Help! Just got my truck camper need advice

[Freeborn530]

Finally bought a truck camper, a used Lance LC580, so I need tiedowns, airbags, type of hitch because I will be towing a boat (18 foot boat, boat and trailer weighs about 3200 pounds), new tires, some way to extend the mirrors. I have a 2006 Dodge Ram quad cab with an 8 foot bed and equipped with the diesel engine. I would love your input, and especially anyone in the Puget Sound region. I'm excited to get this on the road and try it out.

[NEOK]

For Torklift products you might price them at Tweety's and RAD Auto. Both offer good prices and free shipping. I use Torklift tie downs, Fastguns and a Torklift SuperHitch with a Supertruss extension. The boat I pull is an 18' bass boat. I've been very pleased with all of the Torklift products I use.

[Freeborn530]

Just got my bid from torklift, next is to decide on new tires for the truck.
Here is the bid.
2006 DODGE RAM2500 CC LB BED MATT AND SPRING LOAD XL $346.95
2006 DODGE RAM2500 CC LB TC SH04DGFR / D1102 SUPER HITCH $692.73
2006 DODGE RAM2500 CC LB TC FMT TIEDOWNS INSTALL $604.60
2006 DODGE RAM2500 CC LB TC SHEXT INSTALL SUPER TRUSS $561.02
2006 DODGE RAM2500 CC LB TC STABLELOAD DRILL QUICK DISCONNECT $408.85
2006 DODGE RAM2500 CC LB PLUG 3WAY 94-09 DG INST CMPR $141.61
2006 DODGE RAM2500 CC LB LANCE PIGTAIL ADAPTER $115.68
Summary
Job Subtotal: $2,871.44
Tax: $272.79
Total: $3,144.23
Less Deposits: $0.00
Total Due: $3,144.23
spring load xl and stable loads lance camper

[wcjeep]

jtlingo123 wrote:
I just bought some bump stops from Amazon for ten dollars a pair and they fit where the little sliver of rubber is to help connect the springs faster and help with the swaying. I haven't tried it with the TC yet, but I did try it with a yard of dirt in the truck and I could totally tell a big difference in the sway when turning corners.
Congrats!!

The Dodge 3/4ton spring setup requires the torklift drilled installed quick connect stable loads. Also, the maximum extension from the stock hitch is 18". An extension off the stock hitch weight standard is based off dead weight rating. Dead weight rating is 5k. Now reduce by 1/3 for extension. Weight distribution not quantified with stock hitch extension.

[jtlingo123]

I just bought some bump stops from Amazon for ten dollars a pair and they fit where the little sliver of rubber is to help connect the springs faster and help with the swaying. I haven't tried it with the TC yet, but I did try it with a yard of dirt in the truck and I could totally tell a big difference in the sway when turning corners.
Congrats!!

[dave17352]

You are going to have a long extension hitch it sounds like. I tow a boat behind my lance just about exactly your size. I have about a 30 inch extension hitch that I use with my oem receiver. That being said, my receiver is rated for 1800 pounds without weight distribution. You will probably have to get some sort of super heavy duty hitch which I know Tork Lift makes one and I believe Reese makes one. With that big extension you will have a lot of leverage on your hitch.

[Freeborn530]

The Dodge ram 2006 is a 2500 quad cab with an 8 foot bed. The Lance camper is in good shape for a 1991, it even has a 2.5 K generator that starts easily from inside the camper. Also rooftop air conditioner . I love to take my boat over to Lake Chelan, and the Columbia River. What I used to do is leave my pop top camper in Wenatchee, drive to the lake dropped the boat off, back to Wenatchee picked the camper up and set up. This is going to be fantastic without all that hassle!

[smooth1]

Congrat's on the camper. Truck/camper combo's are awesome and you have a great platform in your 2006 diesel Ram. You should check your tires and make sure they have at least 3500lbs capacity each.

Look into some Fastgun tiedowns too. Bilstein shocks on your truck make a huge difference in handling with and without the camper.

