Hello Truck camper forum..
I just bought a truck camper (2004 S & S Ponderosa Series M-11-DB ) a deal I could not turn away. It is Heavy around 3600lbs loaded with water, 60 gal of propane for the generator, quality truck camper I must say, cant wait to use it to go fishing... the truck( 98 12v Single Cab, 8ft bed 2wd with 130K) has air bags, and stock moog front springs. I put about 70 psi in all 6 tires and both Firestone airbags to 70psi , the truck feels a little wobbly at high speed (65 +) and over bumps in town, but I'm getting used to it, got 16 mpg hauling it home from PA in 40mph headwind, and it pulls like almost not loaded. ( < Buying a SuperhHitch with 48in extension to tow my 12ft trailer(Dreaming).>)
Should I buy a club cab 4x4 ? Duramax club cab 4x4? or any upgrades like heavy duty front springs, front air bags ? Blistens ? Rear end Mods besides airbags on my 2wd? Is it Normal to have a camper this size with a 2wd and possible towing? Always have a failed ball joint in the back of my mind..
I had a 39ft toy hauler 10K. I owned and towed with this same truck and it did fine... I have a good bit of $ in this truck, has banks twin intake and banks turbo kit, other than that stock and new front end parts, new standard gear and trans 5 speed upgraded , Double disk south bend clutch, new rear.. List goes on..
Any input from other truck camper owners over 3000Lbs about how there rig drives would be great? I just want input before i dump more cash into the truck , Pacbrake, Front and rear Hitch..Etc..There is pic of Rig in my avatar .
http://s751.photobucket.com/user/gs1150streetracer/media/IMG_20150201_172008_217.jpg.html
http://s751.photobucket.com/user/gs1150streetracer/media/IMG_20150201_171943_072.jpg.html
Have you checked the numbers, i.e. GVWR minus curb weight of the truck versus wet weight of the camper? If you are within the rating, then you should be OK with the existing truck. You might have to do some work on stabilizing it if it seems a bit wobbly. Re buying a new truck, keep in mind that adding things like a club cab and 4wd adds weight, and reduces your payload capacity. If you buy a new truck go for lots of capacity.
Interesting camper. My question is of course, did you check it for water intrusion and/or when was the last time the original owner checked the seals. Reason I ask is I see what appears to be some issues on the pasaenger side bunk area. Hard to tell with the low resolution picture but it looks like there is an intrusion issue there.
Campers can look nice on the outside and be rotten underneath the outer skin.
Why camper builder have gotten away from front windows like yours. Intrusion was a big issue.
Easy way to tell is lift the mattress and look closely under it at the front of the camper and/or insde the storage cabinets on each side at the outer edges. If you have any water stains in those places, you have a water intrusion issue and a camper of that vintage will be rotting away under the skin and it's a very, very expensive fix.
Remember, wood rot creates mold and mold spores are hazardous to your health.
I'd have a look-see before comissioning it for use.
Increase your tire pressure to 80 psi. and see if that helps. I would also consider lowering the air bag pressure to where the truck just sits level. To much air will give you a bouncy feel and with to much air your suspension/springs are not engaging. You may also want to consider a Hellwig Big Wig rear sway bar. Made a big difference in my truck.
I run the stock sway bar on my F350 but with custom disconnect links (front and back) I broke a couple links running off road so I made up a set of disconnects. Heavy duty sway bars limit the articulation of the axles quite a bit.
If you have wood rot and can do woodworking the fix is inexpensive but time consuming. I was given a 1980 cabover camper with nearly perfect siding and windows. When I put it on the truck it nearly fell apart. I've replaced the entire base and most of the wood for about $300 in wood, screws, glue, and something like 100 hours so far. If it didn't enjoy this kind of work I would have just sold the windows and siding and taken the rest to the dump.
In other words: the outside can look great, but the inside can be completely rotted and useless. I'll post a few photos of my project.
