6 replies to this topic

[JoeKan]

I've been living in my 1964 10' NCO for a week now while I'm out of town working. When I'm traveling to the job-site or going home (175 miles) I've been throwing a strap across the top because I'm afraid the top half will blow off? Is that possible? Is what I'm doing necessary? I have also been strapping it across the back end for fear that it would slide off? Again, am I being paranoid? 

Also, you all may remember that I have a 1/2 ton Silverado and there's no way it would fit in the back of my truck (6.5' bed + being a 1/2 ton) so I have a 3/4 ton truck bed trailer that it sits in and I pull that with my Chevy. I don't like this setup because I think its sitting too high in the truck bed trailer so I'm wanting to change trailers and set it on my 13' flat trailer and make it in something like a travel trailer. My question is when I set the Alaskan on the flat bed, shouldn't it be siting centered on the axle of the trailer? (It's a single axle 3500 lbs axle). I'm thinking yes, but want to make sure. 

I'm also wanting to build lockers around it for storage as well as supporting the trailer better. I had a post earlier on this but still would like to know, how do I make the lockers? 

Okay, that's it for now, thanks for any help you can send my way. 

Joe 

Edited by JoeKan, 09 February 2020 - 09:07 PM.

[Rodeor]

"Alaskan in the Wind"

 

Good idea strapping it down.  I didn't and top half of my 70's vintage 10ft C/O "blew off".

A very strong cross wind with gusts to 90+ mph got between truck box side and bottom edge of camper.  Due to the lower side rail on my 2003 Ford Super Duty, the gap was 4+ inches.  That would be OK except the camper had a side bunk on that side, with an access opening (to the area forward of wheel well) under the seat cushion.  Unknown to me, the wind "inflated" the camper through that opening and just lifted the top off!

I eventually found another used camper, 2003 model, that came with a bolt "locking" the top and bottom halves together.

Story is not over yet.......

First time I left the yard in a bit wind and got to the crosswind, I could see in my mirror, the side opposite the bolt was raising up and down a good 4 inches!  Yikes

Needless to say I made a bee-line to the yard, drilled a hole, fastened a door hinge to the front of the lower half and bolted thru that and the upper half.

Later, I noticed thru the windshield, that the front of the C/O portion would "vibrate" up and own almost an inch so added pins there to minimize that.

Feels safe and secure now!

I too have "lived" in my camper while on work sites.  I once spent 2 weeks at  -5 F.  I removed the onboard propane tank and buried it in snow to keep in from liquifying and covered windows with summer sun screens.  I did have access to 110 V  AC so did occasionally use a small ceramic heater to keep the "chill" off.  (felt guilty doing that)  Needless to say I do love my Alaskan.  It's sure been worth the wait in finding one and the saving up for it.  

Good luck with trailering yours, I might be able to use that idea so keep us all informed.

Richard

 

 

[Jim in Idaho]

I've towed my 10' non-cabover tens of thousands of miles. Never had the top come off, or even worried about it. Never heard of such a thing. The top of mine is roughly level with the top of my 2001 Dodge diesel 4x4. Maybe slightly higher. I can see a potential problem with cabover models, however, though the Alaskan company has never ,mentioned an issue with it. I should stress that my setup has enclosed sides on the trailer, so there's no place for the wind to get under anything.

 As far as where the camper should be located vs the axle. You should have the load on the trailer such that the tongue weight is about 15% of the total load (camper and trailer).

Jim

[JoeKan]

Do you all bolt your campers to the bed? 

[kimosawboy]

Mine is on a subframe that is bolted down when its on the flatdeck. No strapping down as its been reskinned so it a tad heavier (+ canoe on top) and I drive a Mog so I will never see high speeds to worry about thing flying off.

[Soundsgood]

The former owner of my 10 CO used a cam lock strap over the top because he was concerned about the top coming off. He was a member here so he probably heard about the incident mentioned above. I have been using the strap but am looking at a way to put a travel lock on like what comes from the factory now. Not sure if that would work with a NCO but you may be able to figure out a similar way to make something work.

I looked at a 10 NCO before I bought my CO. The thought was to put it on a trailer and tow it with a Jeep. Alaskans were originally bolted thru the truck bed before other options existed and that is how you can do it with a trailer.  There are some posts on here about how to do that. Look on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for used flat bed truck boxes, much cheaper then getting something custom made. 4' and 8' are pretty standard sizes. One 4' in front and an 8' and a 4' along each side would make a nice frame around the lower part of the camper. 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I have heard of this happening on CAB-OVER Alaskans, never heard of it happening on an NCO.  Looks like the Alaskan factory now provide a lock-down arrangement for the COs, but not for the NCOs.

 

Still, if it makes you feel better putting the strap over your NCO, Go For It.  Peace of Mind is priceless.  That's the reason some people go for belts AND suspenders!