Lance 1191

[TTBeachBum]

taking the plunge... Put a deposit on 2014....access to the bathroom without putting the slide out...priorities. 🙂

[TTBeachBum]

DoneItAll wrote:
You'll love the room in the 1191. Even with the slide in, there's plenty of room to spend a few days. I added 2, 1" leaf springs to each side of the rear spring pack to forego the use of air bags and have no difficulties carrying this heavy camper. Since the camper rides on the truck 90%+, the empty ride is immaterial.

That was the selling point for the unit. The camper can be utilized at gas stops without having to put the slide out.

[TTBeachBum]

Buzzcut1 wrote:

TTBeachBum wrote:

Buzzcut1 wrote:
as someone with a large Lance on a SRW . you better rethink your tire set up. I am just under the 7500 pound load limit of my rear tires and I did have a catastrophic blow out. I am switching to 19.5 and a combined 9800 pound tire load capacity for the rear tires

.

How was your blow out catastrophic? Did you flip? Since I will be driving it sometimes (seemed easier than towing 28'), I like to hear everyone's experiences. My friend has an older version of this model and he almost flipped because someone cut him off at highway speed' some how it got unstable. But thank God it he was able to stablize it. His unit sits on a dually. So he has me sensitive to it being top heavy. Anyone know what the clearance is? I am always checking clearance even when we are not in route to camp.

Tread separation at Freeway speed followed by explosive tire disintegration which did $4500 worth of body damage, ripped out the lines to the aibags which maginified the weight drop and control loss to the left rear corner causing a severe fishtail. We probably would have rolled if it had not been for the bi annual Emergency Vehicle Operations Course that my old fire department required that I take which involved driving overloaded top heavy vehicles to the edge of disaster. It took everything i had to hold it together and bring it to a safe stop over a half mile down the road

What was your factory weight for that truck and what is the dry weight of the unit at that time?

[DoneItAll]

You'll love the room in the 1191. Even with the slide in, there's plenty of room to spend a few days. I added 2, 1" leaf springs to each side of the rear spring pack to forego the use of air bags and have no difficulties carrying this heavy camper. Since the camper rides on the truck 90%+, the empty ride is immaterial.

[Butch50]

Well congrats on the new camper.

As a former 2011 F350 owner I think you are going to be in for a surprise and not necessarily a pleasant one. My Northern Lite only weighs 3000# so it is a lot lighter than your 1191 is going to be. Also NL weighs every camper when it leaves the factory with all of the options and the actual weight is on the camper. In my model all the options are already on it so the 3000# is what it weighs. I had a rear GAWR of 7000# with the tire capacity of 3640 for each rear tire. When I loaded the camper with our stuff in the camper (we travel light and don't put a lot of junk in) and put it on the truck I was just under the 7000# capacity and this is with no water. After trying it for a few short trips I ordered 19.5 tires and wheels for it. I had air bags and Stable Loads and installed Rancho 9000XL shocks on th etruck. That is what I had on the truck when we took our trip to Alaska last summer.

When we got back I started looking at a larger truck and now I have a 2013 Ram 3500 DRW for the same camper and I have no suspension add ons on this truck. My GVWR is 14000# and I weigh ready for travel just over 12200#. So I now under my GVWR by 1800#. Travel much nicer than before.

I wish you the best.

[Buzzcut1]

TTBeachBum wrote:

Buzzcut1 wrote:
as someone with a large Lance on a SRW . you better rethink your tire set up. I am just under the 7500 pound load limit of my rear tires and I did have a catastrophic blow out. I am switching to 19.5 and a combined 9800 pound tire load capacity for the rear tires

.

How was your blow out catastrophic? Did you flip? Since I will be driving it sometimes (seemed easier than towing 28'), I like to hear everyone's experiences. My friend has an older version of this model and he almost flipped because someone cut him off at highway speed' some how it got unstable. But thank God it he was able to stablize it. His unit sits on a dually. So he has me sensitive to it being top heavy. Anyone know what the clearance is? I am always checking clearance even when we are not in route to camp.

