My old girl.....

[GsRAM]

Hey guys....I never have much opportunity to take pics of my truck and camper hitched and have never shared any so here you go. I'm getting her annualed today. No WDH today. Short trip. She's a little dirty. Just washed it last week but waxed in May. When freshly waxed it still looks really good . 1989 Skyline Layton. Old but still gets the job done for us. Normally I have chrome wheel covers on it, I had them off for the annual today

Back in the 80s the OEMs were less concerned with weight so she's buillt with heavier materials and a one piece aluminum roof. I guess that and my maintenance is how she's made it nearly 30 years.

Have a good Saturday guys.

 

[MADDOG]

Very nice!

 

[TRCM]

HA...no pics of mine rigged up, but my 25' camper is from 1976.....lemme tell ya about weight and clearance........and back then, they were built low so they could be pulled by cars.....so I have my WD hitch as low as it will go, and the trailer still sits nose high a little.

It weighs ~ 6500 lbs for a 25 footer....not a light lil trailer by any means......

I use it just for a place to stay when I am out hunting........

 

[GsRAM]

Very nice!

Thanks MD!

 

[GsRAM]

HA...no pics of mine rigged up, but my 25' camper is from 1976.....lemme tell ya about weight and clearance........and back then, they were built low so they could be pulled by cars.....so I have my WD hitch as low as it will go, and the trailer still sits nose high a little.

It weighs ~ 6500 lbs for a 25 footer....not a light lil trailer by any means......

I use it just for a place to stay when I am out hunting........

View attachment 142807

Looks good! Cool old Shasta! Growing up we had a 1977 or 78 Terry Taurus. 24' man i loved that rig. So many memories of camping with my parents i still have today. My Layton was a low rider when i first got it and i had clearance issues with the rear plumbing, so i did an axle relocation so the springs are now overslung so I gained about 4" or so.

I may eventually upgrade but it always feels good getting it inspected another year. I fixed some wiring issues this year had a bunch of lights out.....then when i got back home today i went over the roof again...cut off some loose calk and replaced with dicor lapl sealant(good stuff) i do this usually 2x each year.

I winterized last weekend after our last camping trip....of course my boys don't want me to sell the Layton. They are sentimental like me. We have made a lot of memories in it over the years. I will admit that i do have an attachment to my campers and always feel a little sad when i sell them and see them hitched up and going down the road with their new owners....l knowing I'll never see them again.

Camping is great family time though. I love it.

 

[TRCM]

I considered the axle relocation, or 'lift kit' as I called it, but decided I'd just deal with it. It works, just got to be careful and remember the rear end sits low when towing.

I actually just today mentioned that as an option for the guy who has clearance issues with his gooseneck trailer.

May be a moot point anyway, as the place I use it just got sold, so I no longer have water or power hookups, and the bathroom in it hasn't been used in over 10 yrs (plumbing is actually capped off for it).

I have been considering getting out of hunting, as work seems to keep me from being able to go even when I have paid the club dues, and then when I can go, the desire sometimes just isn't there as the property is 2 hrs away. I ain't gonna kill something just to kill it, and cleaning/gutting the deer just ain't as easy for me these days, and I always seem to forget about the meat until it is too freezer burned to use, which is wasteful.

Now, with the ability to easily use the camper (power & water hookup) gone away now, it may just be the final nail in that decision.

We'll see how this year goes.....power is ok, I have a generator I can use, but water & a bathroom....hmmmm.

 

[GsRAM]

I totally get it. I am spoiled now that all the PA state parks i frequent have electric available. I love having electric. Growing up there was never any electric. No nothing. That was real camping.

Only 5 sites were reservable. You went, picked an open site, unhooked, went to the ranger station and paid for the site and that's where you stayed.

Now all sites are reservable so you have to book the site you want several months in advance and then pray for good weather. Times have changed.

Last weekend i had a full hookup site. Water, electric and sewer and it was great. Didn't have to worry about conserving water or going to the dump station on the way out and hoping there's not a long line.

So i get where your coming from. I love TTs and having that bathroom for middle of the night trips.

It's tough. I love camping but it IS a lot of work if you properly maintain your rig and keep it cleaned and do all your own work as I do. For me it's well worth it but it's certainly not for everyone. Some folks dont maintain them and then wonder why half the roof and walls are rotted out.

 

[TRCM]

I gotcha....I paid 900 bucks for mine 11 yrs ago, and in that time, I've spent maybe 2 grand on it for this & that, so let's say I have 3 grand in it total.

Well, the 1st year we hunted out there, none of us had campers, so we stayed at hotels that were 30-45 min away, ate out all the time, and then used a fair amount of gas getting from the hotel to the property & back. I figure I spent easily $1500 that 1st year on that stuff alone.

Well, since having the camper, it is so much easier, and I don't spend that $1500 every year., I get more sleep, and I enjoy it more.

So, to my mind, that $3000 camper has saved me an easy 10 grand over the years, and is a lot more convenient, since I have a place to leave my clothes and stuff (guns always come back home with me), so I have less to pack when I go.

Had the spot I use to hook up to not gotten sold, I'd likely have a newer model with everything working to use.

My grand parents use to spend 6 months out of the year camping in the mountains of NC, so I am use to camping, but they always had electric & water hookups, and a shower/bathroom facility.

 

[GsRAM]

Yep. That's true. I believe this October I'll have the Layton 5 yrs or 6 . I remember buying it in October one year after a failed (way too hot) weekend tenting in late September.

