Question about Mobility

[nmiller]

Hi there, I'm another seeker of information. My wife and I are looking at lightweight popup campers, and the Hawk has caught our eye. I have never had a camper, though, and am curious about one thing in particular: can a lightweight popup like the Hawk be taken off the truck and put back on easily? For instance, can one camp in one while it is off the truck, so the truck can then be used for transportation? (Stupid question?) Thanks much.

 

[Rockjok]

I've got a Falcon which is smaller than the Hawk but what you describe is what I'm getting my rig set up for. I've made some inexpensive plywood supports tall enough that I only need to jack the camper a few inches on level ground. The camper is supported by the jacks and plywood when off the truck in camp. Here's a link to the original thread in the forums.

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=315

I had a friend who used to remove his camper at camp, supporting it with jacks only. A thunderstorm came thru and tipped the camper over causing thousands of dollars in damage.

Rob

 

[Ted]

removing camper in camp

Nmiller,

Not a stupid question at all. We see people doing this frequently. The link Rockjok gave you is the best advice. Just wanted to add my two cents worth. We were camping once where someone had done just as you describe, using the camper on its legs leaving the truck free to drive around. Then one evening the ground under one of the legs suddenly collapsed. Luckily the camper just leaned way over, kind of tilting back and forth on two legs, and didn't roll over. The owner was frantically putting chairs and logs under the low corner to support it. Once stabilized, he had to bring the leg up, put some boards under the foot, then raise the camper back to level.

Turns out there was a rodent tunnel under the foot of this particular leg. So when you find your camper and do this, no matter how solid the ground looks, place a board or something similar under the feet of the legs so that the weight of the camper is more distributed.

Good luck with your search and have fun when you get your camper. Ted

 

[chnlisle]

You can buy a couple of steel saw horses at Home Despot for about 20 bucks each. They support half a ton and have adjustable legs.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100003259&N=10000003+90401+502727


Or use my old method;

 

[DirtyDog]

Can anyone speculate how much weight could be on the upper bed when the camper isn't attached to a truck? Seems like tipping would be a probability on such a light camper.

 

[nmiller]

Thanks!

Thanks everyone for the responses, which were exactly what I was hoping for -- now we can shop!

 

[craig333]

What purpose do you have in mind? Since I do most of my cooking and stuff outside, if I have in mind I need to do a drive (to the store, restaurant, fishing hole or whatever) it only takes me about two minutes to pop the top down, stash whatever was on the counter and hit the road.

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

Heh.

Craig, Edna and I actually *leave the top popped up* if we only have to drive a mile or two to the C store...

 

[EdoHart]

One more thing to consider.

The fit of my Hawk is so tight (it is only 1/2 inch narrower than my tailgate opening) that it takes me 30 minutes or more to mount - what with backing a few inches, turn the steering wheel a few degrees, back up some more, pull forward a few inches and repeat. I finally figured out the last time I loaded it that I can move the individual jack legs a little in order to move the camper, rather than try to re-position the truck underneath it for the umpteenth time, so I may be able to mount it faster the next time. Also, much of the stuff I keep under the couch needs to come out in order to reach the passenger side turnbuckles. Because I have another vehicle to use as my daily driver, the camper stays on the truck almost all the time.

When it comes time to break camp, I can pack everything I took out and roll up the awning faster than I can put the camper on my truck. I frequently camp with a buddy who has a plain old shell on his truck, and I'm usually ready to leave before he is.

With that said however, I have a friend with a FWC who keeps a pair of the "X" frame supports shown in the thread that Rockjok referenced (just like the ones FWC uses at their factory and trade shows) that he stows in the bed of his truck, under the FWC so he can leave the camper behind at any given location. He also frequently takes the camper off his truck, so he's more proficient at putting it on than I am.

 

[EdoHart]

Can anyone speculate how much weight could be on the upper bed when the camper isn't attached to a truck? Seems like tipping would be a probability on such a light camper.

I guess that depends on how vigorous things got on the upper bed.

 

[craig333]

Heh.

Craig, Edna and I actually *leave the top popped up* if we only have to drive a mile or two to the C store...

I would but I usually camp in areas with low hanging branches. I've learned not to do that the hard way.

 

[Puffins]

The camper can come off the truck???