Eagle cap 1160 & Lance 1172 owners....
I am in my 3rd week of searching for the right camper for our 2.5 family. Daughter is almost 10. I am trying to stick to needs vs wants and am in need of advice. Both the EC 1160 and Lance 1172...
Forum Discussion
JTLance wrote:Winner... Check my sig...
No rear door ever again for me. LOVE the side door, have it now, and won't go back.
OK, then I'll look at the Host's again. Thanks for the wake-up on the weights.
It seems the wet weight on the Lance was like 5000, the Host was more like 5500+ .
I REALLY didn't want to need to buy a bigger dually.....
That is exactly what you'll need to do if you totally load an 1160 up, and then haul a heavy trailer.
I had an F350 DRW. My EC 1160 now makes camper #5 in my life. Had my F350DRW for over 15 years, a trusty crusty 7.3L. I did EVERYTHING you can do to it to haul a TC - big springs, Rancho 9000's, Roadmaster sway bars... Worked great for my Arctic Fox 1150+trailer.
Then....
I get the Eagle Cap 1160. Right off the bat, first trip..."Holy **** this thing is heavy." I have a DOT scale right down the street I hit frequently. Loaded, my AF1150 was 5400lbs. EC1160--7200. And my toybox trailer is no puny thing either, 24ft 12k, with ~1000lbs tongue weight.
It proved to be too much for 17" tires--I don't care Ford/Dodge/Chevy, that was it... blowouts, delams, and braking was noticeably different.
I got a helluva deal a few years back on a 'real' 2015 F450 w/19.5's and a Dana110 rear end. WOW... what a difference. Awesome handling, MUCH better braking.
I would love to tell you get an 1160 - and if you don't plan on getting a heavy trailer, you'll be fine with a 1-ton class DRW. The combination of a heavy trailer + heavy TC was too much.
Now granted - I do have a lot of batteries, solar, and a bunch of other stuff, so I'm a little heavier than most 1160's, but to offset some of that weight, no factory Moan'in generator ( I say Moan'in because Onan gens are known to suck, just like CrappiJacks).
I've only EVER had one problem, and that was very recently, the Heiki vent over the bunk cracked and caused a leak, and subsequent delam problem that I had to fix. Other than that, it has been a 100% trouble free camper - mine is a 2012, prior to Schwintec slides.
The HUGE plus with EC - All of plumbing and wiring is easily accessible in the basement. Super easy to work on. My Arctic Fox - Forget it! You can not access the basement, no way, no how.... Good luck if you have a plumbing leak or wiring problem.