I paid $1600 for it then and have maybe another $1500 in it. Last year or the year before I installed a new dometic as unit which has made summer camping way more enjoyable. This year we stayed local for our summer vacations (normally we do a beach week and a camping week when the boys are off school) and saved a lot of money for a home we are remodeling. At the time I figured if it didn't work out I wouldn't lose much. I rebuilt the suspension completely one year and saved a bunch of money over paying someone to-do it. That was one of the times I was between campers...lol but every time I sell one I miss camping and usually buy another one in a year or two.

If you maintain them properly and keep the water out of them they can last a long time. The majority of ultra and super lites they build today will be in a landfill by the time they are my campers age.


Lord willing when my wife and I retire someday we'd like to snowbird in FL from Jan to March and avoid the cold snow and ice. I hope that's in God's plan for us but we'll see.

 

[OC455]

Nice guys. I can only hope our camper does as well. I've cleaned the frame on mine and painted it up along with the A frame. Cleaned the bumper and painted it along with the spare tire mount. Upgraded the tail lights to the better Bargman LED lights for our camper.

Going to upgrade everything as far lighting eventually. Good looking rigs guys.

 

[BWL]

HA...no pics of mine rigged up, but my 25' camper is from 1976.....lemme tell ya about weight and clearance........and back then, they were built low so they could be pulled by cars.....so I have my WD hitch as low as it will go, and the trailer still sits nose high a little.

It weighs ~ 6500 lbs for a 25 footer....not a light lil trailer by any means......

I use it just for a place to stay when I am out hunting........

View attachment 142807

The trailer to the left looks a lot like the old terry trailer my dad had when i was a kid. Pulled it with the old lincoln town car. Minivans didn't exist and suvs were rare. Family cars were mostly just big ol boats that probably weighed as much as a
Modern 1/2 ton.

 

[GsRAM]

Nice guys. I can only hope our camper does as well. I've cleaned the frame on mine and painted it up along with the A frame. Cleaned the bumper and painted it along with the spare tire mount. Upgraded the tail lights to the better Bargman LED lights for our camper.

Going to upgrade everything as far lighting eventually. Good looking rigs guys.

Thanks occ. Good stuff on your trailer work. I also scraped and painted the entire frame, a frame and bumper maybe 3 yrs ago and just had to repaint the a frame and bumper agsin the start of this season. It sure looks good when it's done that's for sure

 

[GsRAM]

The trailer to the left looks a lot like the old terry trailer my dad had when i was a kid. Pulled it with the old lincoln town car. Minivans didn't exist and suvs were rare. Family cars were mostly just big ol boats that probably weighed as much as a
Modern 1/2 ton.

Yep exactly. My dad first pulled the 78 Taurus with a 69 Ford f100 with a 3 speed on the tree. Later he got a 1977 Jeep Wagoner with the 402 in it.

I remember him stopping and putting it in low range before we went over the big mountain before you cross over 209 going to locust lake state park. It was extremely steep in a few parts...seemed nearly straight up and windy. But that old jeep tugged it over it doing 15 mph. Lol. Good memories.

 

[OC455]

Thanks occ. Good stuff on your trailer work. I also scraped and painted the entire frame, a frame and bumper maybe 3 yrs ago and just had to repaint the a frame and bumper agsin the start of this season. It sure looks good when it's done that's for sure

I used Duplicolor Bed Armor black paint on the frame. I gives it a nice black almost textured finish. That and if there is a run it, it will dry with virtually no noticeable run mark in it. Works well. I used it on the folding steps for the door. Te only thing I didn't use it on was the rear bumper, which I kept gloss black paint. Added some reflective striping on the bumper for those that don't pay attention....

 

[GsRAM]

Don't blame you on the reflective tape. People today are too busy playing with their 60" touch screens and dumbphones to watch what they are doing. I used rusteloum professional gloss black for my frame and bumper. It's holding up pretty good for 3 or 4 yrs now.

 

[OC455]

 

[OC455]

Grabbing the reflective tape is just insurance, the LED tails work awesome even in bright lit days.



Steps cleaned and painted. They dried to a flat color finish.

 

[GsRAM]

That does look great occ, Nice work. Are those led tail lights OEM or did you add them? What kind of camper is that. I want to see more of it. Lol

Looks like you have a 30A outdoor pole to plug into as well?

 

[OC455]

The OEM tail lights were the standard, single incandescent bulb lights that you could barely tell were on in any sun light. I replaced those with LED Bargman tail lights. I just made sure which wires were what and connected the LED tails up. Ran a good size bead of clear silicon around the edge and then mounted them up with the 6 self tapping screws. Used a little ore clear silicon around the edge to fill any of the gaps between the light housing and the camper skin. I had to get the license plate mount too. I just tapped off the running light wire to get the plate lamp to light up.

It's 2015 Keystone Hideout 260LHS. It needed some TLC here and there.

Yeah, the previous owners of my house was a truck driver and they had a RV. They had a 30A service put in outside for it. Worked out well for us! Looking to get D rated trailer tires for it. I bought some black center caps for the rims and chrome trim rings to dress up the outside a bit, and to keep the lugs a bit more protected.

Man, didn't mean to hijack the thread.

 

[OC455]

What's the best stuff to use to get rid of the black streaks. I was using a spray wax that seemed to do the job, but it took a while to get it done.