Lance 1030 owners?

Lance 1030 with some rot? Yup, that's me! TC Forum write-up

We got our 1030 in 2006, when it was three years old. Looked & smelled new inside. Bought from a dealer and only got a vague history. Had the impression it was used once or twice, parked, and then sold back / returned to the dealer, possibly due to first owner's passing.

Anyway, it looked bad on the outside. That was one of the stipulations I put in with the dealer - clean up the exterior! I wonder if it was parked under a tree or something. Anyway, it lives in a heated shop now and gets wet every time we use it - as I wash it before putting it back in the shop. Every spring it gets the wax and the detailed seam inspection, looking for & resealing cracks. Even though we only have it out 3-6 times a year, it does develop its share of cracks in the sealant.

The year after we bought it I found the rot in the skirts. See the link above for all the details, I don't need to re-hash them here.

Is that dry rot common in 1030's? Common in Lance's of that era? Common in TC's in general? Lots to debate here and I don't have the answers.

I did have the dealer install an Onan generator in 2006. It worked fine until 2009. Then I had a problem with the propane refining and turning back in to oil in the lines. This clogged up the generator. I disconnected and blew out all the lines with solvent, but the genny has never fully recovered. It is a PITA to take out, and I simply have not decided to tackle the project yet. The symptom is missing & sputtering under high sustained load (ie: after the AC has been running for 20 minutes on a 90 degree day), eventually leading to it dying. Living in the Pacific NW, the AC is nice but not critical. The genny does fine for other routine purposes - DW powering it on and then running her microwave. ;)

For the two of us, the camper is the right size. Sure the dry bath is small, but just how much do I expect to fit in a TC? We have mixed up camping from none, to partial, to full hook ups. The 1030 works good in all situations. Three days is about the limit for dry camping with the tank sizes, but that can be supplemented by containerize water jugs for outdoor washing / drinking / etc. DW really likes the large kitchen & counter (compared to other campers). I have never seen her use the sink plugs for additional counter space.

Like a previous posted mentioned, we bought a 19" 12v tube TV to fit the cabinet. And then I got a 12v digital-analog converter to go with it. Ours was 'stereo ready' but did not have a stereo - so the speakers & wiring were in it. I bought a combination AM/FM/CD/DVD player, cut the hole, and mounted it where the stock unit went. That said... We rarely watch TV while traveling (we don't have TV reception at home, so it is a treat). We will watch a DVD or two and have our own camping themed DVD's which are only watched when camping.

I pulled the original battery and replaced it with a Trojan J150 battery in 2007. It barely fits, but it does fit! Excellent battery. I pull it out annually and top it off. Plenty of amps for dry camping. The previous owner put a solar panel on top and that works pretty good too.

Truck is a '97 Silverado 2500. Just for grins, I pulled the original 350 and dropped in a 383 crate motor last winter. That really took it up a notch! I used to run in (3) on the freeway, and climb hills in (2) at 45mph. Now I can hold over drive on the freeway and climb hills in (3) at 55mph. I put airbags, HD shocks, and a sway bar on the truck to handle the camper's weight. I am at the limit of what my tires can carry (I know people routinely go over), but a 3/4 ton SRW truck will work fine for a Lance 1030.

Okay, what else do you want to know about a 1030? PM me if you don't see a reply on this tread - I only check the board about once a week.

-Eric

I bought a 2003 Lance 1071 in January, we love the slide and dry bath, no problems what so ever, paid $13,500

Thanks HandyRandy! $11,500 in 2011? Wow, that was a good deal! All the ones I see are 12k and up!.. and it's 3 years later than when you purchased! Sorry about the link. It worked before. I see it has been deleted by the author now.. Maybe it sold or they found it needs much more work than anticipated and pulled it off the market. I was waiting for a return call about it also. Oh well. The search continues! :-)

Dak

We bought a 2003 1030 in 2011 and have absolutely loved it. My wife and I are on the small side of average (5'3"/120, 5'8"/155) and the size has been perfect. I really didn't want slide outs and this was one of the larger campers I found without them. The dry bath is a little snug for showering, but it works fine for the wet down - shampoo/soap - rinse routine. I have the OE propane generator and so far it has worked fine. Our normal use for it is to fire it up to run the microwave. We have run the AC with it and it worked for that, but I didn't pay attention to how much LPG is used.

Upgrades since I bought it:
Jack OTH TV antenna
Very inexpensive 19" TV that runs on 12V
Auto type stereo unit the plays DVDs
290 Watts of solar panels on the roof
Second Type 29 battery
1500 W inverter to charge laptops and run heat tape while motoring in cold weather.

