Kimbo Camper BS and Mods

Hi All,

I wanted to ask those who own a Kimbo about their experience with unloading it off the truck. My truck sits high and then I have a drawer system underneath the Kimbo, so when I pull it off the truck I have to put 6 inch blocks under the camper jacks and then extend the camper jacks all the way out. The camper seems a bit unstable at this height. However, even when I lower the camper down it doesn't seem to be very stable. I see other campers that get unloaded and look like they are a lot more stable. I also know those campers can weigh a lot more than the Kimbo. When I was at the Kimbo factory they had a little support jack holding up the cab over bed area. I wanted to know what you all have experienced concerning this and what might be the solution. For now, my Kimbo lives on my truck, but I would like to be able to unload the Kimbo at camp sites or at my place down the road and feel confident it won't tip over.

 

Hey Nelsonator - Great question - it'll be interesting to see what others are finding.

I've found the same thing, with the legs extended it is quite wobbly and would not trust it up at the upper limits to climb around in. I definitely would not climb up into the bed loft without having something supporting the overhang, i'm guessing it'd be tough to climb out of if you ended up stuck down in the nose of that sucker...

I have tried some light duty plastic saw horses that under the floor and a ladder up under the overhang but it's still not confidence inspiring when inside. The next step might be some sort of rolling cart about two feet off the ground with hooks to strap onto so that it's got support under the floor and it's locked down so it won't tip over when climbing around in the overhang.

 

Well I'm glad it's not just me missing something. I think that this is probably just part of the nature of such a lightweight build. The campers that can come off and are stable weigh around 3500 plus pounds and hang 2-3 feet of the back bumper so the weight of the cab over is insignificant compared to the rest of the camper. This probably makes them more stable. All that being said, I think a setup for stability could be achieved at the house (saw horses, etc.), but I am not sure the Kimbo will be a "drop it at camp the sight" and then do things with the truck type of setup.

 

Yeah - I think you're right, that the heavier builds allow for more stability.

With the drop it and go do things with the truck would be fine as long as it's understood that the Kimbo will have to be reloaded before climbing back into it and camping again...most of the options I've been thinking of are not quick and simple and lightweight - but the only option that seems even close is riveting a couple mounts on the overhang for simple 1" aluminum pipe with feet at the bottom to support the overhang and then set the Kimbo on the ground (or a mat of some type) but that's a LOT of cranking back and forth to get it down that far and then it'll have to be brought back up to reinstall it on the truck.

 

This is what I have done in my driveway @nelsonator and @Profloundering . Once lowered on the tire its pretty stable. The jack stand in the front is fairly portable if you take the base off. I could see packing it if staying in a spot for over 3-4 days, if you were far out of town dispersed camping and wanting to hold or secure your site. I would't bring any base supports and just deal with the wobbles with getting in and out. I bet one of those inflatable jacks would do well underneath, but they are pricy. Maybe something else that is inflatable. Curious what others do in this situation to hold their camp site, use an old tent?

Building some roller platforms to make loading easier in the driveway. I'll be able to shift the rear end left and right to line it up quicker. On the Tacomas there is barely any room between the wheel wells.

$90 Arcan Underhoist Support Stand, 3/4 Ton Capacity, 12" Diameter Base, Contoured Saddle, Bearing Mounted Spin Handle, Supports Vehicle Components (ALSS15)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VM9JCN5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8

 

It is a bit scary when I have mine up for loading. Im sure yours is a tad more nerve racking. When lowering, I am more focused on the rear legs. I feel like its better to have it tilting slightly nose up than down.

 

How did you get half to be regulated? Thanks in advance!

 

You also want to be careful about not lowering the front too fast. I had a buddy put a dent/scratch in his roof because he lowered the front down first without paying attention. As far as campint in the bunk off the truck, thank you, @Voltron4x4, for the recommended support stand. My Northstar is heavy enough for someone sleep up there, but, as I recall, the Four wheel campers are too light to sleep in the bunk off the truck unless they have a support stand.

 

https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/news/introducing-stablecamper-a-new-truck-camper-gear-company/

The Yeti 500x has a cigarette lighter 12v regulated outlet - I spliced into the cord that came with the IceCo fridge for the plug and sent the power to the fuseblock and then wired the rest of the cord from the IceCo to the fuseblock. I leave the fridge plugged into 12v all the time and also 110v all the time, it'll then run off of whatever power is available but defaults to 110v when using shore power. I love the auto switching function.

 

Yep came close to doing that too. Taking one's time during this process can not be said enough. We waited too long for these things to make an avoidable mistake.

 

Nice, smart move there!

 

Yep - I'm always watching the roof fin...it's close so I too need to make sure the Kimbo is rear leaning so not to clip it.

 

https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/news/introducing-stablecamper-a-new-truck-camper-gear-company/

Check these out - won't help with the nose tip issue (the Voltron solution will though).

 

Thought I'd poke my head in here again and toss around an idea or two. I'm wondering if a possible solution to the instability of the camper while off the truck could be solved by building some kind of platform with thick wood 2x4 or 2x8 with a metal hook or loop embedded to utilize the tie downs on the camper. this may solve the tipping issue since the tie downs are what keep it firmly in place while on the truck. Allow me to illustrate:



Just a rough idea hehe, but i'm wondering if it could work. it could even be portable in a sense if you ran the cross boards with the tie down hooks underneath the boards that the jack stands stood on and doubled the wood in the other sections where it could sit flush with the ground, then the pressure the jack stands exert on the top wood would be enough to hold the cross wood down and create a stable tie down point. Then disassemble into four seperate planks of wood for portability. Of course I have no first hand experience with a kimbo, just going off pictures so this may prove erroneous or impractical in a real world setting. And also other factors like the wood may not be strong enough to support the camper, you would also probly still need some kind of support under the floor of the camper that maybe could be integrated with the wood planks in some way. anyway i'm done now

 

Nice. I'm thinking since they are all connected it still may tip unless the wood base is heavy enough. I guess it depends on who's sleeping in the bed... Like the eye bolt idea, should eliminate the wobble.

