Shock Absorbers

... w e l l ... almost!

The original, factory Ranchero shocks on the Ford were past their serviceable life. They were done, no dampening capability whatsoever. I now know what it feels like to drive a 6 ton truck that doesn't have shock absorbers. 

Fosters Garage in Gananoque installed heavy duty Bilstein Series 5100 shocks all around. 

Our Websites Logo

Well actually three ... but they're all the same, a large one on the rear-end and one smaller tat on each cheek.

Exterior Body and Equipment Protection

The Body and Equipment Protection phase of our rig build is now complete.

We'll sometimes be travelling in areas where roadways aren't always paved. The vehicles body and lighting and several important components like the radiator, transmission cooler, brake lines and various low mounted hoses need to be protected. We travelled the Yukon's Dempster Highway a number of years ago in our first truck camper setup. Flying gravel and small rocks from passing tractor trailers and other vehicle traffic resulted in a cracked windshield, a drivers side mirror and no draft window glass both smashed and the camper door's glass cracked. That truck had a full stone & bush guard across the front ... given the peppered markings on the guard's mesh, had we not had it, I know we would have probably lost headlights and possibly a rad or tranny cooler. The Dempster is remote, service is available but you could be stranded for several days waiting for a tow truck to haul you to Eagle Plains or Inuvik for repair. Getting a critical part like a transmission cooler delivered could takes upwards of a couple of weeks. I prefer to be proactive, to protect important gear in advance and hopefully avert extended downtime later on.

Storage, Paint, Reflectors, Rubber Protectors, Gaskets

I've been busy finishing a number of the projects that got started but were never finished, prior to our trip to Utah and in the process I've added a few new ones. All of these items address our on-going requirement to 'build' a travel vehicle that is comfortable and convenient on the inside for LIVING ... and also bulletproof, sturdy and comfortable to TRAVEL in. We also need to rely on the vehicle's durability and reliability under potentially adverse driving conditions.

Remember, this is the back of a pickup truck and we will be living here for extended periods of time. Of interest, we have approximately 134 sqft of liveable space in the Lance 855s Camper ... I believe that qualifies us for living in a small, environmentally friendly footprint and places us in the catagory of a 'Really - REALLY Tiny House'.

Installation O Rear Supersprings

The rear suspension has been upgraded to address a minor sag and some noticeable body sway with the installation of a Super Spring Kit SS13.  Each spring is rated for 5000 pounds of constant, heavy loading. The springs have been set at the lowest position so potentially, could be set stiffer by raising the through bolts to the middle or upper holes. The right hand side of the spring bracket is fixed but the left (rear) is set on upper and lower rollers that allow the spring to automatically adjust to different hauling loads and to varying weights from side to side. Centre of mass can be different and the suspension stays level regardless. The condition of the shocks and factory anti-sway bar were also evaluated and found to be in good condition. 

I'll reload the camper soon and test the capability of this suspension upgrade. The sag issue has certainly been resolved. If this does not completely resolve the swaying problem the next step may be to replace the 2 rear shocks with 4 rv quality shocks.

Stone & Brush Guard

The LATEST UPGRADE: Body Protection

Ranch Hand builds a good product. Their bumpers are available in the southern USA (Texas, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana), and also Alberta, Canada but, up here, you have to search around.

I had a custom built brush & stone guard made in Ontario just prior to an earlier trip north (1994) with an older 1994 Ford F350 diesel & a 1988 Maple Leaf camper. When we returned from that trip, after 20000 + kms and a lot of it on loose gravel roads, we had ....  a cracked windshield, the drivers side mirror and no-draft glass were both smashed and the campers rear entry door glass was cracked ... all from flying clouds of gravel. The face of that bumper was so badly marked with stone damage that, I know, had I not installed it, we would probably have lost an oil or transmission cooler, a radiator and possibly a headlight or two.

A Build Goal

Building a vehicle that combines the characteristics of these two, and utilizing some ideas of my own.

Crusty ... reporting.

Cabover Struts and a Canoe Bar

We have an appointment at Trailica in Limoges to have both these items installed sometime in late March. The canoe bar has been fabricated and is ready for installation. The Lance 'cabover to truck cowl' struts are in stock. We'll need the canoe bar for our trip to the Green River and the struts are a necessary suspension upgrade.

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Front Canoe Bar

A Build Plan

This was my First Post on the LOAFing Around blog, but after starting this blog I realized that it is more appropriate to have it here.

LANCE 855s - We've been gone 18 days and driven about 4580 kms so far. In general everything has gone well. This Lance camper is much better equipped than our old 1988 Maple Leaf unit was and consequently we had a bit of a learning curve with some of the mechanicals and equipment that we're carrying.

Storage Ideas

I don't have the resources to complete any major cargo or storage building projects while we're travelling, but I have been identifying areas in the camper where I can build proper cabinets and shelves once I have access to my shop and tools again. I have a Plan and a List.

For now I've been able to re-arrange or use some of the camper spaces more efficiently using off the shelf store bought items.

In The Beginning

This is how our rig looked initially without any changes.