New To TCs. Have A Few Questions

[El_Camino_Man]

Hey guys! Im new around here. Me and my gf LOVE camping. We started out with an Airstream that needed "some" work which turned into a headache. It got sold and a TC took its place. Iv owned it for approximately a week lol.

We bought a package deal which was a 1996 F-350 DRW and a 1996 Lance Squire 500. Both are in good shape. I would like to sell the F-350 because I already own a F-250 and the truck is worth more than what I paid, which means I could have possibly got a free camper :)My F-250 is a manual tranny diesel. Itll hold its own but Iv never towed/hauled with it before. It has E-rated tires also.

My biggest 2 concerns are this: Will the SRWs be enough or should I really consider keeping the dually? And secondly, my F-250 is a regular cab, and the dually is crew. The front of the TC sits about 3/4 of the way over the hood on my F-250. I have yet to take it on the road with the F-250.

My TC has electric jacks. They get the job done... barely. They definitely don't like jacking up much once theyre on the ground. Do they make replacement motors for these? They say Atwood on them.

I hope I didn't ramble too much! Thanks guys!

[recycler]

as for the jacks have you checked all the connections for corrision and tightness.. barring that the jacks might just be getting weak..

[El_Camino_Man]

Hey guys, how bout my jack problem? Theyre getting extremely irritating... I can only do one jack at a time for a short time, if it works at all. They barely have enough power to jack up a corner at a time. If I do more than one, whether jacking it up or retracting them, it stops like its blown a fuse, then 10 seconds later, starts up again. Any helps appreciated!!!

[El_Camino_Man]

Iv been definitely debating getting some helper air bags. No doubt they'll help the ride 100% and give a better ride. Just gotta decide if I want to blow $350+ lol

[spacedoutbob]

I have a Lance 780 on my 1989 F250 Supercab 2WD truck, the only modifications on it are Firestone Ride-Rites, and it handles great with stock 10 ply tires.

Bob in Calif.

[recycler]

nice looking rig.. it should be ok just drive like your overloaded cause if your not your close.. the #2,300 for camper is no doubt the base weight

[El_Camino_Man]

Ready for some pics?

[Farmerjon]

Hi and Welcome to our world.
We have a 1987 f250 460 4sp 4x4 with 411"s 8800 GVWR. The truck camper sheet that was in the glove box say's we can carry a 1930 lb camper. our truck came with the trailer/camper packages. Your 89 truck should have about the same ratings.
Tough decision to make. Would we keep our 4x4 and use it? knowing we might be overweight, probably.
Consider the age of your tires it might be time to replace them regardless of tread.
Have fun and good luck.

[El_Camino_Man]

Well I hooked up all the stuff to the ol SRW F-250 and took it for a test drive. Iv made up my mind on what Im going to do:

Im keeping the F-250 and selling the dually. Heres my reasoning:

Is the F-250 underpowered? Yup
Is the dually underpowered? Yup
Dies the F-250 wobble? Yup
Does the dually wobble? Yup
Are either aerodynamic? HA! Nope
Do I need to haul 5 people? Nope
Is the dually better suited for the job? Probably. Its a dually...
Am I going to travel long distances? 9 times out of 10 no

I felt safe as could be in the F-250. It wobbled every time I hit a bump but I never feared it was going over.I couldn't tell whether I was in the dually or not honestly. Theres still no doubt in my mind the dually is better suited for the job but I don't think its $7500 suited for the job compared to paid off and less suited for the job.

[El_Camino_Man]

Forgot to say:

I have it hooked up to 110V and only do one jack at a time and it still struggles. A lot.

[El_Camino_Man]

I have a buddy with a scale (farmer). I may have to go visit him someday lol

I put the tie-down equipment on the 4x4 for giggles. Only took a few hours and was easy lol. Im going to take it out on the road to see how it handles. I dont think my rear tires were fully inflated either. I run something like 50-60 psi when unloaded. Filling them to 80 should help the body roll.

If the dually was 4wd, Id done said were keeping it. Here in SO IL, we still get snow. Duallys arnt exactly notorious for traction...

[ecoast]

keep the dually.

[SugarHillCTD]

WELCOME!

Regarding posted camper weight, keep in mind that older campers seem to have optimistically LOW figures, or so it seems. So that 2300# figure might be for a unit with no options, batteries or fluids.

It seems that more recent units come with more accurate figures.


As far as your F-250 and camper test drive, some of the tippy feeling is the nature of these beasts. If your truck can handle the weight there are a few improvements available for suspension help, but some miles behind the wheel while carrying a heavy, high load will get you more comfortable.

Good luck!

[wintersun]

Personnally I would stay with the 4WD truck. The jacks are not designed to be used 4 at a time with battery power alone. Hook the camper up to 110V AC and you should notice a difference. With battery power only you should only two jacks at a time to keep the draw within the capacity of the battery to supply it.

I like having items in the rear of the cab so that I do not have to go into the camper for every little thing. We keep snacks, cold drinks, jackets, photgraphy gear, etc. in the back of the extended cab of our truck. It is very handy to have that space available.

Take the truck to a CAT scale and have it weighed with and without the camper as was suggested. Add 600 lbs. to the dry weight of the camper and then use that number for your expected payload and whether the F-250 can handle it or not.

[wcjeep]

How strong are the camper batteries? If batteries are bad or loose connection the jack motors would slow down.