Delivered: My New 2024 Ocelot :-)

[h2opup]

Hooray! Just collected my new 2024 Ocelot from Marty last Friday. Spent my first night inside that same night on my way back home and caught some of the Northern Lights show here in Oregon. A great omen for many excellent adventures ahead.

It is a nice fit on my 2024 V-8 RAM 1500 quad cab and seems overall pretty darn nifty.

The only potential issue is a mild intermittent shudder while driving it home (200miles). On the drive down, my truck performed beautifully so I had the perfect before/after camper comparison on the same stretch of road, same weather, etc.

Is this the "cavitation" that some have commented on when carrying a pop-up camper? It wasn't terrible, but it was definitely noticeable (and annoying). The truck is very quiet and smooth riding, and this was more like a mild shimmy or shudder or mild intermittent bucking than a noise. It wasn't constant although it was hard to put my finger on when (at what speed) it was happening, if in fact there was such a pattern.

Or, maybe this symptom has other common causes? Otherwise, I think I love it, but I'd be bummed if this shudder is now a "thing" that one must just put up with.

Thanks in advance

Marty doing the install in Phoenix, OR.

1st Night, Fern Ridge Reservoir, OR

Aurora amidst the clouds

Nice camper, nice fit.

 

[ski3pin]

Looks great, congrats on the new camper!

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Congratulations! Another great camper from the folks at ATC!

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Congrats on the new camper. Did your "shutter" happen on the whole trip home?
Could it be the road surface.
I always notice that the truck rides different between concrete and asphalt
road surfaces.
Have fun with your new rig.
Frank

 

[ski3pin]

Just off the top of my head on the shutter. Possibly the weight of the camper has affected the front end alignment?

 

[h2opup]

Thanks for the comments and thoughts and congrats! I went to Les Schwab this morning and had all of my tires checked and re-balanced. The truck has <1K miles on it. Turns out the tires were all (way) out of balance (from the dealer). I'd of thought that would have manifested on the drive south without the camper, but I didn't notice it then - chances are the extra camper weight made it noticeable. They also suggested upping the inflation in the rear tires to 40psi (vs the tire-recommended 36psi).

The shudder did not happen on the entire drive home. I was trying to notice a pattern, including being mindful of road surface. It was all paved road, although the pavement quality on the same stretch of road in the slow (truck) lane vs fast lane can vary significantly due to semi-truck wear, etc. It's possible that small differences like patches of rough paved road made it more noticeable.

Hopefully the re-balancing and inflation will take care of whatever the problem was. The rig appears to sit very evenly on the truck, and the truck appears level load-wise (no sagging in the rear). Step 2 will be checking alignment if the problem persists.

Looking forward to enjoying this fun rig!

 

[h2opup]

Looks great, congrats on the new camper!

Thanks! I believe this is the Ocelot that you saw at ATC recently.

 

[h2opup]

Congratulations! Another great camper from the folks at ATC!

Thanks! Marty was great, very patient walking me through everything. BTW I have an Otto step arriving soon

 

[h2opup]

Congrats on the new camper. Did your "shutter" happen on the whole trip home?
Could it be the road surface.
I always notice that the truck rides different between concrete and asphalt
road surfaces.
Have fun with your new rig.
Frank

Thanks! The shudder only occurred intermittently. I'm hoping the tire re-balancing does the trick.

 

[h2opup]

Just off the top of my head on the shutter. Possibly the weight of the camper has affected the front end alignment?

Thanks! I'm hoping the tire balancing has solved the issue, but I will keep this in mind if the problem persists.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Thanks for the comments and thoughts and congrats! I went to Les Schwab this morning and had all of my tires checked and re-balanced. The truck has <1K miles on it. Turns out the tires were all (way) out of balance (from the dealer). I'd of thought that would have manifested on the drive south without the camper, but I didn't notice it then - chances are the extra camper weight made it noticeable. They also suggested upping the inflation in the rear tires to 40psi (vs the tire-recommended 36psi).

The shudder did not happen on the entire drive home. I was trying to notice a pattern, including being mindful of road surface. It was all paved road, although the pavement quality on the same stretch of road in the slow (truck) lane vs fast lane can vary significantly due to semi-truck wear, etc. It's possible that small differences like patches of rough paved road made it more noticeable.

Hopefully the re-balancing and inflation will take care of whatever the problem was. The rig appears to sit very evenly on the truck, and the truck appears level load-wise (no sagging in the rear). Step 2 will be checking alignment if the problem persists.

Looking forward to enjoying this fun rig!

Sounds like you have found what could be the cause.On my 2002 Tundra/Bobcat I run the rear tire at 45#, fronts at 40#. That pressure seems to give even wear.
Frank