2015 BS thread. Bring it!
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Great Falls, Montana
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Arctic Fox is the Best !!.....Campers/trailers/5th wheels for cold weather camping......Great Rep !!
I know nothing about them.
Its a lot cheaper than new, and still like new.
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Great Falls, Montana
Posts: 62,179
Received 4,027 Likes
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1,607 Posts
Like New is Great
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Great Falls, Montana
Posts: 62,179
Received 4,027 Likes
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1,607 Posts
I gotta go now................Past my bedtime.....
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Outside of FCI Sheridan
Posts: 15,885
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Good evening Oregon and everyone everywhere else. Just making it home. So depressed the wife and I went to Lowes and bought about $300 (after the military discount) worth of material to build some shelves and a cabinet with. They'll be used for DVD's. Going to turn the living room into a "Rich Man's" home theatre on a poor mans budget. I think that means no sunken floors and bean bags instead of plush recliners...
What Tiny said https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post15682978
Artic Fox, Lance and Elkhorn are all top of the line, "ain't gonna find nothing better" type campers. Artic Fox is made in La Grande Oregon.
Most of the "guts" are probably all made by the same venders. Tiny quite possibly has a Dometic 3 way frig/freezer in his Artic Fox just like I have in my Lance. The list goes on, but there is a good chance that many of the parts used in construction are universal throughout the manufactures. The difference exists in design, materials..Sink on the left or on the right, big fridge or little fridge, or fully self contained...Our camper has two showers. One inside and one outside.
The hydraulic jacks most generally had a pump and a thumb screw. The release screw was usually a knurled ****. You had to practice with them so you knew the release point and released pressure at a very slow controlled rate. Not unlike "feathering" the clutch on a motorcycle. Too much, too quick and you had a serious problem. Then there was the added burden of having to move between all 4 corners, operating them one at a time and keeping everything as level as was reasonably possible given the operation you were undertaking - Up or Down.
The newer style electric jacks are a breeze compared to the old hydraulic jacks. The electric jacks can come with a remote that allows you to plug in and stand way back when jacking up or down. I do not have the remote, but could get it if I wanted to put out $600. I have rocker switches on the drivers side jacks. 2 on the front and 2 on the back so I control both front jacks from the drivers front corner and both back jacks from the drivers back corner. With the electric jacks you can run both front jacks at the same time and both rear jacks at the same time, eliminating having to consistently travel between all 4 corners. With electric jacks it is all done from two corners.
As to loading and unloading I get stressed mostly because of what happened to me. It is almost like a PTSD moment every time I load or unload. Level ground is a snap. A very slight incline is not very good, but doable and a steeper incline is an absolute no, no!
They say you always want to keep the front about 4" higher than the back when jacking up and jacking down.
As a testament to the newer construction and the electric jacks...At Diamond Lake a week ago I saw a fellow unloading his 11' slide in Elkhorn camper. This unit was equipped with an expando. He was on a steep grade camp site that he should never - ever even attempted to unload on. Then, he kept the front and rear even, in effect putting the back up higher because of the incline / grade. He got it up, pulled the pickup out, but left the pickup under the overhang portion of the camper...something I never ever do. When I pull the pickup out, I pull it far enough out that it is free and clear should the camper crash. Anyway, as he let the camper down, it started "walking" on him with gravity scooting the jack feet right down the incline. I was absolutely amazed that that camper traveled a good 2 feet until it walked up onto the back bumper of the pickup. He extended his expando, jacked the front up a bunch, moved the pickup out of harms way and got the camper down without further incident. In the old days of wooden corners and hydraulic jacks, this camper would have been on the ground, crumpled right after it made a couple of jumps as it walked down the incline. From what I could see, none of the jacks even got bent!
As long as you are "safe and sane" I would not think you could go wrong with a modern slide in camper. Having said that, if not for boats and horse trailers, I would have a 5th wheel for a host of reasons.
Artic Fox, Lance and Elkhorn are all top of the line, "ain't gonna find nothing better" type campers. Artic Fox is made in La Grande Oregon.
