Members Campers

[nicks130]

Unfortunately, I didn't get to enjoy towing with the d max too much. I found it incredibly bouncy with an empty trailer and the weight was as far forward as I could get it on the trailer on the way back but still too much weight on the back end so it swayed badly anything over 45mph. It was a long drive back from Derbyshire to wiltshire at that speed. Other than that I found it great. I got about 32 to the gallon average there and back. To be honest I passionately hate leaf springs on pickups but I understand they are a necessary evil. (Afterall I am on here mostly complaining about my dodgy handling with coils)

I will have a play with my tyre pressures when I get it on there. I notice your legs detach Martin? Is that standard on newer ones? Does it sit right against the cab or is there a gap? I can just about get a spare wheel in the gap on mine but I'm thinking of shortening the tub slightly when I get a chance.

Would you recommend attaching the extra bit to the bottom of the camper or leaving it in the bottom of the truck? I'll post a few more pics of my interior etc but sorry about the quality of the pics.

[nicks130]

[martinjdover]

Nick

Drilling out the rivets so that the rear lamp corners can be removed makes the bed-length almost perfect for the "standard" demountable and mine sits up hard against the front of the tub. I always remove the front legs when I'm using the camper off-road as they do tend to snag on things.

When I had my spacer under the camper I stowed the legs in the gap between the loadbed and the bottom of the camper. I made the spacer fit precisely between the wheel arches and also had transverse bars front and back to brace it against the side of the tub - again this was a belt and braces solution due to using it off-road with the camper loaded.

I see you are in Wiltshire. PM me if you'd like to come and see the solutions to the problems I've encountered. I'm between Blandford and Poole.

Martin

[zildjian]

I 'really' like that L-shaped layout on those Northstar's I dunno why that never caught on amongst the European manufacturers.
its not as though they are so much longer like the American's so you couldn't fit them on jap pickups

[nicks130]

Maybe ill make a trip to Blandford my first outing so I can take a look at yours.

I really like the L shape set up too. one of my main criteria for the camper was that the bed is lengthways as i'm 6ft 5 and I don't like being squashed up too much. if you get a chance, could you send some pictures of how you modify the rear lamp quarters to be removable? that would save me cutting the tub down to suit the camper and probably make the camper feel a lot safer on the road.

[rubberrat]

I looked at campers with L shaped layout, and although I loved it, they were for king cab trucks only (Niche).

[martinjdover]

The L shape is also the standard set up for the Land Rover fitment Northstars as the loadbed on the Defender is about 6 inches longer than the standard double cab and more akin to the king cab which is 9 inches longer.
My wife preferred the conventional layout and thats how we ended up with a "special" 700DL but with the added height for the Defender cab. It also gave me the opportunity to reduce the rear overhang by about 6 inches too.

Martin

[sabconsulting]

Just noticed this thread, so here is my Contribution:

We're in High Wycombe.

We've got a 2007 Ford Ranger 2.5 supercab with a US-built Shadow Cruiser "Sky Cruiser 1".



I can't pretend it is very well built or in any way insulated, and it doesn't have a bathroom, but it is light and airy:



It is also reassuringly low-tech: timber / aluminium. So it does rot, but is easy to repair - hence the need to replace the entire roof :



It doesn't look quite that shiny now though

Steve.

[zildjian]

[derestrictor]

hey thats the one I found on ebay!

glad someone here bought it anyway