how to remove lance 815 skirts

[countryhick]

I am looking at a used Lance 815 to buy. It is set up for a short bed truck, I have a long bed. It is a few hours away from me, so I have not been to look at it yet. Anyone know how to remove the skirts on the rear so it will fit on a long bed truck? Is it difficult?
Thanks!

[gbsteph]

Be prepared, I tried to remove my 2004 Lance 815 skirts in 2020 to fit my new long bed pickup, and those bolts were very rusted. Mine bolted to inserts imbedded in the bottom of the camper, and the inserts were pulled loose upon removal. Which is fine if you never intend to reinstall the skirts. Enjoy, I loved my 815, much better quality than my new Host.

[jbeal]

To verify, I contacted Lance both by phone and email, and they said the 815 skirts can't be removed. I understand that they can, but I wonder if this is true for all years of the 815 and perhaps other models as well. I have a long bed truck, but I like the smaller Lance models.
Thanks.

[AnEv942]

Might try sending PM, if notifications turned on he might get email
as the 5 posts made were all in this thread...

[DMcG]

Any chance you bought that camper and still have the modification skirts? I have a 2009 815 and it was clipped on the driver rear and damaged the one side pretty good. They don’t make them anymore.

[countryhick]

It's a 2004 815, my truck is a 1999 Dodge 2500

[c_traveler2]

countryhick wrote:
I am looking at a used Lance 815 to buy. It is set up for a short bed truck, I have a long bed. It is a few hours away from me, so I have not been to look at it yet. Anyone know how to remove the skirts on the rear so it will fit on a long bed truck? Is it difficult?
Thanks!

What year is the Lance 815 and what year is you truck and model. I bought my Lance 815 back in 2002, you'll find it's camper that can and does very well in off road conditions. Mine rides on a 2007 F250 and is on a 3 inch platform to have good clearance over the cab. Remove those pods before loading your camper and have a back spacer to keep the tail end of the camper from touching your tail lights.

[kohldad]

Don't think Dodge changed the bed rail heights from 99 to 04. If that is the case, it will clear without the bed mat. However that said, I would still add a bed mount. There are a few spots on the bottom of the camper that could eat into the bed mat. With my 2015 had to add a 3/4" spacer and there are a few places where the wood had gotten chewed up from a piece of sheet metal and corner trim. They aren't that expensive and worth the protection. I leave mine in all the time and it helps protect the bed a little more for my other daily task to boot.

[Kayteg1]

Spray on liner is a sandpaper. I would still use rubber mat not only to protect camper from sanding, but also for cutting down noise and vibration.

[countryhick]

Thanks for all the help! My truck has sprayed on Rhino lining. I have hauled an old Shasta camper around for a few years with no problem (cant stop the leaks anymore). Is a rubber bed mat still recommended? For clearance of side rails?

[d3500ram]

countryhick wrote:
... I noticed an earlier thread on this forum that indicated you can haul the camper set back from the front of the bed a couple feet. ...

I set my camper back about 20" or so only because the rear skirts were not removable. If the camper that you are considering has the removable storage pods then I think it would be best to remove them on the spot and mount as far possible in the truck bed.

Remember to remove and leave the tailgate at home before you go.

[kohldad]

You can do it either way but I would remove them. I think it only took me about 5-10 minutes to remove them with a crescent wrench and then I put them in my back seat. If you don't remove them, you will need to make a 20" standoff to keep the camper from sliding forward and having the pods hit you tail lights.

Carry a 4x4 to lay across the front of the bed to prevent it from rubbing on the front of the bed becuase the top of you bed juts back 1-1/2". I have mine spaced back 3" and it worked well on both my 2004 and 2015 truck. You won't have to worry about raising it up either as it will just clear the bed rails if you have a rubber mat. Just make sure you have a rubber bed mat and don't put it straight on a plastic bed liner.

The only option on mine is a roof ac, no radio, extended cab or oven. I've weighed it several times and loaded ready for a trip full of fluids it weighs 2,400# so makes it very nice on my 1-ton but your 2500 will be able to handle it just fine.

twodownzero: I've had mine for 10 years and about ready to upgrade because my trips are fixing to get a lot longer. I'm sure I'm going to miss Itty Bitty too.

[twodownzero]

They can be removed in five minutes. Wait till you see how heavy than lance is, even the 815. Might want to weigh on the way home!

I miss my little 815. It was a good camper.

[countryhick]

Thanks for the reply. Trying to decide if I should go prepared to remove the pods on site, or load camper as best I can, tie it down and drive home to remove them later when I can take my time. I noticed an earlier thread on this forum that indicated you can haul the camper set back from the front of the bed a couple feet. I'll have about a 3 hour drive home, mostly freeway. I have a 1999 Dodge 2500 4x4.

[kohldad]

Open the door, disconnect the 4-flat blade wiring harness and then remove 4 bolts. There will probably be a good bit of caulking around the connector so just carefully dig into it. There is a mating connector permanently mounted on the camper side. Think you will need 9/16, 5/8 or 3/4 wrench (sorry, been 10 years since I removed mine). If you get it, make sure you take the pods home either to keep or sale.

What year truck do you have?