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admin-Rich
Founder
USA
1799 Posts |
 Posted - 05/25/2008 : 07:38:56 AM
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DW wanted to see the new Eagle Caps yesterday, so we stopped by BAYDO'S RV Center in Tacoma.
"Camper Dan" Dan Rabold was nice enough to break away from a customer to point out the new '09 Eagle Cap 990 that they had on the lot.
That '09 model has the LED running lights, brake and reverse lights installed. I think Dan said the LED's stop/backup light set cost $35 dollars compared to the old $4.95 tungsten bulb type light assembly. Yup, it adds over $100 bucks to the cost of the camper!
2005 Eagle Cap 1150 - #1118 -|- Dry bath w/ all factory options except solar.
2005 F350 CC 6.0 diesel dually: GVWR 13000
Truck with 2 people and full tank of fuel: 8360 lbs.
Camper weight with full tanks: 4420 lbs
GVWR with camper, full tanks, gear and food: 12,780 lbs
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joec
Founding Member
485 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2008 : 10:08:17 AM
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Yep, that is what I paid for the LED's that I put on the camper. Two good things about the LED lights are they don't leak, so zero maintenance and they last a long time. It is good to see that EC is making this an option.
Rich, you have been spending a lot of time looking at new EC's is there a new camper in your future?
2004 EC 950 Slide # 1058
2006 Ford F-350 DRW :)
Co-pilot, Suezie
Side-gunner, Andee, the best dog ever!
New Tail-gunner, Cali |
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admin-Rich
Founder
USA
1799 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2008 : 11:03:03 AM
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Not yet.
The new Eagle Caps are downright beautiful when it comes to fit and finish.
But the layout looks to be designed by a "non-camper" - probably someone that did a customer survey and used that for their camper designs.
However, the factory is getting closer in terms of a good layout.
And they are WAY ahead of the old models in terms of quality control.
Even so, I consider certain aspects of my 1150 superior to the new EC designs.
Happy with what I got and not motivated to buy new yet.
2005 Eagle Cap 1150 - #1118 -|- Dry bath w/ all factory options except solar.
2005 F350 CC 6.0 diesel dually: GVWR 13000
Truck with 2 people and full tank of fuel: 8360 lbs.
Camper weight with full tanks: 4420 lbs
GVWR with camper, full tanks, gear and food: 12,780 lbs
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AllenF
Advanced Member
USA
501 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2008 : 09:05:37 AM
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I'm with Rich here.  The 1150 slide is way lighter than the newer models and the floor plan is about as good as it gets for our needs. The huge kitchen work counter top and the very large wardrobe in the rear are 2 things I would miss. I think I did good seeing as how the new TC's are about 50% more $$ also. While I would say I had hoped for better build quality I will never buy another new commercial TC again. I will build my own the way I like it and with the quality I deserve. There are far too many compromises made in the current RV industry to justify what they are charging and with the cost of fuel going north every day with no end in sight I will just make do with what I have as the job of a fully custom unit makes no sense to me and mine right now.
I was nearing completion of the dream TC design but in today's economy and fuel situation, priorities need to be readjusted. Since truck and EC 1150 are paid for I can work on it at my leisure and get it pretty close to what I would have built for a lot less work and cash then if I were to start from scratch. I also have had far better luck than Rich so our TC is hanging in there with no major issues just the little things that plague all TC builders product. Poor sealing, Cheap plastic parts, Cheesy thin plywood, Shoddy quality control, and poor design thought processes. Sure would be nice to see someone who designs these things would actually have to live in one using everything the way folks do. A lot of issues could be redesigned and problems avoided. If they can't see these issues then they need to find someone with better eye sight. 
Much has been pointed out here and sadly little has been implemented. About the only big change has been the weight and the cost. These 2 things make the larger units too heavy for a 1 ton dually and the cost must be shown to be in the finished product. 2 deal breakers for me. I just don't see it IMO.
