Camping with Camper when off Truck

I use mine off the truck on a regular basis when we stay for a extended period of time fishing. Sounds like bobndot have had some tough times with their jacks. I have had three truck campers and none of them have had jack failures. All of them where electric. They also have the manual crank feature which I have tested and seem to work fine. When on a traveling trip without the boat I personally would almost always rather have my TC on the truck. That way I have all the comforts of home where ever I am at! The biggest concern of mine when off loading on the road is making sure you have a level spot. Also a concern is if you have to load on a very windy day. I have to crank my jacks almost to their full height to load and that baby is way up there. I much prefer loading and unloading in my shop on the concrete floor but I can't take that with me! My particular camper has no problem being used off the truck with full tanks and is very stable. I simply lower it as close to the ground as possible.

If your camper uses only three jacks, the bottom will have to be supported so you can use it off the truck. Make sure that the area you plan to set camper has firm level soil so that the jacks do not sink and do not have side forces on them while you are using the camper. If dry camping, watch your battery reserve - You may have to run your generator or use jumper cables off your truck if your batteries don't have sufficient capacity to power the jacks and raise the camper.

This is often our covered patio:


Camping the Oregon coast Winter of 2014

i did it with my old sun lite and it only had 3 manual jacks.wobbly is an understatement.the wife hated when i did it.our new northstar is apparently desighned to be used off the truck,so we will be doing it this summer on our month long fishing/exploring trip to the chilcotin.

RoyB wrote:
For those that do this I am curious how you keep the Truck Camper from being stolen.

Hang a large picture of a lemon on it . :)

To OP : As long as you are able to find mechanical assistance if you should need it in case of a jack or electronic digital failure , its o.k. to off load.
I would test my rig on flat ground to check its balance to be lifted by using 3 jacks. Test it by NOT USING one different jack at a time, see how your LOADED CAMPER is balanced. But you always have to be offloaded on level ground, otherwise you might not be able to lift it using 3 jacks.

Keep it low as suggested and I would keep my awning closed , while unattended. I would use pads under the jack feet to distribute weight and make sure you have good hard solid ground that doesn't puddle in the rain.

If anyone is interested in reading it, I will share my experience. Keep in mind I work my jacks up/down from time to time , clean and wax the tubes , do what the jack mfg.'s suggest to do.
I've had 3 jack failures while loading/unloading, I was NOT able to use the remaining 3 jacks to lift it . ( I guess the balance was not right for whatever reason )
The possibility of road dirt or sand getting into a jack tube or the digital end of electronics being so sensitive to malfunction , I have been advised by dealers and RV mechanics not to unload in remote places.

Two failures at home and one at a dealership. I was lucky to be able to have help to resolve the issues and not in a remote "no cell service place."
#1 , While at an out of state dealership for a repair, I had a motor die while off loading, when the dealer and I tried to hand-crank it, the tube did bind making the crank useless. Dirt and road salt got into the tube I guess. He borrowed a jack off a new camper to unload my camper. If this happened at a CG, I would have to wait at least 24 hrs. for an overnight jack motor delivery.
While at home in my driveway , the motors worked but the tubes froze and when I tried to hand-crank it, the shear pin snapped making the crank useless.
Three dealers suggested not to off load in a remote place w/o help being available. They also suggested not doing it at crowded resort locations where others have reservations to occupy your site the minute you vacate it. This is one of the reasons some CG owners refuse to allow TC's to be off-loaded. I guess it occurs more frequently than people think.

Many years ago one of our remote camper members offered me an emergency fabrication .
Being that I tow a utility trailer behind my camper, if I needed to, I would remove my trailers tongue jack and use heavy duty plumbing straps to attach it to the dead camper jack tube. I would block it with wood blocks and have a temporary jack to use in an emergency. However, for me, I simply leave it on my truck 24/7, but I understand that might not work for some people. For those, make sure you have a back up plan , just in case.

FYI .... It might take two booms to lift a dead camper, this guy lost 2 jacks at the same time:

My parents have a TC and do this often.

I have never been to a campground, thou try to avoid most campgrounds, that has a policy on separation.

Lance has a note in their manual about making the front higher than the rear when free standing, so I would consider doing the same.

I thought supporting a TC off the truck, aside from a full 4x8 platform, was a no-no. I have always heard they prefer to be on a full flat spot or the 4 corners but not on sawhorses like I see lots of people doing driving arond. It is how the floor is designed.

OP, you may want to call the manufacurer of your TC and ask. The note about the water tank tells me they are worried about floor strength.

My only issue was the camper wobbling around. With two kids and a 100lbs dog the camper would move around and drive me nuts. I would recommend a source to stabilize it, such as jacks, wobble stoppers or stands.

You couldn't tip the camper over unless you were 2000lbs. Do a search about the topic.

RoyB wrote:
For those that do this I am curious how you keep the Truck Camper from being stolen. I have watched one being unhooked and sit on the ground at a campground recently and it only takes a few minutes to get setup on the ground.

Why do you think it would be easier to steal a TC vs. a camper sitting on wheels ready to drag off. With a TC the truck would need tiedown attachments which few trucks have. Almost all trucks have a trailer hitch. I would also think the time involved raising the camper to truck bed height would deter most would be thieves since they probably won't have access to the electric jack controls. But of course, even the best anti theft precautions won't thwart a determined thief.

We did it all the time with the pop up and I plan on doing the same with the new one. Lower it as close to the ground as possible. We used jack stands to support the base at 4 corners. (same as we do at home) I prefer it off the truck because it is not such a climb in and out.

As far as shaky feel, I feel more wiggle when it is on the truck. The tipping over thing has been discussed heavily on here. After reading all of that, I put that out of my head as a "not gonna happen".

Roy B - never really thought about the being stolen thing. We have only off-loaded at CG's and I guess I am naive or too trusting of my fellow man. Since ours has the electric jacks, I guess taking the remote with us would at least slow them down quite a bit!!

I think following the mfg's recommendation would be best. The empty fresh water tank is a good idea

OH...plus... being closer to the ground makes it easier for the dog!!

I've done it dozens of times. I have used the camper as a base for both construction projects and camping in locations from 150 to 2500 miles from home. I don't understand the concern. That is what a truck camper is for. I did begin to support my camper, because it is very heavy and a bit wobbly with two slide outs just supported by the 4 jacks. I did this with a plywood X table (previously discussed in this forum) that is stored under the camper while it is on the truck. The table is made of one piece of plywood cut into 4 sections and slotted so that the pieces form two X supports for the base when unloaded. It is light, compact and strong. When I unload I simply cross the two pieces and lower it for additional support.

We did this in Yellowstone last summer, not a problem, no queezy feelings here.
we just lower it as close to the ground as possible.