Question:
I am thinking about purchasing a truck camper, but apparently they
weigh a lot. How does one get the top off and on the truck bed?
Answer:
-They do weigh alot. Some of them require a one-ton dually to be safe.
Most of the newer ones have 12V jacks that raise and lower it from the pickup
bed. You can also get after-market 12V jacks if the camper dosen't have them.
You back the truck up under the camper then lower the jacks. To take it off,
jack it up and drive out from under it.
-One uses camper jacks to take the camper on and off. The electric
remote control ones are very nice, fast, easy to use, one person
operation. This is what I have on my camper, 15 to 30 minutes on or
off, all inclusive. My buddy has hand pump hydraulic jacks on his
camper. Hand cranking or pumping takes two people, hard work, not fun.
If the truck has dual rear wheels you need swingouts on the front jacks
to clear.
On another truck camper issue, get the frame mounted camper tiedowns,
not the ones that tie into the sheet metal of the box, which will tear
up the box.
Remember that most truck campers require a one ton truck, and some one
ton trucks cannot carry some of the heavier truck campers without being
over the load limit of the truck. I run within a couple of hundred
pounds of the load limit of my F350, carrying a Bigfoot 10.6 camper. A
larger truck camper with slide would exceed my truck load rating.
