Truck Camper News

TCM EXCLUSIVE: 2016 Lance 1062

With a raised basement, wider interior floor, more windows, new pull-out tray, and a service center, Lance Campers launches the new 2016 Lance 1062.  It’s totally TME.

2016-Lance-1062-double-slide-truck-camper

Recently there has been a steady progression towards model year refinement and evolution throughout the truck camper industry.  We still see new floor plans being announced, but more often we see popular floor plans tweaked, maximized, and enhanced (aka, TME) to launch a new and improved model.

As a clear example of this trend, the new Lance 1062 floor plan appears to be nearly identical to the outgoing 1052 model it replaces.  So what’s so exciting about the 1062?  It’s been tweaked, maximized, and enhanced!  In other words, the Lance design team studied what made the 1052 work, and developed important structural, feature, and cosmetic changes to make the new 1062 even better.  Lance Campers felt the improvements were more than enough to give the new camper a fresh model number.

Truck Camper Magazine is a strong supporter of the industry’s renewed focus on truck camper designs that don’t just wow on the internet, RV show floor, and dealer lot, but work well for the consumer over the long haul.  We encourage them to continue tweaking, maximizing, and enhancing the most popular floor plans.  Of course we also encourage them to reach with bold new designs, strive for innovation, and relentlessly push forward on quality.  As an industry and community, we need all of the above.

To get the full story behind the new 2016 Lance 1062, we talked to Gary Conley, National Sales Manager, and Randy Hunter, Product Development for Lance.

Lance-1062-Floor-Plan

Above: 2016 Lance 1062 floor plan – click to enlarge

2016 Lance 1062 Specifications:

The 2016 Lance 1062 is a hard-side, dry bath, double-slide truck camper for long bed trucks.  The interior floor length of the Lance 1062 is 10’11” and the interior height is 6’6″.  Lance is reporting the dry weight of the Lance 1062 at 3,596 pounds without options and 4,115 pounds with standard build features; Ultra Deck Plus bumper, air conditioner, generator, convenience package, awning package, four season package, and roof rack.

The tanks in the 2016 Lance 1062 are 45 gallons fresh, 27 gallons grey, and 22 gallons black.  The camper accommodates two batteries and two twenty-pound propane tanks.  The MSRP for a standard build Lance 1062 is $37,627.

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Above: The passenger’s and driver’s side of the 1062 – click to enlarge.  All photography and digital renderings provided by Lance Campers.

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Above: A digital rendering of the 1062 dinette and kitchen – click to enlarge

TCM: Does the new Lance 1062 replace the 1052?

Gary: Yes.

TCM: From fifty paces, the outgoing Lance 1052 and the new 1062 appear to have exactly the same floor plan.  What distinguishes the 2016 Lance 1062 from the outgoing 1052?

Gary: We have raised the basement over the wheel wells to give the 1062 a wider floor and a taller basement area.  This change decreases the step up into the dinette and reduces the step up into the cabover making both easier to get into.

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Above: Raising the basement reduces the step up into the dinette and the step up into the cabover – click to enlarge

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Above: The 52.75-inch wide floor with slide-outs extended – click to enlarge

Randy: The 1062 features a 52.75-inch wide floor from the dinette face to the galley face.  That’s 15-inches more floor width than the 1052.  You could square dance in the 1062!

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Above: Frameless windows are standard in the 1062, with a bigger dinette picture window and an added window in the slide room rear – click to enlarge

TCM: We are fully expecting photographic proof of that last claim.  Are there any other updates on the 1062 that differentiate it from the outgoing 1052?

Gary: We have eliminated the sliding windows and moved to frameless thermal pane torque windows.  We also increased the width and height of the entry door for easier and more comfortable entry.

Randy: We added a rear end-wall window and increased the sidewall window to a large 56” by 22” full-view torque window for increased natural interior light and exterior view.  The height of the galley window has gone from 15-inches to 18-inches, and we went from a fixed picture window to a full-view torque window, adding both additional light and cross-ventilation.

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Above: The new exterior centralized storage compartment – click to enlarge

TCM: When we were at Lance Campers this past May, you were prototyping the 1062.  Since this is a relatively modest structural update to an existing floor plan, what were you testing during the prototype phase?

Randy: We were primarily testing the new lateral truss design for the 12-inch basement height.  We were also integrating a new basement pull-out tray and an exterior centralized storage compartment, two big features that were not available on the 1052.

Prototyping is a very important part of the process of designing a new production ready Lance Camper.  Every new camper we produce is built and tested as a prototype.

Lance 1062 generator

Above: A built-in Onan generator is an option in the 1062

TCM: Were there any new materials, components, appliances, or processes used in the development of the Lance 1062?

Gary: The materials, construction processes, and appliances are unchanged from the 1052.  We’re still using our one piece molded counter top and inner spring mattresses.  We were already using the best generator, refrigerator, water heater, and furnace.  Any changes to those features would have been a downgrade.

