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RE: Installing an oven into a former rental rv
...might get more help in the appropriate (sub) forum. Just sayin'... ;)
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memilanuk
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10/20/23 08:16am |
Tech Issues
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RE: How much squat?
One thing you want to check is as you lower the camper onto the truck and the bed is dropping, at what point do the overload springs make contact? On my truck, the overload springs just make contact as the bed stops dropping.
Excellent point! I had to go out and check... the lower leaf spring is in full contact with the one above it, and it looks like the upper spring is just touching the rubber stops.
On the 350 SRW, I started with Torklift lower StableLoads, which didn't do a lot given how much weight it was carrying. The lower leaf on this DRW looks a *lot* thicker than what I remember on the SRW, and that was miserable enough to drill through.
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memilanuk
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09/24/23 04:07pm |
Truck Campers
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How much squat?
So... traded in the '18 F350 SCLB SRW for a '22 F350 CCLB DRW. Got the Torklift mount swapped over, and the dually brackets fitted to the front jacks, and plonked the camper on the truck. Completely stock suspension - "heavy service" front suspension, rear anti-sway bar. Nothing else - yet.
Camper is a 2017 Adventurer 910DB, which scaled @ 3980 'dry' with two FLA batteries, two 20 lb empty propane bottles, and no water (winterized). More recently, with two 206 ah LFP batteries, propane full, 3/4 tank fresh water, plus solar panels, chargers, etc. etc. it weighed a tick over 5000 lbs.
I measured the heights at the fenders (top of the arch of the wheel well) all the way around, with the truck backed up under the camper, and then after I'd lowered it down. Then took it for a short test run, and at the turn around point I took the opportunity to measure the fender heights again, since the driveway at home has a bit of a slope to it and things tend to settle differently than on the flat. I didn't lift the camper off for a second 'unloaded' weight, though. Trying to measure the top of a curve with no real center mark is definitely a bit of an eye-ball measurement, so there's a bit of +/- to the readings for sure.
Driver Front: 40.75 (unloaded) 40.50 (loaded, driveway) 41.00 (loaded, parking lot)
Passenger Front: 41.50 (unloaded) 42.00 (loaded, driveway) 41.00 (loaded, parking lot)
Passenger Rear: 42.00 (unloaded) 38.50 (loaded, driveway) 39.50 (loaded, parking lot)
Driver Rear: 42.00 (unloaded) 38.00 (loaded, driveway) 38.50 (loaded, parking lot)
With this particular camper, the slide is on the driver's side so there's a couple hundred extra pounds in that corner. Right now the tanks are all empty; the fresh tank is on the same side as the slide so going down the road there's *another* couple hundred extra pounds there as well.
We'd like to avoid inadvertently hi-beaming people with our low beams, so riding somewhat level front to back would be nice. I'm not sure how critical side-to-side is.
On the SRW truck, I had air bags in the rear. Partly to help with the (over) weight situation, and partly to level the camper side to side. Had to run like 30 lbs on the passenger side, and at least 50-60 on the drivers side.
What do you think? Would something like Timbrens or Sumos get the job done as well or better, both side to side and front to back, or should I go ahead and get some air bags on the new rig?
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memilanuk
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09/24/23 01:15pm |
Truck Campers
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