Mammoth ordered! And now in production!

work2much wrote:

Bedlam wrote:
Host has better quality awnings than EC with finished edges that will not fray as quickly. I have seen too many complaints with Happijac camper jacks, so the Rieco Titan jacks on the Host was a plus for me. Eagle Cap uses the Schwintek slide mechanisms while Host uses the Power Gear. Both are manufactured by LCI of which I have a poor opinion, but the Power Gear has shown to be more reliable and has a manual mechanical backup if things fail
.I didn't like the awning situation on either. Due to them having to stick out horizontally I feel that in most conditions they wouldn't provide shade well since they can't be lowered as the sun goes down. I think we will add a manual shade to the outside of the slide down the road.

I honestly feel these triple slides weigh about the same based on their construction and either will be close to the limits of a Class 3 DRW if you do not plan to tow. If you are thinking about any kind of trailer some tongue weight on a rear extension or even carrying a cargo box or motorcycle up front, you really need to be looking at Class 4 or larger trucks. No added tongue weight. We are considering a small jeep or FJ cruiser to flat tow in the future. Also considering 19.5 wheel set-up for added margin of error.

All good ideas. With the battery placement we are considering and potentially down the road eliminating propane and replacing heating and domestic water with a diesel powered unit there may be some major reconfiguring in the storage bay to open things up.

It is true you cannot angle the main awning much. There are spring buttons allowing some left to right angle for better rain release, but the right slide limits the degree of angle you can induce. You can run a sun screen into the awning roller slot so it drops vertically when you deploy the awning - I have been looking into this, but have not seen seen an urgent need yet. Remember that the slides all have awning toppers. Even if you never used the main awning, the slide awnings are always in use when camping.

Remember that the AAM and Dana have an OEM rating of 11K lbs regardless of the rating Ram or Ford give them with softer springs or tires. I suggest looking at stiffer spring packs unless you have the Ram air-ride. If you have the air-ride, I would look at how to add Sumo Springs, Timbrens or Work Rites to your setup not only to help the bags, but also as backup if the bags or plumbing ever failed.

Even if the batteries are maintenance free, at some point you need to access them for install or replacement. Although I feel better about accessing them at the far front of the basement than a door on the front wall, I think better accessibility to them might prove wise later. Maybe even put them on the rolling tray instead of in front of it and just use longer leads.