lots of camper and longhorn questions - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

mtdave2 · 03-12-2003, 05:29 PM

http://www.lancecamper.com/sec3/lance_so/lancslid.htm

Lance Models 821 921 1071 1121 1161

Floor Length 8'11" 9'6" 10'6" 11'6 " 11'11"
Width 93" 93" 93" 93" 93"
Height (interior) 6'10" 6'10" 6'10" 6'10" 6'10"
Dry Weight (lbs)* 3080 3140 3220 3260 3495
Length Overall 16'11" 17'6" 18'6" 19'6" 19'11"
Center Of Gravity 42" 60" 52" 50" 52"

This is how you figure the center of gravity.

mesurements from the tailgate forward to the center of the wheel well is 45 inches

My question is, the longhorn was made 6 inches longer. I had thought this was because it centered the load more between the two axles.the extra length added in the center of the truck. s that didnt change where the center of gravity would fall.

How ever if the center of gravity is figured from the rear forward, then the extra 6 inches really dont help anything, other than giving some space in from of the camper. Whats the other benefit? or is there?

Next question is about the distribution on the weight if my truck tires can hold 3040 pounds each. That would give me 6080 per axle. IM assuming most the weight of the truck is on the front wheels. is there a way, short of weighing each end separate, to find out, just how much weight you can put on each axle?

See where IM going with this?

if, the center of gravity falls just off of the rear axle, wont most the weight be on that axle? still, i can handle any of the lance campers above. they are the heavyset ones they have. the sales guy told me my truck wasn't rated for anything more than 2500 pounds or so. this was before i started looking at my longhorns specs. i think the sales guy is just playing it safe.

Think I could have 4000 pounds in the back and be safe. Thats with everything in it. how much do you all think all your stuff weighs? 1000 pounds? 500?.

The difference in those campers is only 500 pounds. Do you consider that alot of difference? id rather have the 3500 pound camper with the 52" center of gravity, than that 3000 at 42". is my thinking flawed here guys?

would i be better of to go with the standard no-slide out campers. they are all under 3000 pounds

mtdave2 · 03-12-2003, 05:51 PM

oh ya, here is one more thing.. why is it that the truck bed campers cost MORE that the traler type? makes no sence to me. the pullbehinds have running grear, tires, title,plates, lots more stuff in them?? cost less? wtf?

mtdave2 · 03-12-2003, 06:02 PM

here is the old girl with the orginal camper that was bought with the truck. it was sold for $1000. i wanted to kick the guy in the nuts. i want that camper back! but he sold it before i bought the truck from him

crazy longhorn · 03-12-2003, 06:16 PM

I cant help with info on campers, or center of gravity, but according to my plate on the door jamb my 69 20 series longhorn was rated @ 7500 GVW. The truck (in stock form) should have a curb weight of about 4800-5000 lbs......that leaves 2500-2700 for the payload. those trucks will haul more, but I dont think on a regular basis it would be a good thing tho....crazyL

mtdave2 · 03-12-2003, 06:48 PM

guess this answered one of my questions

mtdave2 · 03-12-2003, 06:59 PM

one on the door

OregonLonghorn · 03-12-2003, 07:21 PM

when I had my camper, it had a 10-1/2 foot floor and I weighed it when I was headded to the coast. Fully loaded the GVW was 12,300. Blew me away! Thank god Chevy built these trucks for real. I since got rid of the camper and use a 24' trailer. Good bye power-stroke!

mtdave2 · 03-12-2003, 10:47 PM

noone is a camper exspert?

Mountain Man · 03-13-2003, 12:07 AM

I work for what used to be Rockwell. We at Meritor build more heavy duty Class 8 truck axles than anyone. I have calculated lots of center of gravity in my day.

The longer the wheelbase of the truck, in relation to truck campers, is going to shift more of the weight to the front axle, because there is less weight hanging off the back end. Any weight that is past the centerline of the rear axle will negatively take off the same amount of weight off the front axle.

Idealy, you want a C/A (Cab to Axle measurement that is 60% of the box, or camper length. C/A is the measurement from back of cab to centerline of rear axle.

mtdave2 · 03-13-2003, 12:38 AM

that is assuming that the camper is moved 6 inchs forward..but you cant move the camper any more forward, the bottom hits on the bumper. so even if you had a 12 foot bed. the rear axle would have the same weight!...... i still think im missing something here.

