Newbie, artic fox 990 and 1140, handling on F350 Drw

[Mastiffmom]

Hi, My husband and will soon be purchasing our first tc. It will go on a F350 diesel drw. We've done a lot of research but need input from those who have experience driving with either size camper. We would like the 1140 for the extra space as we plan to become full timers, this will be our home for the next 3 years or so. Hubby is concerned about the handling of such a large camper and likes the 990 better for that reason. He'd like to know how much difference is there in the feel of the 2 campers? Our intention is to explore a lot of Canada and Mexico. And eventually Central America. Over the past 4 years we have lived in Belize and Mexico full time so we are familiar with how the roads are. Hubby grew up towing and hauling heavy loads and has driven a class A with no problems. Also the campers we are looking at are 2004-2006 if that matters. Thanks in advance!
Kristin and Will

[Noel]

We had the 2000 AFox 1150 on a 2002 Chev 3500 D/Allison, dually. We were 5200 lbs loaded up and the truck held up fine.

[GeoBoy]

macdale4 wrote:
I had a 2014 1140. I like the layout better because the microwave and stove on opposite sides so one person can be microwaving and the other cooking at the same time. I like the wet bath over the dry bath because you have more room to shower and there is more storage room. That being said the 1140 is god awful heavy and I wouldn't have felt comfortable taking it off road very far. And it may have just been my camper but I was not impressed with the Arctic Fox quality and product support. I went back to an 18 year old Lance and it is far and above the AF in quality and sturdiness.

I believe the heavy part of your post but.....

[macdale4]

I had a 2014 1140. I like the layout better because the microwave and stove on opposite sides so one person can be microwaving and the other cooking at the same time. I like the wet bath over the dry bath because you have more room to shower and there is more storage room. That being said the 1140 is god awful heavy and I wouldn't have felt comfortable taking it off road very far. And it may have just been my camper but I was not impressed with the Arctic Fox quality and product support. I went back to an 18 year old Lance and it is far and above the AF in quality and sturdiness.

[Mastiffmom]

First off thanks again for all of the input. I'm having trouble replying in a timely manner and also viewing some of the replies in full, I'm sure it's due to my connection. The person who supplied me links, I replied and then later the rest of your post showed up with what you said. Thanks,I had no idea about the exhaust fans venting.

We do know about the quality of diesel fuel down here which is the reason for the older truck, a newer one just isn't in the budget.

Since we haven't bought any camper yet I supposed I may start a thread on that as we are very open to other brands but do have several requirements. I've looked and af seems to fit them all. Maybe someone could point us in another direction.

We Do want to be pretty mobile. We enjoy moving around and exploring new places. We do Not want to go crazy with a lack of elbow room though. Like anything it's a compromise, and that is why we are here for your input 🙂

[Grit_dog]

I did not think the 11 vs 9' AF model is much of a consideration weight wise. From what I've read, the weights are similar ish.
Maybe someone can post the cg dimensions of both models from the front of the camper. I dont think they change much and probably won't matter from a handling standpoint. My concern would be over hang both length and departure angle with the longer camper if you are doing much off highway driving.
Aside from owning a shortbed truck, lol, one of my big concerns and a selling feature of the AF 811-860 was no vertical drop behind the truck bed. Almost impossible to drag tail unless I'm doing more than me or the truck should be tackling with a camper on board. Also allowed for more simple trailer hookup options with more vertical clearance than a camper with a drop down overhang.
Just a consideration.
Going boondockin I'd take a 990 over a 1140. Still got the dry bath, just a smaller dinette. Little trailer for all the other "junk."

[HMS_Beagle]

Stick with the 7.3 if you are spending time in Mexico. The newer diesels are very particular about clean, low sulphur fuel, if you contaminate the fuel system in one it is around a $10K repair bill.

[blueglide]

You will get lots of advice on truck capabilities, suspension mods, etc. but you should really look at the physical dimensions of the truck camper you are interested in. Your truck is fine but with an AF 1140 on it you will be at least 12'6" tall and almost 8' across. Traveling through Kentucky/Tenn this summer I discovered some roads barely accommodate my width. It forces you to spend a great deal of concentration on your position on the road...especially if there is oncoming traffic. These are physically big campers, fortunately most places I have gone in the states allow me to get in and out without much difficulty. I don't know anything about Mexico and central american roads, etc but you aren't gonna have fun if you can't pass oncoming traffic or get down some roads without worrying about losing parts of your camper. I have read several trip reports about people traveling that part of the world who use pop up truck campers. You live there so you probably will know if a physically large camper is reasonable there or not.

[Mastiffmom]

Thank you for the links. I'm quite familiar with the campers online. I've researched so much that I can tell when a salesperson has listed the wrong model number 🙂 Since we live in Mexico it's quite a haul to go see any campers in person. When we do we plan to have several lined up to view. I'm hoping that people's experience and input here can help us conclude as to if we can have the 11 ft camper or if it would be a hindrance to our travels and we just need to go for the 9 ft and deal with having less room.

