New Truck Camper Test Drive

[dls0008]

When we bought our new wolf creek last year, the dealer allowed us to place the camper in our truck bed to see how much it would compress the suspension. But they were adamant that we could not drive with the camper until the purchase was complete. So, we didn’t really know how the truck would handle bumps or speed until we had paid for the camper. Is this typical of a new purchase or have you guys been able to take a test drive?
Thanks.

[Grit_dog]

Bedlam wrote:

dls0008 wrote:

anutami wrote:
Many people post on this forum prior to purchasing a particular truck/TC combo for other owners opinions on handling issues etc. I wouldn't want a truck camper I was buying to be already loaded on peoples trucks and test driven down the road.

So how does your f450 handle the WC?

F-450 handles the camper great. But we had a F-250 when we bought the Wolf Creek, I never liked the way the F-250 handled the weight. We had a bunch of bolt suspension improvements: Rancho's, Stable loads, airbags. It felt like I had to fight the F-250, whether it was bumps in the road or body roll from the camper, there were moments of unstable ride that made it unenjoyable. We sometimes flat tow a Jeep Wrangler out into the mountains which made it worse. I had some heavy traffic, night time crossings on I-70 over the divide that were pretty bad. F-250 was a 4wd, Crew Cab Short Bed with a Diesel, so we didn't have much payload left over.

Our F-450 handles all of it like a dream. We are making and planning long distance trips that we avoided with the F-250.

I guess my experience is that taking a camper over a speed bump going 15 mph can tell you a lot about how your truck will handle the camper. You don't necessarily need to get on the highway and go over 60 mph.

I'm surprised your F250 handled so poorly. I had a Supercab short bed diesel carrying a heavier Arctic Fox 811 and towing a 20' enclosed trailer without handling problems. I did put $3000 into the suspension and wheel upgrades to get to that point, but did not even think about replacing the truck until we decided to go to a larger truck camper. My truck was typically 11.5-12.5K lbs GVW with 7-8K lbs on the rear axle and traveled that way for over 30k miles in three years.

When I bought my current truck, I carried the camper two more years and towed the same trailer. Handling was not much different, but the suspension was stiffer and I had to take rough roads slower than my F250. The biggest difference is that the truck has not required any upgrades to carry my Arctic Fox or current Host.

One persons expectations may be different than another's. If that person expected it to handle without much body roll then they may have been disappointed. Also if newer F250, both my 13 and 15 model F250 standard trucks had very soft springs for a 3/4ton.
Considerbly softer than older F250s ......and the other 2 brands as well. Rode great but they were soft.

[adamis]

I was looking at a used Artic Fox camper and requested to load it on my truck and drive it around to see how my truck handled it. I was flat out denied and at the time was extremely upset(I'd been looking for this model for several weeks). Left right then without purchasing and in hindsight, glad I was denied as I purchased my Bigfoot and couldn't be happier.

You can thank lawyers and McDonald's overly hot coffee for our society being as litigious as it is these days. Liability, liability, liability... it sucks beyond comprehension just how much society has begun to accept the nanny state of forced compliance to blanket policies because of "liability". Don't blame the dealerships, the camper isn't paid for and should you get in a wreck on your short drive around the block with their camper they are now out of pocket.

Private party you might actually have better luck with such a request because as someone already said, everything's negotiable (unless it's the blanket policy of a corporation or the government...).

For any future readers that might dig out this thread while researching buying a camper (and at the risk of starting another weight police flame war), here's a thought I will leave you with. If have never driven with a camper on your truck before then when you are shopping for a camper, buy one that is well within the weight limits of your truck and drive knowing you that you are within the manufacturers designed tolerances. On the other hand, if you have experience on the road with a camper and know what it generally "feels" like then pushing the limits of your trucks GVWR might be more like "guidelines" rather than a hard rule.

Taking this to a dealership that won't let you test drive... If you've never driven with a camper before and aren't certain about how your rig will handle and they won't let you test drive it then make certain you are within the GVWR for peace of mind. Or, walk away and find another camper.

