mikeashford
Explorer
Joined 12 years ago
User Profile
User Widgets
All Activity
Re: 3/4 ton vs. 1 ton shortbed for a Lance 855-S
Wow, I just spent the last 45 minutes reading David"s (from St. Petersburg, FL) saga of fitting his new Lance 855-S to his 3/4 ton P/U. That was an amazing 'thread' with lots of good suggestions and insight. I do think that finding a one ton is the way to go. Thanks, David for sharing your experience. Hope you can now enjoy the 'fruits of your labor'. Mike in Oly1.2KViews0likes0CommentsRe: 3/4 ton vs. 1 ton shortbed for a Lance 855-S
Taking to heart the majority opinion that it is better to go one ton if possible, I expanded my Trucktrader search to 200 miles which includes Seattle and Portland, OR; pretty much the whole pacific northwest. I am searching for a '08 to '13 Chev or GMC one ton, diesel, 4X4, quad cab shortbed (with a budget of $40K)............. Zero to be found. I then went to 'build your truck' on the Chevy website just to make sure it does exist; and it does. So unless I am willing to pay $50k for a new one, I find it doubtful that I will find a one ton for the Lance 855. Mike in Oly602Views0likes0CommentsRe: 3/4 ton vs. 1 ton shortbed for a Lance 855-S
Thanks to all who weighed in on this subject. Looking in Trucktrader, I have not found a single Chev or GMC 1 ton quad cab short bed diesel 4X4 within 100 miles of me. I should point out that I am looking for a low miles used 2009 or newer under $40K. I have only found one 3/4 ton that meets this criteria; a 2011 Sierra with only 7K miles for $39K. I am not in a hurry so will keep looking or maybe get this 2011. Thanks again for the pros and cons. Mike in Oly603Views0likes0Comments3/4 ton vs. 1 ton shortbed for a Lance 855-S
I have backed off wanting an 11' camper with a 1 ton duelly as it just seems too overwhelming; that I would end up never taking the camper off the truck as it is too big and heavy. We have now settled on getting a new Lance 855-S, short bed camper with a single slide and a dry weight of 2900 lbs. We will be looking for a low mile used Chev or GM diesel shortbed p/u. My question is should I get a 1 ton shortbed or a 3/4 ton shortbed and do the suspension mods like airbags, Rancho shocks, addition springs (forget the name) and maybe anti-sway. Is the 1 ton with just airbags a better choice as it is factory set-up for more weight? Your thoughts for a truck for this size camper? Thanks for your input. Mike in Oly14KViews0likes33CommentsUsing your truck camper jacks
Not having purchased a TC or truck yet, I continue to read, ask questions and listen to the folks with experience. I was talking with the brother of a friend who has been truck camping for the last 6 years. He has a 2000 Aspenlite (I think) and a 2009 Chevy diesel duely 4X4. He pulls a 2 horse trailer and he and his wife go up into the 'boonies' and ride their horses. He says that he went to a TC because of the ability to dry camp off road and pull the horse trailer. He also said that he almost never takes his camper off of his truck, even if the ground is very level because he said that it is un-nerving to raise and lower the corner jacks. He said that the fact that you have to raise the jacks to almost full extension while supporting 4000 lbs is freak'in scary - his words. I was under the impression that this task was quite manageable. I have never done it so I don't know but his warning was quite sobering. He said I should just get a class C motorhome as it would be more logical since I am not really planning on doing much off road. Again, I would like the old hands to weigh in on this. Thanks in advance for your input. BTW, we are looking at a Lance 1181 with a diesel duely 4X4 Mike in Oly9.4KViews0likes34CommentsAnybody using Stable Lifts?
I just came across the product Stable Lift. I have looked at all the gallery photos of members TC and have not seen anybody with a Stable Lift setup. But it looks, hmmmmmm.......... pretty damn stable. Not having purchaesed a TC yet, and contemplating a big one, i.e., a Lance 1181, the whole "4 spindly jacks" argument got my attention. What do folks think about the reliability of the stock jacks? And, what do folks think of the Stable Lift idea? Trying to get on top of the steep learning curve........ Mike in Olympia4.5KViews0likes12CommentsRe: Lance or Artic Fox or ???
Thanks to all for your insightful comments; they were very helpful. We are planning on getting serious about the purchase of a diesel duely and truck camper in the fall. Don't need to get rushed into a decision as we summer vacation on our woody 1970 Grand Banks 32 (so we are used to being in somewhat small spaces :^) The whole TC adventure is going to be mostly a 'snowbird' kind of activity as we want to spend some of the winter out of the great north'wet. Mike in Olympia772Views0likes0CommentsLance or Artic Fox or ???
I saw a recent post on one of the truck camper forums (It was the NATCOA forum) from a new owner of a Lance and he was fed up with the numerous problems he was experiencing and was going to trade it in and get an Artic Fox. I had been pretty interested in a AF 1150 but recently became aware of the Lance 1181 and we love the layout and I 'believed' the factory tour hype about the superior build quality with all CAD construction, i.e., no gimp and the superior materials used. The post about warranty problems has me a little less sure of my Lance decision. What is the consensus out there on the quality and reliability of these truck campers. Thanks for your input. Mike in Oly7.1KViews0likes21CommentsTowing with a T/C
Tomarrow I may be buying a 2004 GMC 3500 duely with a Duramax Diesel and also putting money down on a new Artic Fox 1150. It then looks like it's pretty easy to spend $4000 or more on stability items. Love to spend that money......... :^) I was thinking about the logistics of towing my small motorcycle trailer behind the behemoth 1150. So, I purchase a hitch extender of some sort for the length it needs to span. When I get to a camp spot I guess I will have to off load the motorcycle, disconnect the trailer and move it away before getting the truck and camper situated. If we are going to be staying for a while and want to use the truck, I would think I would need to remove the hitch extension, correct? Hopefully, it is easy to install and remove. Have I got the process basically figured out? Mike in Oly2.1KViews0likes5Comments
Groups
Travel Trailer Group
Prefer to camp in a travel trailer? You're not alone.Jan 13, 202544,029 Posts