We are on our 3rd truck camper rig.....This spans 30 years...The rig we presently have is the most comfortable...safest set-up so far....You do learn some things over time with different rigs....First the most important is total weight....older trucks (from a decade or more ago) DO NOT have the the same weight carrying ability of the newer models...trucks made to work / carry / pull these days its not unusual to see GVW's over #12,000 or more....Our last truck was a DRW Cab and Chassis 3500 HD 4x4 and it could not take the camper we presently have (safely and legal)..One of the posters is totally right....the more stuff you have....4 door cab....4x4....big diesel engine the more the truck weighs and the less payload remains available...I have yet to see a truck camper owner not be totally surprised when they take their rig to a weigh scale (fully loaded)....The #3000 rating on the camper sticker is a very basic guild line....put all your stuff on board...fill the tanks (fuel and water)...etc....etc and I have heard comments like "no way"!...Or the scale must be" wrong"....All the airbags....spring helpers....performance enhancers....heavy sway bars...don't mean much when you are at highway speeds and something goes south and you have to get your rig stopped in a hurry...Sure things can make your truck look level....you can add pressure to your tires...some of those things do help make things a little safer...But no substitue for the right truck...Without being brand specific....Big GVW==Big brakes, "G" rated tires..heavy high strength frame...heavy transmission with coolers and so on...
Our present truck has a GVW of #14,000 (DRW)...The sticker on our camper says about #3500...Fully loaded heading out on holidays...at the local weigh scale I had about #200-#300 Lbs to spare...Yes the trucks rating is conservative...Its abeast and could take more weight...But....I have stood the truck on its nose with a panic stop and we all survived....Get into a crash and the insurance company will investigate the total weight issue...FOR sure ....
Trouble with trucks today is they are so powerful at pulling loads they don't feel overloaded
My advice to anyone getting a truck camper rig...OVER RATE your truck....get the biggest one you can manage and afford...
Older truck campers are heavy....older trucks don't have the payloads of the newer models....
That's a fair statement to a point and that point is, most TC's are overweight anyway.
Having said that, that's why I run a light camper on a 1 ton. I don't want a land barge on the back. Been there with my old Lance and not going back.
My wife and I have no use for and don't want a 3500 pound camper. My unit weighs 2600 fully loaded, water. propane, clothes, food and genny. Add another 400 pounds for us and we are well under the GCW of our truck, by almost 1000 pounds.
I don't even know the camper is in the bed, unless I look in the mirrors. No sway, no wind buffeting, nothing and my old truck isn't straining either. Purrs along.
Old or new, campers loaded with stuff are all heavy, some heavy to the point of stupidity.
Its what ever floats your boat....The pal SS1500 is a light weight for sure...if thats all you need or want its all good...Our travels can last for months at a time....and as we are in Canada...many times we are in our rig Off season....having a thermal hard wall unit with heated tanks / basement is all that works for us....In regards to our truck handling the camper it does a great job....Do I notice the camper is there ?...Yes...the truck finally rides good ...LOL..Does it act poorly in high winds or when a semi passes close....not that we have noticed...our last truck sure did (hauling the same camper)....does the truck break a sweat ?...No....It is a power house and all the factory gear I ordered is made for the job....The only time I notice is when we stop at the pumps for a fill....difference between loaded with the camper or empty is about 4 mpg...(if we are in a bad head wind that is not the case)...As our truck is designed as a hauler it has a lower center of gravity...and the DRW keep things stable...We have traveled off the beaten path with it....but common sense dictates the taking it easy and know the limitations of a heavy rig...
I went down your road with a 4 season Lance and sold it and if I was planning on long term camping, I'd still have a pop up. Interior room wise, same as the Lance was, same with storage. I realize no pop up has a slide except the NL with the pop out room but we have never had the need for a slide and never will. I have everything you have except hard upper walls and ad far as exctended trips, we will be on the road for more than a month this summer and I see no issues. Plenty of Wal Mart's in route for supplies. Next January we are planning on going to Florida, again, for at least a month, maybe longer.
What really impresses me with a pop up is the low vertical CG because all the appliances are mounted lower, there is much less sway, in fact, there is none at all. and the lower stowed profile hauls easier too.
I realize they aren't for everyone, but having owned a hard side for 10 years and then going to a pop up, we have no regrets at all.
...and, it fits in my garage too. No Hardside will fit in a normal garage. Pop up's go right in.
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