Tie downs and loading
I'm sure this topic is covered elsewhere. But I cannot find it. Could some one please explain to me exactly what I need for tie downs to carry a slide in truck camper on my old dually? Do I purchase a...
Forum Discussion
Yep. There are some old 8 footers that don’t cover up the truck tail lights but the vast majority of campers do, so you gotta hook the lights up. You could rig up a set of tow lights and just duct tape them on for the ride home if all else fails.
I own a similar truck, an ‘86 GMC dually/454. Same truck really.
It will haul any camper just fine, mine needs no extra springs, bars, nothing.
If you don’t already have one for trailering, you’ll need a heavy duty turn signal flasher or the signals will “hyper flash” when you plug the extra camper bulbs in.
Sometimes on old trucks I just pulled out the stock tail light bulbs to solve that when I needed to.
I have a “belly bar” on mine. They work great, mount easy, but are hard to find these days.
Any camper will fit your truck box, it’s the old school wide tailgate one. Only the newer trucks have issues clearing some pre-1988 campers.
I wouldn’t be afraid at all to consider whatever size camper you find a deal on and like. That truck won’t have any problem hauling it.
The most expensive thing to fix on an old camper - and most likely to not work - is the refrigerator.
Don’t listen to any excuses about “it just needs a recharge” or “it’s an easy fix”. It’s expensive. I’d want a seller to have the fridge fired up so by the time I got there it’s had time to get cold - or not!!
If you do buy an old camper and the fridge doesn’t work, take the covers off the burner apparatus on the back and blow the tubes and burner out with a compressed air blow gun. Most burner trouble is crud that builds up in there.
If the burner lights but it doesn’t get cold, take a block of wood and beat on the metal tubes on the back of the fridge, at least as much as you can reach. Sometimes you need to go inside and unscrew the screws around the face of the fridge holding it in, unscrew the gas line, and slide the fridge forward a foot or so to reach the tubes on the back (through the fridge service access hatch on the side of the camper).
Beat the **** out of those tubes with a wood block, just less than the point you think you’ll damage them. That clears them up, quite often an old fridge that’s been sitting will start working.
If you smell ammonia around an old fridge, it’s done.
I own a similar truck, an ‘86 GMC dually/454. Same truck really.
It will haul any camper just fine, mine needs no extra springs, bars, nothing.
If you don’t already have one for trailering, you’ll need a heavy duty turn signal flasher or the signals will “hyper flash” when you plug the extra camper bulbs in.
Sometimes on old trucks I just pulled out the stock tail light bulbs to solve that when I needed to.
I have a “belly bar” on mine. They work great, mount easy, but are hard to find these days.
Any camper will fit your truck box, it’s the old school wide tailgate one. Only the newer trucks have issues clearing some pre-1988 campers.
I wouldn’t be afraid at all to consider whatever size camper you find a deal on and like. That truck won’t have any problem hauling it.
The most expensive thing to fix on an old camper - and most likely to not work - is the refrigerator.
Don’t listen to any excuses about “it just needs a recharge” or “it’s an easy fix”. It’s expensive. I’d want a seller to have the fridge fired up so by the time I got there it’s had time to get cold - or not!!
If you do buy an old camper and the fridge doesn’t work, take the covers off the burner apparatus on the back and blow the tubes and burner out with a compressed air blow gun. Most burner trouble is crud that builds up in there.
If the burner lights but it doesn’t get cold, take a block of wood and beat on the metal tubes on the back of the fridge, at least as much as you can reach. Sometimes you need to go inside and unscrew the screws around the face of the fridge holding it in, unscrew the gas line, and slide the fridge forward a foot or so to reach the tubes on the back (through the fridge service access hatch on the side of the camper).
Beat the **** out of those tubes with a wood block, just less than the point you think you’ll damage them. That clears them up, quite often an old fridge that’s been sitting will start working.
If you smell ammonia around an old fridge, it’s done.