69oldie · 03-13-2003, 01:56 AM

When GM designed the Longhorn, it enabled one to put a bigger longer camper than ANY standard 8' truck could hold.....6" to be exact. They (GM) had a good idea. By stretching the rear wheels 6" further away from the cab, this enabled camper makers to move the center of gravity further forward.......more weight to the front tires=better and safer handling. The big problem with this was the camper MUST be 6" longer twards the front which would be the only way to make that 6" useful. This design was bad for many reasons. This meant a "Camper company" Like "Lance" has to make a camper that ONLY fits GM Longhorns! It meant it will Not fit Fords or Dodges! What GM should have done when designing this Longhorn was they should have CUT OFF 6" behind the rear wheels while adding the 6" in front of the rear wheels. This would have been ideal because it would have accomplished both moving MORE weight on the front tires while enabling you to use a camper that would fit in a standard 8' bed like everyone else (Ford and Dodge) BUT handle it A LOT BETTER because the center of gravity would be further forward from the rear tires than any OTHER TRUCK MADE!!. Ford in the Mid 70's actually took GM's ideal and stretched out the wheel base and kept the bed an 8' box. They called it the "SUPER CAMPER SPECIAL" 1 ton (I hate to say or admit that Ford made it better.......but they DID!!). Anyways GM's idea died rather quickly because other truck makers didn't "follow suit" and make their trucks with an 8 1/2' bed. In the end.....it just wasn't cost efficient for camper manufacturers to make campers that can ONLY fit one type of truck. Today GM, FORD, DODGE will never need to make such a "Beast" because "todays" family truck is usually a "Crew Cab truck" and NOT a single cab truck....like the Longhorn. These crew cab trucks negate any need to stretch the wheel base any longer. These crew cabs can handle a large 11 1/2'-12' campers. So this is why Longhorns trucks today are rather rare and unique...............This is why they are my favorite trucks to have......especially the 1968 and 1969 model years!!!!!:
Jim "69oldie"bowtie:

03-12-2003, 05:29 PM	#1
mtdave2 newly minted old timer Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Hudson WI Posts: 3,521	lots of camper and longhorn questions http://www.lancecamper.com/sec3/lance_so/lancslid.htm Lance Models 821 921 1071 1121 1161 Floor Length 8'11" 9'6" 10'6" 11'6 " 11'11" Width 93" 93" 93" 93" 93" Height (interior) 6'10" 6'10" 6'10" 6'10" 6'10" Dry Weight (lbs)* 3080 3140 3220 3260 3495 Length Overall 16'11" 17'6" 18'6" 19'6" 19'11" Center Of Gravity 42" 60" 52" 50" 52" This is how you figure the center of gravity. mesurements from the tailgate forward to the center of the wheel well is 45 inches My question is, the longhorn was made 6 inches longer. I had thought this was because it centered the load more between the two axles.the extra length added in the center of the truck. s that didnt change where the center of gravity would fall. How ever if the center of gravity is figured from the rear forward, then the extra 6 inches really dont help anything, other than giving some space in from of the camper. Whats the other benefit? or is there? Next question is about the distribution on the weight if my truck tires can hold 3040 pounds each. That would give me 6080 per axle. IM assuming most the weight of the truck is on the front wheels. is there a way, short of weighing each end separate, to find out, just how much weight you can put on each axle? See where IM going with this? if, the center of gravity falls just off of the rear axle, wont most the weight be on that axle? still, i can handle any of the lance campers above. they are the heavyset ones they have. the sales guy told me my truck wasn't rated for anything more than 2500 pounds or so. this was before i started looking at my longhorns specs. i think the sales guy is just playing it safe. Think I could have 4000 pounds in the back and be safe. Thats with everything in it. how much do you all think all your stuff weighs? 1000 pounds? 500?. The difference in those campers is only 500 pounds. Do you consider that alot of difference? id rather have the 3500 pound camper with the 52" center of gravity, than that 3000 at 42". is my thinking flawed here guys? would i be better of to go with the standard no-slide out campers. they are all under 3000 pounds __________________ ____________________________________________ 72 c20 longhorn 65k org miles and counting! 69 k10 Suburban

03-12-2003, 05:51 PM	#2
mtdave2 newly minted old timer Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Hudson WI Posts: 3,521	oh ya, here is one more thing.. why is it that the truck bed campers cost MORE that the traler type? makes no sence to me. the pullbehinds have running grear, tires, title,plates, lots more stuff in them?? cost less? wtf? __________________ ____________________________________________ 72 c20 longhorn 65k org miles and counting! 69 k10 Suburban

03-12-2003, 06:02 PM	#3
mtdave2 newly minted old timer Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Hudson WI Posts: 3,521	here is the old girl with the orginal camper that was bought with the truck. it was sold for $1000. i wanted to kick the guy in the nuts. i want that camper back! but he sold it before i bought the truck from him Attached Images __________________ ____________________________________________ 72 c20 longhorn 65k org miles and counting! 69 k10 Suburban

03-12-2003, 06:48 PM	#5
mtdave2 newly minted old timer Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Hudson WI Posts: 3,521	guess this answered one of my questions Attached Images __________________ ____________________________________________ 72 c20 longhorn 65k org miles and counting! 69 k10 Suburban

