I got a camper

jimjxsn

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2006
Messages
599
Location
Roxborough Park, CO
Just got home today and wanted to post a picture of the new camper :D I'm too tired to fill in the details but I drove from Denver to Idaho to pick it up. Left on Sunday and returned today (Tuesday) :eek:

Now I've got to figure out how to come up with some extra wide jack brackets before I can get it off the truck because my fender flares on the Tundra are too wide for the swing away brackets.:mad:
Jim
 

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Jack Brackets

You can make some extensions for the brackets from some metal plates or 1/4" aluminum plate that will bolt on to your brackets on the camper and then mount the jacks on the extensions to take the camper on or off. You will probably not want to leave them on while traveling though. Just one idea for you.

One question though. Which model of camper did you put on and did it have the swing away bracket on it?? We used to install the swing aways on dually trucks and they cleared the fenders just fine. It would seem that they would work on your truck with room to spare. At least the swing away addition that is sold for those jacks and stock brackets.

Sincerely,
Ben
www.allterraincampers.com
 
Hi Ben,
Thank you for the reply! I bought a 2000 Ranger and it does have the swing out brackets.

By the way - The previous owner gave me a big packet of original paperwork and I noticed there was a letter with your name on it included in the owners manual stuff welcoming new owners.

On the brackets, the width between jacks (with the brackets extended) is 78 inches. The wide point on the tundra fender flares is 80 inches. What I was thinking of trying was to add a 3 inch extension to the existing hinged brackets. I saw some 3 inch wide stock at the hardware store that I may be able to cut and drill.

Where would I look to get the larger quarter inch aluminum if I wanted to make new one piece wide brackets?

Thanks much to you and Marty for all the help. I know where I’m going if I decide to go with a new camper you guys obviously give great customer service. The price was right on this Ranger and this is an experiment for us. After having three different camping trailers, this is our first truck camper.
Jim
 
Congratulations on the new camper!

I had to go to Idaho to get mine too, but well worth the drive. It looks like a nice camper and I'm a big Toyota fan so I like the look of your whole outfit.

Are you considering airbags or something to help level the back end? I like airbags because they're adjustable and what's better than riding on air? They really helped control the sway and jounce I experienced after installing the camper.

I bet you had some really interesting weather to deal with if you went from Denver to Idaho and back last weekend. Glad you had a safe trip and hope you enjoy your FWC!
 
Hi Kcowyo,
Thanks! Your story on the Expedition Portal was one of the first I saw on the FWCs and what really sparked my interest in them. I’ve been looking since last summer. I liked the way your camper fit on the T-100 which has the same size bed as the Tundra.

The trip was crazy. My son and I headed out of Denver on Sunday (12/17) and got as far as Laramie when we found that I-80 was closed down. I called my wife who checked the road/weather reports for us and it didn’t look promising. We decided to head back south and ended up going back down to Denver and headed out on I-70. The storm had already passed on the southern route so it was good going. We made it as far as Green River, Utah for the night. We headed up through Salt Lake City and made it to Idaho Falls to pick up the camper.

The previous owner had it at an RV dealer’s lot and they helped load up the camper with some portable jacks. My Tundra has the TRD package with the fender flairs which is why it is stuck on the truck until I rig some wider front jack brackets.

This next storm was heading up from the south so we decided to head back via I-80 in between storms. It was the first time I have traveled through I-80 in Wyoming with calm winds! Parked the truck on the driveway last night (Wednesday) and woke up this morning to a blizzard here in Denver. Sometimes it pays to be lucky…
Jim
 

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It was the first time I have traveled through I-80 in Wyoming with calm winds! Parked the truck on the driveway last night (Wednesday) and woke up this morning to a blizzard here in Denver. Sometimes it pays to be lucky…
Jim

Calm winds on I-80?! I don't believe it! Lucky indeed. ;)

I hope you get to enjoy yours as much as I've enjoyed mine. That's great you saw my stuff on ExPo (aka - where I spend waaaaay too much time) and that you were able to find a used model. They're sure hard to come by.

I'll look forward to hearing and seeing more about your set up, when the blizzard is over. BTW, send me some snow, we're getting gipped. Just high winds and single digit temps but no snow......?
 
