My First Truck Camper...HELP!!!

[jriggs10]

Hey there, I just bought a Caribou (1998 I believe) camper for my young family. I have a Dodge Ram 2500 diesel extended cab long bed to haul it with. I am trying to figure out a few things to start off. First is what the best way to connect it to my truck. Right now I have this jack system that you can see in the picture, and the guy I bought it from says I can attach something on the underside of my truck that will hold it down. It came with the jack system but he says it hangs down quite a bit under his truck when not in use. I live on a gravel road and am thinking these might get beat up when I drive on that road. Any thoughts on that?

Also, the label right next to the door that talks about weight and such is blank! So I am not sure how much this hog is going to weigh fully loaded or empty. There is no manual with it either, any thoughts on how to figure this part out?

Last, my main concern is safety, and although this jack system looks nice, I am not familiar at all with it, anything I need to watch out for or be aware of? Thanks in advance for your help! We are super excited about starting our camping adventures!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125464039@N04/14678311575/

[mkirsch]

To post pictures you need to get the link to the picture itself, not the page it shows on. Right-click on the picture as it's displayed on flickr, and select "Copy Image Location"

It should look something like this, without the spaces:

http : // farm4.staticflickr.com / 3849 / 14678311575_e8bf9486a1_z . jpg

That's what you post in the image dialog when you're creating your posting.

Nice camper, and excellent tiedown system. The under-truck brackets are designed to withstand road hazards to a certain degree. Of course if you're slogging through mud or rock-bouncing with the truck, you might want to take them off.

[jriggs10]

Thanks for the help and sorry about the picture, not sure where to post them where it shows in the post. Would tie-downs on the sides of the camper work if I didn't get that piece installed under my truck? Thanks again for all the help and support!

[Camp__Forrest__]

What you have is a StableLift. They are quite expensive and work very well. When you raise lower the camper onto the truck, you keep retracting the lift and it "hugs" your truck to keep the camper and truck connected without using tie-downs. There is a cradle that attaches to your frame to catch the lift when it retracts. It is a simple system and can be made for your truck. If you search for Stable Lift in the forums you will probably find at least one thread where someone made their own cradle/receiver. I'd search for you but it doesn't work right on my iPad.

That looks like a larger camper so it will be in the 3,000 lb range when loaded. You can keep the weight down by not carrying full water and waste tanks unless you need to, and by being aware of what you put inside. It is not hard to add 1,000 lbs to one of these. Make sure your tires are up to the task by checking the weight ratings. You will want a Load Range D or even better an E rated tire.

Good luck and have fun. I think you will like the Stable Lift.

[jimh406]

The picture shows a stabile-lift. http://www.stablelift.com/ has more info.

You can find out how much it weighs by going to scales. Weigh before and after. I'd put the tires at max air if Es or considering changing them if not before hauling it too far.

[camperpaul]

Flickr is not the best for photo sharing ...

Here is your photo:

[Francesca_Knowl]

I can't answer your questions but want to thank you for having answered one of my own! I saw a camper on a truck the other day and it had a setup just like yours hangin' under/off it. I'd never seen one before and really wondered if it was jacks or some kind of elaborate plumbing add-on. Thanks for clearing that up for me- and good luck with your questions.