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Large Truck Campers: how practical?

RobertRyan
Explorer
Explorer
I just noticed this photo of a TC that is on a for sale site is very large being 18ft overall with 12ft 4 inches floor.
How practical are large Truck Campers Off Road? It is actually a Custom build

50 REPLIES 50

RobertRyan
Explorer
Explorer
3 tons wrote:
RobertRyan wrote:
valhalla360 wrote:
mellow wrote:
Off road has many different meanings so not sure what your going after but some of us have heavier TC's and enjoy going off the pavement and find it practical as you can't tow a trailer to those places.


Yep, huge difference driving on a sandy beach and going rock crawling.

Yes very True. Still smalller TC's are much more adept on extreme roads


Hey RR, do you still have your jumbo Eagle Cap??

3 tons

Your mixing up your Australians, do not know what he has now

ppine
Explorer II
Explorer II
My first Rv was a medium sized TC on a one ton Ford. They are heavy and make trucks top heavy. They are difficult in the wind. They take some time to load and unload. The big campers just make everything worse.

I like travel trailers.

3_tons
Explorer III
Explorer III
RobertRyan wrote:
valhalla360 wrote:
mellow wrote:
Off road has many different meanings so not sure what your going after but some of us have heavier TC's and enjoy going off the pavement and find it practical as you can't tow a trailer to those places.


Yep, huge difference driving on a sandy beach and going rock crawling.

Yes very True. Still smalller TC's are much more adept on extreme roads


Hey RR, do you still have your jumbo Eagle Cap??

3 tons

RobertRyan
Explorer
Explorer
valhalla360 wrote:
mellow wrote:
Off road has many different meanings so not sure what your going after but some of us have heavier TC's and enjoy going off the pavement and find it practical as you can't tow a trailer to those places.


Yep, huge difference driving on a sandy beach and going rock crawling.

Yes very True. Still smalller TC's are much more adept on extreme roads

ticki2
Explorer
Explorer
There is also a huge difference in comparing an earth roamed with a domestic pickup with a TC . One major difference being cost .
'68 Avion C-11
'02 GMC DRW D/A flatbed

valhalla360
Nomad III
Nomad III
mellow wrote:
Off road has many different meanings so not sure what your going after but some of us have heavier TC's and enjoy going off the pavement and find it practical as you can't tow a trailer to those places.


Yep, huge difference driving on a sandy beach and going rock crawling.
Tammy & Mike
Ford F250 V10
2021 Gray Wolf
Gemini Catamaran 34'
Full Time spliting time between boat and RV

Grit_dog
Navigator
Navigator
notsobigjoe wrote:
RobertRyan wrote:
Joe wrote:
If the man who has a mammoth on a 550 tells you you can go on trails with it then I would say that is your answer. "In my opinion" The first pic does not match the second pic builds. The first pic looks like a delivery van but the second pic looks like trail riders. Completely different models even if they are the same frame. Also, with all the stories I and others have posted about broken frames on 3500's I would completely stay away from them and go strait to the top with a 5500 class truck. From the pics I have seen like the one you posted "Broken frame" it has seriously made me reconsider my truck camper combo, So much that we are looking at TT's again. I aint getting any younger! I would not be able to fix a broken frame nor could I afford to have it fixed. Good luck in your adventures.
Joe

Second pic is of a Earthcruiser Expedition vehicle that can go very much Off Road. Your advice I think is pretty spot on as regards heavy Truck Campers


I was just commenting on how they looked "to me" and I agree the earth roamers are very much an off road machine. My point was that the first pic does not look like an off road machine. Did not mean they were the exact same frame just mistyped my thoughts. I've done that before...:o


It’s ok Joe. RR is just fishing. No different than he’s always done, although he has dropped the anti American/North American sentiment that used to pollute almost all his posts.
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

mellow
Explorer
Explorer
Off road has many different meanings so not sure what your going after but some of us have heavier TC's and enjoy going off the pavement and find it practical as you can't tow a trailer to those places.
2002 F-350 7.3 Lariat 4x4 DRW ZF6
2008 Lance 1191 - 220w of solar - Bring on the sun!

