Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: Truck Campers: Arctic Fox 811 short bed

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Topic: Arctic Fox 811 short bed

Posted By: zb39 on 11/20/20 01:17pm

So I have a 3500 DRW megacab on the way and was thinking of a 811 short bed camper.

Pros cons for that camper. It will be used some in the winter, etc. I'm not concerned about weight at all. Just looking for info on the camper etc. I sold my AF a few years ago. It was a 2000 1150 and I had it from 07 to 2017. Never any issues at all. I keep them inside when not in use.

2017 Host mammoth, sold
49 states, 41 National Parks, 7 Provinces
2019 2 door Rubicon 6 spd.
2019 Berkshire XLT 45B
2022 Host Cascade
2021 Ram 5500 Air ride

Posted By: d3500ram on 11/20/20 01:26pm

What year Mega? Whe you say "on the way" do you mean brand new? I am nopt up on the new models. Is it a model with 17" rims? If so, tires and wheels could be your weakest link. Even if not 17's... I would look close at not only the "letter" rating of the tires but also the weight carrying capabilities of both wheels and tires.

When I had mine, there were limited choices of tires with a load index over stock (LI>121)

Sold the TC, previous owner of 2 NorthStar pop-ups & 2 Northstar Arrows...still have the truck:

2005 Dodge 3500 SRW, Qcab long bed, NV-6500, diesel, 4WD, Helwig, 9000XL,
Nitto 285/70/17 Terra Grapplers, Honda eu3000Is, custom overload spring perch spacers.

Posted By: Bedlam on 11/20/20 01:50pm

It is a DRW. The stock tires will be good for 10k+ of RAW and be just fine with any SB TC currently on the market.

Chevy Sonic 1.8-Honda Passport C70B-Host Mammoth 11.5-Interstate Car Carrier 20-Joyner SandViper 250-Kawasaki Concours ZG1000-Paros 8' flatbed-Pelican Decker DLX 8.75-Ram 5500 HD

Posted By: d3500ram on 11/20/20 02:14pm

Ooops, my bad... yes DRW.

thanks bedlam, missed that- you can delete my post if you want as it does not pertain to OP.

Posted By: Lwiddis on 11/20/20 04:43pm

Great camper. DW didn’t like wet bath. I’m ok.

Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad

Posted By: deltabravo on 11/20/20 05:55pm

I had an 811 for almost 11 years. I will probably kick myself for selling it because I had done a lot of upgrades to it.

* This post was edited 11/21/20 10:00am by deltabravo *

2009 Silverado 3500HD Dually, D/A, CCLB 4x4 (bought new 8/30/09)
2018 Arctic Fox 992 with an Onan 2500i "quiet" model generator

Posted By: zb39 on 11/21/20 08:26am

I prob should have been more clear. I ordered a 2021 DRW megacab 3500. The bed on those is 6ft 4 inches
long. So the 811 is going to stick out some. I don't think it will be to far, but would love to hear from personal experience with the 811.

Posted By: deltabravo on 11/21/20 09:59am

zb39 wrote:

...would love to hear from personal experience with the 811.

10.7895 year owner of an AF 811. Loved it. I will probably kick myself for selling it.

Here's my 811 tour

I sold it in September, partly because I saw how hot the RV market has been and knew I could maximize my selling price, and also because I have been thinking about a 992 all year.

With an 811 on a short bed truck you will likely need a 36" SuperTruss hitch extension and for sure a Torklift Superhitch.

The rear tiedowns attach to the hitch, so be sure to get the ones that mate up with the Torklift Superhitch, not the OEM hitch.

My 811 was a long bed model. I used a 24" Supertruss.

Posted By: MikeinSA on 11/21/20 10:34am

We have the same setup - 2016 megacab dually & a '16 811. We're probably coming up on 50k miles with the camper onboard - you'll be fine. We're out for months at a time so really love the extra space in the truck for storage. If I had to do it over again, I'd not get the factory air suspension. I think the new trucks level side to side, but ours doesn't, so we're always riding lower on the right (slide) side. We had a sway problem also, but Helwig came out with a sway bar for the air suspension trucks and that made a huge difference.

[image]

2016 Arctic Fox 811
2016 Ram 3500, Cummins/Aisin, Mega Cab, SB, DRW

Posted By: zb39 on 11/21/20 06:58pm

Wow, you guys responded with a ton of info and I love the pics. I can see what it's going to look like. Thanks so much and keep them coming.

