I almost gave up.....

uriedog

metal melter
When I hauled my truck camper (890lbs) I would remove the jacks. Save the 100+ pounds of weight. Mine is not meant to be walked in unsupported.

Actually I still remove them, and now I carry it on my 2500 RAM. They seem to get in the way and Its allot of weight hanging and vibrating around on the bolts and camper corners.
 

potterjon

Observer
Well, I got some butyl tape and am getting ready to use it. We went camping this weekend and enjoyed the camper for one night just to try it out. I still haven't gotten the fridge to successfully light as the pilot keeps going out, but I am assuming from the reading I have done that the burner just needs to be cleaned. I don't think that the thermocouple is bad because I lit it earlier and it stayed lit for a couple hours. But now, no joy. I am also still trying to figure out the electrical. I have a three wires hanging off the front corner of the camper that have been cut, and haven't really hunted down the ends of the clearance light wiring. Right now, I am just a little freaked out about this thing being in my gravel driveway just on the jacks. So I went and got some collapsible steel saw horses to rest it on. I will leave the jacks down for stability but I am hoping this will bet me by for a little while until I figure something better out.
 

gingerK

New member
I have a '93 Shadow Cruiser very similar to yours; I take the feet off the jacks and then swing them up and into the loops to hold them while driving. You loosen both bolts and remove the inside ones, swing the jacks up on the outside ones and retighten them. I know what you mean about it being unstable on just three jacks-my first TC was on 3 jacks and cinderblocks for the first year of storage. Then my DH built a wooden stand for it, so much better and I could get into it without worrying about it falling over. When I had both TCs I put the SC up on it's jacks plus 2 metal sawhorses that were rated for 1000 lbs. each. from Menard's. Solid enough for getting into to work on and not have to worry about stability. Plus, now that I don't need them for the tc anymore I have 2 nice extra sawhorses.
 

potterjon

Observer
image.jpg
Gingerk thanks for the info. I am not sure how to remove the feet but that makes perfect sense. The feet are what is keeping them from fitting in the brackets on the side of the camper.
The pic above is a pic of the feet. The following one is of it sitting the saw horses. I need a better system, or a quicker system I should say of leveling it off.
image.jpg
 

potterjon

Observer
So the other day I had some assist springs put on the truck and some new shocks. I also bumped up the air pressure in my tires to 50 psi in the back and 45 psi in the front. We took it out for a night to a campground about an hour away from us just to try it out. The truck rode much better with the improvements, but still wobbles a little around 60 mph. I really think bumping up the tire pressure helped more than I thought it would. I am still considering air bags down the road somewhere. For those that have them and use them to help level the camper, do you go look at your level in the camper to tell when it's level?
 

subterran

Adventurer
Looks like it's coming along! About the wobble - make sure your tires are properly balanced. Carrying a TC will magnify any little suspension or tire problem you may have. As for levelling, I think the answer is a little of both. You want to make sure the camper itself is level so that your fridge works properly, of course. You also want it to appear level when you travel. This last one is largely cosmetic I suppose. Toyotas have a wee bit of front rake to them from the factory, as do most rucks these days. I have been trying to get rid of mine for a while now, and my last suspension mod, Fabtech coilovers in front, are going to allow me to finally solve the problem. I want the same clearance around all 4 tires. I just measure from the tire tread to the wheel well. Then I step back across the street and eyeball it for level.

As I said though, #1 important thing is camper itself level, for proper function. #2 thing is ride quality. You won't drive it far it it scares the life out of you, or beats you to death. #3 is appearance - does it look like it squats or anything.

Good luck, and keep it coming!
 

potterjon

Observer
Subterran, I understand about the aesthetics of leveling the camper to prevent sagging :)
I guess I envision myself with the airbags and the compressor installed with switch in the cab and being able to just level it off while in the cab. Then I realized I would have no idea if it was level until I hopped in the back of the camper and looked at the levels inside. That makes it seem like a lot of going back and forth and adjusting. On that note, a hand pump with the air valves off the back through the license plate screws makes more sense as you you could see the levels while pumping the air in. I dunno, just dreaming of air bags I suppose.....
 

rayct77

Observer
Subterran, I understand about the aesthetics of leveling the camper to prevent sagging :)
I guess I envision myself with the airbags and the compressor installed with switch in the cab and being able to just level it off while in the cab. Then I realized I would have no idea if it was level until I hopped in the back of the camper and looked at the levels inside. That makes it seem like a lot of going back and forth and adjusting. On that note, a hand pump with the air valves off the back through the license plate screws makes more sense as you you could see the levels while pumping the air in. I dunno, just dreaming of air bags I suppose.....

Why not put a level on the exterior of the camper just behind the truck cab that is in view of the driver's seat?
 

Just Jeff

Observer
I've broken a lot of those plastic levelers by using them on gravel and uneven ground. I saw a solution online to get a stable mat from farm supply store, and cut it into squares and rectangles to use for leveling. It worked great! Except it was heavy and seemed to hold more dust than the blocks.

So I realized that the only blocks that broke were the ones touching the ground, and now my plan is to carry a couple stable mat rectangles to lay on the ground, and then stack the blocks on top of the mat. Convenience and weight savings of lego blocks, protection and durability of stable mats. I've tried it a few times now and it has worked well.
 

Shooting Jack

New member
Potterjon, I have a identical Shadow Cruiser and need some help if possible. I did not get the 4 pin plug and cable with my camper and need to wire it up. Can you tell me what the proper wiring it for it. Also, did you get your heater and refrigerator working? I can't get mine to work either. Any help would be appreciated.
 

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