greendragon - thanks for the info. Yes, a lot of money rolling down the road. I'm ok with it as long as I use it. If it's like most stuff I buy, it will get used. I'm definitely looking at the Voyager camera for mounting on the camper, it seems to be well liked.
I did receive the Mopar floor mats I ordered. Very happy with the purchase. I had looked (on line) at the weather tech and husky liners which were both far more expensive, but decided to go with the Mopar mats.
I have a 15 F450 and a Host Mammoth. I went with the Torklift 42" Supertruss extension with the Superhitch. Very pricey yes, but I just I needed to go the extra lengths to ensure no problems towing my Basscat Lynx. My Host has a 11k btu AC and a single Honda 2000 will start it at sea level. I do carry 2 Hondas though with a 6 gallon boat tank for higher loads and high elevations.
Thanks for the info Brinson! Once I measure the overhang, I'll figure out what kind of extension to get.
I ran the truck with boat to the lake and back, about 140 miles round trip. 14 mpg according the trip computer. Ride was fine on decent sections or roads. By "decent" I mean typical of roads in 1st world countries, but not many sections of decent road to be found in Detroit. The rough sections of road were ... well ... rough. Turning radius on this dude is BIG, so it would not be fun at tight boat ramps. Truck ran nicely.
Bed mat came in. The truck bed was kind of dirty and had a little bit of surface rust, so I scuffed it and sprayed some paint. Nothing to be proud of but it did look better.
Your mileage with the Cummins will continue to improve through 8-10000 miles or so.
Also, You'll love the Torklifts if you don't keep the camper on all the time. FAR superior to the Happijacks. And a much more solid connection to the truck.
2015 Yellowfin 21 with 2014 Yamaha SHO 250
Marshfly - I bought the truck used, so it already had 31,000 miles. Yes, I do plan to remove camper including at campsites. Torklifts with fastguns are easy. Tougher is backing it in with 1" clearance on each side!
Ok, here are some mileage numbers from recent trip. Max speed with camper was mostly 65 mph.
That mileage is exactly what I saw with my Lance 855 with my Cummins.
2015 Yellowfin 21 with 2014 Yamaha SHO 250
Here are a couple of photos of the new camper. Rode ok, but I want to work on a solution to reduce the roll and sway a bit and maybe raise the ride height a little too. My lady went with me and was pretty geeked-up over it. She even helped me clean the bugs off it when we got home!
Get some air bags if not already on the truck. I put a set of Firestone bags with remote control on my truck and it was night and day difference.Originally Posted by H2Power
707Ute ... where did you mount compressor? What make and model truck are you using? Thanks!
The compressor is mounted on the frame between the the cab and the fuel cap. I have a dodge mega cab with a leveling kit. Doesn’t matter what I haul or put in the bed my truck doesn’t squat at all. Body roll is pretty much non existent as well. Won’t own another truck without the bags
Really like your set up btw
Thanks for info 707Utte! I was looking through the 2016 Ram brochure. Their optional auto-level rear air suspension is promoted for "ultra heavy duty assignments". Seems like the airbags are the way to go. I'll check out the Firestones.
If you do go with Firestone’s get them with the remote. I like being able to inflate or deflate while driving which is why I went with the remote. Easy install too. I’ve had mine 4 years now and not one issue with them.
ok ... looking at the firestone air bags. The first link below is for bags rated at 7500 lbs. The have another set for 5000 lbs. I estimate my total payload at 5700, not all over the rear axle, so perhaps the 5000 lb bags are enough. What did you use? The second link is for an air compressor with gauge and controls in cab. Need to run wires and airlines into the cab, mount compressor and air tank under truck. I like the convenience, but it adds significant cost and complexity. What is your max payload and what did you select for air bag rating? Is the compressor set-up I found similar to what you are using?Firestone Air Command II - Analog - Heavy Duty Compressor & Air Tank - Dual Function - 150 psi
https://www.etrailer.com/Vehicle-Sus...id=20164404679
https://www.etrailer.com/Air-Suspens...one/F2168.html
Thanks for all the info.
How about https://www.torklift.com/rv/stableload ? I’ve not used them as I’m still shopping for camper but they seem extremely popular with truck camper users and unlike airbags, they’ll never develop leaks. They don’t require any new wiring, plumbing or technical expertise for install either.
Last edited by perfect-storm; 05-10-2018 at 05:57 AM.
I went with the 5000# bags and what looks to be the system in the first link you gave. If I remember right I only paid about 700-750ish for everything(I’m in Cali so everything costs more....lol). I didn’t have to run any lines or gauges into the cab of the truck as everything is on the remote.
My install was simple. Ran a power line to the location of the compressor and remote sensor. Then ran the air lines to the bags. I always have air in them as it helps with the ride empty. As stated above there are other options and brands but around here most guys run the firestone bags because they work well. Find what will work best for your application.
Perfect-storm ... I'm checking out the stableloads and a similar product from Superspring. Basically engage the overload spring early or increase the pre-load.
707Utte ... Now I figured out what your talking about. A wireless remote. That would simplify things.
My bad for not clarifying on the remote. Yes wireless. I have it clipped to the visor so if I need to add or deflate air it’s right there. Compressor is pretty quiet and inflates rather quickly. It really is nice being able to adjust as your driving which is one of the reasons I went with the airbag(with remote) setup over the stableload setup. I’m able to find that sweet spot whether I’m hauling or towing.
My extension hitch came in. I bought the Curt 34/24", some break-away cables and a 7 pin extender. Amazon had everything for about $160. At 34", it is rated for 4500 lb trailer and 450 lb tongue weight if not using a weight distributing set-up. I borrowed a tongue weight scale and measured the tongue weight on my Ranger Z521C trailer. With the trailer tongue level it measured 250 lbs. If I raised it 2-3" then 350 lbs. In any case, it will be below the 450 lb. rating. I have not taken my boat and trailer over the scale, but after doing a search on BBC, I found boat and trailer combos similar to mine reportedly were weighed at ~4300 lb. I still plan to run my boat over a scale, but given the information I have so far, I'm comfortable with the extender at 34". I'll drive with it and do some tight turns in a parking lot to see what turning clearance looks like. I may cut it down to 24" depending on the clearance.
Attached are a couple of shots of the hitch and one of the trailer tongue scale I used.
When I picked up the camper, I decided to have the dealer add the back-up camera to the camper. I mentioned in a previous post I not terribly enthusiastic about the set-up they offered because they were not connecting to marker lamps for power. Instead they get the power from a switch over the door inside the camper that powers the outdoor LED light. They converted a single switch to a double. The second switch is lit up when the camera is on. But I have to walk back and turn it on (or off).
One of the benefits to the set-up they pointed out, is that when parked I can leave the camera powered on and take the wireless display into the camper. This way I can watch behind the camper. So if boat is back there, I can see it during the middle of the night. Kind of a nice benefit.
As far as having to walk back there to turn it on .... after using it, not a big deal. Turn it on and leave it on. No big deal.
I still need to make a bracket to mount the camera on the dash of the truck.
I also ordered a factory Mopar camera that will plug into the vehicle harness and display on the vehicle monitor. My goal is to mount it near the license plate so that when I am at a campground with the camper dismounted and no tailgate, I can still have a camera for easily backing up and connecting the hitch. We'll see how that goes. The factory camera was $85.
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