Cabover Thoughts - Lance 7.6 / 2005 Tacoma

[STREGA]

I actually owned that same model camper in the late 80's thru early 90's. I originally had visions of it going on my mini truck I had at the time but quickly realized it weighed too much, suspension, brakes and engine power was inadequate to haul it safely. I found a used '86 Toyota 2wd 1 ton pu that had a dual rear wheel set up (the same used on U-Haul and motorhomes in that era) with custom made fiberglass fenders for the outside duals. It solved the suspension and brake issues and the axle was much beefier than the normal pu had. The engine power was still lacking since it was a 4cyl. but if IIRC the gearing was lower as well. It handled the camper well but you couldn't be in a hurry with it, especially at higher elevations. After we moved to Colorado we had it for a couple more years but found we were wanting to go to places that it was not capable of going being that it was a 2wd and did not have great ground clearance so we sold it.

Being that it was over 20 years ago since we had that camper/truck I don't remember the exact weight of the camper but I would be surprised if it was under 1000 lbs as it was a big camper even though it was made for mini trucks. I don't think Lance made them for very long because there really was no trucks made that could actually carry them safely. That said it was a very nice camper that was well made and was super comfy, in some ways I wish we had that truck/camper back.

 

[traildude]

How did this end up working for you? One came up for sale near me and may bite if you had a good experiance

 

[boxcar1]

This is an old thread but it brings issues to mind that should be addressed.
The Lance in question does come in (new) and dry at under 1000 lbs.
The one mentioned by Traildude in or near Boise Idaho has been modified slightly .( Rear dry bath, passenger side ).
I talked with the owner of the car lot that has it. Was told that it has no leaks.
I'd have to see that to believe it.
If it has leaked, expect the weight to have gone up considerably....
Back in the day small trucks were not as well endowed as they eventually became.
A later model v-6 Ranger / S-10 / Nissan or Toyota could more than handle this camper if equipped with a spring kit and belly mounts.
If you plan on running it on an earlier version of any of these trucks plan on a bunch of upgrades to the gears , brakes and power plant.
The good news is that if you are running Nissan or Toyota , there are a ton of parts available from old mini motorhomes that fit the bill.
Most manufacturers discontinued there Import size campers in the late 90's.
The Lance was a top of the line model... I nearly drove the 513 miles to Idaho to buy the Lance in question.

 

[traildude]

I have a few friends with six pacs that seem to work fine. This is the one I am going to look at tommorrow i think. I plan on using it for a three week ski trip in Canada, I will have ride rite air bags and recently put 1/4 angle iron between my bed bolts that go to beef up my ratchet strap hooks. I have a 2008 Tacoma extended cab sport.
The camper in question is a lance ls1000 7.6 for sale in tri cities WA
Cheers
Justin

 

[boxcar1]

I hadn't seen the one in Tri Cities. I'll have to give it a look.

It looks like a nice little unit. If I wasn't in the middle of building one I'd go have a look.

 

[traildude]

How is your build going. Decided to wait for a six pac, or just do a regular shell with upgrades.

 

[boxcar1]

It's going well. Thanks for asking.
There was a Six Pac in Portland a few days ago. Sold in a day.....
I have been doing the shell thing for a few years now in my F-250. I'll be glad to have the camper finished.....

 

[norcal*PWRstroke]

Got a response from Lance with some specs and info (pretty quickly too... within ~48hrs). Unfortunately not the clearest scans but it gives me some ideas.

According to their specs this thing weighs 910lbs.

While that might not be the lightest thing out there it isn't bad for a hard-sided cab-over from the late 80's. I'll still take it to the scales to figure out actual weight and weight distribution.

I still have some work to do to the camper. I plan on cleaning it up and "lighten it up" it wherever I can.

Also have some work to do to the Taco (I plan on going the Firestone Ride-Rite route)

A few questions now:

• Does anyone know where the best deal is on these? Any recommendations for securing / tie-downs to keep this thing on the back.

Did they give you any other literature, manuals etc for the LS series, i have an 86 ls3000 i am restoring.