Allen
2005 EC 1150 slide with custom Norcold 9.5 Cu.Ft. refer, EU 2000i, 12x12 screenroom, Surflo tank, Maxxair 1200T, Charge Wizard, EC #1330
2005 F-350, CC, 6.0L diesel, 4x4, Auto, dually, King Ranch, loaded |
Edited by - AllenF on 05/28/2008 09:13:27 AM |
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admin-Rich
Founder
USA
1799 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2008 : 09:30:36 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by AllenF
. . .Cheap plastic parts, Cheesy thin plywood. . .
The cheesy thin plywood is gone. . .they make solid oak cabinetry now.
Of course the entry level truck is now a 550/5500 series truck. 
2005 Eagle Cap 1150 - #1118 -|- Dry bath w/ all factory options except solar.
2005 F350 CC 6.0 diesel dually: GVWR 13000
Truck with 2 people and full tank of fuel: 8360 lbs.
Camper weight with full tanks: 4420 lbs
GVWR with camper, full tanks, gear and food: 12,780 lbs
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Airshow Roy
Contributing Member
Canada
32 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2008 : 8:24:02 PM
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Can the led tail lights be retrofitted onto an '07?
Roy in Mission, B.C. |
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admin-Rich
Founder
USA
1799 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 4:23:39 PM
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Didn't ask but they look identical in size.
2005 Eagle Cap 1150 - #1118 -|- Dry bath w/ all factory options except solar.
2005 F350 CC 6.0 diesel dually: GVWR 13000
Truck with 2 people and full tank of fuel: 8360 lbs.
Camper weight with full tanks: 4420 lbs
GVWR with camper, full tanks, gear and food: 12,780 lbs
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Gary Hubbard
Contributing Member
USA
31 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2008 : 07:27:18 AM
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Don't you feel the additional cost of the LED lights is worth the safety factor and the reduced load on your alternator?
Also I don't understand the statement of the weight of the campers increasing. The base weight of the campers hasn't changed in years.
I would like to hear from anyone that has suggestions on changes we should make to our products. Keep in mind your concerns about weight and cost. Changes should not add to weight or cost.
Please e-mail me or post your remarks here, I will be looking forward to your comments.
Gary Hubbard
Sales Manager
Eagle Cap Campers
59999 Smith Loop
La Grande, OR 97850
541-663-1607 |
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joec
Founding Member
485 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2008 : 07:40:47 AM
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Hey Gary, I changed out the running lights to LED because the units are sealed (one piece). This makes them very good for the front of the camper. All of the old lights that I took off were leaking and partly filled with water. The current draw is very low on the old lights so the that was not an issue for me.
2004 EC 950 Slide # 1058
2006 Ford F-350 DRW :)
Co-pilot, Suezie
Side-gunner, Andee, the best dog ever!
New Tail-gunner, Cali |
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admin-Rich
Founder
USA
1799 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2008 : 10:35:33 AM
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First of all, thank you for joining and welcome to the Eagle Cap Owners website forum.
Yes, I made a comment about increasing weight with the use of solid oaks instead of 1/8" thin oak grained vinyl veneer plywood. Its hard to imagine NOT increasing the camper weight with the use of heavier components.
Which leads me to the question of exactly how does the factory weigh their campers. . .with so many models and continous changes and improvements it would make sense to have an on-site scale.
Camper buyers get the same flim-flam responses from street-level dealer sales staff from every camper manufacturer out there.
It would be better than "nice" to get specific hard facts in print regarding camper weights.
What kind of scale does Eagle Cap Campers, Inc. use to determine camper weights?
2005 Eagle Cap 1150 - #1118 -|- Dry bath w/ all factory options except solar.
2005 F350 CC 6.0 diesel dually: GVWR 13000
Truck with 2 people and full tank of fuel: 8360 lbs.
Camper weight with full tanks: 4420 lbs
GVWR with camper, full tanks, gear and food: 12,780 lbs
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Airshow Roy
Contributing Member
Canada
32 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2008 : 11:19:28 AM
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Hey Rich,
Did the replacement LED lights consist of the entire lens/reflector/socket assembly or did you simply replace the incandescent bulb with an LED bulb?
