Lance Short Bed models owners out there?

[jzell]

Greetings,

My first post here on RV.NET. Wife and I purchased this year a Lance 865 for our Toyota Tundra Double Cab. It's perfect for two people and we love it.

If you own an 865, 825, or even the 855 Lance.....what do you like / dislike about it?

Thanks,

-jz

[HioSSilver]

I agree. By the time I'm loaded up good with my lance 845, front carrier on, rear porch on with motorcycle I have about 5,000 lb on the truck. Camper says 2229 on it for empty weight.

[Powerdude]

One thing I've learned from my Lance 820.

Don't believe Lance's posted weights. They are complete fantasy.

Take your rig empty to a weigh station and weigh it. Then bring your rig there fully loaded, and weigh it.

You will learn a lot about how much **** you are carrying. As long as you pack smart, and you don't overload your tires, you should be fine.

[skyhammer]

Air bags don't increase weight carrying capacity, they will just help level the rear end sag which you undoubtedly have since you are near or over double you payload.

[jzell]

skyhammer,

The dealer in Washington state we purchased from installed airbags to our which we fill to 40+ lbs.

-jz

[n0m4d]

2008 805 Lance here. 1980lbs full and loaded (measured). Previous owner had it in a Tundra.

[bedrocker]

2003 Lance 820 very few problems LOVE IT 🙂

[narcodog]

Ramblin' Ralph wrote:
I bought a used 2001 Lance 845 12 years ago and love it. I travel solo in it about 6 months a year. It now has 115K miles on it. The camper and all my "stuff" load my 2006 GMC 2500HD to just under the GVWR. The 6.0 gas engine is plenty of power.

The only thing I would change inside the camper is to have a more comfortable sitting position to read. Sitting sideways (legs in the aisle) in the dinette is not comfortable for long periods.

I added a 125 watt solar panel after I bought it, which is very useful. Also, I added Bilstein heavy duty shocks and StableLoad spring "devices" to the truck.

Good luck with your rig.

The seating is poor for certain. I removed the cushions and installed two office chairs on swivels.

[Ramblin__Ralph]

I bought a used 2001 Lance 845 12 years ago and love it. I travel solo in it about 6 months a year. It now has 115K miles on it. The camper and all my "stuff" load my 2006 GMC 2500HD to just under the GVWR. The 6.0 gas engine is plenty of power.

The only thing I would change inside the camper is to have a more comfortable sitting position to read. Sitting sideways (legs in the aisle) in the dinette is not comfortable for long periods.

I added a 125 watt solar panel after I bought it, which is very useful. Also, I added Bilstein heavy duty shocks and StableLoad spring "devices" to the truck.

Good luck with your rig.

[mkirsch]

Question back for you jz,

What modifications have you made to the Tundra to haul this camper?

Like others have said the camper is about 2X the payload capacity of the truck, and physics is a cruel mistress. There is absolutely no way a Toyota Tundra stock suspension is not going to be severely compressed by nearly 3000lbs of camper, causing handling and braking issues.

I'm not casting judgement one way or the other, I just want to know what products you used to help the truck carry the load and make the drive tolerable.

[jefe_4x4]

I guess I can chime in here since I have a Lance 165-S, x-cab which has the same footprint as 815, 825, 865, just with added wing storage for a short bed. My original wet weight was 1842 pounds (full water and propane) with no air conditioning or any other extras. It was the narrowest, least tall, and lightest full service Lance at the time. The weight savings was done with small tanks and lack of much insulation. Since buying it 16 years ago, we have only added metal 'L' brackets around the tub to defray abrasion from installing on and off, and 200 watts of solar. There was a period of adjustment where I added leaves, Stable Loads and better shocks to the rear axle to better handle the load on and off road.
We've been very lucky with appliances (knock on wood) and everything still works as advertised.
But, make no mistake about it, even this lightest model Lance, advertised as usable on a 1/2 ton pick up (a joke), and installed on my beefed up Dodge 2500 with Camper Package (2600 pound load rating) needed serious suspension upgrading to be suitable for all weather, all season stability. Most of us found out the hard way about the advertised weight vs. the real world workability of the product. My choice for a Nissan product would have been the Lance 650. Yes, tall, but all season useable and no heavier.
Bottom line is: we bought it slightly used for $6500; have slept in it for over 230 nights; and got our money's worth out of it, over and over again.
jefe

[narcodog]

My short bed 845 is a eleven years old. It fits me just fine as well as my '03 2500 HD. I don't know if there is anything I don't like, now I made some changes.

[skyhammer]

That is a lot weight for a Tundra. If I put a pallet of wood pellets in my Tundra(loaded as far forward as I can), the shocks bottom out on the slighted bump in the road.
TCM says the 865 dry weight is 2004 lbs, wet weight is 2889lbs, about double the payload of a Tundra, not counting what is in the cab.
My worthless BIL has an 825 on a new Dodge 3/4 ton and it is a white knuckle experience driving down the road. Of course the Dodge doesn't have leaf springs.

[gregchambers]

I enjoy RV.net but for your Lance specific question I would recommend that you go to "Lance Owners of America" to ask it. You will likely get more responses!

[Old_Days]

We have had our 825 for a long time and it has been a great camper.I wish it had a sink in the bathroom, but its not a big deal. I like the outside storage.And my truck handles it really well.