Camping in TC off truck

travelnutz wrote:
TT's, 5th wheels, MH's etc ALL have wheels under them and can be easily moved if needed to be for a reason. TC's on the other hand must have an adequate vehicle placed under them between the jacks after they are raised enough to move them if the TC owner's truck isn't present. Very common in many CG's or areas to NOT allow them to be taken off the truck when in a private CG or in/on public land/state parks/etc. Have owned a min of one TC constantly for the last 51 years and have found far more CG's etc that will not allow them to be taken off the truck than those which do allow them off! Makes very good sense!

yup, we've been told several times we can't take it off the truck, but they always say its for liability reasons (unstable and dangerous if kids were playing under it).

My county doesn't allow it at their fairgrounds because of fire code. They also require TTs and 5th wheels be positioned with the hitch point facing towards the road.

kerry4951 wrote:
Just do all your camping east of the Mississippi. The CGs and state parks dont even know what a TC is off loading is no problem.

Funny and True...

Yes, it's stupid because camper jacks never collapse while someone is underneath the camper. It's stupid because nobody ever abandons a camper at a campground. It's stupid because nobody has trouble loading a TC under normal circumstances let alone in an emergency.

Do you really think that if any type of camper is on fire someone is going to hook their truck to to move it?

I really hate all the what ifs. That's a huge pet peeve....so something of a fluke happened one time somewhere and now all this rhetoric gets spread. I personally have never had anyone tell me I can't unload. I also never ask, I just do it.

Thanks. I know the one I'm planning to get is stable because I've been in an identical one on the sales lot. It's a Camplite, which is all metal and far from rickety. Interesting that some places won't let you off load. I suppose not asking may be the best policy at times....planning a trip to the East coast (I'm in the desert SW) next summer and if they dont' know what a TC is they just might think Oh How Neat.

languiduck wrote:
Do you really think that if any type of camper is on fire someone is going to hook their truck to to move it?

I really hate all the what ifs. That's a huge pet peeve....so something of a fluke happened one time somewhere and now all this rhetoric gets spread. I personally have never had anyone tell me I can't unload. I also never ask, I just do it.

Just an FYI:
Fire reference was more along the lines of a brush fire or something else, Flood? high winds, that would require evacuation. If the owner is off sight seeing. hiking, riding, exploring somewhere else away from camper they can't immediately hook it up.

Obviously no one would try to hook up a camper on fire...

I'm done, this is getting out of hand here... suffice it to say, there's enough discussion for me to warrant a heads up that the possibility of not allowed to off load may exist, and might double check.
I know I will, just to be sure and to prevent misunderstandings to keep the peace in the campground.

No harm in asking right?

Done.

It is NOT stupid of various states, counties, cities, CG's, state parks, race tracks, fairgrounds, etc to forbid the removing a TC from the vehicle when in a CG or on public land, state land, federal land within the jurisdiction area. Very common in most states/localities east of the Rockies. Not so common west of the Rockies.

Many state/local laws require an RV unit to be mobile/moved at any time amd must have wheels under it which meet the gov/state road travel safety statutes or it is considered to be a stationary structure that can be lived. Which then is then regulated by zoning requirements/restrictions and other laws/regulations for sanitary restrictions of occupancy. Very good laws and regulations and I certainly agree with them.

Liability issues, safety issues, fast emergency removal, abandonment, ease of unwanted theft, wind storm toppling or jack collapsing, lack of liability/comprehensive/medical insurance coverage due to un-titled or unlicensed/not registered TC units being placed on the ground minus the carrying vehicle being there from the states not requiring the documentation or coverage as was explained by our insurance carrier.

Our local area zoning forbids removal of any TC unit in CG's or on public land also and it's enforced as is usually the case in most regulated areas of the USA.

Laws and regulations are laws and regulations and have consequences for disobeying!

It's better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission in this case.

We use these when the camper is off to stop the wobble: Camper Stabilizing Jacks

Good luck!

fpoole wrote:
Just an FYI, I've heard that some campgrounds, if you're staying in one, might? not allow separation... don't know if that's a problem or not, but as some are restricted to newer? models some don't allow you to take it off...

Just heard it around, don't know if it's true or not...

Hope that helps. I plan on detaching it also, once I get going...

Yup that's true in San Diego County parks.

I've always thought that it is at least partially true because of the old hydraulic jacks that were more prone to failure than modern ones. Of course the point that it is difficult to move a TC in an emergency is also part of it.

Another CG where I was prohibited from removing the TC was Oasis RV Park in Las Vegas. That's a standard stop for us on trips north on I15, say to Salt Lake, Grand Canyon North Rim,etc.

Regarding camping in the TC while off the truck, your owner's manual should say whether this is OK. I've had three Lances now and all specified it was acceptable. On the other hand I remember an incident described on this forum about 10 years ago. As I remember the TC in question was an AF990 that was a couple of years old. The new owner removed from the truck with the fresh water tank full and the tank came out the bottom if the camper! The dealer refused to repair under warranty because they said it should not have been removed with a full tank! That incident sticks in my mind because I had looked at that exact camper and had thought about buying it.

One last thought on the subject: those of you with slides might want to check your manual before using any extra stabilizing jacks. As I recall there was a precaution Against this in my 981 manual. The extra jacks could twist the forces on the body and cause issues with the slide alignment I guess.