Camping in TC off truck

[matilf]

My planned trip for next summer involves week long stays at various places. What I want to do is take the TC off the truck, lower the jacks all the way, and use it that way, leaving the truck available for going and doing stuff. Is this a common practice? Do-able as long as I'm competent to load and off load the TC?
I saw the post about the new Torklift anti-wobble device that also functions as an anti-theft device, and found that an excellent idea.

[Kayteg1]

One easy tip.
When you see overpass with lot of scratches on it, you better stop and check.

[mkirsch]

zcookiemonstar wrote:
clearance signs are not always correct. They are not always updated when roads are repaved or repaired.

That's where common sense should prevail. You should already be diverting if the clearance is even close.

[zcookiemonstar]

clearance signs are not always correct. They are not always updated when roads are repaved or repaired.

[mkirsch]

You've got two choices on the underpass thing:

1. Stay home.

2. Know how high you are, and PAY ATTENTION as you go down the road, looking for those orange/yellow diamond signs that indicate the height of the upcoming overpass when it is less than the DOT minimum. When you come across an overpass that you won't fit under, STOP before you pass under it. Use your GPS navigation to find an alternate route.

Same deal with the loading:

1. Stay home.

2. Practice and patience.

[Kayteg1]

The law require all underpasses to be at least 13-6
If they are lower, they should have big warnings and flashing lights.
That might not apply to farmers road.

[Reality_Check]

12'8" not including antenna...

[Buzzcut1]

New rig is 11'7" to top of AC add another 8" if the Kayaks are on the roof

[stevenal]

11foot8

[kerry4951]

matilf wrote:
I should start a new thread but....just found that I am going to be over 11 feet tall with camper on truck. It seems that is going to limit what underpasses I can go under, plus present a danger in wind. How do people handle these two things?

Im 12'4" high and seldom have an issue with low under passes. I can think of only one in the last 5 years. Most of them can easily accomodate a rig your size. I dont recall ever having a problem at any fuel station either. If anywhere you might run into a low underpass in some town. Just pay heed to low overpass height signs if you come to one.

[jmcgsd]

matilf wrote:
I should start a new thread but....just found that I am going to be over 11 feet tall with camper on truck. It seems that is going to limit what underpasses I can go under, plus present a danger in wind. How do people handle these two things?

And....I will have to develop skill in loading the thing. I assume that just takes as many tries as it takes to get a procedure going that guarantees proper alignment. Is a backup camera a huge help? I was going to get one anyway just to see behind me.

Since you're in Tucson you won't have issues with freeway overpasses in the West. The East could be more challenging and it could be an issue in town. However, be careful when pulling up to the pumps in old service stations. I nearly did myself in at an Exxon station in Eastern New Mexico once, Demming I believe.

Yup, loading will take patience and practice. Check out a thread I added a few days ago entitled something like "My favorite Truck Camper Thread ever" to see an amusing, but pretty true threaf on the subject from 10 years ago.

I can't imagine that the backup camera would be much help in loading. It's a matter of going slow, watching your clearance on the wheel wells and being certain the TC is high enough, but not too high.

[matilf]

I should start a new thread but....just found that I am going to be over 11 feet tall with camper on truck. It seems that is going to limit what underpasses I can go under, plus present a danger in wind. How do people handle these two things?

And....I will have to develop skill in loading the thing. I assume that just takes as many tries as it takes to get a procedure going that guarantees proper alignment. Is a backup camera a huge help? I was going to get one anyway just to see behind me.

[campn4walleye]

We typically remove ours as well, if staying more than one night. I think the strangest thing is that you can get quite a crowd watching.

We just returned from a trip. The neighbors were in awe when we removed it. Then there were the folks who wanted to know how long our fifth wheel was (they had never seen one so short).:S I guess it sort of looked like that with the truck backed under the cab.

There were several other TCs in the CG, but none were removed from the truck. They were constantly coming and going.

I love not having to break camp!

[Kayteg1]

rider997 wrote:

Kayteg1 wrote:
When I bought my TC 3 years ago, I called DMV and there is absolutely no registration on them at all.
Coming to "manufactured homes" the description is pretty stretchable.
They can be mobile homes with wheels still attached, or a structure that is different from "stick build" house only by the place where the wall panels are assembled, with several options between.

As was noted in a previous post, the California DMV _does not_ title truck campers. They're titled by the Department of Housing and Community Development.

So DMV misinformed me?
I wonder if HDC knows about it?

[jmcgsd]

Reality Check wrote:

jmcgsd wrote:

rider997 wrote:


....

I like the monkey story... that fits really well on this forum. The old "my brother was in Mississippi once and his cousin said...". Kind of like the water tank falling out of a camper once when it was off loaded. Great story that apparently affects all TC's, or all AF's or.... no matter what the actual facts were.

Entertaining reading and still lots of good info....in between the lines at least.

I agree with some of what you say but the AF990 is no urban legend.

Check this post from a decade ago as an example.

Thanks... just helps make my point. One story, on a now 15 year old unit, designed and built differently for sure, with a problem stemming from at the very least, not following the manufactures instructions (there's a whole 'nother discussion about whether one agrees with the design, requirements or plain old BS of the requirements so many claim).

But that story leads to constant warnings about what to do, not do, the way it is, the way it should be, the wrongs of the world and in laws and why divorces happen, not to say the least of conspiracy theories regarding Starbucks and corporate America and our sell out to China and how come cats are stupid animals. All because a monkey repeated a story about a polka dotted 2000 AF 990 that had a tank fall out once.

What were we talking about?

Nope, that's just the one I selected. There's a bunch more. Just Google it.