Roy in Mission, B.C. |
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admin-Rich
Founder
USA
1799 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2008 : 11:29:24 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Airshow Roy
Hey Rich,
Did the replacement LED lights consist of the entire lens/reflector/socket assembly or did you simply replace the incandescent bulb with an LED bulb?
Roy in Mission, B.C.
It was joec that did some led replacments. . .not me.
The tail light units on the '09 EC's appear to be complete assemblies. . .one would have to replace the entire brake/back-up/turn signal assembly. In my opinion, it would be worth the trouble over the longer term.
2005 Eagle Cap 1150 - #1118 -|- Dry bath w/ all factory options except solar.
2005 F350 CC 6.0 diesel dually: GVWR 13000
Truck with 2 people and full tank of fuel: 8360 lbs.
Camper weight with full tanks: 4420 lbs
GVWR with camper, full tanks, gear and food: 12,780 lbs
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Airshow Roy
Contributing Member
Canada
32 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2008 : 12:27:18 PM
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I agree. The old style lights are terrible. Way too dim.
Roy in Mission, B.C. |
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Gary Hubbard
Contributing Member
USA
31 Posts |
Posted - 06/03/2008 : 10:55:44 AM
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Thank you Rich for hosting this website its an excellent venue for Eagle Cap owners to learn about the good and the bad in our campers. All of us in management monitor it daily, It has become a great asset for us as a manufacturer to guide us in the development of our campers. I really would like to hear what all our owners would like to see in our campers.
Weights of our campers.
This is one of the problems I was made aware of shortly after I started here last December. I hate give anyone a reason to think that anything at Eagle Cap is not perfect, but in the field of camper weight we were not.
In the past someone took a truck and camper to the local scales, weighed the combination then weighed the truck, subtracted the weight of the truck to get a gross weight for the camper including options. They would deduct the weight of the options to get a dry weight for the camper itself.
My comment was too many variables Elements of our construction change, standard features change, tanks may still have water in them etc.
So just before we started building our 2009 models I purchased a set of scales model SW500 from Intercomp. in Medina, MN (763) 476-2531 (cost about $1000.) We now weigh every camper prior to shipping.
Just before a camper is shipped it is checked to make sure all water is drained and that the unit is complete. The camper is then weighed and the weight is recorded. The total shipping weight of the camper is written on a label that is placed on the inside of the galley cabinet door. Every week the shipping department gives me the list of weights. I take the list of weights and models pull the order sheets and deduct the weight of all the options. This gives us a base dry weight.
After I have at least 10 weights of a particular model I average the weights. These weights should, be within 10 to 15 lbs of each other. If one unit weighs significantly more or less than the others I try and find out why. If I cant find an answer I remove that unit from the list and average the rest to get an accurate (as close as we can get) base dry weight for each model. This is an ongoing process, so each time I have 10 or more units to average I re average the weights.
I hope this explains our process, it took me a while to figure out a process to get accurate weights and keep them current with changes. I think I have succeeded.
On the question of the LED replacement, we replaced the entire light assembly. If you are going to change existing lights you need to make sure you cover the hole in the wall completely. We now drill a smaller hole for the wires to pas through.
I have e-mailed a copy of this response to all Eagle Cap dealers so maybe the next time a customer asks how do they weigh them the customer will get the right answer.
Gary Hubbard
Sales Manager
Eagle Cap Campers
59999 Smith Loop
La Grande, OR 97850
541-663-1607 |
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Airshow Roy
Contributing Member
Canada
32 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2008 : 4:06:43 PM
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Excellent info Gary. Could you tell me where the LED light assemblys are available? My closes Eagle Cap dealer is Fraserway RV in Abbotsford, BC.
Thanks!
Roy in Mission, B.C. |
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Gary Hubbard
Contributing Member
USA
31 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2008 : 06:26:29 AM
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The full set of LED's runs $250 and can be purchased through Eagle Cap.
Gary Hubbard
Sales Manager
Eagle Cap Campers |
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