[Freeborn530]

Thanks for the reply's, My budget is about $3500. Not much on Craigslist so I've been asking for bids parts and labor from local shops.

[Bedlam]

I'm just north of you if you want to see the TorkLift setup on a truck.

[wcjeep]

Many add ons are dependent on total camper/truck weight. Are the tires/rims capable? For Dodge air bags I really like my Pacbrake air bags. However, after tires I highly recommend the Torklift quick connect stable loads. I added them last to my 06' Dodge. Had they been available I would've added them first. Air bags might not be necessary with the Torklift stable loads. Mine were installed by Torklift. Also highly recommend the Torklift tiedowns, SuperHitch, extension and fast guns. I've bought some of my Torklift stuff from Craigslist. Be sure to check Seattle and Portland. Some websites will have Torklift stuff on sale.

If current tires or slightly oversized tires are low on capacity check out 19.5 " tire/rims.

Also see nwbombers.com for local Dodge info.

[Fuzzy_Bear]

Is your truck a 2500 or 3500? Better if its a 3500 because they have overload springs. Hold off on the airbags and try the Torklift Stableloads first. Then add airbags if you need to raise the back. Take a trip down to TLCentral in Kent. They are the factory retail outlet for Torklift. They can set your rig up in no time. As for the Lance connector, there is a Lance dealer in Clearview that should have the proper connector.

Doug

[elkhornsun]

You need a Lance socket adapter which comes with wires for connecting to your truck's wiring for the lights and a 8ga wire (you will need to add to this) to go to the battery for powering the internals of the camper and charging its house battery. Important to have a fuse and a battery isolator wired in line with the 8ga power cable. Total cost for these two items will be less than $20. I bought the Lance wiring rig from a Lance dealer and paid them to install it - it was worth it to have their guy do it.

For tie-downs it comes down to either Torklift or Happijac tiedowns and turnbuckles (Fastguns are one option though the most expensive). Torklift mounts remove so nothing is sticking out past the edge of the truck when the camper is off so this is the way I went with my camper.

Take the weight of the truck on the rear wheels (CAT scale weigh in at $9) and add the weight of the camper plus an additional 600 lbs. and then see if half that amount of total weight can be supported by your tires. Even E range tires often have a load capacity of less than 3000 lbs. at 80 PSI or 6000 lbs. in total at the rear axle (truck, camper, gear, water, etc.). There are tires from Nitto and Toyo that have a 3750@80 PSI and fit on regular 17 and 18 inch rims.

At this point the truck will be safe to pickup and drive home. If the handling is squirrely or the bed sits to low or leans to far in a turn then you can decide and add one at a time items like extra leaf springs (Supersprings), new shocks (Rancho 9000 or Bilstein), a rear anti-sway bar, air bags. Don't assume you need all of these additions or modifications to your truck. My stock 2011 GM truck needed none of these mods to safely and comfortable transport a 3200 lb. Lance camper through the mountains and SF Bay area city traffic. Older trucks are more likely to need one or all of these helpers.

[Sue_Bee]

First thing I would suggest is that if you have close to or more than 50K on that truck, is new shocks and make sure that your brakes are also in good shape, you're talking about stopping a lot of weight there.

Second, Torklift for the tie downs, the fast gun turnbuckles and the super hitch. No, I don't own stock, but it is a good company that makes good products. I see on Seattle Craigslist someone selling Torklifts for $200.00, if they still are there, you should grab them.

You might call some of the RV dealers that sell TCs in your area to see what they can tell you about airbags and installation and the electrical extension that you will need.

[Freeborn530]

Its a 10'6' camper, thanks forgot about the wiring. All of this is a bit overwhelming!

[Super_Dave]

Did you mean, Lance 850 and is that an 8 1/2 foot camper? I tow my boat with a 12" solid hitch extension.

P.S. - you also have to have the appropriate power plug added to your truck. I've understood that Lance uses a PITA plug instead of the standard 7 pin but you might want to verify that.

P.S.S. - Does your Dodge have the rotating side mirrors? On my Dodge, turning the mirrors vertical works fine.