[KimandChris]

We started with an 1140 on a 06 3500 Dodge dually when we tried fulltiming a few years back. Made it 18 months,6 months in the tc, before circumstances called us back home. Never could get it to ride as comfortable as I would like. Replaced it with a 2014 because of the higher load capacity. After upper/lower Stabil loads and air bags, I am happy with it.

That said, it all depends on how comfortable you are with sway while driving. It always freaked me out a bit knowing I had all my possessions and my family in the truck... If you are not changing sites all that often or moving very far, your truck may be fine with the bigger TC. Do not think I would be comfortable with it. Also depends how much time you spend in the TC. We had friends that full timed in a small TC and spent most of the days in the camper...don't know how they did it.

[burningman]

No F350 ever came with a C4 and the C6 trans was long gone by the 2000s.
You don't need 19.5 wheels and tires and you won't be slow on the hills if you don't want to be.
We had a '99 at work with an exhaust and a tuner that used to FLY up the mountains with more weight than you'll have. It was sold last year with 240,000 very hard miles (work truck) and still ran great.
I'd go with the bigger camper. If you're gonna live in it, the biggest one won't be big enough, and your truck will carry it. I carry that much weight plus a 9500 trailer with a '99 Dodge with no problem.
I added airbags, sway bar, a "built" transmission and tuner - the usual stuff of a well-set-up hauler truck. I live in my 11.5 footer (with my wife) for about ten straight days each year and going to a shorter model camper just isn't an option.

I know a guy with a '99 F350 in his work truck fleet, a single-rear-wheel, that weighs 12,000 pounds at all times. The thing is a reliable work horse. Don't listen to the people who say you NEED a $75,000 new truck.
Heck sometimes I still haul my large camper plus very heavy trailer on my completely stock 1986 GMC, with no problem. It's just slower, which I could fix if I felt like it.
They'll also tell you you've got less payload if you have 4WD and/or a diesel, because the books say so. Technically that's correct but in both cases all the extra weight is up front. Virtually all your load will be on the rear.

[Grit_dog]

That's 5-700lbs more than I got sitting on a short bed 2500 and I'm comfortable hauling it. Full timing? I'd want a bigger truck, but I believe a newer Long bed dually is plenty of truck in most conditions. Not like you're going to get more gnarly off road with the same weight on a bigger truck. Still 12' tall over 8' wide and a high center of gravity.
As long as the truck is solid and in good shape it will handle it. Although if I could cut 1/4 to 1/2 a ton off the back with a different brand with acceptable feature I would if I was traveling a lot of miles and off road day in day out. I'm not sure TCs get heavier by the foot than AF and the other big double/triple slides. As full timers you'll, I think, inevitably also have more weight aboard with belongings than the avg weekend warrior. Aside from theft issues, a small enclosed trailer for everything but the essentials in the camper may be a good move. Will help with not having to be as weight conscious.
Sounds like fun though!

[KKELLER14K]

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/24072311.cfm

This is worth a read too.

[KKELLER14K]

http://www.eastendcampers.com/images/af-1140d.jpg
Dry bath

http://www.eastendcampers.com/images/af-1150w.jpg
Wet bath


Here is what I can tell you about the 1140 and the 1150.

If I'm not mistaken, 04 and possibly 05 still had wood framing. I know 06 went to aluminum for sure, stick with that IMHO. Look at the floor plans here and I will tell you why I liked the 1150 over the 1140. First the kitchen vent hood in an 1140 does not vent to the outside!!...I know it's crazy it recirculates inside!!, horrible idea burn something on the stove once and see what I mean. The wardrobe is behind the stove blocking the access to the outside, another bad idea also because you have to crawl into the bench seat to get to the access door. The 1140 has more storage on the outside than the 1150 but those bad design flaws did it for me.

Now on the other hand...the 1150 has a bench seat in front of the fridge and right next to the wardrobe closet which is sooo nice to have. You can sit and get dressed comfortably. The closet is big too. Another wardrobe closet is right at the foot of the bed and has easy access. Now look how much bigger the kitchen counter space is...way bigger!! and the hood vent, vents to the outside...a no brainer. One draw back is getting the flap open on the outside on the stock install...I had a custom one that automatically opened when you turned the fan on...a custom modification well worth it.

Both models come in a wet or dry bath which both are a little tight in my opinion. If you go with an 1150 dry you will lose a little bit of counter space.

So overall my pick is the 1150 without a doubt...hope this helps you out..

[bighatnohorse]

I had an 1140 and it will weigh about 5,000 pounds when loaded. Please check the tire load capacity on your truck. Your concerns will start there.