GM/Chevy 2020 fitment odyssey

[medons]

In the fall of 2019 I started my quest to replace my 2000 Fleetwood and 2004 Chevy 2500HD combo with a new bigger truck and camper. I really wanted another Duramax so GM/Chevy was my first choice. I have a lot of information to convey so I'll just hit the high points here.

1) In 2020 GM completely re-designed the HD line. I ended up with a Chevy 3500, SRW, CC, 4x4, LB, Diesel, High Country trim. (Chevy was thousands less than GM for the same stuff.) I shopped and the 2020 GM/Chevy HDs beat Ford for payload although getting a "Camper Certification" is impossible for CC and worthless anyway. I bought the truck 12/8/19 and had many sleepless hours over camper choices, availability, weight and fitment.

2) I had Torklift tiedowns on my previous camper and wanted them again. Torklift did not have the 2020 model year ready yet so I patiently waited for a few weeks in January. Then I got a message from customer service that the first article was ready and if I wanted to be a guinea pig and take lots of pictures I could have it. I got the box on a Saturday and mounted the tiedowns (crawling under the truck) in about 4 hours taking lots of photos during the process. It went without any serious issues. I had kept my fastguns from the previous camper and now was ready for a new camper.

3) I made a detailed spread sheet of all my camper choices with model years in the last 7 years. I wanted slides and floor space and ended up choosing the 2014 Lance 992. Finding inventory was not easy and I ended having to drive 900 miles to get the camper. I bought the camper in January but couldn't pick it up for 8 agonizing weeks. The main reasons for the choice were overall weight, more forward CG, 2 slides, huge floor space, and cost. I also considered 2015 1050s, 2015 1052, and 2016-2019 1062, 975 and 995. The newer Lance campers are even heavier. If I had to get a new one today I would have to get a stripped down 995.

4) The 992 and the newer campers all have the camper box "kneewall" bumped out at the top. The Chevy tailgate opening is 59" wide but the top of the box kneewall is 58". I woke up in the middle of one night in a fit worried that I couldn't back the truck consistently to not scratch, ding and nick my truck every time. I almost called off the camper purchase but then I realized if I jacked the camper up a few more inches I would back in above the tailgate opening only having to lower one small section between that gap. This required an extra 2" of blocks under each jack to get the camper high enough. I made a ton of measurements of other things and needed to shim the front of the truck bed 1/2" for the tailgate opening (which is stupidly bumped out backwards at the top) to clear the camper and I used 3/4 plywood and 0.700 thick bed mat combo to raise the camper above the bed rails. Camper 20.5", truck 21". I'm going to reduce the plywood thickness next trip mostly to cut weight. There is no problem with the cab over clearance, but satellite radio doesn't work traveling north and sometimes spotty not going south.

5) The truck tailgate is powered and has the backup camera mounted inside. I went to a GM dealership to take the tailgate off the first time and they showed me how to disconnect the tricky electrical connectors. I bought some dummy connectors to plug the sockets while I drove around with no tailgate. I'm an electrical engineer and familiar with RF components so I bought the backup camera on the internet (from a 2019 equinox), built an enclosure for it, mounted it on the back of the camper and wired it to the connector on the truck. When I put the truck in reverse I see behind the camper on the truck's built-in screen.

6) Yes, I'm overweight. More than I budgeted. But on the 900 mile trip back home over 7 days, 4 state parks, 3 RV parks, dry and wet camping, the combo performed well with no hint of control problems.

I emailed Truck Camper magazine to offer to write a full article with lots of photos but haven't heard back from them. Their website does not have a link for article contributions.

[mkirsch]

You act as if this is the first time a truck manufacturer changed the dimensions of the box... It isn't. The big three manufacturers have been changing box configurations on a regular basis since 1987.

You're expecting a 7 year old camper that was designed for a different generation of truck boxes, to fit a brand new configuration. It always takes the camper industry a couple of years to catch up to the new truck box dimensions.

If you think this was bad, go find yourself a camper made in the 1990's and try to fit it in that truck. Better yet, find a 1980's model.

[medons]

I love my Chevy truck. However it seems obvious GM hates truck campers. I’m guessing if they could get away with it they would void warranties for any one who loaded one without a “camper” sticker in the glove box. I feel fortunate to have been able to put the camper I wanted on the truck I wanted despite their disregard.

[greenno]

Sorry for your "need to" mods just to get it to fit for a new truck.
I kinda feel guilty. I got a 2019 Ford F350 CCLB SRW and a 2019 Arctic Fox 990 camper and I have a deezee rubber truck bed mat and thats it. Torklifts all around and like you just pop the drivers side front to fuel up and add DEF. No problems loading or fitment. Just load it all the way forward until the bumpers barely touch, lower it down, plug in power cord, secure fastguns, and drive away. Guess I got lucky.

[medons]

https://youtu.be/pmrSYhydtjg

[Grit_dog]

Glad to hear the setup is working good for you!
But holy ____ that's alot of bits and pieces and shims and boards and....just to get a camper loaded up!

[stevem94080]

Hi,do you have a link or youtube user name for that onan video?
Thanks.

