We carried a Lance 861 (short bed w/slide. approx 3800 lbs) on a Ram 2500 4x4 all around this Country. Thousands of trouble free miles.
To date, it was the best RV combo We've owned.

 

Thanks,

I am sitting here now again searching the Internet for used truck campers. I am really jealous of folks who live out West. The truck camper selection there is huge compared to what we have around us in N.E. Tennessee. I am also amazed to see how easy it is to find used Tork Lift ties downs for everything but Ford.

Steve

 

A couple is coming to look at our 08 Alpenlite truck camper that we are supposed to be trading in, but I put it on Craigslist in the meantime. But now I'm worried about selling it because we just heard that there was a problem with the new Northern-lite unit and we have to wait for another one which should show up about the second week of March. Just hope nothing else goes wrong. The new F250 arrived at the dealer yesterday and they're putting the Torklift tie downs and Firestone Ride-Rite airbags on, and switching out the Continental Contitrac tires. And they need to add the plug in the bed which you would think would come with the camper package we ordered. Exciting to put a new rig together.

 

I am sure it is exciting. I will be putting the plug in the bed of my f350 srw next week. Haven't ordered the air bags yet. I have done several of those and it is a pretty easy install. Northern lites are really nice, the price not so much.

Steve

 

Hey Steve,

Grats on the new truck. Let's see some pics and info on the new one. Maybe a "new truck" thread?

 

Some times I just have to find something out for myself and I wanted to see if a 6.2 pulls as strongly as a 7.3, as so many say it is. Now I also have a way to see how truck traffic and wind affect a SRW that weighs almost the same as my dually.

I will get some pics when it stops snowing and I get over the cold that currently has me feeling like crap. There is nothing subtle about the 6.2 with a huge FAB Four bumper on the front (the rear is less imposing). When I drive it I feel like I need to ram someone.

I wanted to stay in the 20's cost wise and found the 2012 F350 XLT I bought with an asking price of $27,000, 24,000 one-owner miles, dealer certified bumper-to-bumper warranty for 12 months and the remainder of the factory warranty. Had to drive 450 miles to pick it up, but the asking price for used 6.2 around me is usually in the high 30s to low 40s, so I guess I will see if I think it was worth it.

Initial impression? My God does is this thing a rough rider. It has the camper package and I think it is a rougher ride than my 02 dually. Faster out of the gate than my 02, but I pretty much expected that.

Steve

 

Congratulations on your new truck arriving! You would think the in-bed 7 way plug would come with the camper package but in order to get it you would have had to order the 5th wheel and gooseneck prep kit. That's what I did so it came with it but the prep kit does add weight but I don't know how much.
What were the issues with your Camper? We are planning on picking ours up on March 11th, barring any big snow storms at that time.

 

This past weekend, at mammoth, ca

 

Steve, just back from a 4,000 maiden voyage with our Northstar Igloo 9.5 and F350 CCLB SRW (2013, truck in my sig). Wet weight of the entire unit is 12,420 pounds with me, the wife, 2 dogs, water, clothes and food for the trip all loaded. Also full DEF and fuel. That is about 1,000 over my GVWR but I am under my GAWR both front and rear.

Handling on I81 in very severe cross winds and bumper to bumper truck traffic was excellent. No issues at all with handling. It takes a few miles to get used to the feel of the truck with the load on but now that I have some miles on I am very comfortable with the handling and with the truck limits. I upgraded my tires to the Nokian Rotiiva AT Plus which has a 3,750 load rating and an pretty aggressive tread design to give me a bit more edge in tire loading but otherwise with upper stable loads, Sumo springs and a factory sway bar I am a happy camper. I also had a fair amount of time on secondary roads with lots of corners and narrow lanes and I am thrilled with how the rig handles in the corners and in the snow here in VT.

Hope that helps answer your handling question.

 

Thanks I appreciate the post. I was surprised to see your weight, but then I realized you are running a 6.7 and I have a 6.2. You did answer my concern about handling. I had debated dropping down to a Northstar 8.5 Adventurer, but would like to have the extra space in an Igloo. Boy, finding any of the higher-end brands used is tough.

Steve

 

It took us a year of looking at Northern Lite, Northstar, Lance and Arctic Fox before we settled on the Igloo. We couldn't find one used so had to buy a new one but no regrets now that we have had a chance to use it. We are headed to Alaska with it this summer and the extra space in the Igloo is a big plus for us, especially with the dogs. We brought way more stuff to Alabama and Florida than we needed but still had space for more.

