Newbie considering used Lance 1181 purchace

[finsruskw]

Hello! My wife and I are considering the purchase of a used '07 Lance 1181 and are wondering if there are any problems we should be asking about and looking for that may be inherent with this model.

I may add that we have never owned a TC before. I am a retired long haul trucker (flatbed & stepdeck) and have a new Ram 3500 Cummins dually to mount this unit on.

We are looking forward to hitting the road and seeing some of the places and things I could never get to with a class 8 big rig. I will also from time to time tow a small trailer w/vintage Cub Cadet garden tractors on to shows and plowing events.

Looking forward to some input from some input from experienced Lance owners.

Thank You!!

[The_Mad_Norsky]

Gosh, I love a story with a happy ending!

Good for you pardner!

[finsruskw]

WE picked up our 1181 yesterday from the original owner, only used a couple times, like new condition and LOADED W/options!
The title says its a 2011 but the condition says its a Demo model 2016, Its that nice!!
Gen-set only has 1.1 hrs on the clock!
It’s on my new 2015 Ram 3500 that I got in TX back in June.

Now we can get to a lot of the places I could not get to w/the KW!!
Will be heading up near W. Fargo on the 2nd to a huge Steam Power show at Rollag, MN and another IH show at Dalton, MN the following weekend.

The truck hardly knew the big Lance was back there during the trip back thanks to an awesome tailwind. Netted me 13.882PG (actual), for the Cummins.

Full of fuel, only one battery, no water and some extra Happijack tiedown equipment and a Reece extension tube from the PO's Ford dually, plus DW and I grossed out at 12800. 4740 steer & 8060 on the drives. This on a 14,000 GVWR, Can you say HAPPY CAMPER!!!

So, she's sittin' in the drive here at home preparing for our 1st outing next month. The cowl brackets for the Ram were in the mailbox when we got home and I have the holes marked, just got beg/buy/borrow or steal a right angle drill to get 'em installed.

Now, if I could just figure out how to post a picture on here.....

[bighatnohorse]

For what its worth, Pacific Travel Center in Tacoma, WA has five or six used Lance 1181's on the lot. I stopped by there today. I believe that they were all the dry bath models.
They are all very nice units. You might want to give them a call if that's the camper that you want.

[805gregg]

Don't worry about skirt rot on 2006 and later Lance campers they are aluminum frame, don't be in a hurry, look at lots of campers and find a well maintained bargain.

[jmcgsd]

Well good luck with it, sounds like you done due diligence. Not like me: when I see something I like I tend to jump on it. That's the reason there's both a TT and TC in my driveway.

[finsruskw]

Well, things have changed since my last post. We responded to an ad for a 2011 Lance 1181 and the owner came down quite a bit on the price with out us making an offer, so it was a done deal! The Red Rock interior scheme should compliment my Western Brown/White Gold Ram well, I hope. I might add, this unit is loaded with an option list almost as long as the standard feature list. About the only thing missing is a solar panel which I would like to add at a later date if not to big a do-it-yourself hassle, it's already prewired for one.

I ordered and installed all the TorkLift tiedowns including the SuperHitch last week. Will get the SuperTruss extension on order after we get home with it. The unit includes a Reece single tube hitch, maybe I can use that for my single axle utility trailer
This unit also has the struts included and I have the cowl mounts on order from Lance. Rec'd the Lance truck harness yesterday and it is installed also, albeit temporary, awaiting the correct location to mount the socket assly in the front corner of the box.

So, Cash and camera in hand, down payment made (last week)and a full fuel tank, we are off this AM to pick it up.

Planning our 1st outing for the 2nd with a trip to northern, MN to a huge steam power show at Rollag, MN. Going to stop by the Lance dealer in Ham Lake, MN on the way to have them finish the wiring install, running the large gage wires to the engine/battery compartment per the Lance instructions in their schematic and on line video. Film at eleven!!

Thanks for all the tips Folks!!

[finsruskw]

WE returned home from our auto trip this past Thursday after viewing 1 more unit in PA, a one owner '07 Fox. It was in beautiful shape and under cover. My wife did not like the fact one had to step UP into the bathroom and the non-positive cabinet latches and I did not care for the cheap looking aand (to me) flimsy looking Happijacks, but did like the application of the aluminum diamond plate on the front and rear.

Yesterday, the sales man at the WI dealership called to inform us the 1181 we had looked at in July and had been told was no longer available, was in fact, back in the possession of the owners and they had evidently changed their mind about returning to TX until Oct. It was no longer at the dealer ship where it had been on consignment. He provided us with the contact info. I think we are going to contact them and arrange for a return visit. It is certainly closer than the '05 1191 that we looked at on our way east 2 weeks ago with the car. It had been mounted on a Ford, so none of the tie down bracket gear would be of any use to us, but it did include the hitch extension ad struts as mentioned in one of my 1st posts.

So, as of this writing we are still uncommitted to a TC and I have several tractor shows coming up that I could really get some use out of one!!

BTW, on our 2600 mile round trip to PA and back, we counted a grand total of maybe 6 TC's!!

[finsruskw]

Thanks again for all the feedback, Folks!
Rec'd a call yesterday the unit we ere seriously considering has been taken off the market and returned to storage, the owners having returned south to their home. ( I thought, OK, but return to TX in the middle of the summer???!!)

Suppose we drug our feet a little to long, but that one was only the 3rd unit we had really looked at.

Looked an 1181 near St. Louis on Sunday and viewed 2 others today on our way to a car show in PA.
One, 1 2005 1191, one owner ready to rock 'n' roll w/110 hrs on the gen-set and the other, another 1181, 2007 model. The '07 had no Gen-set so that killed the deal for us, but the 1191 looks doable and I really like the side door, would make getting in and out a breeze with a trailer hooked to it. Unit comes w/all the equipment needed except for the frame tie down brackets which I would have to buy anyway, regardless to fit my Ram. Looks like we would have to give up a little counter space in the bath and no pull out pantry (that the wife really likes) in the galley. She will have to make the decision there I guess!