Tread separation at Freeway speed followed by explosive tire disintegration which did $4500 worth of body damage, ripped out the lines to the aibags which maginified the weight drop and control loss to the left rear corner causing a severe fishtail. We probably would have rolled if it had not been for the bi annual Emergency Vehicle Operations Course that my old fire department required that I take which involved driving overloaded top heavy vehicles to the edge of disaster. It took everything i had to hold it together and bring it to a safe stop over a half mile down the road

[ZRX-Steve]

I have a 2000 F350 DRW PSD. Originally it carried a 2004 Lance 1161 camper which is similar in floorplan to a 2014 1191. I used this combo for many years. Suspension wise I have Rancho 9000 shocks, Supersprings, Heavy duty Rear Timbrens front and rear stock sway bars, and 3750 E rated tires. I traded the 1161 for 2014 Lance 1191 with a tent. It's about 200 pounds lighter than the 1161 since the 1161 was all wood and the new camper is all aluminum as well as other weight savings like Azdel, etc. My tires are due for replacement and I'm going to move to 19.5" Vision wheels and G or H rated tires for peace of mind and stiffer sidewalls / better stability. At the same time, I'm going to replace my sway bars with a 1.5" Roadmaster Rear, and a 1.5" Helwig Front for better road stability.

[TTBeachBum]

Buzzcut1 wrote:
as someone with a large Lance on a SRW . you better rethink your tire set up. I am just under the 7500 pound load limit of my rear tires and I did have a catastrophic blow out. I am switching to 19.5 and a combined 9800 pound tire load capacity for the rear tires

.

How was your blow out catastrophic? Did you flip? Since I will be driving it sometimes (seemed easier than towing 28'), I like to hear everyone's experiences. My friend has an older version of this model and he almost flipped because someone cut him off at highway speed' some how it got unstable. But thank God it he was able to stablize it. His unit sits on a dually. So he has me sensitive to it being top heavy. Anyone know what the clearance is? I am always checking clearance even when we are not in route to camp.

[TTBeachBum]

My second post was inaccurate. Yes the payload is 3500 (and change) total weight. BUT the tc certification is for 2920 for a dry weight camper. The dealer stressed that point. This leaves about 750 lbs for 'stuff'. So the enhancement of the springs will add 2k lbs.

My BiL saiid the tire rating E is ok for the weight, ideally upgrade to F. He has to dumb it down for me.

[TTBeachBum]

I appreciate the feedback. I will never claim to know it all and rely on reliable sources (not just a google search) for education. Fortunately, we come from a Ford family. In-laws are Certified Ford mechanics (and also does hometown races). We told the Ford dealer what we were looking to do and they worked with us to make sure we had the right vehicle. The TC dealerships are covering their butt, and I understand that. The former 2008 F250 4wd definitely was not a candidate for many of the TC were available. A few refused to sell us a TC because the former F250 was not certified even though it had enhancements.

The tires (based upon my BIL - Ford dealer repair dude)are suitable and do not need to be replaced. But down the line it will be good to upgrade.

This is not our first TC. We had a 1997 real lite on the 08 F250 with the enhancements. Though we only used that one for three years. So I would not say I am a seasoned TC owner compared to TT.

Thanks for the feedback. I will continue to do my homework and welcome constructive feedback.

[bka0721]

Thanks for the information. We can only respond with the information provided, in a thread. Going back and looking at your profile, or previous threads is something few do, and in your case, none provided.

Kudos to your RV Dealership, for stressing the importance of the Truck hauling this beast of a Truck Camper. (Oh, yeah, I own one too!! & Love it.) Why would the Lance Dealer be doing this? Easy, the Lance 1191, like many TCs, is a lot more weight than what they are posted as. I would encourage you to;


1. Weigh Your F250 before loading your new Lance 1191. Put fuel in the tanks and stop at a Cat Scale, or something.

2. Weigh Your F250 after loading the Lance 1191, after you have a full load of Potable Water and Propane. Be ready for a surprise.

3. Compare the difference with the original weight of your F250 and now with the loaded Lance 1191, with your Ford Door Pillar Tag, for weight and axle weights. Then add 1000 lbs (this figure has been derived by others, on this forum for the SWAG wt) for all the clothes, food, junk, jacks, levelling blocks and cooking stuff one would normally load. Be prepared for an even bigger revelation.