notsobigjoe
Nomad III
Nomad III
RobertRyan wrote:
Joe wrote:
If the man who has a mammoth on a 550 tells you you can go on trails with it then I would say that is your answer. "In my opinion" The first pic does not match the second pic builds. The first pic looks like a delivery van but the second pic looks like trail riders. Completely different models even if they are the same frame. Also, with all the stories I and others have posted about broken frames on 3500's I would completely stay away from them and go strait to the top with a 5500 class truck. From the pics I have seen like the one you posted "Broken frame" it has seriously made me reconsider my truck camper combo, So much that we are looking at TT's again. I aint getting any younger! I would not be able to fix a broken frame nor could I afford to have it fixed. Good luck in your adventures.
Joe

Second pic is of a Earthcruiser Expedition vehicle that can go very much Off Road. Your advice I think is pretty spot on as regards heavy Truck Campers


I was just commenting on how they looked "to me" and I agree the earth roamers are very much an off road machine. My point was that the first pic does not look like an off road machine. Did not mean they were the exact same frame just mistyped my thoughts. I've done that before...:o

RobertRyan
Explorer
Explorer
Earthcruiser on small track
Joe wrote:
If the man who has a mammoth on a 550 tells you you can go on trails with it then I would say that is your answer. "In my opinion" The first pic does not match the second pic builds. The first pic looks like a delivery van but the second pic looks like trail riders. Completely different models even if they are the same frame. Also, with all the stories I and others have posted about broken frames on 3500's I would completely stay away from them and go strait to the top with a 5500 class truck. From the pics I have seen like the one you posted "Broken frame" it has seriously made me reconsider my truck camper combo, So much that we are looking at TT's again. I aint getting any younger! I would not be able to fix a broken frame nor could I afford to have it fixed. Good luck in your adventures.
Joe

Second pic is of a Earthcruiser Expedition vehicle that can go very much Off Road. Your advice I think is pretty spot on regards heavy Truck Campers
Video Earthcruiser on a small track

Grit_dog
Navigator
Navigator
RobertRyan wrote:
This is what the post is about
How practical is this top heavy monster on a small trail? Excessive overhang and a high centre of gravity. A photo of a broken RAM 1 Ton went viral showed what overloading and the fulcrum effect can do. Should large Truck Campers be more like Expedition Vehicles? Expedition Vehicles do not have broken chassis



Whata tool…
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

notsobigjoe
Nomad III
Nomad III
Bedlam wrote:
Not every one is crawling 4wd trails. I go on forest roads and need better clearance and angles than a motorhome. Occasionally I even use 4wd so I don't tear up the ground too much. Overall height is my biggest concern when trees are present off or on roads since I am semi trailer height.


If the man who has a mammoth on a 550 tells you you can go on trails with it then I would say that is your answer. "In my opinion" The first pic does not match the second pic builds. The first pic looks like a delivery van but the second pic looks like trail riders. Completely different models even if they are the same frame. Also, with all the stories I and others have posted about broken frames on 3500's I would completely stay away from them and go strait to the top with a 5500 class truck. From the pics I have seen like the one you posted "Broken frame" it has seriously made me reconsider my truck camper combo, So much that we are looking at TT's again. I aint getting any younger! I would not be able to fix a broken frame nor could I afford to have it fixed. Good luck in your adventures.
Joe

Bedlam
Moderator
Moderator
Not every one is crawling 4wd trails. I go on forest roads and need better clearance and angles than a motorhome. Occasionally I even use 4wd so I don't tear up the ground too much. Overall height is my biggest concern when trees are present off or on roads since I am semi trailer height.

Host Mammoth 11.5 on Ram 5500 HD

RobertRyan
Explorer
Explorer
This is what the post is about
How practical is this top heavy monster on a small trail? Excessive overhang and a high centre of gravity. A photo of a broken RAM 1 Ton went viral showed what overloading and the fulcrum effect can do. Should large Truck Campers be more like Expedition Vehicles? Expedition Vehicles do not have broken chassis

RobertRyan
Explorer
Explorer
valhalla360 wrote:
RobertRyan wrote:
I just noticed this photo of a TC that is on a for sale site is very large being 18ft overall with 12ft 4 inches floor.
How practical are large Truck Campers Off Road? It is actually a Custom build



Hard to say as you can't see the truck camper behind the low slung Class C (yeah, I get your game before you try to correct me).

It is just as bad as the " Low slung Class C" too much overhang and it appears even lower to the ground. Lance Campers are now long gone from Australia