Arctic fox 990 rocking back and forth

[Wingit1971]

Hey everyone,
I'm new to the truck camping world and have a few questions

I have an 2017 arctic fox slide in on a 2015 f350 SRW with airbags and rancho 9000xl shocks. I upgraded the the rims from 18's to 20's and put on bf goodrich ko2 265/70r20.When I bought this whole package it didn't rock back and forth at all, now it will rock side to side 2-3 times when until it smooths out . I have it loaded fine and the tiedowns are snug. Trying to figure out what's wrong. You would think the upgrades would've helped it. going around curves isn't a treat either. I have 55psi in the airbags and it leveled just fine and have a very slight bulge in the tire but nothing to write home about. I want to use this as a beach buggy in NJ but there's no way I can do that with this sway/ rocking. Any feedback would be helpful. This is dry weight... 4k Hate to see adding an extra 1k loaded would do.

Thanks.

[StirCrazy]

JimK-NY wrote:

jimh425 wrote:
I don’t think there is any reason to assume 1000 for personal items. You can carry the same amount of stuff that you backpack … if you want. .....

Most of us with campers want to carry more than we would if backpacking.

Personal items might include:
generator and gas. I guess you could give up electricity and just use a flashlight.
outdoor chairs
compressor
tools
extension cord
clothing
bedding
towels
food....heavy, heavy
cooking gear, plates, utensils
toiletries, cosmetics
hobby gear, cameras, binocs
books, guides, maps
BBQ grill
Paper goods, including TP
RV toilet chemicals
bug spray
cleaning products

That is all I could think of in a couple of minutes. I am sure there is lots more. Food/drinks are one of the heaviest and can easily hit several hundred pounds.

Sure, you could leave it all at home. Or you could really cut back on the weight and leave the camper at home and just backpack.

wow, I dont know how you can fit all that stuff in a camper.

how about a solar panel and batteries (40Lbs for the panel say 5lbs for controler and wire) 10 lbs for outdoor chairs, compressor, I have a 3lb 12v one to blow up tires. tools maybe 5lbs, extension cord Ill say another 5, bedding 10lbs towels Ill be real geneorous and say 10 lbs, food, I guess if you eat out of a can you will be heavy, I would say 40lbs tops for a 3 to 4 day trip, you can go lighter if you shop fresh at local locations. all the rest I will give 50lbs, probably closer to 30.

now booze, ya you can get upwards of 50 lbs right there.

so added up Im at 228, so I might have under estimated somthing because last year when I went out for 10 days whith a whole bunch of scotch and a couple cases of beer I scalled 270 lbs over just the camper with full water and propain.

everyone loads to different weights, and I think the old add 1000lbs was geared more towards 5th wheels and biger campers where you have a ton of storage. when I take the 5th wheel out I am probably close or even over that 1000lbs, as I have an outdoor table, a BBQ, a Pellet smoker, kyacks, floats and outdoor toys, more tools, plus lots of caned goods, and so on and so on. bigger and more storage area lets you take all kinds of things you hardly use ....

Steve

[Wingit1971]

ty very helpful

[StirCrazy]

Wingit1971 wrote:
Thanks for all the advice! I bought stableloads for the truck and hopefully they will help. The overloads are engaged and the shocks are new.

I dont think we ever got an answer to how your air bags are set up, do you have one fill for them or two, one for each bag? if it did get answered and I missed it sorry for the extra post.

Steve

[wnjj]

Wingit1971 wrote:
on another note.... I'm having a problem with the fridge running on LP. The error code is F (Burner not lighting?) Any advice on where to start troubleshooting that would be great.

TY!

https://thenorcoldguy.com/norcold-technical-blog/norcold-fault-codes-f-no-fl-or-gas-light-flashing-e...

[Wingit1971]

I don't carry a ton of food and extra weight. I do carry a tool bag and a portable generator and I switched out the old batteries for lifepo 4's and converted the generator bay into another battery compartment. I know having SRW isn't ideal for the weight but I know it can handle it if I can get the suspension right.

[Wingit1971]

on another note.... I'm having a problem with the fridge running on LP. The error code is F (Burner not lighting?) Any advice on where to start troubleshooting that would be great.

TY!

[Wingit1971]

Thanks for all the advice! I bought stableloads for the truck and hopefully they will help. The overloads are engaged and the shocks are new.

[jimh406]

I don’t carry anywhere close to 50 lbs of tools, but my real tool box is several hundred lbs. I carry a minimal screw driver set and mini rachet set combination, pliers, tape, and adjustable wrench. That’s all I’ve needed for minor work on the TC, and there isn’t much I could fix on the truck if it broke down. For that, I have AAA RV.

