Trucks come in different sizes and with different bed lengths. Traditionally, long and short bed trucks were common, and are still the best choices for truck campers. Short bed is typically 6' to 6.5' in length, and a long bed is typically 8' long . There are other length beds , usually shorter, and have limited camper applications, (see Four Wheel Campers) for fitment on 6' or less bed lenght.
Bedliner
Remove your plastic bedliner, this liner allows for unwanted movement of the truck camper. A better solution would be to use a rubber bed mat, this will provide grip to the camper and truck, keeping the camper from sliding around during turns or other maneuvers.
Tailgate
Truck campers are made to fit into the truck bed. The tailgate is best left behind, it only adds to the overall weight of the combined unit, and does not increase carrying capacity. Remove the tailgate, cover with a clean soft wrap, and store in a safe place for use without the camper.
Tires
Truck tires, Tires are a very important part of your setup. Make sure your tires are rated in pounds, to carry as much as your rig will weigh when loaded. If you are not sure what you may weigh, the best place to start is by weighing your truck with a full tank of fuel, and estimated cargo in cab when traveling. Then you will be more able to estimate total load based on camper weights, added to your truck weight.
Camper tie-downs
We know you are making a large investment in a camper, and for some folks, a truck and a camper. We use and recommend using frame mounted camper anchors. These secure you camper to the trucks frame, with no holes drilled in 99% of truck applications. There are other methods of securing campers to the truck, but none offer the strength and lifetime warranty that Torklift frame mounted anchors do.
Springs VS Air Bags
We get asked about this often, My opinion is, It is much better to tune the truck springs to work with the camper, than to add a supplemental system that takes the job of the truck springs away. Think about it, an air bag mounts on top of the axle, and under the truck frame, then lifts up, taking load off the springs, We want the springs loaded, that's how they work, they just need tuning !
We can usually set up a truck with little or no change in ride quality, to carry a Slide in camper, spending less money and having a more reliable spring system than an air bag system.
Truck Wiring
All of our campers require an electrical connection from the truck to the camper. Your truck will require the installation of this connector in the bed of the truck, It is mounted in the side panel, front left corner of the truck bed. The connector has wires to run all of the tail lights, and reverse lights, as well as power and ground wires. This connector is different than the connector on a travel trailer, as it has 8 guage wires for power and ground. This is required to properly charge you camper battery or batteries, or to run the refrigerator on 12v while driving. There is no shortcut to this part of our installation. We often get asked to use a 7 way bargman style (same as on rear of truck) and the answer is, NO, this connector is not made to handle 8g wire, nor is your factory truck power lead at the hitch. We will run 8g power AND ground wires to the battery, with a auto reset circuit breaker. This is the best method to properly power the camper. We also will solder connections and use heat shrink tubing to ensure the best connections, We NEVER use quick squeeze type connectors like scotch locks, as they will fail, just when will they fail is the question?
We want you happy and trouble free, this is a major part of that. If you have a camper, and we did not wire it, and you are driving for hours, get there and have partially charged batteries, or your fridge is not cold, Check your wiring! Then call us to set up an appointment for a proper install of the Lance Truck side connector! Happy Trails !!!