Starliner Posted May 11, 2020 Author Share Posted May 11, 2020 I guess it's a Blazer? Looked like a Shortbed with an overhanging slide in when you first pictured it. I thought 'thats bizarre. Why kill your departure angle when you could have a flush camper in a regular 8' bed? That's probably why it only lasted 2 years. I just thought is would be great to do a road trip where I could pull over at any scenic view, walk from the drivers seat right to making a coffee and drinking it by the big window. And yes, they were Blazers and Jimmys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 .... But, you do like having a slide-out? How big of a deal is that if you are out for two weeks at a time? What about with kids? In the back of my mind I'm thinking about our kids, who have kids. So they might want to borrow one if we had it and we should consider them as well. First off, it's hard to find campers without slide-outs now. So especially if you're looking at used ones that aren't that old you'll have to take what you find. As far as do I like slides in a camper? Yes and no. As I mentioned above, the practical side of me doesn't like added complexity (we did need to have the motorhome serviced once when the slide motors got out of synch and I needed to lean on it hard to get it to go back in so we could drive home). And I'd rather not have a big hole cut in the side that needs seals on moving parts to keep water and rodents out. But the extra room they offer is nice. For just two people, camping for a week or so, if I could have my ideal it wouldn't have any slides. But for a family with 4 kids, or for 2 people living out of it for a few months, a slide or two would be very welcome. As to kids borrowing it, we went through that thought process as well. What Lesley eventually convinced me of was that we should get a camper that would work well for us. Anything that met that need would work well enough for our kids to borrow that the "beggars can't be choosers" rule would say it was good enough! However, they aren't the experience trailer-pullers or RV'ers that we were. Not that we've done it a lot, but when we've racked up a lot of miles to California, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Florida, etc. And I say that to suggest I should keep the trailer smaller rather than letting it grow. Both Big Blue and Blue have GVWR's of ~11,000 lbs so the trailer shouldn't come in more than 4,000 I would think. As Jim says, it's GCVWR that matters. I don't know what Blue or Big Blue have (my '97 has 18,000 lbs). But I agree that 4,000 lbs would be a good target. I don't know for sure what my folks trailer weighs but it's a moose (above I guessed it at 5,000 - 6,000 lbs, it's rated for 7,600 lbs max). But it sleeps 6 in beds, 10 if you add the couch and dinette as double beds, and could pretty easily accommodate a family with 4 kids on vacation. At the other end of the spectrum, Lesley and I, with our two sons camped out of an 8' slide-in camper. The boys slept in a tent after they got older, and we did all of our cooking and eating outside. But there's a lot of room in-between those options. It shouldn't be hard to find a 4000 lb trailer that would meet your needs. Bob - Thanks for that. Good advice. On the campers, a young lady at church has several that her father purchased to flip - just before he passed away. I know nothing about them, but I'm guessing they may have a slide-out given what you said. We've talked about us looking at them, but haven't. And you and Jim are correct, it is the combined weight. But I think that's the 11K figure for both trucks. As for the kids borrowing it, one set has 9 year old twins, and the other has a six year old. So it wouldn't have to be huge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 .... I didnt realize that was a slide in, I thought is was one piece.... It wasn't technically a slide in. I'm pretty sure the camper mounted to the Blazers "bed rails" and had no structure below that, so it used all of the space inside the Blazer, where a slide-in is only 4' wide below the bed rails and you have hard to access outside storage between the camper and the bed side. I guess it's a Blazer? Looked like a Shortbed with an overhanging slide in when you first pictured it. I thought 'thats bizarre. Why kill your departure angle when you could have a flush camper in a regular 8' bed? That's probably why it only lasted 2 years.... I think there's your answer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 Bob - Thanks for that. Good advice. On the campers, a young lady at church has several that her father purchased to flip - just before he passed away. I know nothing about them, but I'm guessing they may have a slide-out given what you said. We've talked about us looking at them, but haven't. And you and Jim are correct, it is the combined weight. But I think that's the 11K figure for both trucks. As for the kids borrowing it, one set has 9 year old twins, and the other has a six year old. So it wouldn't have to be huge. Thinking about it as I was changing lanes on my way home from work, it's not the weight that's the biggest issue for novice drivers, it's the length. My folks camper is about 34' tongue to back of the camper body, 35' if you include the bumper and spare tire (I measured it this evening). Hook it up to my ~20' long CCSB and you're pretty much at the old 55' max length for a single trailer semi! I've driven quite a few big things, and changing lanes with this is no picnic, and I've never driven it in heavy traffic. And I've gotten in a little trouble in a parking lot with it too, where I was going to hit something with the side of the trailer if I kept going forward. Maybe something like a ~24' max overall length would be good if you were trying to accommodate novice trailer drivers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 Thinking about it as I was changing lanes on my way home from work, it's not the weight that's the biggest issue for novice drivers, it's the length. My folks camper is about 34' tongue to back of the camper body, 35' if you include the bumper and spare tire (I measured it this evening). Hook it up to my ~20' long CCSB and you're pretty much at the old 55' max length for a single trailer semi! I've driven quite a few big things, and changing lanes with this is no picnic, and I've never driven it in heavy traffic. And I've gotten in a little trouble in a parking lot with it too, where I was going to hit something with the side of the trailer if I kept going forward. Maybe something like a ~24' max overall length would be good if you were trying to accommodate novice trailer drivers. Yes, I think 24' might be the max. I'll have to measure the boat & trailer, but the boat itself is 25'. It hangs off the back of the trailer at least 2' and the tongue extends past the bow by maybe 2'. So it is probably 29' from ball to prop. And I'd not want to turn either set of kids loose with that w/o several hours of driving instructions. But with brakes on both axles it stops well. And the electronics on Blue that gives sway control sure helps. Had a couple of times on the trip when a semi went by us rapidly and there was just a touch of sway. But the system brought the trailer brakes on just a touch and took the sway out immediately. (It wasn't going to be a problem as I wasn't about to back off since I saw him coming, but it was comforting that it was there in case I had.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 At least he didn't shear the studs off or crack the drum! The D-60 was phased out as a running change during the '85 model year. Ford started using the 10.25" Sterling as Dana stock was used up at the various pickup truck lines. The D60 is a good axle, but a PITA to do brake work on. Actually, he did damage the wheel. I'm going to have to swap out the rim with my spare. Some of the holes are bigger now. Probably a bad thing. So I could have a Dana or a Sterling? I tried to find markings where they would typically be on the Dana but couldn't find any. U-techcenter has those LH nuts if your buddy flattened the cone. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F162824653684 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starliner Posted May 14, 2020 Author Share Posted May 14, 2020 U-techcenter has those LH nuts if your buddy flattened the cone. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F162824653684 Thanks, I will get them to be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starliner Posted May 14, 2020 Author Share Posted May 14, 2020 Thanks, I will get them to be safe. Hey Jim, Is that link you sent me the lugnuts that I need? The title says 26mm thread is 18 but there is nothing in the description. They look right based on that part#, and the price is crazy good. Thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Hey Jim, Is that link you sent me the lugnuts that I need? The title says 26mm thread is 18 but there is nothing in the description. They look right based on that part#, and the price is crazy good. Thx They are 1 1/16. 9/16-18 LH thread. Look up the part number in the listing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starliner Posted May 14, 2020 Author Share Posted May 14, 2020 They are 1 1/16. 9/16-18 LH thread. Look up the part number in the listing Yeah, I just did, they are the right ones thanks. Going to swap out the wheel studs too. I just dropped the spare down to prepare for the swap. Thank you again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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