We have a 5th wheel Montana for our Trips and stored on a year round camp site. But I've got a driving urge for simpler camping trips plus wanting to tow our MC with us on some camping trips staying at SP or NP campgrounds..So been looking at TC and reading up on them for past 2yrs, See its a 2nd RV so its going to be used mostly by me or me and my wife for 1wk trips.. Money is a issue and its condition it is too, nothing gross inside or frame rot.. So I'm shopping here in the North east looking to spend 4 to 6k$ on a used 2000 to 2005 TC- which units should I be looking at and what areas of the camper do I watch out for? I also enjoy cold weather camping too! Thanks

4-6k plan on spending some time replacing wood rot issues (they all leak, don't let anyone tell you that it has never leaked). Truck campers are pretty easy to work on

You are in the NE and looking for a 12-17 year old used TC in good shape and for a low price. That may be a bit of a challenge.On the plus side, your truck will handle most campers just fine - weight should not be an issue. Your truck is a long bed, so you will want to avoid short bed campers.You want to pull a trailer, so it will be easier if the camper has little or no rear overhang.That leaves you with 8' or 8 1/2' campers.Just the 2 of you will be traveling, so you do not need a "family sized" unit. Only you know if you can do with a standard 8' hardwall camper without slides and with a wet bathroom. We find it is plenty big & comfortable for 2 people, but not everybody does.Since you like winter camping, you probably do not want a popup camper (although many of them are perfectly comfortable in cold weather).There are a lot of different camper brands out there. All build good and bad units. Some better than others. The manufacturers with a better reputation may fetch a better price (think, for example, Bigfoot or Northern Lite). But after 15 years, in my opinion, the history of the camper is more important than the original build quality. You need a unit in good condition at a reasonable price more than you need one made by a specific manufacturer.If you think you are not confident assessing the state of the camper, try to have it looked at by someone who is more knowledgeable.Don't just look at rot/water intrusion issues. Also make sure that everything works as it should. Let the seller demonstrate all features.A good used camper may be easier to find out west, or in the NW. There are just many more there.Do you have a place to store the camper under a roof when not used, or will it be sitting in the open?

4-6 will get you a marginal unit that probably has issues, especially in the NE. Very few owners keep their units inside during the off season (like I do, mine resides in a heated garage all winter), so outside storage over time takes it's tool on the unit.The older the unit becomes, the less particular owners become at seal maintenance, so older units tend to have intrusion issues.Any unit you do look at, lift the mattress and look carefully in the lower front where the walls transition to the cabin over sheet for leakage and / or black stains, a sure sign of intrusion. Look in the cabinets at floor level and the wall to floor transition, again for stains. Sight down the Filon side for ripples that indicate delamination from intrusion and look at the floor covering for lifting or bubbles, a sign of intrusion as well and check the outside for soft spots, all indicative of bad things underneath.All can be done without disturbing anything and irritating the owner and above all, take anything they state with a grain of salt.I'd be looking for a unit kept inside in the off season, not stored in the backyard, but youe chances of finding that for less than 4K are slim and none...But you may get lucky.Good luck.

With your truck and the desire to tow a trailer, I would say you can go up to 10', than use a curt hitch extension @ 2' with weight distribution to tow a 7x14 box trailer fine. But I only load one BMW 1200, 2 dirt bikes, or an ATV. this hitch limits you to 8000 lbs tow, 800 lbs tong weight when used at 2' extension. Not sure if it work if your trying to move 1500 lbs of Harley's there are other more expensive solutions that allow you to tow with longer campers in bedGood luck finding something on east coast. they are few and far between to start with. Here is where you can start your search. Phila Craigslist couple over in NJ but no telling what they really look like, sellers don't take pictures of rot when advertising. I started with a used one I found on craigs list.Hate to say it, but on the Right coast the market probably has 10 used motorhomes available for every 1 truck camper. while they both have the same rot problems, you may have better luck finding a clean used smaller motorhome.

TC are rare, although I see lot of $2000 units with the condition you can easy imagine. I moved to TC from bus conversion, but then we have 3 boys less to take. IMHO single slide is the best bang for the money, but with the budget finding one that does not need work (they all do) will be hard. That said it is winter and people are getting desperate before Christmas.Good luck shopping.

Have a 5er,Want to get a used TC for me.What to watch for?

turbothrush
Explorer
Jan 22, 2018
Sorry I'm only familiar with the older non basement models.

i can tell you an oscillating multi tool is woth its weight in gold when you begin to disassemble the lower interior to get to the rotten floor. These tools excel at making otherwise almost impossible cuts without destroying things. You can even get bi-metal blades that will cut through nails and brads.

i guess the upside is you will have a camper worth keeping once you get it repaired.
Akjoatmon
Explorer
Jan 21, 2018
Turbothrust

Do you have any experience repairing a rotten foundation in a fiberglass camper? I recently purchased a used Northern Lite that evidently was owned by one of the many who think they require less maintenance. The floor under the basement on the passenger side is rotten due to water and I am trying to determine how to fix it without gutting the thing.
turbothrush
Explorer
Nov 23, 2017
If you are handy consider holding out for an older (90's) Northern Lite or Bigfoot with a decent outside skin and repair any interior or rot iissues. These fiberglass skin campers can look almost like new even after 25 years. Except for the graphics a shined up 1991 model and a 2018 model look pretty much the same.

