forgetting to include the year - it's a new unit - 2014 carry over. Also, thank you so much for the responses - they have been very helpful :)
covered_wagon
Explorer
Jan 11, 2015
A little less in outside graphics and more into what's underneath is a suggestion is to this company.
bighatnohorse
Explorer II
Jan 11, 2015
Navy_LDO wrote:
Not wanting to start a "which company is better war" just trying to get some truthful input. A little history first - had an Eagle Cap 950 which we loved, but had to sell due to a military move. We are now getting ready to head back to the mainland and have been camper shopping. We found an Arctic Fox 992 at a great price, but have had a salesman at a different dealership "warn" us to check the owner's manual to make sure it doesn't say "do not have persons in the camper unless supported by the truck" - that there have been issues with the tanks falling out of the bottom. Any information that you guys could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

You should have included what year Arctic Fox 992 ??
You're getting dated advice on campers that were manufactured more than ten years ago.
Camper manufacturers often change build and technique on the fly.
Except for the clam-shell type campers, little remains the same over time.
Is your candidate camper new? Used?
Mello_Mike
Explorer
Jan 11, 2015
Welcome, it's always good to see another squid on here. As for the camper in question, it would help to know the year you're looking at. As has been alluded to in previous posts, there was an issue in the past (primarily from over filling the water tank), but that has since been rectified.
bobndot
Explorer II
Jan 11, 2015
Here is a link below that speaks about AF .

Try your best to research the newer units. See if they have improved.

Make sure you have enough truck under an AF ! Don't skimp on a truck .

http://forums.motorhomemagazine.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/26340366/print/true.cfm