I should add that the F350 was ordered as a towing rig, not a camper rig so I had to add the rear sway bar since it was not an option on the 2013 set up for towing. I also ordered it with the plow package so I have the upgraded front springs but I haven't modified the front end except for the Bilstein 5100 shocks I put on on day 1. Lots of folks will tell yo you must have the Bilstein 4600 heavy duty shocks or Rancho 9000 but I am happy with the 5100's. The valve adjustment on the Rancho 9000 doesn't hold up well in the salt and brine solutions we live with here for 7 months of the year.

I chose to go with the Torklift Fastguns in stainless and the Torklift Talons in aluminum to save weight and to cut down on the rust issues. Again. no luck finding used so had to order new but now the truck is ready for many more adventures and hopefull will remain rust free.

The diesel adds a fair bit of weight to my setup but I averaged about 13 MPG over the 4000 miles we just traveled so I'm not going to complain. And I have plenty of oomph on the hills and almost never saw a downshift. Coming home yesterday we were in a snow storm for the last 50 miles on Routes 107 and 100 up here which are secondary state roads with lots of hills and corners. The roads were snow covered in spots but it was easy keeping up with local traffic at 45-50 MPH in the corners and hills with no butt clenching at all. The dogs slept through it all and the wife was dozing off and on in the navigator's seat.

I wouldn't want to go any heavier than where I am now and I would not want a slide unit because of the rough roads and cold weather we get even if the extra space would be nice. We camped in 0-10 degree weather and were perfectly comfortable. We have 160 watt solar on the roof and 2 Group 27 AGM batteries and never lacked for power, even on cloudy days. A few minutes with the furnace in the AM and I was ready to depart the camper due to heat but the wife prefers to get out of bed in a warm camper so my morning chore is to heat it up and then go find something to do outside.

Good luck on your search. I am a big fan of the Igloo so you may find people are loath to part with them.

One more note - I have the 20" wheels so tire choices are a bit limited but I am extraordinarily pleased with the Rotiivas. I was thinking I'd need to go to 19.5 to get the extra tire plys but am rethinking that now. You will get far more tire choices if you have the 18" wheels.

 

I do have the 18" wheels. The problem with finding Northstar and Northern Lite used as those companies are darn small so there are not a lot of them out there from the git-go. I have found one used Igloo about 450 miles from my house. A long drive, but we did about the same to get my newest truck. And what gives with finding used tie downs? Tons of used for GM and Dodge, but nothing for Fords.

We rejected some manufacturers because of the weight. Mobility is more important to us than spacious living.

I appreciate you through posts.

Steve

 

Shawn, congratulations on a great Northstar camper. Northstar makes a high quality product and has great customer service. Should have years of fun. Do you have the rear see-thru window? One thing we didn't like about the Northern-lite previous models was that you couldn't see out the rear door. In the new Northern-lite they got smart and put in a clear glass window. We are in grizzly country and I want to see out before I open the door. Twice we've had a bison within 3' of the back door when we were going out just at dawn. One was lying on the ground and we would have tripped over him.
Bob

 

Hi Bob, we do not have a rear window. We purposely did not want the window. We camp in very cold conditions regularly and the window in the door is a single pane and a great way to loose heat from the camper. We do have the rear camera mounted over the door so I can see out the back with that if necessary. The rear window is also more of a security concern since it is easy to break the window and open the door by reaching through.

I have been very impressed with the quality of the Northstar campers and am sold on the wood vs. aluminum construction. On a cold day you can barely make out where the wood struts are located while the Arctic Fox aluminum struts are clearly radiating heat from the inside out.

Thanks for you note. We are looking forward to many years of adventures.

 

So are all the suspension add-ons necessary if I stay within my GVWR? I have 3,360 pounds of carrying capacity left on my F350 SRW with the Camper option which includes a rear sway bar and I also have the plow option. That weight is with a fuel tank of fuel and the truck loaded as we would travel less the truck camper. I figure on adding air bags probably, but my truck only has less than 25,000 miles on it and I am disinclined to replace the shocks. At present we are considering a Northstar Igloo, but can drop down to a Laredo to save weight.

Steve