Using your truck camper jacks
Not having purchased a TC or truck yet, I continue to read, ask questions and listen to the folks with experience. I was talking with the brother of a friend who has been truck camping for the la...
Forum Discussion
Mike, I've been "truck-camper" camping since the 70's (and I'm only 52) and I have to agree with the brother of your friend. Mostly because I do not have new electric jacks that raise and lower my camper all at once.
My older camper has hydraulic jacks and it is a slow process going around and jacking each corner a couple inches, and I know this causes the camper to "rack" which can create leaks in older units. Once my camper is in the air at the top of the lift it is scary to me also. I'm not paralyzed with fear, but it is serious business if you bump your camper and it's at full extension.
Personally, I have never taken my camper off when camping, not any of the four I've owned. I really only have a camper because often I escape for weekend or over night alone and don't need my big travel trailer, and we too have a sailboat and are into equestrian events.
I store my camper in our garage so I have to go a long way up and down between uses. I don't have the luxury of leaving it on my truck for a season as some folks do. My truck has to earn its keep performing farm chores and being somewhat of a daily driver.
I have always loved having a truck camper, but having the luxury of owning a 3/4 ton Suburban and 30' travel trailer as well, and then driving a class A motor home back and forth across the USA many times for work I can tell you each has it merits and each has it draw backs.
Each individual has their own comfort zones, you can see by the responses some think nothing of backing under their campers and others do so with trepidation.
All the best as you make your decision, Hans (in Buckley WA, not to far from you).
This old rig was our first camper, and it was lifted with two tripod cable jacks and you had to balance the camper to lift it.
Still out there horsing around after all these years with the same wonderful woman.
Camper sits on a dolly that is then backed into our big garage because it's too tall to back into the garage on the truck. So it goes up and down twice every time I want to use it.
My older camper has hydraulic jacks and it is a slow process going around and jacking each corner a couple inches, and I know this causes the camper to "rack" which can create leaks in older units. Once my camper is in the air at the top of the lift it is scary to me also. I'm not paralyzed with fear, but it is serious business if you bump your camper and it's at full extension.
Personally, I have never taken my camper off when camping, not any of the four I've owned. I really only have a camper because often I escape for weekend or over night alone and don't need my big travel trailer, and we too have a sailboat and are into equestrian events.
I store my camper in our garage so I have to go a long way up and down between uses. I don't have the luxury of leaving it on my truck for a season as some folks do. My truck has to earn its keep performing farm chores and being somewhat of a daily driver.
I have always loved having a truck camper, but having the luxury of owning a 3/4 ton Suburban and 30' travel trailer as well, and then driving a class A motor home back and forth across the USA many times for work I can tell you each has it merits and each has it draw backs.
Each individual has their own comfort zones, you can see by the responses some think nothing of backing under their campers and others do so with trepidation.
All the best as you make your decision, Hans (in Buckley WA, not to far from you).
This old rig was our first camper, and it was lifted with two tripod cable jacks and you had to balance the camper to lift it.
Still out there horsing around after all these years with the same wonderful woman.
Camper sits on a dolly that is then backed into our big garage because it's too tall to back into the garage on the truck. So it goes up and down twice every time I want to use it.
