Great to hear! We’re all about sharing our successes and failures so that everyone can learn and enjoy. We’ll be in Moab next week making more truck camper vids so stay tuned!
You could simply remove the leveling jacks, and then once at your destination put them back on again. I suppose its a matter of spending time removing and attaching vs getting out and inching your way down the path or stream crossing and risking more damage. And if you think about it, you really only have to remove the 2 in the back. But in any case please keep posting this. I'm considering getting a Yukon, and there isn't any other "off road" adventures with any of the bigger HOST campers.
Thanks for the feedback, we’ve been toying with this idea and believe we’ll do it if the trail conditions call for it. Not too huge a task and well worth it to prevent damage. We’re currently repairing the crack and making some other upgrades and will be filming many more truck camper adventures very soon!
Very timely and helpful video, thank you for posting! Sorry about the damage but I guess that’s one way to find the limitations of the rig, and identify ways to work around them, or in some case which types of trails to avoid. I hope to see more of the same types of content as I have a new F450 and Host Mammoth on order and I will also be trying to figure out the capabilities of a very large/heavy setup. Looking forward to following along on your adventures!
First off congrats on your rig and camper, great selections if we do say so ourselves! Thanks so much for the kind words and yes we’ve gained capability/ clearance since fixing our jacks and allowing them to fully retract and using the full capability of the Air Lift 7500XL’s to raise the entire end of the truck a few more inches. More vids to come👍🇺🇸
Thanks Ken, we got the damage repaired and have been doing some amazing wheeling while running courses out of our Host base camp! Just finished 16 days in the field in Wyoming running a course and had a blast! Thanks for checking in 🙌
Ugh, can you imagine if something went wrong! Not worth the risk to persons and property. It does highlight the point that sometimes even experts in their fields get too attached to mission accomplishment and are so used to success that they get blinded by conditions or hazards and fail to properly mitigate them. It was tough to turn around but we know it was the right choice. Experience, you can’t buy it!
Great video, man. Those were awesome action shots. Is there a way to remove the jacks temporarily when boondocking in this kind of terrain? Looks like I saw the screws holding it to the mount plate on the body of the camper and an external electric disconnect plug. That would definitely make for a less stressful journey. I've been thinking about buying this camper for my 02 Silverado 3500, but it's a 2WD, so not sure if I could make it through all the water crossings.
Thanks you for reaching out and for your encouragement! Yes the bolts to remove the jacks are fairly straightforward; 4 for each side easily removed with a cordless impact drill. This video was of our first time taking it offroad and the angle of that little water crossing really caught us by surprise. We’ve gotten so much use and enjoyment out of our truck camper I’d say go for it if you think it’d fit your needs or interests. There’s still countless dirt roads and trails you could access without 4WD. Here’s to your next adventure!
@@MilitaryMobility Here's an option I came across for easily removing truck camper jacks without having to unscrew any bolts. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NgoS5huQExY.html
Oh yeah! Gross Combined Weight Rating is a whopping 43,500 lbs! The bumper hitch is rated at 24,000 lbs. For years we have been towing a 16. Ft enclosed trailer with twin 3500 lbs axles (7000 lbs GVWR). Right now we have on order a 36’ triple axle enclosed trailer with a GVWR of 21,000 lbs so we will be able to confidently tow two our our Land Rover LR3’s and plenty of base camp gear. One thing to be aware of if you need to max your tow rating is to get a trailer with an extended tongue so it accounts for the turning radius with your truck camper rear hangover (for us an additional 36”). Right now our 16 ft enclosed has a normal tongue and we’ve been happily using a hitch extension. Hitch extensions legally cut your tow rating in half (there’s an actual calculation but that’s a solid rule of thumb) so 12,000 lbs for us which works well for our 16ft trailer but our 36’ will have an extended tongue. Hope this all helps!! We’re very excited to get our traveling setup all dialed in!!
I have the same set up 2020 F350 with a lance 1172 5000 pounds in the back I have 7500 pound airbags and I got mine at 90 psi you have your at 35 it’s way too little psi🤔
Nice setup you got there! Yes we learned the default factory setting on the Air Lift controller limits you to 35psi. We called up Air Lift and they walked us through how to reprogram the controller to reflect the 7500XL bags we have installed so we’re in business!