[medons]

One more thing. My Lance 992 is a 2014 model and the Onan QG 2500 LP generator only had 6 hours on it when I bought it. It worked initially but on the latest trip the Gen died when I start the microwave. Later that trip it wouldn't start at all. I search the internet and found a guy with an older 2500 LP that also had starting problems. He showed in a youtube video that the choke spring lost some of its tension over time. I checked mine and sure enough the engine wasn't getting choked or staying choked. It was difficult but I wound the tension spring one additional turn to tighten it and the choke was definitely on at start and it fired right up. The intake diaphragm is responsible for pulling the choke to the OFF position after the engine starts and it seems to to that also now. I'll keep and eye on it.

[medons]

Ok it's over a year later and if anybody is still wondering about GM 2020 fitment issues I have updates. In the summer of 2020 I put 5000 miles with the camper on a trip halfway across country and back. I had to make several adjustments over time to keep the camper centered. I ended up with the following:
1) Shim the front of the box with 1/2" plywood
2) 1/4" plywood base on the bed ribs and 1/2" interlocking mat on top
3) Hardwood moldings in the left and right most bed rib slots to support the camper edges (under the 1/4" plywood base)
4) 1/2 inch plywood 3" wide strip along the back (tailgate end) of the bed to support the back edge of the camper

5) 1/4" thick, 1" wide, 6" long black delrin slides bolted to the right and left box entry channel which centers the rear loading and running


6) Custom built ramps in the front right and left corners of the bed to center the camper loading and running



I use torque lifts with fast guns to attach it. Since then we have made another 5000 mile trip with this system and I did not have to adjust it once. I do disconnect the front left fastgun to fuel up and for DEF.

[medons]

Chevy changed almost everything in the 3/4 and 1 ton line up in 2020. I do not think you would have trouble with the 992 on your truck. You may want to adopt the technique of raising the camper a little higher when backing in though. Lots of youtube videos that illustrate this.
Worst case you need to shim the camper higher by adding plywood in the bed and possibly shim the camper backwards by adding plywood at the front of the bed. Don't forget that the standard trailer plug in your truck has to be adapted to work with Lance (which uses a different plug).

On my 2004 2500 I got the parts to extend the SAT antenna out to the front of my truck hood but never installed it. I might try that again. I'll post if I do that.

[Kayteg1]

Big campers do have floor plan step that makes it wider at bathroom area.
On my Ford the wider part has to touch the tailgate opening and even then I think the camper is slightly off-center (although I never actually measured it precisely)
I screw a plank of hardwood to the side of tailgate opening, so the camper sides scratches the wood, not the bed.
With bed sides taller as well, I can tell that newer trucks are not camper friendly at all.
They do have better weight capacity thought.
And yes, my Ford come with plugs for electrical wires when you disconnect the tailgate.
Since my tailgate hangs in garage most of its life, I removed it camera and hang it on camper.

[Dennis58]

I'm pretty much in the same boat so to speak. I have a 2019 Chevy High Country 3500HD 4X4 DRW D/Max. I want a older Lance 992 with a price point under $20K

Will it fit my 2019 truck bed? I asked Lance and they never replyed back. Any work around on the Sat Radio not working with a TC?

I have been all over the map on a TC & enclosed trailer for toys vice GN Toy Hauler. The TC + Trailer comes in at $25-30K while the GN Toy Hauler pushes $50-60K for custom order. I really don't want to drag 35 ft. of **** behind me.

TC and 16 ft enclosed trailer would serve me well.

[JimK-NY]

Years ago full sized pickup trucks had wider openings at the tailgate. My Northstar Igloo has a bumpout for the shower. With a Ram or a Ford pickup, I have 1/4" clearance with the camper centered on the bed of the truck. The Chevy opening is narrower by a quarter inch or more and my camper would not fit.

[deltabravo]

My Chevy truck included dummy electrical plugs for the tailgate camera harness.

I always jack up the camper extra high to get past the tailgate opening, I only have an inch to spare in each side. I raise teh camper high enough to get the bumped out section of my AF higher than the top of the narrow portion of the tailgate opening.

I mention it in this video

I have the same issues with SAT radio, so I have never subscribed to it since my truck only see duty while hauling the camper.

[Grit_dog]

Yo medons, sounds like an awesome setup!
What's your take on the 10speed? I've always been a Dmax fan. 10speed = mo betta, IMO.

Presume you had around 4klbs in the back, how'd the suspension do? Didn't see any mention of suspension enhancements. If it hauls that big camper well, bone stock, that's awesome.

One suggestion for centering the camper easier without having to jack it up higher... What's the difference in width between the inside wheel wells and camper bottom width? You could just set a 2x4/2x6/2x8 on edge against the fender wells, 1 or both sides and use them as a gentle "guide".
I ended up doing this sort of by accident with the TC when I started removing the tailgate due to a conflict with the Generator compartment I built in the rear wing and the tailgate cable. I brought a 2x8 cut to length to use as a short "tailgate" when using the truck with camper off-loaded. It ended up being a useful aide for centering the camper.

Happy trails!