Posted By: GpnAZ on 11/21/20 08:35pm

We had an AF811 on our 2017 Ram MC dually with factory rear air suspension and Hellwig rear swaybar, handled fine, drove it to Alaska and back on a 3 month trip. We're not big fans of the wet bath, it works for a lot of people just not us. Arctic Fox makes a great camper, we enjoyed it while we had it! I'm one of the few who really like the factory rear air suspension, ordered it for our 2018 Ram 3500 dually when we traded the 811 in on a Host Mammoth and I am happy with it carrying the Mammoth also.

Click For Full-Size Image.

2018' RAM 3500 Laramie CC, DRW, 4X4, Cummins w/ Aisin transmission
2019' Host Mammoth, 480 watts of solar
2017' Jeep JKU Rubicon
2011' Airstream Avenue
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gpnusa
www.flickr.com/photos/gpnaz
www.flickr.com/photos/his_cross

Posted By: Grit dog on 11/22/20 11:50am

zb39 wrote:

Wow, you guys responded with a ton of info and I love the pics. I can see what it's going to look like. Thanks so much and keep them coming.

You looking for pics or info?
Cons:
Small wet bath and short dinette length.
Pros: Great camper just like the rest of the AF campers that you’re familiar with.
And the biggest AF that will fit on a short bed.

2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

Posted By: billtex on 11/22/20 06:49pm

Man, that SB on a MC looks freaky. How far behind the rear axle is COG? Does the front axle un-weight? Maybe the pic is deceptive, but it looks like the camper hangs way back.

2020 F350 CC LB
Eagle Cap 850
25'Airstream Excella
"Good People Drink Good Beer"-Hunter S Thompson

Posted By: Geo*Boy on 11/22/20 08:01pm

billtex wrote:

Man, that SB on a MC looks freaky. How far behind the rear axle is COG? Does the front axle un-weight? Maybe the pic is deceptive, but it looks like the camper hangs way back.

Believe it or not but the arrow indicating the COG is just before the rectangular cable tv receptical, and it appears to be about 1 inch behind the rear axle.

Posted By: Grit dog on 11/22/20 10:31pm

billtex wrote:

Man, that SB on a MC looks freaky. How far behind the rear axle is COG? Does the front axle un-weight? Maybe the pic is deceptive, but it looks like the camper hangs way back.

It’s not and no it doesn’t.

Posted By: jimh406 on 11/23/20 06:26am

I don’t think the short bed looks any worse than 11 1/2-12s on long beds.

Just wondering, GpnAZ, you did get a long bed for the Mammoth, right?

'10 Ford F-450, 6.4, 4.30, 4x4, 14,500 GVWR, '06 Host Rainer 950 DS, Torklift Talon tiedowns, Glow Steps, and Fastguns. Bilstein 4600s, Firestone Bags, Toyo M655 Gs, Curt front hitch, Energy Suspension bump stops.

NRA Life Member, CCA Life Member

Posted By: deltabravo on 11/23/20 07:06am

jimh425 wrote:

you did get a long bed for the Mammoth, right?

AF 11xx series have to be on a long bed. There is no way they'd work on a short bed truck.

Posted By: jimh406 on 11/23/20 07:58am

deltabravo wrote:

There is no way they'd work on a short bed truck.

Famous last words, but I was talking about what they said they bought, a Mammoth.

Posted By: GpnAZ on 11/23/20 05:35pm

jimh425 wrote:

I don’t think the short bed looks any worse than 11 1/2-12s on long beds.

Agreed!

Just wondering, GpnAZ, you did get a long bed for the Mammoth, right?

I did get the 8' long bed for the Mammoth, color and everything else was ordered the same as the Mega Cab. For some reason some people think that the Megacab has a shorter bed than the Crew Cab, but they're the same 6'-4". You cannot get a shorter bed then 6"-4" on a 2500 or 3500 series Ram. Ford has the longest short bed at 6'-7" and Chevrolet is somewhere between the Ram and Ford.

Posted By: deltabravo on 11/23/20 05:39pm

jimh425 wrote:

deltabravo wrote:

There is no way they'd work on a short bed truck.

Famous last words, but I was talking about what they said they bought, a Mammoth.

Sorry, too many discussion got intermingled here. I didn't notice anyone making mention of buying a Host Mammoth.

Posted By: deltabravo on 11/23/20 05:40pm

GpnAZ wrote:

We're not big fans of the wet bath, it works for a lot of people just not us.

How to overcome the "wet bath" issue.

Posted By: zb39 on 11/23/20 07:42pm

Well, I just noticed the Host Tahoe will fit on a short bed also. Oh boy.

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