2024 Truck Camper Adventure Rally
FYI, tickets for the upcoming Truck Camper Adventure rally are going on sale starting Oct. 15, 2023 for the 2024 rally. If you wish to attend up can buy the tickets here TCA Rally Ticket sale have been pushed back to Oct 15, 2023. This delay is due to the permitting process by BLM Update: Tickets to the rally are on sale, get yours before they're sold out! :CSolved2.5KViews2likes9Comments
3D Printing Success Story
The jack covers on our 2014 Lance 865 had gotten very brittle and I broke one of them when I was washing the camper. After an exhaustive search, I was not able to find any OEM replacement covers for the Atwood jacks. I found someone on Etsy that offered 3d printing services and I was able to have him print/create an entire set of new jack covers for not much more than one OEM replacement cover. OEM: 3D printed: There is a crack in the bottom part of the 3D part. I tried to stretch it around the jack when it was very cold, I am certain if I had warmed up the plastic it would not have split.3.2KViews2likes9Comments
Do NOT use Flex Seal on your camper roof!
Figured I’d post this since I had a troubling conversation with my repair guy a couple weeks back when I picked up my camper after it was repaired following a minor collision last fall. We were discussing my long battle with a skylight leak in the bathroom and I mentioned that at one point I used flex seal spray as an emergency measure until I could do a proper repair with new butyl tape and Dicor and eternabond. He got all exited and told me that the “flex seal is great stuff! That’s the way to go!” And he used it on his parents’ leaky shed roof and its holding just fine. I nodded and told him it’s great for an emergency but from my firsthand experience, it becomes brittle, cracks, and eventually peels off when it’s been exposed to ultraviolet light for more than a few weeks. He apparently wasn’t aware of that. Ive been thinking about that conversation for a few weeks now and figured I’d post a thread about it to inform others who might be tempted to use flex seal as a permanent solution on camper roofs. DON’T! Even though the tv commercial shows a guy sealing a skylight, Even though your repair guy or dealer might tell you it’s great, Even though a website or blog extols it’s virtues, It is NOT a permanent solution!!!!! Emergency patch? Sure. But it WILL become brittle, crack, and peel off in a few weeks under UV light (sunlight). So please, PLEASE, don’t even think about using this stuff I place of lap sealant or eternabond. This has been a public service announcement. We now return to your regularly scheduled program.27KViews2likes23Comments
Happijac lubrication
Thanks to the new Chrome extension, the pics are back! You must view in Chrome with the extention. Here is the link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/photobucket-embedded-imag/ogipgokcopooepeipngiikdkpmcpkaon?hl=en .. It has been a misconception even on my part, that adding machine oil to the crank socket lubricates the jack itself. This is UNTRUE! I now have a complete tear down with pics to show everyone what goes on inside and how to disassemble and lube the working parts if need be. This is a little lengthy but most will find the education worth the read. This is a model 4150. First you have to make a little tool like this. An old hanger works good. This will serve two purposes, explanations following. Remove the two screws that hold on the motor. Pull the motor off the jack. Pull out the spring loaded socket. Remove the lever and pin...a pair of flush wire cutters works well. Wedge them underneath and they pop right out. Remove the internal plastic manual mechanism...note how this is installed. one side has a round hole and the other an oval shape where the lever goes. There is a "C" clip here, you need to remove it with the little tool you made. Just put it in from the side and pull back. It will pop right out. Once you get the clip off then pull out the manual socket. This is the hole in the socket that is to be oiled, but as you can see in the next few pics, the only thing that is being lubed is the socket itself. Once you pull out the socket, remove the manual gear. Now as you can see the oil really goes nowhere. There is actually a lot of grease here. What your going to do next is pull this gear off that shaft straight towards you. Use that tool again to hook the gear from behind and pull it. You may have to do it a few times, the shaft gets a little burr on it but if it gets stuck ,just push it down and keep yanking, it will come off! Once the gear comes off, this is what the back looks like. It has two slots. The slot that has the closed ends is what holds the pin in place. IT IS IMPORTANT YOU PUT THIS BACK TOGETHER THE WAY IT COMES APART! Rotate the shaft so the pin is facing towards the corner and pull it out. Now pull the leg assembly out of the jack housing. Get ready to inspect and re lube. Pull this cinch spring off and inspect this bearing. Use an air ratchet or drill to turn the worm screw all the way out, inspect and re lube. Re-assembly is just the opposite of the tear down. I found that even though this jack was sticking on me, it was still pretty well lubed, but maybe not enough.....Hope this dispels any unknown facts as to how these things work. One other note is that if the worm drive of the leg was to wear out...seems like you should be able to replace it rather than the whole jack. MMMMMM...haven't got to that yet but I wonder if they sell it seperatly? Does any one know?203KViews2likes225CommentsWolf Creek 850 roll over story
