What percent of the time do you leave your TC on your truck?

[jimh406]

A few people have said they only ever need 2WD trucks. So, quick survey.

What percent of the time do you leave your TC (truck camper) on your truck?

I’m probably 10%. I went camping for a few days, and did a few week trips. Would have done more, but had other things that interfered this year. At the most, I’d say 20% in any year.

[specta]

Not enough. But more this year than the previous.

[BeanMan]

Ours is on the truck about 90% of the time. I built a large garage (24’x40’) with 14’ doors on it for my camper and other toys.

[Buzzcut1]

I leave the camper in the bed 99% of the time. It gets used at least 150 days of the year.

[Kayteg1]

TxGearhead wrote:

Kayteg1 wrote:
Side question for those who use truck for camping only, how you deal with registration and insurance?
Even with my good records and liability only, keeping truck registered in Las Vegas cost about $1400 annually.
Good part, Clark County allows for plate surrender and they give me credit for unused fee. Still if I don't use credit in about 6 months, I am at lost, but at least insurance is not playing games with me.

I don't know how y'all deal with that. It's ridiculous. My 1 ton dually registration is about $140 per year. Would have been less than that if I hadn't re-registered it for its GVWR of 14,000. The RAM dealer originally registered it at 10,000#. According to them...it weighs 8,000# and it's a 1 ton , so 10,000. I would imagine 99% of all duallies in Texas are registered the same way. My dealer was totally confused..."why would you do that?"
I'm kinda wondering myself.

We save enough on heating bills to cover the expense 😄
My 1999 F450 was registered in California at 9,000 its own weight till about 2005, when DOT officer pulled me over hauling small backhoe on the truck and send me to DMV, where I had to pay $600 for 25, 000 lb GCVW sticker.
There is lot of variables and that is why ask about details.
"Seattle area" for example doesn't say much.
I pay a lot in Las Vegas, but moving the registration address 25 miles away, crossing county line, I can get my fees slashed by 4-fold and insurance likely by 1/2.
In populated areas zip code change every 2 miles and rates can be quite different. Hard to compare to insurance given to truck park at farms.

[hedgehopper]

Since we got our present camper, it has never been off the truck.

[brholt]

Kayteg1 wrote:

brholt wrote:

Washington (Seattle). Truck is about $150 and camper about $35 a year.
The fees for different states seem all over the place.

Is it fixed over the age of truck?
In Las Vegas registration for 5+ years old vehicles is cheap, but for newer I pay $500+ car or truck.

Not really. There is $100 weight fee charge and then a variety of other charges. The big difference in fees is that for vehicles over 6,000 pounds you do not have to pay the Rapid Transit Fees which are a % of the value. If I did it would easily be in the $$$ range

[huasnaian]

I leave my camper on about 75% of the time. I am a last-minute weekend warrior so having it already loaded makes it easy to leave on short notice. Also being in California it will be my fire escape vehicle if I ever need it.

It might just be paranoia, but its an older 1989 Lance camper and I am trying to limit the chances of a wood frame failure from loading. She definitely creeks each time I jack her up.

[TxGearhead]

Kayteg1 wrote:
Side question for those who use truck for camping only, how you deal with registration and insurance?
Even with my good records and liability only, keeping truck registered in Las Vegas cost about $1400 annually.
Good part, Clark County allows for plate surrender and they give me credit for unused fee. Still if I don't use credit in about 6 months, I am at lost, but at least insurance is not playing games with me.

I don't know how y'all deal with that. It's ridiculous. My 1 ton dually registration is about $140 per year. Would have been less than that if I hadn't re-registered it for its GVWR of 14,000. The RAM dealer originally registered it at 10,000#. According to them...it weighs 8,000# and it's a 1 ton , so 10,000. I would imagine 99% of all duallies in Texas are registered the same way. My dealer was totally confused..."why would you do that?"
I'm kinda wondering myself.

[travelnutz]

As for why the big Lance Legend TC is on the truck 100% of/during the extended summer 6 months? It's always kept fully stocked and ready to go always so basically can leave home within an hour just needing to load just perishable foods when any planned or un-planned desire hits. There's so much going on all 6 nice warm months where we live at on and and along the Lake Michigan Lakeshore N, E, and S and thus we always have our little totally self-containedvery comfortable home right with us on the truck and can stay as long as we want to at about any location or venue area.

Have 60 lbs of propane, a built in 3400 watt PP generator, a 1500 watt inverter with three 120 AH deepcycle batteries and the diesel truck also has dual alternators, 46 gallons of fresh water, adequate B & G holding tanks, 6 cu ft 3 way fridge, all led lighting and TV. Never need A/C anyway during the summer on the shoreline area of our state and with the PP/AC/DC fridge, PP heat, DSL WH, range and oven. We don't even need a campsite if we don't want one. A TC rig is very compact and no one even notices if it's occupied or not for the night. A nice well equipped TC is so versatile and is fabulous plus and is why we have always owned at least one constantly since 1965!!!

[Kayteg1]

brholt wrote:

Washington (Seattle). Truck is about $150 and camper about $35 a year.
The fees for different states seem all over the place.

Is it fixed over the age of truck?
In Las Vegas registration for 5+ years old vehicles is cheap, but for newer I pay $500+ car or truck.

[brholt]

Kayteg1 wrote:
Side question for those who use truck for camping only, how you deal with registration and insurance?
Even with my good records and liability only, keeping truck registered in Las Vegas cost about $1400 annually.
Good part, Clark County allows for plate surrender and they give me credit for unused fee. Still if I don't use credit in about 6 months, I am at lost, but at least insurance is not playing games with me.

Washington (Seattle). Truck is about $150 and camper about $35 a year.
The fees for different states seem all over the place.

[mountainkowboy]

Seeing how Red is my cage DD....only when we're going to use it.

[travelnutz]

On our fine diesel truck 100% from May thru October. Then it's off the truck and the 5th wheel hitch is on for our 5th wheel for the months only of (during Nov - April). Best of both halves of the year! Spend 2-1/2 months (2nd week of Jan - late Mar) at our winter snowbirding CG about 100 miles south into Florida as is needed for my disalbed wife and also have family members down there in Florida we visit.

[Tizi]

Mine is on around 60% of the time. It comes off when I need the truck to haul stuff. I take it off for like 3 months in the winter and cover it up.