Pop up vs hard side loading

[wheel50]

I am no stranger to RV's but a newbie to truck campers.

We recently bought a 1983 bigfoot 1400lbs to try out truck camping on our 1982 c20 2wd.

We were very unhappy with the loading and unloading on the old highjacker hydraulic jacks. When it's up in the air hight enough to load or unload the truck its really unstable.

We are looking at a 2016 Palomino 1500 2000lbs pop up with electric jacks. My question is will it be less unstable to load. I would guess the fact that its made for newer trucks and I still have 66 inches at the back of my bed having more wiggle room would make a bit of a difference with lest stress worrying about damaging jacks by jolting the camper in the wrong direction.

If it's still unstable when up high then I have been thinking of Stable lift after reading allot about it but stable lift is very expensive.

Any help help would be appreciated.

[tonymull]

Other than the age difference you are looking at two campers that are at opposite ends of the quality/reputation scale. Perhaps you just need new jacks or you might have some corner rot going on.

[sljohnson1938]

I have had 4 pop-up campers, the first one had the 3 jack system, 2 on one side and 1 on the other. Scared me to death when I loaded it. the others had the 4 jack system, one on each corner. No problems. Anything new should have the 4 jack system and I think you will not have any problems with it.

[DWeikert]

I'm curious what you mean by really unstable. IMHO, no camper with the jacks extended to loading height is going to feel stable. Those spindly jack legs are going to flex a little when extended. That doesn't mean the camper instability is unsafe, but it's only meant to be in that condition long enough to get the truck under, or out from under the camper. Once off the truck you should either lower the jacks all the way or place some support under the camper tub if you prefer to not have to raise and lower the camper all the way from ground level to loading height and back.

I'm not familiar with hydraulic jacks, but once you get the camper on the truck and the weight off the jacks, check just how rigid they are. If you're getting a lot of flexing/wobble, maybe think of replacing the jacks instead of the whole camper.

[billtex]

Given the same loading system (jacks) I can't imagine there would be any difference loading a hard side vs popup TC...

[joerg68]

if you are "jolting the camper" at all, you're doing it wrong

That may well be true for the original poster with his truc/camper combo, you are right.
Our camper has a clearance of less than 1cm at the most narrow point. It is almost impossible to position the truck on our driveway to that accuracy, so I must usually push it for the last few mm to clear the rear bed opening properly.

All campers are more stable when lowered as far to the ground as possible. Because the legs get shorter and any forces have less leverage.

[wheel50]

The bigfoot has jacks on all four corners mounted with lag bolts. I suppose the lower centre of gravity would help with the stability up high. I notice at the RV dealer when looking at new truck campers they all seem pretty sturdy when lowered to the ground and not fully extended. The bigfoot was even unstable when lower and still need some sort of additional support.

[Ivylog]

I bought a tottled 32'TT to put a hybrid TT on plus a ATV front and back. The extra tanks will come in handy for longer boondocking.

Could not get his link to work for a image.

[mkirsch]

Your 1983 model probably had only THREE jacks, which were the type that mounted underneath the side overhang (aka wing) of the camper. It probably didn't help that that old camper's frame was fatigued from age/use, and possibly somewhat rotten from sitting outside.

AFAIK, every camper manufactured nowadays has FOUR jacks, which are mounted to the corners of the camper for a much stronger arrangement. For sure the Palominos have been this way since 2000.

A bit of advice for loading/unloading, if you are "jolting the camper" at all, you're doing it wrong. If you are not free and clear, you need to stop and reposition. Forcing it is a sure recipe for disaster.

Don't worry about the so-called Palomino "quality problem." The camper won't be perfect; no new camper is. You're paying a low price for the camper so you can't expect exotic materials and old-world craftsmanship. What's important is that the camper's weather tight, and its functions, function. Beyond that, take care of it and it will take care of you.

[joerg68]

Like I said, their campers are on the inexpensive end and they are quite allright for that. There are a lot of happy owners around. Quality - especially the build quality - of RVs in general is an issue for many of us, across most if not all brands.

Please don't let my remark discourage you!

[wheel50]

Thats great information and thanks. I was not aware that the Palomino reputation isn't the greatest.

[joerg68]

A new, lightweight camper with electric jacks is quite stable even if they are fully extended. I wouldn't worry - at all. Just make sure you load/unload on even (that is: not sloping) and firm ground.

The camper will still wiggle a little. Sometimes that is an advantage if you need to make small adjustments (less than an inch) while lowering the camper into the truck bed. Our camper fits very tightly so I frequently need to do that.

Obviously you wouldn't want to live in the camper off the truck with jacks fully extended and without further support.

It is really easy. Take your time and don't sweat it.

The Palomino campers are OK for the price but do not have the best reputation for quality. But I suppose you know that.