Well, Since I opened this can of worms here is the entire story. First let me say I have been a long time truck camper owner and I am no rookie. I have gone trough several truck campers. I recently had an article published in truckcampermagazine.com about me and my family Here is some more background on who I am and how long I have been truck camping. http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/camper-lifestyle/four-season-truck-camping-in-southern-california If you read the article you can see in the pictures I used the same tie down system with both the Northstar Laredo and Eagle Cap 800. The week before Christmas I was driving home from a great camping trip in the anza borrego desert (trip report here http://www.anzaborrego.net/anzaborrego/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=694 and was traveling on BLM land road named EC085. I was traveling at approx 25 mph on a straight section of the road, when a strong gust of wind came up and caused the camper to become separated from my truck and rolled over the truck bed rail! The road was also a bit bumpy but not too bad. I had my 6 year old son Brett and 8 year old daughter Brenna in the truck with me. It is a miracle we are all okay. The crazy part of the situation is I did not really feel the truck do a huge sway or anything. It was my daughter in the backseat who said "dad the camper just fell off". Upon further inspection I noticed the cause of the camper becoming separated from the truck was my Wolf Creek was manufactured with a spliced in piece of plywood where the front passenger anchors are installed and this spliced plywood separated from the skirt. When the front tie down became separated I noticed my bumper was tweaked a bit upward and believe the rear tie down became separated by pulling up on my bumper. Before starting to travel on EC085 I called my wife to tell her we were going to stay one more night. Knowing I was about to be driving about 20 miles on a dirt road I specifically checked all my spring loaded turnbuckles to make sure they were nice and hand tight snug. I am fully aware of keeping the turnbuckles hand tight and not using a tool to tighten them down. Here are some pics from the incident The spot where I called my wife took a pic and checked the tie downs The spot where the camper rolled out My wolf creek in the middle of the desert. Notice the turnbuckle still attached closer look at splice My truck The torn off jack Underside separation Nose cap damage rescued by Dickerson Towing Moderator edit: Please note, maximum photo width=640.53KViews1like130Comments
Going from pop-up to hard side, big mistake?
I've got a Palomino Bronco pop-up TC on a 3500 SRW Dodge Diesel short box. It's only about 1200lbs empty and the truck pulls as if it's not even there. I've got stock suspension and air bags. I'm getting kinda of tired of popping it up and down during short stops, so am thinking of trading it in for a hard side Northstar without basement. This one weighs about 1800lbs empty. So again I should have no problem with my truck. However, I've never had a hard shell TC and am not sure if I'll regret this decision or not. It's a $15,000 decision so I'm trying to get as much feedback as possible from others. For those who've had experience with both a pop-up and hard side TCs I'd love to hear what your thoughts are on this swap. 1. Did you notice a big difference in gas mileage, handling? 2. How about off road handling? I'm not talking serious off road, but the occasional dirt road off the beaten path to mountain lakes and sort. Does the hard side TC rock and roll a lot compared to the pop-up? 3. Is the comfort, convenience and warmth you get in a hard side worth the extra cost in fuel or handling? 4. Are all these points moot if I have a 1 ton diesel truck that can carry the extra load with ease? 5. If you were to do it again, which would you choose, hard side or pop-up, and why? Thanks for any insights. Cheers,8.4KViews1like29Comments
Catskill Mountains Boondocking
Hello all, I am hoping to escape for a couple days this next week and while I would prefer to make it up in the Green Mountains of VT I just don't think I'll be able to make it that far this year (but will certainly next year). That said I was looking at the map and reading about the Catskills and it sounds like their colors are in full affect right now. The only problem is it appears that all state parks are closed as of today in the Catskill Mountains. So...being a good truck camper and more then willing to boondock on our own I was wondering if anyone had boondocked in their camper anywhere within the Catskills? Is it legal to do so, and if so if they could recommend a place to look? Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated....we will probably do some day hikes and possibly the historic train ride while in the area, but mostly just looking for a pretty place and some quiet. Thanks in advance,3.7KViews1like9Comments
FOUR Campgrounds We Stayed At On The Way Home
Bluewater Lake State Park NM Maryhill State Park WA La Pine State Park OR Death Valley CA All these campgrounds were nice to stay at. I do complain about Maryhill for high price with everything being turned off and closed. Just a single Porta potty outside the main bathroom. With everything being closed, the park really should only be charging half price at most. Enjoy,Solved1.2KViews1like4Comments