Anyway, We are still looking and may try to see a Fox 1050 near Harrisburg on Monday if I can contact the owner.

Thanks again Folks

Dave S

[jmcgsd]

palmwhit wrote:
Consider that Lance shows the struts on their larger units being manufactured currently. Additionally Lance recommends the struts and has for years on the large TC's. But what do they know? If you consider the purpose of the struts and what they are designed to do and protect, they make sense.

The big caveat is they need to be properly installed. I think most people who've had issues with them did not properly attach the mount fitting's either on the truck or camper or both. Doh.."Instructions??? I tossed 'em with the box" is likely in some cases. IMO.

If you're getting the struts with this camper and all you are missing are the brackets, why not put them on? If you don't like them you can always pitch em at very little out of pocket.

Mine were installed by an authorized Lance dealer, re-examined by that dealer multiple times and always a giant PITA. They were gone never more to return before I got my 981 Max, so perhaps they would have worked better with that large, heavy unit. On the other hand with many thousands of miles on the 981 on many a very bad washboard I never missed them nor felt that they would have been a benefit.

[palmwhit]

Consider that Lance shows the struts on their larger units being manufactured currently. Additionally Lance recommends the struts and has for years on the large TC's. But what do they know? If you consider the purpose of the struts and what they are designed to do and protect, they make sense.

The big caveat is they need to be properly installed. I think most people who've had issues with them did not properly attach the mount fitting's either on the truck or camper or both. Doh.."Instructions??? I tossed 'em with the box" is likely in some cases. IMO.

If you're getting the struts with this camper and all you are missing are the brackets, why not put them on? If you don't like them you can always pitch em at very little out of pocket.

[twodownzero]

finsruskw wrote:
Thanks rshrimp! My 3500 is right at 8300 full of fuel and w/the tailgate in place. The GVWR is 14,000. I figure the addition of a set of lorklifts will more than offset the tailgate weight once it is removed.

Those are great payload numbers! Enjoy your huge camper and no weight worries!

finsruskw wrote:
This unit we have been looking at and considering also has the turnbuckles and struts included. I noticed the strut mounts were installed on the cabover and asked about them. The s'man said the struts were included w/the camper but did not include the cab cowl mounts that had stayed with the Ford the unit was mounted on. They were in the huge storage bin at the rear of the camper and when he opened the door there were the t'buckles also. The mounts for them were also mounted , factory I presume, on both sides of the unit.

So, bottom line, I'll have to acquire the cowl mounts to complete the strut mount assly. I assume Lance has these available? or have they maybe discontinued offering these due to negative feedback? I read up on them and they seem to have quite a few folks in both the love and hate camps!

I will also have to purchase the Torklifts to fit the 3500. Watched the video on mounting the fronts but cannot come up with one that illustrates the rear mount. The Ram has the OEM class V hitch installed. Anyone have a picture or two of how the rears mount??

Don't waste your money on the front struts.

Get yourself the rear Superhitch and the Torklift tiedowns will attach to that. The hitch bolts below your current hitch and has some plates to reinforce it to the frame.

The rear Torklifts for without the Superhitch are different and if you change your mind and want to add the hitch later, you'll have to remove and replace your rear tie downs as well.

Having the Superhitch allows you to use the Supertruss, which will allow you to use up to a 4' hitch extension to tow while carrying your camper.

[palmwhit]

jmcgsd wrote:
IMHO take those struts and pitch them as far as you can! I got them with my first Lance, a lightweight 815. They would come out of the brackets on the truck as I was tooling down the freeway. I finally just removed them.
!

I respectfully disagree! With over 70K miles with a 1181 and the struts we have found them useful and never a problem. I think the quoted poster may have had an improper installation if the mounted brackets somehow caused a problem. Of course there is a difference in the model size and overhang as well. All of this hardware has a advantage but installation instructions/guide need to be adhered too.
Anyway now you have a "pro and a con". Personally I think the struts serve a good purpose and I'd get them again. Just my experience, but we do a lot of varied travel on back Forest Service roads as well as the "Slab", i.e. Interstate.

[jmcgsd]

IMHO take those struts and pitch them as far as you can! I got them with my first Lance, a lightweight 815. They would come out of the brackets on the truck as I was tooling down the freeway. I finally just removed them.

I then moved to a 981 max (2005) I never got them and in thousands of miles with that TC never saw the need for them.

I bought my 981 new and at that time the 981 and 1181 were exactly the same price on the dealer's lot. We went with the shorter 9"6' because my DW thought she'd be wanting to pull a horse trailer. Had we purchased the 1181 at that time we'd probably still have it!

[finsruskw]

This unit we have been looking at and considering also has the turnbuckles and struts included. I noticed the strut mounts were installed on the cabover and asked about them. The s'man said the struts were included w/the camper but did not include the cab cowl mounts that had stayed with the Ford the unit was mounted on. They were in the huge storage bin at the rear of the camper and when he opened the door there were the t'buckles also. The mounts for them were also mounted , factory I presume, on both sides of the unit.

So, bottom line, I'll have to acquire the cowl mounts to complete the strut mount assly. I assume Lance has these available? or have they maybe discontinued offering these due to negative feedback? I read up on them and they seem to have quite a few folks in both the love and hate camps!

I will also have to purchase the Torklifts to fit the 3500. Watched the video on mounting the fronts but cannot come up with one that illustrates the rear mount. The Ram has the OEM class V hitch installed. Anyone have a picture or two of how the rears mount??

Thanks Again Folks