Most of the "guts" are probably all made by the same venders. Tiny quite possibly has a Dometic 3 way frig/freezer in his Artic Fox just like I have in my Lance. The list goes on, but there is a good chance that many of the parts used in construction are universal throughout the manufactures. The difference exists in design, materials..Sink on the left or on the right, big fridge or little fridge, or fully self contained...Our camper has two showers. One inside and one outside.
The hydraulic jacks most generally had a pump and a thumb screw. The release screw was usually a knurled ****. You had to practice with them so you knew the release point and released pressure at a very slow controlled rate. Not unlike "feathering" the clutch on a motorcycle. Too much, too quick and you had a serious problem. Then there was the added burden of having to move between all 4 corners, operating them one at a time and keeping everything as level as was reasonably possible given the operation you were undertaking - Up or Down.
The newer style electric jacks are a breeze compared to the old hydraulic jacks. The electric jacks can come with a remote that allows you to plug in and stand way back when jacking up or down. I do not have the remote, but could get it if I wanted to put out $600. I have rocker switches on the drivers side jacks. 2 on the front and 2 on the back so I control both front jacks from the drivers front corner and both back jacks from the drivers back corner. With the electric jacks you can run both front jacks at the same time and both rear jacks at the same time, eliminating having to consistently travel between all 4 corners. With electric jacks it is all done from two corners.
As to loading and unloading I get stressed mostly because of what happened to me. It is almost like a PTSD moment every time I load or unload. Level ground is a snap. A very slight incline is not very good, but doable and a steeper incline is an absolute no, no!
They say you always want to keep the front about 4" higher than the back when jacking up and jacking down.
As a testament to the newer construction and the electric jacks...At Diamond Lake a week ago I saw a fellow unloading his 11' slide in Elkhorn camper. This unit was equipped with an expando. He was on a steep grade camp site that he should never - ever even attempted to unload on. Then, he kept the front and rear even, in effect putting the back up higher because of the incline / grade. He got it up, pulled the pickup out, but left the pickup under the overhang portion of the camper...something I never ever do. When I pull the pickup out, I pull it far enough out that it is free and clear should the camper crash. Anyway, as he let the camper down, it started "walking" on him with gravity scooting the jack feet right down the incline. I was absolutely amazed that that camper traveled a good 2 feet until it walked up onto the back bumper of the pickup. He extended his expando, jacked the front up a bunch, moved the pickup out of harms way and got the camper down without further incident. In the old days of wooden corners and hydraulic jacks, this camper would have been on the ground, crumpled right after it made a couple of jumps as it walked down the incline. From what I could see, none of the jacks even got bent!
As long as you are "safe and sane" I would not think you could go wrong with a modern slide in camper. Having said that, if not for boats and horse trailers, I would have a 5th wheel for a host of reasons.
Another beautiful day of sunshine. 75 degrees...just right. Worked on some shelving in the garage, then went and checked out a couple of engines.....nothing followed me home today........only because we didn't have enough manpower to load it. I'll go back with reinforcements in a couple of weeks and get it. Another project enters the lineup.
Join Date: Sep 2011
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Wow October already, the weather doesn't match the calendar. Pat, Roy and those to follow have a good/safe day.
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Outside of FCI Sheridan
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Good morning Oregon and everyone everywhere else. 43.6° and clear.
Been outside for the last couple of hours watching the tax payers money getting flushed down the toilet as the school district installs their own private fiber optic system between the High School and the combined grade / middle school up on the hill. Two different companies already have fiber optic installed - but the school district decided they needed to add to the pole cluster with their own private fiber not to mention put a guy wire down off the pole on the corner of my place that has never had nor needed a guy wire before. Nothing like wasting tax payer money in a small community for something that is not needed and now is in triplicate up on the poles.
They are also screwing with my cable TV and internet this morning.
Oh well, onto my own remodeling project...
Been outside for the last couple of hours watching the tax payers money getting flushed down the toilet as the school district installs their own private fiber optic system between the High School and the combined grade / middle school up on the hill. Two different companies already have fiber optic installed - but the school district decided they needed to add to the pole cluster with their own private fiber not to mention put a guy wire down off the pole on the corner of my place that has never had nor needed a guy wire before. Nothing like wasting tax payer money in a small community for something that is not needed and now is in triplicate up on the poles.
They are also screwing with my cable TV and internet this morning.
Oh well, onto my own remodeling project...