Anything inside on these campers can be replaced without removing the outside skin and this includes the tie down points and jack mount points They can still leak of course but there is no wood studs to rot. The wooden 1 1/8 " sleepers in the floor can rot but the complete floor can be replaced without affecting the outside skin. The inside wall skin (1/8 " plywood) can rot but this is simply glued to the 1" styrofoam with either poly urethane construction adhesive or polyurathne glue. And no i don't work for Northern Lite but believe in their method of construction.

I also
agree about the electric jacks being nice but expensive to add on. I think they are about $1400 alone.
joerg68
Nomad III
Nov 23, 2017

If you buy one without electric jacks, it won't be long before you're looking to upgrade.

Seconding that. Our TC is on the truck year round, so it is not an issue. But your description sounds like you will be loading/unloading frequently. In that case, electric jacks will be very beneficial.
handye9
Explorer II
Nov 22, 2017
Pay special attention to jack mounts and the area around them. Doesn't take much water intrusion for the lag bolts (holding mounts) to pull out.

Having a DRW, you'll want to look for extensions (AKA swing out brackets) on the front jack mounts.

If you buy one without electric jacks, it won't be long before you're looking to upgrade. Upgrading can be spendy.
towpro
Explorer
Nov 22, 2017
in the mean time, you can always drive north to truck camper warehouse on a weekend and see what your getting into. Bill will answer any questions you have. He does have some used, his website is not up to date so a call about inventory (and to make sure they are open that weekend) is always best.
I would not expect him to hide any issues from buyers on used campers.

Make a weekend out of it. go up Saturday morning, i stayed at motel 6, I didn't mind but wife says to recommend something better like the quality inn. Food at a place called 99 Restaurant was good.
Than if you have any questions, go back on Sunday before driving home.

all this is North of Brattleboro VT, but TCW is within maybe 1 mile across river in tax free NH (same people own long island store, but all inventory is in NH)
jaycocreek
Explorer II
Nov 22, 2017
I'm not here to argue with anyone..We all have our pet peeves for certain products,good or bad.Silicone products have a bad rep on RV forums..I don't know if it is from actual experience or going with the tide..Myself,in 50 plus years of taking care of RV's,I have never had a silicone product I chose, not do it's job but that's irrelevant to this thread.

Proper maintenance is easily identified in a pre-buy walk around as I am sure the opp is very well aware of, already owning a fifth wheel.Whatever product that was used regardless of what it is,is better than know maintenance at all.

My recent Lance was well taken care of..Don't much care what any previous owner used in maintaining it as long as it was maintained because once I bought it,I re-did it all my way, to my satisfaction.

Just one trip out in a truck camper on wash boardy roads can break or crack last years seal.Thst's one reason my next camper will be Bigfoot or Northern lite.Truck campers of normal build are just tough to keep sealed properly when used hard in rough places.

Good luck to the opp in finding a good used truck camper!
SidecarFlip
Explorer III
Nov 22, 2017
My comment to your comment is simply there are many products out there and RTV is one I don't want to see anywhere on any RV on the exterior.
jaycocreek
Explorer II
Nov 22, 2017
If I was to buy a used unit from say CL and the sell stated it was kept inside and maintained, I'd want to see where it was 'inside' at and maintenance records or at least some half used tubes of Dicor or Sikaflex..

It takes maybe 5 minutes and a ladder to see if it has been maintained.Not everyone uses the products you listed..Say grandma had the RV dealer re-seal and maintain it's more than likely they used some form of silicone...Oh ya...That nasty eight letter word on RV forums.(laughing) but it works...

Either way,one can tell in just minutes if it has been maintained especially on the roof.
SidecarFlip
Explorer III
Nov 22, 2017
mkirsch wrote:
My suggestion is you throw out the notion of looking for a specific unit, or even a specific range of years, and just look for one that is in acceptable shape and within your budget. Even if it's older.

Once you get into 12+ year old TCs, it's all about how they were used, maintained and stored. If it was not maintained it will be junk. Ideally you want to find one that hasn't been used much and was kept in a building when not being used.

Brand, build quality, manufacturer support are meaningless on a TC more than maybe 5 years old. At that point it doesn't matter how well it was built, if the owner doesn't take care of it, it will be junk. A good 12 year old camper is a good 12 year old camper, whether it's some brand that doesn't exist anymore, a bottom of the barrel brand, a middle of the road brand, or a top of the line brand. Start with a good camper and maintain it, and it will serve you well.

Exactly.

I can be a top tier camper that wasn't maintained and stored outside unprotected with no upkeep and be a landfill candidate or a economy unit that was taken care of and kept inside and be pristine.

The 2 factors that impact any used unit no matter what it is, TT 5er, tent camper, toy hauler or whatever is maintenance and storage.

If I was to buy a used unit from say CL and the sell stated it was kept inside and maintained, I'd want to see where it was 'inside' at and maintenance records or at least some half used tubes of Dicor or Sikaflex....:)

Far as appliances and convenience items go, no matter if it's top tier or economy, all the appliances will be similar, you want to look hard at the structure and if something don't work appliance wise, no a deal breaker, it can be replaced.