Re: Should be called the Light House, not dog house -- The Dog House Forum

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Date Posted: 09:43:41 04/27/03 Sun
Author: The Dog
Author Host/IP: pppta06-356.ght.iadfw.net / 207.136.56.102
Subject: Re: Should be called the Light House, not dog house
In reply to: Quinton 's message, "Should be called the Light House, not dog house" on 02:55:01 04/27/03 Sun

Hey Quinton,

Once again, I'm glad I could be of service to the community. Comments like yours make the effort I put in more than worth it. For the most part, it's a very sharing group of people. Since I learned so much from others, I felt that putting together our camper page was the right thing to do. So it's no imposition.

As for the capabilities of your truck, I don't think you're stretching the limits that far with a 1030. Especially if you put a few of the aftermarket options into the rig (airbags and quality shocks). Personally, I'd be happier with a duallie. But with proper tire selection, you should have the payload needed. And you only have to worry about your happiness, not mine. ;)

If you're really worried about the weight, there are things you can do to save a few pounds here and there. The generator, A/C and fiberglass siding options can cost you nearly 500 lbs. The microwave and oven are a couple of other places to save a few pounds. We've used our oven so seldom, it's hardly with having. And since 50% of our time is boondocking, the microwave is a fancy cupboard. They're nice to have when we use them. But are they "must haves"? Are you happier with the A/C or the 100# less weight? Those are all calls you'll have to make.

Spend some time on Lance's website with the "build a camper" tool. They give you estimated weights at the end of the build process. And I found that their dry weights were pretty dang close to reality.

But change out those tires! D rated (unless they're really huge tires) probably aren't going to get the job done. You can figure that loaded, you're going to have a back axle that weighs near 7000 lbs (if not more). You'll need to upgrade to E's. Just read the sidewall to make sure your tires matches your need. Then keep an eye on the tire pressure. Changing tires with the camper loaded just plain sucks.

And try to be smarter than I initially was... Get your rig weighed when it's loaded and ready to go. It's amazing how much everyday "stuff" weighs.

The only trouble you'll have pulling a small trailer will be seeing the thing. Even my big trailer can disappear behind the camper. I can usually get it backed in one pass, but a small jetski trailer is going to be tough.

As for the 1010 vs 1030 thing. As you read, we spent a lot of time on that decision. Sometimes, I think the dry bath would be really nice to have. It's kind of a pain to use it when the whole bathroom is wet. But if I had to use that 1030 shower, I'd probably be unhappy. It just did not have a lot of elbow room. If the 1030 we looked at had been optioned out exactly the same as the 1010 we bought, I'm not 100% sure we'd have bought the 1010 again.

The research part of buying anything major always seems like a battle. And the sudden fear you get when you're driving home that you've done something terribly wrong will be unnerving. But it passes.

Anyway... Don't get too freaked out or obsessed with the weight issue. Evaluate your "needs" versus your "sure would be nice..." and I'm sure you'll end up with the right rig.

It's blowing here, so I'm off to the lake. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. And thanks for stopping by.

Dog

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Replies:

Re: Should be called the Light House, not dog house -- Quinton, 21:36:12 05/08/03 Thu
- Re: Should be called the Light House, not dog house -- Dog, 06:39:51 05/09/03 Fri