[rider997]

dls0008 wrote:
When we bought our new wolf creek last year, the dealer allowed us to place the camper in our truck bed to see how much it would compress the suspension. But they were adamant that we could not drive with the camper until the purchase was complete. So, we didn’t really know how the truck would handle bumps or speed until we had paid for the camper. Is this typical of a new purchase or have you guys been able to take a test drive?
Thanks.

We wrote up a contract on a new Arctic Fox camper with the stipulation that we would weigh in under a pre-determined weight (the nearest weigh station was about 15 miles away). The dealer filled the propane tanks, water tank, and installed the house batteries prior to loading it on our truck. To our delight (or chagrin, depending on how you look at it), we weighed in at exactly our decided-upon weight limit.

Since TC manufacturers, with very few exceptions, dramatically underestimate the laden weight of the camper, I would not purchase one without a weigh-in clause in the purchase paperwork unless you're buying a weight class below what you know your truck will support.

(e.g. a Four Wheel Camper on a high payload half ton pickup or a Lance 825 on a 1 ton SRW, etc.)

[jimh406]

SidecarFlip wrote:
Bottom line is..

If I owned an RV dealership (and I've considered it) the only way you could 'test drive' any unit, be it a TC, pull behind, 5er or whatever would be signing on the dotted line and paying for it or financing it and the bank approved your loan.

The you could 'test drive' it all you wanted to because...you own it.

Well, some states have a 3 day right of recension to void the contract if the item is financed under particular conditions. That just means that you should use those rules if you want an extended test drive and then want to cancel, right?

[Bedlam]

dls0008 wrote:

anutami wrote:
Many people post on this forum prior to purchasing a particular truck/TC combo for other owners opinions on handling issues etc. I wouldn't want a truck camper I was buying to be already loaded on peoples trucks and test driven down the road.

So how does your f450 handle the WC?

F-450 handles the camper great. But we had a F-250 when we bought the Wolf Creek, I never liked the way the F-250 handled the weight. We had a bunch of bolt suspension improvements: Rancho's, Stable loads, airbags. It felt like I had to fight the F-250, whether it was bumps in the road or body roll from the camper, there were moments of unstable ride that made it unenjoyable. We sometimes flat tow a Jeep Wrangler out into the mountains which made it worse. I had some heavy traffic, night time crossings on I-70 over the divide that were pretty bad. F-250 was a 4wd, Crew Cab Short Bed with a Diesel, so we didn't have much payload left over.

Our F-450 handles all of it like a dream. We are making and planning long distance trips that we avoided with the F-250.

I guess my experience is that taking a camper over a speed bump going 15 mph can tell you a lot about how your truck will handle the camper. You don't necessarily need to get on the highway and go over 60 mph.

I'm surprised your F250 handled so poorly. I had a Supercab short bed diesel carrying a heavier Arctic Fox 811 and towing a 20' enclosed trailer without handling problems. I did put $3000 into the suspension and wheel upgrades to get to that point, but did not even think about replacing the truck until we decided to go to a larger truck camper. My truck was typically 11.5-12.5K lbs GVW with 7-8K lbs on the rear axle and traveled that way for over 30k miles in three years.

When I bought my current truck, I carried the camper two more years and towed the same trailer. Handling was not much different, but the suspension was stiffer and I had to take rough roads slower than my F250. The biggest difference is that the truck has not required any upgrades to carry my Arctic Fox or current Host.

[SidecarFlip]

Bottom line is..

If I owned an RV dealership (and I've considered it) the only way you could 'test drive' any unit, be it a TC, pull behind, 5er or whatever would be signing on the dotted line and paying for it or financing it and the bank approved your loan.

The you could 'test drive' it all you wanted to because...you own it.

[dls0008]

anutami wrote:
Many people post on this forum prior to purchasing a particular truck/TC combo for other owners opinions on handling issues etc. I wouldn't want a truck camper I was buying to be already loaded on peoples trucks and test driven down the road.

So how does your f450 handle the WC?