This situation comes up, here in the Truck Camper Forum, often. Too much camper for the truck and then the person spends more money on the truck to make it work, than the few hundred dollars difference between the cost of a F250 and F350. One poster, on this forum, began the same discussion and information here went back to his Ford dealer and swapped out to a larger Super Duty. He said later he was glad he did.

I don't wish to start one of the frequent debates, either, on whether SRW or DRW would be the better Truck, as you already have made that choice. The next two things to consider, the difference in the Brakes between the F250 and F350. I am not that familiar with the newer trucks, but when I had my three F350s, the deciding factor then, was the larger brakes. The second is tires and wheels. Many doing what you are doing, immediately change to a more capable wheel and tire combinations. Many threads here on that discussion. Many opt for the 19.5s, by the way come standard on the larger Ford Super Duties.

The next item, re-certifying your suspension and Fed Door tags. Not Possible. No matter what anyone will tell you. Maybe your Ford Dealer is telling you to do this to increase the safety factor and margin. Kudos for them. But no, they can't change your certifications. Some have tried and have done extensive research. Check with another person here; btggraphix, as he had a recent thread on this.

Warranty, yes, the dealership you are dealing with will probably work with you, in getting things capable. But here is the rub. If you travel away from this Dealership, like out on the road, and need service at another Ford Dealership, they won't give you the same perspective (garnered from 18 years of vintage racing around the country with F350s pulling heavy race trailers) if you have some warranty issues with your drive train. Also, the type of wear that occurs by over-stressing your suspension will begin occurring far down the road, 45-60k miles. In the area of transmission, differentials, spindle bearingss and steering components.

The great thing is, your situation is very well documented in many threads pertaining to doing just what you and your DH are attempting. You came to the right place for information and help. But you will hear things you might not want to hear, from some of these people trying to help, (like I am doing now) then maybe this forum is not for you. But at least you will get great information from a whole bunch of people, like the moderator, Steve29 and many others.

I love my Lance Camper 1191 and spend a lot more time in it than many. Love my Ford Super Duty and came here to get an education 2004 to 2008, before loading the Lance. You will probably enjoy the change and freedom you will have, in switching to a Truck Camper, over your previous Camper choices.

Hopefully you will report back what those weights turn out to be and the type of modifications you did and your impression of them.


b

[Buzzcut1]

as someone with a large Lance on a SRW . you better rethink your tire set up. I am just under the 7500 pound load limit of my rear tires and I did have a catastrophic blow out. I am switching to 19.5 and a combined 9800 pound tire load capacity for the rear tires

[TTBeachBum]

Gary3 wrote:
You won't be sorry stretching out in that large dinette with the tv right in front of you is just like at home.We stay in ours 8 months out of the year and don't feel one bit crowded.Are you getting the rear tent or the standard one like ours.

No rear tent. We looked at a similar floorplan (not an 1191) with the extended tent. It was an 07 but the dry weight was well over 4K. We did not want to be that close to maxing out the payload. The extended tent would have been my old guy (Senior dog)'s bed and storage. It is only DH and I so this model fits our needs and weight limitations.

[TTBeachBum]

The truck in my signature is two trucks past (as is the TT now). The current truck is a 2014 F250 long bed SRW that is going into the shop for added springs this week. The dealer would not sell it to us without the enhancements. The truck will then be certified with a pay load up over 5K for the RV/Lance Dealership and TC Certified by Ford as to not void the manufacturers warranty. The payload on the TC is 3800 (and change) the payload for the truck as it currently sits without the added springs is 3500 (and change).

[bka0721]

Congrats! You should enjoy every minute, you are out exploring in it.

What truck are you planning on using? You have a short bed truck in your profile picture, so obviously you have some plans there.

b

[Gary3]

You won't be sorry stretching out in that large dinette with the tv right in front of you is just like at home.We stay in ours 8 months out of the year and don't feel one bit crowded.Are you getting the rear tent or the standard one like ours.