03-12-2003, 06:59 PM	#6
mtdave2 newly minted old timer Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Hudson WI Posts: 3,521	one on the door Attached Images __________________ ____________________________________________ 72 c20 longhorn 65k org miles and counting! 69 k10 Suburban

03-12-2003, 06:16 PM	#4
crazy longhorn Fabricate till you "puke" Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Ill Posts: 9,402	I cant help with info on campers, or center of gravity, but according to my plate on the door jamb my 69 20 series longhorn was rated @ 7500 GVW. The truck (in stock form) should have a curb weight of about 4800-5000 lbs......that leaves 2500-2700 for the payload. those trucks will haul more, but I dont think on a regular basis it would be a good thing tho....crazyL

03-12-2003, 07:21 PM	#7
OregonLonghorn Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Myrtle Creek, Oregon Posts: 29	when I had my camper, it had a 10-1/2 foot floor and I weighed it when I was headded to the coast. Fully loaded the GVW was 12,300. Blew me away! Thank god Chevy built these trucks for real. I since got rid of the camper and use a 24' trailer. Good bye power-stroke!

03-12-2003, 10:47 PM	#8
mtdave2 newly minted old timer Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Hudson WI Posts: 3,521	noone is a camper exspert? __________________ ____________________________________________ 72 c20 longhorn 65k org miles and counting! 69 k10 Suburban

03-13-2003, 12:07 AM	#9
Mountain Man Registered User Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 451	I work for what used to be Rockwell. We at Meritor build more heavy duty Class 8 truck axles than anyone. I have calculated lots of center of gravity in my day. The longer the wheelbase of the truck, in relation to truck campers, is going to shift more of the weight to the front axle, because there is less weight hanging off the back end. Any weight that is past the centerline of the rear axle will negatively take off the same amount of weight off the front axle. Idealy, you want a C/A (Cab to Axle measurement that is 60% of the box, or camper length. C/A is the measurement from back of cab to centerline of rear axle. __________________ 72 C10 Cheyenne Super Full trim Factory tach dash A/C dash Factory tilt 350 / 350 power train - with Edelbrock components.

03-13-2003, 12:38 AM	#10
mtdave2 newly minted old timer Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Hudson WI Posts: 3,521	that is assuming that the camper is moved 6 inchs forward..but you cant move the camper any more forward, the bottom hits on the bumper. so even if you had a 12 foot bed. the rear axle would have the same weight!...... i still think im missing something here. __________________ ____________________________________________ 72 c20 longhorn 65k org miles and counting! 69 k10 Suburban

03-13-2003, 01:56 AM	#11
69oldie Never too many LONGHORNS! Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Los Angeles Calififornia Posts: 423	When GM designed the Longhorn, it enabled one to put a bigger longer camper than ANY standard 8' truck could hold.....6" to be exact. They (GM) had a good idea. By stretching the rear wheels 6" further away from the cab, this enabled camper makers to move the center of gravity further forward.......more weight to the front tires=better and safer handling. The big problem with this was the camper MUST be 6" longer twards the front which would be the only way to make that 6" useful. This design was bad for many reasons. This meant a "Camper company" Like "Lance" has to make a camper that ONLY fits GM Longhorns! It meant it will Not fit Fords or Dodges! What GM should have done when designing this Longhorn was they should have CUT OFF 6" behind the rear wheels while adding the 6" in front of the rear wheels. This would have been ideal because it would have accomplished both moving MORE weight on the front tires while enabling you to use a camper that would fit in a standard 8' bed like everyone else (Ford and Dodge) BUT handle it A LOT BETTER because the center of gravity would be further forward from the rear tires than any OTHER TRUCK MADE!!. Ford in the Mid 70's actually took GM's ideal and stretched out the wheel base and kept the bed an 8' box. They called it the "SUPER CAMPER SPECIAL" 1 ton (I hate to say or admit that Ford made it better.......but they DID!!). Anyways GM's idea died rather quickly because other truck makers didn't "follow suit" and make their trucks with an 8 1/2' bed. In the end.....it just wasn't cost efficient for camper manufacturers to make campers that can ONLY fit one type of truck. Today GM, FORD, DODGE will never need to make such a "Beast" because "todays" family truck is usually a "Crew Cab truck" and NOT a single cab truck....like the Longhorn. These crew cab trucks negate any need to stretch the wheel base any longer. These crew cabs can handle a large 11 1/2'-12' campers. So this is why Longhorns trucks today are rather rare and unique...............This is why they are my favorite trucks to have......especially the 1968 and 1969 model years!!!!!: Jim "69oldie"bowtie: Last edited by 69oldie; 03-13-2003 at 02:03 AM.

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