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  1. M

    Pop-up campers with 5'-7' cabovers

    Re Hallmark w NS cabover, ours on a 2020 Ford F-350 SuperCab (extended cab, not a crew cab) goes a little forward of top of windshield but does not obstruct overhead view while driving at all. You have to stick your head over dash and look up to see camper cabover.
  2. M

    Water tank sensors not working

    On a previously owned Roadtrek I poured a bag of store-bought ice down marine toilet into blackwater tank that was about half full of plain water and repeatedly drove over a certain diagonal drainage dip in road known for giving one whiplash if you drove over it too fast. That knocked the crud...
  3. M

    campers with bathrooms

    Our Hallmark Ute has a cassette toilet and it’s fine as long as you use the recommended amount of appropriate black tank enzyme chemicals, which is a greater proportion concentration than with marine toilet and black water tank. Also check size before you buy. The cassette toilet in ours...
  4. M

    Do pop-up campers stay cool enough to leave a dog in?

    I've found our Hallmark Ute stays cooler than truck cab as there isn't the engine heat coming through firewall, exhaust heat up through floor pan, greenhouse effect of sun though windows if pointed towards sun, though there is some benefit of shade from camper cabover. The camper has a powered...
  5. M

    RAM2500, slide-in and sway

    Your truck already probably has enough miles to have worn out the OEM shocks that are usually tuned as soft as needed to feel good during short test drives on smooth roads near dealer. Replacement with aftermarket, some of which would be superior to OEM, may better control excess "sway". Good...
  6. M

    Truck camper and tire rotation

    Assuming all tires are same size and load-capacity (heavier in rear on trucks used to be a thing), determine whether the tires are directional or not. These used to be confined to certain performance tires but this design overkill has spread elsewhere. Most have an arrow and the word...
  7. M

    2022 F150 and a Truck Camper

    ' best not to go over GVWR with any rig, and you'll find most trucks start to feel overloaded at anything much over half their payload capacity. Manufacturers know most people run around nearly empty most of the time, so springs firm enough for GVWR would be too harsh empty, even though those...
  8. M

    support for camper

    Another source for a working load for vehicles of about 50% of rated load capacity is how the vehicle will typically be used and optimizing spring rates for that. For a "half ton" truck (which, if a newer full-sized domestic, may mean up to a ton, including driver and passengers), a load up to...
  9. M

    Any suggestions on 12v interior lighting?, and fan for fridge

    Check clearances in refer housing between refer top and sides relative to housing, and check specs for your refer. Many RV manufacturers have big empty gaps that inhibit natural convection or trap a pool of warm air on top. Both the original Dometic 3-way absorption refer and replacement 2-way...
  10. M

    support for camper

    I'm not a big fan of airbags except for people who take camper on and off. Air compresses as a geometric progression, whereas a spring compresses at a more linear rate (ignoring stepped or staged effect of overload leafs or variable rate coils). Many airbags are of a length and designed to...
  11. M

    Truck Antennas

    After tiring of intermittently blocked SiriusXM signal from solar panels on camper roof, we complained to Sirius and asked for ideas. Rather than risk losing a customer, they sent us a new tuner and antenna kit. I mounted the antenna on a lazy Z-shaped bracket I made and bolted to right front...
  12. M

    Peace of Mind Truck/Camper Security

    We don’t have one but I’ve heard of people carrying a small version of the “Denver Boot”, the device you clamp around a wheel to prevent it being driven or towed away without a dolly. ‘ anyone else have thoughts on those?
  13. M

    How do you safely store your tail gate when it's off the truck?

    A 2020 F350 aluminum tailgate doesn't seem too heavy (' haven't weighed it, though) but is still unbalanced no matter its position leaning against wall inside shed. Painter's tape used to secure loose, floppy cables to it for backup camera and power tailgate lock. Ideal storage in the shed...
  14. M

    My new truck 2021 F350 7.3gas

    ' looks good! Your ordeal is why I was reluctant to have most upfitters install one, not trusting them to not take shortcuts I've heard of involving blocks of wood, thinwall channel, or big hammers. It's too bad the OEM beds don't have something like a side-access compartment like what Ram has...
  15. M

    Outfitter or Hallmark - help me decide!

    And don’t do what I did and order one of those asymmetrical rear ladders for campers without a full-width rear skirt like ours is. This is the kind of ladder where rungs only go down as far as top of pickup side but vertical part next to door extends down to near floor of camper. Without a...
  16. M

    Outfitter or Hallmark - help me decide!

    When we ordered our Hallmark Ute I requested a number of additional 12-volt accessory outlets and USB outlets in every possible place one might ever be needed by us (a few) or anyone else in future (many more), as the desire to plug in keeps increasing. Each is on its own fused circuit with a...
  17. M

    Ladder/Stair

    ' glad it wasn't more serious. I used to be on the Provan Tiger forum before deciding on a Hallmark popup slide-in camper upon discovering some Provans had typical RV quality issues with frame extension welds and iffy wiring. Along the way I found some former truck camper owners who'd suffered...
  18. M

    Water tank

    For storage areas warm enough to not need winterization, we'd been told to leave tanks full as one can never really drain them and get them completely dry unless you run a lot of (low pressure to be safe) clean compressed air throughout the system. There are very dilute solution ratios of...
  19. M

    Outfitter or Hallmark - help me decide!

    If you buy used, some Outfitters did have some build quality issues but I don’t know from what time period that would be. The company was founded by a member of the Ward family, which founded Hallmark, and I think I recall that the first ones were built in a corner of a previous Hallmark...
  20. M

    Outfitter RV Juno

    When our 2021 Ute was loaded onto our 2020 F350 SuperCab longbed with factory camper package Hallmark installed Torklift Upper StableLoads. They were fully engaged, kept rear ride height level relative to front, and did prevent some excess wallowing but at expense of some hobby horse pitching...
  21. M

    Outfitter or Hallmark - help me decide!

    Check knee room and head room in wet bath of whatever you’re thinking of buying. I’m 5’9” and in our Hallmark Ute it seems like anyone over 6’ would struggle to use it. I don’t know dimensions of other makes and models.
  22. M

    Won't rotate tires with camper on?

    Our experience has been that we always had to state to dispatcher what needed towing but that still meant one company sent out the young rookie with an old 3/4 or 1-ton truck with a sling for a 2-mile tow when we had a ‘72 Buick Electra towing a 22’ trailer. A sling on a too-light truck isn’t...
  23. M

    Won't rotate tires with camper on?

    ' had a lift capacity issue at one shop we regularly use that could not handle a '97 Roadtrek 170, 6800 lb GVWR, until they got a bigger lift. Another shop had to use a floor jack. And, a Dodge and Ram dealer was in a former Audi dealership, lacked overhead clearance and could barely handle...
  24. M

    My new truck 2021 F350 7.3gas

    With same 7.3 engine and axle ratio, our unloaded F350 SuperCab longbed did a little better on highway and worse in town, but the latter means signalized stop-and-go or congested freeways here in San Diego. This seems to overlap with what others reported with 6.2 OHC w earlier HD 6-spd and...
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