 

Hi, appreciate this thread as I'm considering getting a truck camper for my Tundra with 6.5 ft. bed, 4x2, 4.6L V8 Engine. Max Payload is about 1400-1500 pounds. The two campers that I'm looking at are the Kimbo and 8ft. Capri Cowboy XL (6ft. Standing room). I plan on camping at campsites with electricity and water most of the time, but would like the option of boondocking when the campsites are at capacity or just want to hang out somewhere near home for a day. The Cowboy has a great looking interior and they seem well built. The company has been around for a long time. My model would cost around 17k-18k which is significantly lower than the Kimbo. Cowboy wait time is about 5 months, where the Kimbo is about 6 months.


A few cons about the Cowboy:


Communication with the company told me I can not run the A/C, fridge, applicances, lights off of propane. Would have to use an inverter generator to run those.


The 8 ft. length means the tailgate is down and the turn radius will not be as good as with the Kimbo (tailgate shut).



Since the Kimbo has not been around nearly as long, it's hard to find as many testimonials. Glad I found this thread so I can ask a few questions. Answers to any of these questions are appreciated.


I would like to know what can I run with the 30 pound propane tank and for how long? How long can I run the A/C? Fridge?


What can I power with the solar panels and for how long?


Is the fireplace necessary or can I just plug in a portable heater and run off of solar?


Fridge or Yeti Cooler?


How good is the construction? Is this a durable camper where I don't have to worry about leaks, serious damage to exterior, etc.?


What are any notable pros/cons of the Kimbo in comparison to a solid truck camper like the Cowboy?


Are there any other truck campers you would recommend for my needs?



I will probably have more questions, but just want to get the ball rolling. Thanks in advance!

 

Thanks to everyone regarding the Kimbo stability issue. I think for the most part the Kimbo is going to live in the bed of the truck, which if fine because it only weighs 100 pounds. In terms of creating stability I think a support by the front would for sure be need of else some way to move the legs for another 2-4 feet.

...

How do you guys wash your Kimbo? I use car wash and a ladder. For the twice a year wash I am trying to think of a way to "buff" the exterior. I goggled how they revamp Airstreams and apparently you can use fine grain sanders and all sorts of equipment. On that topic, are any of you resealing the Kimbo periodically. I guess this could be all under a preventative maintenance topic.

 

Hi Bigger Tacoma,

I looked at the Capri campers. They are cowboy campers great for Texans. I think that the Kimbo was designed for a different climate (Pacific Northwest). As such, it has artic term windows, insulation, and a bulletproof aluminum skin. The Capri campers are bigger, have some nice wood interiors, and have indoor showers and toilets if I recall. I didn't want to deal with grey and black water and don't believe in the idea of indoor showers inside a camper (moisture damage, rot, etc). On that topic, the Capri probably has a more traditional buidl, wood frame. These wood frames can shake apart and then get leaks and then rot. Those are my main reasons for the Kimbo. If I lived in Texas and didn't need it for winters and rain I might consider the Capri. You also mentioned that you'll use it at RV parks. That might be a better place for a Capri, the Kimbo seems like a boondocking camper, that's how I use it.

The current Kimbo fridge sips electricity and doesn't run off propane, a lot of guys on here just bought their own electric fridge, you can find the discussions in this thread.

I love the fireplace and the propane lasts a very long time. I think the Dickenson boat heater works really well. Others installed a wood fireplace and diesel heater which are also great options and would work well in a Kimbo.

You'll run out of power trying to run a electric heater unless you have shore power at an RV park or a ton of solar and batteries and that still may not work (This is what I think, I am not certain).

Fridge or yeti (both work) The guys on here put their hands together and got insulated coolers that also run off 12v outlet, which you Kimbo will have if you get the Yeti 400 batter bank and solar option.

Great construction, see above!!

Other campers, Bigfoot (expensive), Lance (Well made), depends on what you want.

 

I think just some aluminum polish would be enough and you could get a electric buffer if you wanted too. I'm surprised you wouldn't see some sort of swirl marks from any fine grain sanders.

I think just keeping an eye on the window seals and tiny seals in the corners and joints would be enough. Collin gave me a little tube of HD superglue sealant they use for the tiny holes during the window install. All of those can be touched up pretty quickly but all look good for a few years I'm sure. I had to re seal the holes where the two aluminum L bars are on the edge of the bed and bench seat. Once you unscrew them to work on them, the seal is gone on the outside. This was easy and expected. I upgraded to stainless steel hardware and just used some clear RV sealant. Looking all the rivet work and double seals they used, I'm not worried about the rest. They way its designed would be easy to get to anyway. That's why we all went Kimbo!

 

Wash...hahah - I just let it sit in the rain and let nature rub off the chunks, LOL.

Kidding aside, I figured I'd give it a wash with soap and water with a car wash brush.

I actually wondered initially what it would look like all polished up like the airstreams but that looks like WAAAAY too much work.

If the sealants look to be shrinking up or pulling up or springs a leak, I'd probably hit it with some sikkaflex but I don't see that happening anytime soon.