Forum Discussion

Cornstalk's avatar
Cornstalk
Explorer
Oct 06, 2019

Complete newbie needs help

Hi, I plan on traveling in a TC in a few months and need help finding basic newbie info about how everything works.

I can't find a manual for my camper and I know nothing about trucks, truck campers, electricity, batteries, the frig, the propane, etc. The newbie section here (in the sticky) is helpful, BTW.

The truck is a 1995 F250, reg cab with 8 foot bed. GVWR: 8600 lb. Front GAWR: 3215LB. Rear GAWR: 6084LB. Gas.

The camper is a 2001 8 foot (approx) Sun-Lite, hard side. 1,400 pounds according to the plate on the rear.

I want to learn more and would like to find the manual or a website that has diagrams of TC systems.

Thanks:)
  • guidry wrote:
    Didn’t the per person who sold it to you go over everything!?


    I bought it off craigslist and the trip took much longer than expected. I drove from central Illinois to northern Minnesota and arrived late at night, so the seller couldn't explain much. Thx.
  • cavie wrote:
    you tube is your friend


    Thanks. I've been watching youtube videos on campers for over a year, but haven't found a "Truck Campers for Dummies" video yet. I don't even know where the battery is, where the controls for the frig are, where the water tank is and other things.

    I think I'm making this harder than it needs to be.
  • work2much wrote:
    Since it is almost 20 years old and you are new to it you might consider finding a good tech to go through the camper, service everything and willing to take the time to explain all the systems of the camper to you.


    A few weeks ago I contacted a local RV tech who said for $75 he'd do a one hour explanation. He's going to call when he has time. Thanks:)
  • I can't find a manual for my camper

    Even if you could and there was one, you would likely be surprised that it would be very generic.
    The sub-systems and components all come from the same handful of suppliers. Usually a component-specific manual can be found online.

    There are a lot of videos on youtube that should explain most issues. A generic video for a class C RV will explain many things, most information on the operation of an RV is not truck camper specific.

    But it would be best if you could find someone locally who walks you through your camper and assists with first-time loading and unloading the camper.

    It is not rocket science, you will be fine.
  • Didn’t the per person who sold it to you go over everything!?
  • Since it is almost 20 years old and you are new to it you might consider finding a good tech to go through the camper, service everything and willing to take the time to explain all the systems of the camper to you.