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IMHO the largest campers on the market with opposing slides and dry weights exceeding 4500lbs push beyond the practical limits off a pick-up with a 4x8 box. Having loaded a couple of these units on F-450's and watch as they struggle to carry the load, I question the viability of the largest...

Becareful of the eighties units, they were built for trucks with 65" tailgate openings. These won't fit any new trucks (60" tailgate opening). Be sure to measure when looking at older Campers.

Almost forgot. Solar panel is only as good as the battery. The bigger panels work best with 100Ah battery or multiple batteries. I have found that if your battery bank is too small you don't capture enough power and if the battery bank is too big the solar won't take it to full charge.

I have a 95 Watt panel on my trailer and it will recharge a battery that is depleted. 5.5amps @ 17Volts. I have found that the panels under 50 watt usually run @ a lower voltage and are better at keeping a battery charged stay at full charge - rather than recharge a depleted battery. The...

Fridge on propane is fine when travelling, as long as you turn it off before fueling up. I have seen several units burn up this way. The fridge makes a great ignition source when refueling. On some truck & camper units the fridge pilot is only a couple of feet from the fuel fill. These...

Talk to a RV dealer that repairs fridges. The cooling unit can be removed from the fridge and replaced in the camper or have a new fridge reassembled in the unit. Cooling unit less than new fridge if fridge is in reasonable shape. Not all RV dealers replace cooling units as it is a pain. I'm...

Teton, King of the Road, (excellent wood frame products) unfortunately they went broke using wood frame. Nothing to do with the benefits of wood framing, everything to do with customer perceptions. Consumers believe aluminum is superior. I have owned units framed in aluminum and have have...

Bigfoot & Northern lite are certainly well built units that are generally superior in duability & quality. Even used they are usually in great shape. I find the owners of these units tend to look after them very well (not sure if it's pride of ownership or the dollars involved). The...

Steel framed floor, aluminum framed side walls, aluminum truss roof joists. I can see why the RV industry has gone that way on higher end equipment. It seems to be the accepted method. The negative views on wood probably detract from the finished unit and that seems to be the majority of...

Torsion axle great on single axle applications. 2 torsion axles are a problem off road as 1 wheel can end up taking entire load of trailer in rough terrain. I have seen many bent axles on multi axle torsion set-ups. Solid tandem axles have an equalizer between the axles to distribute the load...

There are many great RV manufactuerers. Unfortunatly much of the RV industry is too price driven and cut corners in places you don't see. To start taking trailers into more extreme roads conditions requires a number of items. First you need to choose a product that has a decent frame with...

Having worked in the RV industry for a long time I have seen excellent use of aluminum or wood. Depends on the goal. Aluminum framing is the way the RV industry is headed as it is easier to control. The material is light & strong. The issue though is that the interior panels are still wood...

I worked for a tent trailer manufacturer in the early eighties. We didn't use coleman as it wasn't much of a furnace. The round cap on the front of the combustion chamber is where you stick the match to light the pilot. I don't remember seeing that model with a piezo lighter. The exhaust is...

Greetings from Edmonton Palomino was bought by Forest River serveral years ago. Forest River is 2nd Largest RV manufacturer in North America. They seem to be more geared to selling units than helping service older units. The roof is very fixable. I have done many. If the sides of the...

First post, great forum with good info. I always found it easiest to swivel the canoe onto the truck. I made my rear cross bar swivel so I attach the rear first then walk the front around. This idea could be modified to work with a rear door. I have tried the roller route but with a long...