Kcowyo,
You are right, the rear of the Tundra definitely needs some help. I figured that I would have to add the air bags. The Ranger probably weighs at least 100 lbs more than your Eagle. Plus, the CG is further back having the 8ft camper on a short bed truck.
Jim
 
NCF,
Thanks for the photo. That is exactly what I had in mind. I'll have to look around for the plate and make one for mine.
Jim
 
brackets

Jim,

I thought that looked like one of my old campers. Small world these days.:)

The bracket idea will work. NCF pointed you in the right direction for the metal. If you can't find anything in your area, let me know and we can come up with some for you.

I hope it works out for you. Looks good on the truck.

Sincerely,
Ben
www.allterraincampers.com
 
Nice!

Congratulations on your new camper. Is that the "Ranger" model you were looking for? Looks pretty good on your Toyo. I too have been looking for a ranger. But probably going to find a older model if there is one to be had. Already have a lot tied up in my Sportsmobile but would still like to get a FWC for my Jeep Comanche pickup. So I'll keep looking. Is your camper fully loaded?
 
Congratulations on your new camper. Is that the "Ranger" model you were looking for? Looks pretty good on your Toyo. I too have been looking for a ranger. But probably going to find a older model if there is one to be had. Already have a lot tied up in my Sportsmobile but would still like to get a FWC for my Jeep Comanche pickup. So I'll keep looking. Is your camper fully loaded?

Hi captainkettel,
Thanks, yes it’s a Ranger and I tracked it down on craigslist. I just kept up with daily searches all over the western states for months. I even put in a ‘wanted’ add in the Denver craigslist. I also got a call from that ad from a guy in so-cal who has an Eagle model for sale although it his has a damaged headliner. I had already found this Ranger and made plans for the drive up to Idaho to pick it up. Plus my wife was interested in the additional cabinets that the Ranger has over the Eagle. In 2000, the short bed Eagle was called the Ranger II.

It doesn’t have an awning :( although the roof clips are setup for one. It doesn’t have the second roof vent or the slider front window. It doesn’t have the fantastic vent fan.

It’s a standard Ranger with the following options: 3 way fridge, roof boat/luggage rack, battery, screen door, extra rear flood lights, electric water pump, fluorescent lights.

I also picked up the camper stand he had for it. The stand fits the base of the camper and has wheels so you can move it around on a hard surface.
Jim

Here is a picture from today and one of the stand for the camper...
 

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Sheeezus!!

You guys got DUMPED on! That's pretty impressive for 24 hours!

I'm only 5 hours north of Denver and we didn't get a thing other than some sub zero temps. Looks like the front range is going to have a white Xmas.

Happy digging! :D
 
snow load

Now thats a snow load. :) Looks like a white christmas for some.

Happy Holidays

Ben
www.allterraincampers.com
 
More snow today here in Denver. I'm supposed to get a space at a storage lot for the FWC but looks like it may be stuck on the truck for awhile. Having air bags put on the Tundra on Tuesday. Maybe that'll help me get through the ice ruts without bottoming out the back springs;)
 

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Jim, I think you should change the name of this thread to "I got snow."

You went and bought a camper and jinxed the whole front range! :D

I think you'll really like the airbags, they make a big difference in the way the truck handles. If you don't already have a small air compressor, look at Checker and other parts stores. Find one with battery clamps, not the cheapies that plug into your cig lighter.

I run 60PSI in my airbags in town and between 85-90 PSI on the trails. I was advised to watch the bags because they can "walk off" the spring perch. I have yet to experience this, but I trust the guy who gave me this advice so I regularly check.
 
Keep and eye out for frame cracks as well. I read of several issues with this when I was going to put them on my last truck.
Jay
 
Jack extensions

I wanted to pass on this information for anyone looking to make jack bracket extensions. I orderd 1/4" aluminum from Ventura Metals in California http://www.venturametals.com/

I ordered at the beginning of the week and my order arrived by the end of the week. I actually ordered twice because I orderd 5" wide plates to add onto the hinged extensions and also a set of 10" wide plates in case I choose to go that route.

Thanks for all the advice!
 

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