The link to the ad didn't work so I didn't see the details of the one you were looking at. We paid $11,500 for ours and feel we got a fair deal. Structurally it is fine, the only issue we had was the PO hadn't winterized it properly and it was frozen up when we got it home. Had to replace a faucet, but that was it.

I'd be happy to answer any questions.

This is all really valuable information! Thanks ! Buzzcut, I have and do continue to look for a reasonable 1055; they are sort of scarce and if I do find one they are a bit pricey. I do like the it though! As noted, I have been around TCs for many years, have rebuilt a few from scratch, etc., but have never had one newer than a 1996 that I bought new in 96 for..... $13k!!! That same one today would probably sell for over $40 now, which I just can't justify for the usage it will get, so I will buy used. I know that used ones often have issues, which is why I'm in no hurry to replace my Weekender yet. I've put a lot of time, $$ and effort into it and I like it just fine, but really want more counter space and a dry bath. Thus my search for a potential replacement. As for the generator, I don't really ever use the AC anyway, and don't go to RV parks, so I would probably pull it out anyway. I already have a plan to purchase a Honda and it would probably fit in the same compartment. I have AGM batteries in my Weekender at this point and can go 3 nights easy with my furnace set at 60 in 32 degree weather if I'm careful. I have all LED lighting which really helps me conserve.

I totally will completely physically check out any unit in person before even putting a penny down on it! This would be a cash sale and I work pretty hard for my $$... don't want to waste it on junk! I've put a $12-15k limit though so I'll be very lucky if I can find the "perfect" one; but I'll keep looking until I do. Or I'll save more money in the future. They are out there! In the meantime I'll just keep camping in my Weekender and have fun!

Thanks again for all your comments on this. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. :)

Dak

Onan says gen sets need to be 'exercised' monthly for an hour loaded to capacity. That being said, I sure wish there was a alternative to the 2.8 Microlite I screwed to back of my 2010 Lance 1040, it's loud and likes to shut off occasionally when running down the road with the AC running. Mine is gas with a 10 gallon on board tank, Onan replaced the first carburetor under warranty as it wouldn't start after 3 months.

We have an older 880, which has a similar layout (only with a wet bath).

A small Honda 2000eu might run your A/C... might not. Ours will kick out 50% of the time. We have also found our on-board propane Onan to be remarkably unreliable. It's stupid expensive for our local dealer to work on them- to the point that it made more sense to buy the Honda and carry gas along. Silly to have to carry a back-up generator, but it's quieter, simpler to run, and works for everything we do, with the exception of reliable A/C. The propane gensets are much louder than the Hondas.

Other than that, we still really like ours. I plan on digging in to the Onan next month to try and get it finally sorted out. I hate having something that doesn't work right, even if I rarely use it.

I think you've been around TCs long enough to know if you buy anything over just a few years old, chances are you are going to have to work on it.

A number out of thin air, but I think 95% of RV owners don't have a clue how to take care of one. I know I didn't when I got my first one. And all the dealers I've seen will kluge something together just to sell it.

So if you want one that's 10 years old you have to expect to do some work on it or get very lucky finding a perfect one or buy one from some of the guys on rv.net that have already done the time.

The one I have was 8 years old and had several problems, which I've corrected.

The less work needed means more money (newer) or lots of good luck.

Seeing the glass on the skirts look as it does, I would really look close at the rest of the structure. If all the 2003 model needed was the skirts rebuilt I wouldn't pass it up, for the right price. The one you listed was right for me.

Love our '04 1030. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Cold weather use is tough as all forced air camper drain the batteries. If it is 35F out and you want it 60F+ inside you will have 1 or 2 nights on battery. If you have shore power or can run a generator then you are set! Also the furnace is fairly loud. With Two 30lb tanks the propane lasts quite a while.

One of my skirts is starting to delaminate (not soft to touch) but isn't nearly to the stage (on the outside) what the camper you posted has. Before putting any money down, I would require the seller to reseal the camper and have the skirts checked out.

We bought a Lance 1030 last summer. It's a 2001, was a one owner. The lady lived in Southern California and moved to Indiana a few years back. It does not have the fiberglass sides thou. It's aluminum. We've taken it out a few times and have really enjoyed it. The fresh water tank is plenty big at 30 gallons but we with the grey water tank was bigger as it's only 15 gallons. We bought it to take a trip out West sometime in the next couple of years. We think it will be much easier getting around with this versus a large 5th wheel.
The wings on our are a little bit soft. I figured I need to rebuild them sometime soon. We have the propane generator. Don't know if we'll ever use it but it's there in case we need it. It weights around 3600 lbs with a full tank of water but no supplies on board.
Hope this helps