Unloading

Retired Mech.1998 wrote:
When reloading if you have it put your truck in 4wheel drive at idle it will move by itself & all you need to have your foot on is the brake. Works great for me.04 SnowRiver 8-10. Kurt

That's a great tip. The storage lot I keep my camper at is graveled and it begs for me to PUNCH the gas pedal to even creep a couple of inches.

When reloading if you have it put your truck in 4wheel drive at idle it will move by itself & all you need to have your foot on is the brake. Works great for me.04 SnowRiver 8-10. Kurt

Unloading is not too bad, its just scary to see it standing so high in the air. I also added levels on mine recently to make sure the front stays 2 to 4 inches higher and the side to side height remains the same. My jacks run at different speeds...

Here is what I use to load:
Scroll down to this section --> String's Wizzo Camper Alignment Technique
http://www.where-rv-now.com/Notes/Separation/

Also, I have read about lower the drivers seat back as far back as it will go, then looking over your left shoulder and keeping the drivers side wheel well parallel with the side of the truck camper (I tried this and it works great. I have 1 inch on each side.).

As others have said...slow...slow...slow...

LEVEL and FLAT for the surface you are going to unload.

If the camper is downhill, and you pull out from under it, it could collapse forward. It must be level and the jacks must be level.

Having the front a couple inches higher than the rear is an excellent piece of advice.

I never lower my camper right to the ground. I built very heavy duty saw horses the same height as my truck bed. Once I have enough clearance on the rear of the camper, I put the saw horse under and lower the camper to the saw hoses with the jacks holding 50% of the weight and the SH supporting the other 50%.

Then I drive out and immediately put the front SH under the camper.

Once on the SHs it is solid as a rock. And then I can breath again..... :-)

I'd like to add: be sure the ground is even, flat, and can take the weight of the jacks. And make sure you have enough space in front of the TC to line up the truck properly when you come back to load the TC again.

Take it slowly. It shouldn't be a big deal, really.

Backing up to load the camper is easier, I find, if I turn my head and right shoulder around to watch the gap between the camper and truck close in and not just look in the rear view mirror. Light on the clutch or brake until the truck juuuust touches. Then set the emergency brake, shut down the engine and inspect that the camper is flush with the truck at the cab. Plug in the camper umbilical to the truck and lower as soon as possible to reduce any strain on the jacks if the truck is pressing into the camper too much. I'm rarely off more than an inch on one side or the other on the first attempt. If I am, I pull away from the camper, turning the wheel in the same direction as the gap. If the gap is on the right, I turn the wheel to the right and pull forward a foot or so. I then straighten the wheel and back up that foot and check again. Repeat as necessary.

Another trick is to mark your tire tracks as you pull out from under the lifted camper. Upon return, use those marks and roll the truck back over them. On dirt, it's easy as long as you preserve your tire tracks. On other surfaces, a can of spray paint, the type the highway department uses or the type used on sports fields since they wash away with the first rain can mark the tire tread path.

Just as a word of caution . I had personal experience when my friends tc tipped over and crushed his shed.
If i were going to unload a used unit for the first time, the first thing i would check to see is...
Check the lag screws where the jacks are mounted to the camper. If they show rust, this could mean that water seeped into the corners of the camper rotting the wood in those corners.
I checked mine by backing them out 1/2" , one at a time, to see if the threads were rusted. Just make sure the camper is solid where the jacks are mounted.
Campers have fallen over when jacks rip off the corners because of rotted wood, not visible to the eye, can't support it .
Those screws should be cauked if they aren't already.

Once you determine the unit is solid, getting it back on takes more time because you must be straight as you back under the camper. I find it easier to do myself than use a spotter.
The front of the camper should be raised a little higher than the rear...2-3" as you load and unload. Make sure you dont hit the front jacks, adjust your sideview mirrors.
loading a truck camper-video



I would support an AF while off the truck. To prevent basement stress from a heavy freshwater tank.
If you choose to do that, make sure the supports are wide enough to support he load . Otherwise you will cave in the bottom of the camper. The vertical sides of the camper are the strong points.

This is just an example of what someone made. Saw horses or blocks with cross members could be used as long as they are wider than the bottom of the camper for support.
http://www.jaysnest.net/x-braces.htm

Make sure the ground is solid under the jack feet. Soft ground is the enemy. I would use some square boards under the feet.

Take it slow, you'll find it easier the more you do it .

It will get easier the more you practice. I hope you have electric jacks with a remote; they make it very nice.
I can unload my camper and lower it back down to the ground in around 15 minutes. Most of that time is spent undoing the turnbuckles and lowering it. My jacks don't all run at the same speed so that complicates things.
I don't use a helper or spotter. I just get out and look when I need to. I wouldn't trust anyone else to look for me.

The only other "gottcha" when unloading is forgeting to swing out the front jacks before you set it down.

When you unload- REMEMBER to unplug the electrical hookup BEFORE driving out from under the TC.

While the TC is still WAY up there on the jacks, take a felt tip marker and mark how high each jack leg is (on the lower, silver part). This way once you raise it back up to load you will know how high to jack it up.

As others said, when reloading just go SLOW. Get out and check lots of times as you back up. It is a learning process and will get easier as you do it more times.