So what did you do to your Truck Camper today?

[Mello_Mike]

I saw these threads in some of the other Open Roads RV Forums, but didn't see one for TCs.

I'll start...

I installed Interior LED puck lights and a 12v power outlet.

[WVbassmistress]

kjenckes, Does look great! We just have one Talon on ours and really wish we had sprung for 2.
thanks everyone for the Happi Jack advice. I don't like how ours are sounding and need to do some preventative stuff to them.

[wvabeer]

kjenckes wrote:



I use my camper here in NH all winter (1 night each week) and the salt did not help my jacks any. Waited for a couple of nice days that I actually had off. Pulled the jacks off the mounts, sanded, primed, and painted both the legs and the motor covers. Also painted the mounts and replaced all the hardware with stainless steel. Took about 1 1/2 to 2 hours per leg (excluding dry time) over 2 days. The paint isn't perfect but looks pretty good and is certainly better than 2 days ago. I did the bottoms of the feet with bed liner. The wires are wrapped with red, spiral wrap. Why red? Match the truck stripe and the Minn Kota Talons that I have on my boat. (Talons are electric 12 foot anchors)

Looks great

[kjenckes]

I use my camper here in NH all winter (1 night each week) and the salt did not help my jacks any. Waited for a couple of nice days that I actually had off. Pulled the jacks off the mounts, sanded, primed, and painted both the legs and the motor covers. Also painted the mounts and replaced all the hardware with stainless steel. Took about 1 1/2 to 2 hours per leg (excluding dry time) over 2 days. The paint isn't perfect but looks pretty good and is certainly better than 2 days ago. I did the bottoms of the feet with bed liner. The wires are wrapped with red, spiral wrap. Why red? Match the truck stripe and the Minn Kota Talons that I have on my boat. (Talons are electric 12 foot anchors)

[DWeikert]

Farmerjon wrote:

DWeikert wrote:
Reinstalled the rear HJ motors that came back from being rebuilt after motor seizures. I don't remember if it was there when they went out but these came back with a stiff rubber o-ring where the motor slides over the jack leg.

The top of the jack fits into a recess in the motor head but this o-ring completely fills that recess and even with my 6'2" 250lbs bearing down on the motor, I could not compress the o-ring enough for the screw holes to align. The hole on the rear was even worse.

So, no o-rings. I may be wrong but the overlap without the o-ring seems like it would do a better job of stopping water intrusion than an o-ring that spaces the motor housing off the jack tube such that there is a gap instead of an overlap, that's assuming I could get the screws started...

Maybe you could could spread some grease or Vaseline or something to fill the gap that might deter what little water might get in.
Good luck.
Jon

Yeah, been thinking about it. I'm really not sure water intrusion into the jack is a problem. Based on the fit I really doubt this gasket was there before. The jack tube is recessed about 1/8" into the motor housing (about the diameter of the o-ring) and it's a snug fit so it would take water under pressure to travel the U channel to get inside the jack tube, and any water in there simply drains out the bottom. I thought about maybe running a strip of electrical tape around the top of the jack tube to act as a gasket but a little grease of some sort should also do the job.

[Farmerjon]

DWeikert wrote:
Reinstalled the rear HJ motors that came back from being rebuilt after motor seizures. I don't remember if it was there when they went out but these came back with a stiff rubber o-ring where the motor slides over the jack leg.

The top of the jack fits into a recess in the motor head but this o-ring completely fills that recess and even with my 6'2" 250lbs bearing down on the motor, I could not compress the o-ring enough for the screw holes to align. The hole on the rear was even worse.

So, no o-rings. I may be wrong but the overlap without the o-ring seems like it would do a better job of stopping water intrusion than an o-ring that spaces the motor housing off the jack tube such that there is a gap instead of an overlap, that's assuming I could get the screws started...

Maybe you could could spread some grease or Vaseline or something to fill the gap that might deter what little water might get in.
Good luck.
Jon

[bbaker2001]

morning, do not have truck camper, but wanted to pass it along.
it seems to get real hot in trailer when camping summer. my wife bought some shade cloth and sewed edges. we put it on the outside of windows, such a BIG difference in heat transfer.

[DWeikert]

Reinstalled the rear HJ motors that came back from being rebuilt after motor seizures. I don't remember if it was there when they went out but these came back with a stiff rubber o-ring where the motor slides over the jack leg.



I'm guessing HJ did this to address their water intrusion problem, though the problem is water getting into the jack motor, not the jack leg. The top of the jack fits into a recess in the motor head but this o-ring completely fills that recess and even with my 6'2" 250lbs bearing down on the motor, I could not compress the o-ring enough for the screw holes to align. The hole on the rear was even worse.



Without the o-ring everything aligned as expected.



So, no o-rings. I may be wrong but the overlap without the o-ring seems like it would do a better job of stopping water intrusion than an o-ring that spaces the motor housing off the jack tube such that there is a gap instead of an overlap, that's assuming I could get the screws started...

I also noticed with the motor engaged I was able to turn the hand crank and manually turn the motor. It's easier if the jack is off the ground slightly so you're not trying to lift the camper and turn the motor. Next time I have a motor seize I'll see if I can unseize it that way.

[Grit_dog]

Even AF turns out some shoddy cr@p I guess. Pulled the front cap window today to try to fix the de lamination from a leak around the window from back when the camper was almost new (according to the PO), that had been fixed for over 10 years by copious goobers of clear silicone, lol. Some people shouldn't be allowed to use a caulking gun!
Weatherstripping must have been installed originally by a preschooler.
Couldn't fix the de lam, but no rot, so that was good.
Cleaned up the previous messes and used some good butyl rubber weatherstripping and a small bead of Sika flex across the top for good measure.

[JoeChiOhki]

Tore out the rear corner near the door on the Amerigo and replaced a couple pieces of wood and in the process helped remove some of the butt sag :).

[mkasner]

Buddy made us a steel rod Utah

[joe123]

Replaced all the compartment locks the old ones were getting sticky or more likely worn out from 15 years of use. new ones work great.

[portscanner]

Fixed the tv antenna/cable wiring. Looks like they used the cheapest wire and the cheapest ends possible. They had no idea how to properly terminate the ends. Looks like they pushed the ends AT the wire, wrapped tape around it, called it finished.

I replaced several spans of wire with the "good stuff" and properly terminated then ends.

(Working in the CATV business ensured I had the proper tools and supplies)

[dmaxpuller]

Got it ready for the summer. All waxed up. 303 on everything that needed it. Truck is all ready. Put some beer in the frig just to make sure it still worked! And am sticking to that story.

[JoeChiOhki]

philclouse wrote:

JoeChiOhki wrote:
Got about 2/3s of the way through building the new bed frame for the cabover.

pictures?

Will have a post with them here in the next day or so, wanted to put it all together in one entry :).

[Buzzcut1]

My single LED fixtures arrived and were installed this afternoon. I think it took me 15 minutes to do both now that I know what I'm doing. I'm happy enough with the lights that I will get a few more and lose the halogen lamps over the pillows.

under the pantry/kids bunk over the dinette




over the cabover bed




Full dinette area with all LEDs