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Above: A digital rendering of the cabover and app-based stereo system – click to enlarge

One feature that is new and improved is the app-based stereo system.  Through Bluetooth on your smartphone, you can control the volume of the interior and exterior speakers.

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Above: The Happijac Secure-Trac (left) and the Lippert Schwintek (right) slide mechanisms on the 1062 – click to enlarge

TCM: What slide mechanisms does the Lance 1062 use?

Randy: We are using the Happijac Secure-Trac fixed frame slide mechanism in the dinette, and the Lippert Schwintek slide for the galley slide.  These are the same slide mechanisms we used for the 1052.

TCM: One of the key changes for the new 1062 is the 12-inch basement.  What’s the big deal about going to a 12-inch basement?  If you want more floor space and a bigger basement, why not build rail height?

Gary: There are many reasons not to build a rail height basement.  First, the center of gravity is moved higher raising the roll center of the truck’s handling.  Second is weight.  There is not a stock truck out there with the GVWR to safely carry a loaded and wet rail height truck camper.  To properly payload match a rail height truck camper, you need a Ford F550 or Ram 5500 cab and chassis with a custom bed installed.

Our goal is to build a camper for a stock truck with minimum suspension enhancement products.  We manufacture truck campers for someone who wants to buy a camper and use it as a weekend unit, and have their truck for the rest of the week.  We believe you shouldn’t need to change the brakes, axles, and tires to handle a modern truck camper.

Third, a rail height truck camper floor requires an additional three steps to get in and out of the camper.  Truck campers already require three or four steps.  To go to rail height, you’re talking about six or seven steps to get in and out of the camper.  We are trying to make our campers more mobility accessible, not less.

TCM: Did the size of the holding tanks change in the 1062?

Randy: They are still 45 gallons fresh, 27 gallons grey, and 22 gallons black, same as the outgoing 1052.  With the taller basement we were able to move the holding tanks forward and improve the drain flow by having the grey and black tanks nest together.

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Above: The 2016 Lance 1062 accommodates two Group 27 batteries (left) and two 20 pound propane tanks (right) – click to enlarge

TCM: Are there any changes to the size and placement of the batteries or propane tanks in the 1062?

Randy: The size and placement of the batteries and propane tanks is the same.  The exterior battery compartment is located in the dinette slide, and the exterior propane compartment is located in the galley area.

Lance 1062 magnetic door holders

Above: Magnetic storage door latches (top center-left) are included on the 1062

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Above: The 1062 exterior service center – click to enlarge

Gary: We added the exterior service center from the 975, 995, and 1172 to the new 1062.  Where the 1052 had an exterior mounted shower and dump valve access below the floor, the new 1062 has an enclosed and centralized compartment containing the exterior shower, dump valves, and battery disconnect.  This new service center makes dumping the tanks and winterizing much easier.

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Above: The Torklift International Ultra Deck Plus option on the 1062 – click to enlarge

TCM: Are there any new options that are available for the 2016 Lance 1062?

Randy: One new option for the 1062 is the electric rear awning.  The Ultra Deck Plus or Lance Deck bumpers continue to be available for the 1062.

Lance 1062 electric rear awning

Above: The 1062 has an optional rear power awning

TCM: Raising the basement height and increasing the width of the floor should have had the affect of increasing the weight of the unit.  Were you able to off-set the weight increase, or does the new 1062 weigh more than the outgoing 1052?

Gary: There is a 128 pound weight gain for the 1062.  We believe the wider floor space and taller basement is well worth the small increase in weight.  Relatively speaking, truck campers are not big.  The more floor space we can give the customer, the better.

TCM: What does the 2016 Lance 1062 weigh with standard build features, and what is the center of gravity?

Randy: The dry weight of a base model 1062 is 3,596 pounds.  The center of gravity is 48-inches from the front wall.

TCM: What is the MSRP for the 2016 Lance 1062 with standard build features?

Gary: The base MSRP for the 2016 Lance 1062 is $37,627.

TCM: What is the warranty for the 2016 Lance 1062?

Gary: All Lance Campers have a 2-year structural warranty, and a 12-year roof warranty.  There are extended warranties for the individual appliances.

We also have road side emergency services available for all of products.  If your slide room gets stuck and you are unable to move it, you can call for a mobile dispatch.  For anything that would prevent you from going down road, just call the 800 number and someone will come to help you.

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Above: The 1062 towing a boat – click to enlarge

TCM: When will the 2016 Lance 1062 be available?

Gary: The 2016 Lance 1062 campers are being sent to dealers as we speak.

TCM: Are there any other new model announcements coming from Lance Campers in 2015?

Gary: We are coming out with a half ton friendly, short bed truck camper.  This is something that will go on the 2016 Ford F150 aluminum truck.  You should be able to match the wet weight of this camper to that truck and not exceed it.  We’ll debut it here in Truck Camper Magazine, so stay tuned.

For more information on Lance Campers, visit the Lance website at lancecamper.com.  Click here to request a free Lance brochure.

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