We’ve since figured out how to change the default settings on the wireless controller to recognize the 7500XL air bags. It provides substantial lift when we need it 👍
F-350 dually gas would be the truck for this camper, not an overweight King Ranch Platinum Limited with a diesel. You are running overweight in regards to cargo capacity.
That is a huuuuge camper to be taking offroad, heh. If yall ever come up here to MT, I can show you some fun places to camp out with truck campers. Probably wouldn't recommend the place I took my camper this last autumn though(check my video out labeled beartooth truck camper trip or something like that)...even with my smaller camper, I was at max pucker factor on several parts.
I think you're underestimating your weights. My F450 Platinum weighs 9350 lbs with no one in it. Your King Ranch isn't going to weigh any less. Host Mammoth is probably over 6k lbs wet weight. So it's very likely you're near 16k lbs GVW if not over. I recommend you go to a CAT scale and get your rig weighed. Look up how to position it on the platforms so that you can get separate front and rear axle loads. And just FYI, you're probably at least 2k lbs over your payload rating (the yellow sticker in the door jamb), but so long as you're under 9900 lbs on the rear axle load (white sticker in door jamb), you should be fine. You're definitely safe with the load rating on the rear tires. Unfortunately a truck camper as big as the Host is going to be a handful in those trails. Something like a Black Series Camper travel trailer with a true off road suspension might be more appropriate.
Great info here. This was our first “shakeout” trail with the truck and camper. We rented a few different trailer types from 44’ 5th wheel toy haulers to smaller TT’s and settled on the truck camper as it allows us the flexibility to tow an enclosed trailer with side by side, dirtbikes, base camp gear and still have a decently robust living space. Those Black series are nice.
@@MilitaryMobility well I think you'll be fine once you get "used" to having a truck camper. The Host is an excellent unit. Keep up the great work. Thanks for your service!
You cant change the GVWR with airbags, extra leaf springs or any other suspension stuff (only makes the ride smoother and prevents sagging), weight is weight, and an F450 DRW 4x4 crew cab might not be the best match for a truck camper in that weight range. You'd want to maximize your payload and rear axle load with an F350 DRW 4x2 Extended Cab Long bed, which has the second-highest payload at 7190lbs (1st is a regular cab at 7850lbs).
@@dcon5000 agreed on GVWR is GVWR; we’ve put the 7500XL air bags on to level out the rig a bit. Our requirements necessitated the wide track front axle that only the F450 has, along with the need for 4x4 to access where we live and work. The setup you mentioned would absolutely allow the highest payload capacity. 👍
@@MilitaryMobility the F450 has a Dana M300 rear axle that is rated by Dana (not Ford) to almost 16k lbs. Over on the Facebook forum in the F450 group, a number of folks have F450s with Lance 1172 , the big Eagle Cap, and Host Mammoth truck campers. They're setups are similar to yours. I've not read of any issues with the F450 carrying these truck campers. In fact there are folks with commercial licenses who carry far greater weight with their F450s. Just take it easy on those trails and I think you'll be A-OK. You may want a bumper with a winch.
LOL...attach wheels to the bottom of the jacks so when you rub, they roll and not dig in.....PS: WELCOME HOME. SGT DOUG, RECON, 1/502, 101ABN, LZ SALLY, RVN, 68-69
Ha! Love it. Thanks for your service and for joining in on the conversation. We’ve since logged thousands of miles with the F450 and Host Mammoth and have learned and adventured a ton. See you on the trail!
As a disclaimer I’ll say all experience is relative to other experience. I think it’s great both loaded and empty, now my daily drivers have all been trucks or Jeeps not fancy cars. You can tell a slight difference in the rear unloaded that it tends to feel the road a bit more but not worth more than a mention. I did a lot of research and read a lot of re idea before even test driving one and was ready for harshness but was surprised how comfortable the ride quality was (for me). I drive both the XLT and King Ranch because I typically don’t like driver assisted anything however immediately fell in love with the proportional assisted steering.
@@MilitaryMobility Thank you! I’ve been researching and I’m extremely interested in the F450. I’ve driven trucks for 35 years, but I’ve spent the last two in a Lexus (which is a ridiculously smooth and quiet car) but I think I’ll have no issue with the 450 stiffness. I’m guessing you’re close to your GVWR with the Host?