[towpro]

I bet most tool boxes come close to 50 lbs alone and everyone carries tools.

[mkirsch]

JimK-NY wrote:
Food/drinks are one of the heaviest and can easily hit several hundred pounds.

"Several hundred pounds?" There is no need to exaggerate.

I've packed food for 50 in my camper on numerous occasions over the years and it didn't come anywhere near "several hundred pounds." It all fit in a couple of coolers and the fridge. I could easily lift each cooler and carry what was in the fridge in my arms. Three trips total. Either I'm the Incredible Hulk, or it was nowhere near "several hundred pounds."

An average kitchen refrigerator doesn't hold "several hundred pounds" of food and drink. You're talking on the order of a 15 cubic foot chest freezer packed full of meat to have that kind of weight.

[jimh406]

JimK-NY wrote:
I don't carry a BBQ or fuel for it.

Fyi, consider a portable Weber Go-Anywhere Propane grill that uses small bottles or do a conversion. It’s worked well for us. They are very light. Do add a hinge for the lid so you won’t have to find somewhere to put the lid. I even use wood chips in mine. Makes a great steak and cools off fast for roadside meals.

I added shelves and store mine in an outside compartment.

[JimK-NY]

jimh425 wrote:


Man, you guys eat a lot for a weekend. Or is that for a few weeks? If so, you could easily replenish your food/drink while on a trip. You don’t need everything up front.

I typically travel for about 4 months. But not much would change with a trip of only a few weeks.

Replenishing on the road can be difficult especially if you are in a National Park many miles from a decent grocery store. Death Valley was the worst but there are plenty of other places where shopping was inconvenient and could mean a round trip that would take the better part of a day.

I usually stock some basic canned goods and dried foods to last for a couple of weeks and then replenish from there.

If you only take some weekend or short trips, I suppose you would not need to take much in the way of food, clothing or anything else.

Even so take a look at what you bring and store in the camper. The weight can really add up. I have even dumped a number of items due to the weight. Zero gravity chairs are really nice, but weigh too much. I don't carry a BBQ or fuel for it. I have stopped bringing most of my tools and misc hardware and supplies.

[jimh406]

towpro wrote:

jimh425 wrote:
Yet, they show a TC on a SRW on the landing page for their website. 😉https://northwoodmfg.com/truck-campers/arctic-fox-camper/

that is an 865. its 500 lbs lighter than the 990.

*Arctic Fox 865: dry weight, 3,236 pounds + 34 gallons fresh, 283.5 pounds + 6 gallon full hot water heater, 50 pounds + 2x 30-pound full propane tanks, 54 pounds + 2 batteries, 130 pounds + stuff, 500 pounds = 4,253.5 pounds

It’s the only TC on a truck. Over half of every Arctic Fox I see in the NW is on a SRW with the exception of the 11 1/2 foot models. Someone is talking them into it. 😉 … not me.

Btw, I’d argue 500 lbs is insignificant on 4K plus lbs. You could carry less water, one tank instead of two, one battery instead of two, and less stuff in the 990. You don’t mention options, but that’s another way to lose weight. You could also add a few people, or tow something, and go the other way.

[jimh406]

JimK-NY wrote:
That is all I could think of in a couple of minutes. I am sure there is lots more. Food/drinks are one of the heaviest and can easily hit several hundred pounds.

Man, you guys eat a lot for a weekend. Or is that for a few weeks? If so, you could easily replenish your food/drink while on a trip. You don’t need everything up front.

But my point is that you don’t have to bring everything you own just in case. Sacrifices can be made if you have less carrying capacity. No, you don’t have to.

When I had a SRW with the same TC, I cut out what I carried. It wasn’t that big of a sacrifice. Of course, those days are gone with my F450 and same TC.

Btw, if I really wanted to bring everything with me, I wouldn’t be going RVing in a TC.

[towpro]

jimh425 wrote:
Yet, they show a TC on a SRW on the landing page for their website. 😉https://northwoodmfg.com/truck-campers/arctic-fox-camper/

that is an 865. its 500 lbs lighter than the 990.

*Arctic Fox 865: dry weight, 3,236 pounds + 34 gallons fresh, 283.5 pounds + 6 gallon full hot water heater, 50 pounds + 2x 30-pound full propane tanks, 54 pounds + 2 batteries, 130 pounds + stuff, 500 pounds = 4,253.5 pounds