F-450 handles the camper great. But we had a F-250 when we bought the Wolf Creek, I never liked the way the F-250 handled the weight. We had a bunch of bolt suspension improvements: Rancho's, Stable loads, airbags. It felt like I had to fight the F-250, whether it was bumps in the road or body roll from the camper, there were moments of unstable ride that made it unenjoyable. We sometimes flat tow a Jeep Wrangler out into the mountains which made it worse. I had some heavy traffic, night time crossings on I-70 over the divide that were pretty bad. F-250 was a 4wd, Crew Cab Short Bed with a Diesel, so we didn't have much payload left over.

Our F-450 handles all of it like a dream. We are making and planning long distance trips that we avoided with the F-250.

I guess my experience is that taking a camper over a speed bump going 15 mph can tell you a lot about how your truck will handle the camper. You don't necessarily need to get on the highway and go over 60 mph.

[anutami]

jimh425 wrote:

anutami wrote:
I wouldn't want a truck camper I was buying to be already loaded on peoples trucks and test driven down the road.

Why not? It likely was in a bed to get to the lot and why would that be worse than being on a trailer getting to the dealer?

1. Loading a TC can be a challenge: scraping/damage can occur
2.with no bed Matt sliding: scraping/damage can occur
3. Tie downs could be overtightened causing unforseen stress/damage
4. Selfishness: thats my camper I don't want some other person driving it around hitting pot holes taking corners hard to see if the TC will sway or not.

[jimh406]

anutami wrote:
I wouldn't want a truck camper I was buying to be already loaded on peoples trucks and test driven down the road.

Why not? It likely was in a bed to get to the lot and why would that be worse than being on a trailer getting to the dealer?

[anutami]

Many people post on this forum prior to purchasing a particular truck/TC combo for other owners opinions on handling issues etc. I wouldn't want a truck camper I was buying to be already loaded on peoples trucks and test driven down the road.

So how does your f450 handle the WC?

[dls0008]

jimh425 wrote:
dls0008, I agree that there is nothing that is going to feel similar to a truck camper. AFAIK, a TC would be covered by the truck insurance. FWIW, I have test driven Class A RVs and bought one. I also bought a TT on condition that the towing was ok.

Seems to be a lot of guesses on what dealers should do with all of the responsibility on the unknowing new owner. If you think about how people constantly complain that some dealers will sell newbies anything, I think that's almost a requirement that any purchase would be on condition of a reasonable/safe ride. That's assuming the potential owner properly prepares their truck.

I know in my area, it is common for TCs to be moved to shows etc on the back of a truck, so it's like the TCs would be used after being loaded.

YMMV along with opinions, I guess. 🙂

I agree, I was interested to see if anyone had actually performed a test drive prior to purchase. Doesn't seem like it.

[HMS_Beagle]

I'm sure this varies by dealer.

I am also quite sure that the handling of the truck is VERY dependent on the model, it's CG, moment of inertia, etc. I had a Bigfoot 9.6 what weighed (on scales) 2800 lbs. On the same truck without modification I bought a Bigfoot 10.4 what weighs (on scales) 3500 lbs. The truck drove much better with the 10.4, even 700 lbs heavier.

You can't tell till you try it.

[mkirsch]

Class A/B/C RVs are self-contained motor vehicles, not the same as loading up a TC or hitching on to a travel trailer or fifth wheel, either from a liability or practicality standpoint. As soon as you involve someone else's vehicle, liability becomes a gray area. Did the dealer's trailer cause the accident, or did the customers tow vehicle cause the accident? Of course each will point the finger at the other.

[jimh406]

dls0008, I agree that there is nothing that is going to feel similar to a truck camper. AFAIK, a TC would be covered by the truck insurance. FWIW, I have test driven Class A RVs and bought one. I also bought a TT on condition that the towing was ok.

Seems to be a lot of guesses on what dealers should do with all of the responsibility on the unknowing new owner. If you think about how people constantly complain that some dealers will sell newbies anything, I think that's almost a requirement that any purchase would be on condition of a reasonable/safe ride. That's assuming the potential owner properly prepares their truck.

I know in my area, it is common for TCs to be moved to shows etc on the back of a truck, so it's like the TCs would be used after being loaded.

YMMV along with opinions, I guess. 🙂