@@18S12 we are however it’s been working out great as we have everything we need. Technically a gas powdered 350 would give you more capacity in terms of GVWR; for us we needed a diesel hands down and one of our main points for purchasing the 450 is the wide track front axle. It turns like a dream. No other brand or lower series Super Duty can match it!
Absolutely, a 350 or 3500 series is actually rated with a higher cargo capacity (how much weight you can load in the bed) than the F450, this is due to the extra weight the F450 has that takes away from the overall GVWR for cargo. We chose the F450 because of its magical wide track front axle, which is unlike any other series or brand out there. Turning is a dream in this rig!
@@MilitaryMobility Payload isn't how much you can load in the bed. Payload is the gross vehicle weight rating minus what the truck weighs. Cargo capacity is a the maximum weight rating of the bed.
None taken, everyone is entitled to their opinions and we value your input. We feel the conditions we choose travel in are not beyond the vehicles limits or our level of training and preparedness. To us, growth and adventure come from respectfully pursuing the unknown. 🇺🇸
I'm just wondering why you even have it in 4 high. You're not in any area you need it. Hard rock base shouldn't need it. I've been some sketchy areas with my minivan. And we all know minivans don't have 4 wheel drive. This makes me laugh. It's funny.
Hi Tawny, we think you’re funny too! Minivan adventures are awesome. In the early years we put over 300k miles on a 86’ 2WD GMC Safari and took it off-roading in places many 4WD vehicles wouldn’t try. I’m sure you know they do make minivans in AWD nowadays though. To give your suggestion some credence, I’d say you have the luxury of seeing what terrain we were in by watching the video. When we were there in real time, not knowing how 14,000 lbs would react in a steam crossing (not the time to find out 2WD didn’t cut it). Don’t worry, it’s a common mistake inexperienced people make thinking you only put a vehicle in 4WD when you need it, meaning by that time it’s too late and you’re stuck. And hey if you’re willing to give us $200k to for the setup we have then we’ll wheel it in 2WD wherever you want, we’ll even jump it too. Until then you manage your gear and we’ll manage ours.
@@MilitaryMobility Lol. Inexperience? Are you calling inexperienced? Hardly. I've been driving around for nearly 40 years and I know what a certain vehicles can do. I've driven many and$200k setup is outrageous. And it doesn't how much you spend as long as you know how to drive that vehicle. Those little creek beds are nothing and you shouldn't need to use 4 wheel drive for them. Poor little rich city people are so dramatic when it comes to driving off roads. Especially hard rock packed roads. I'd love to see some real mud slinging 4 wheeling off roads where you really need 4 wheel drive to drive on those kinds of roads. My Ford f150 with a camper similar to that drove up rivers up to the floor boards in 2WD. And rougher roads than your setup. So watching this video made me laugh. Y'all think that since you have stupid money to buy that kind of setup and you're driving in 4 wheel drive and that simple little road. It's plain hilarious. Y'all are so dramatic. I'll be sharing this video with all my friends. And see how many laugh. BAHAHAHA. How special!
Hi Tawny, you should check the background of the people you’re talking to. You know we’re a non-profit comprised of special forces veterans right? So that rig doesn’t belong to us, it came from our donors and we’ll take care of it however we like. Now politely screw off.
Hi Steve and thanks for the interest. We use our truck for lots of different uses so we do take the truck camper off a lot or when we’re not using it often. That being said it does stay on for weeks or a month at a time here and there.
Does the self leveling system in a pickup enough to level the camper? if so can you sleep in it while on the bed of your truck? Sorry but I have so many questions,
@@steverivera7270No worries, happy to help. Yes the lift bags we have are very strong and because we have set up independent lines to each side, can use it to level the camper while out in the field. We rarely remove the camper from the truck while we are camping. It only takes a few minutes but it's all the same to us and we just keep the truck and camper together.
Then my mind is made up, 3500hd flatbed with the Host Mammoth, all you need in life, a good woman and God on your side. Oh and my dream truck camper combo helps make the trip easier.
Haha, love it! Think you will too. We’ve had the Mammoth for 4 years now and it’s served us well. The layout continues to be perfect and we are dialed in on how we store things and run our camps out of it. We’ve also added a 900 amp hour lithium solar system which makes it excel long term off grid and still have the 2500 onan in there as well. 🙌🇺🇸
