I currently have an 1020 and am looking to move up to a dry bath without the loss of storage that comes with a 1030. Any feedback on the pros and cons of the 1140. It looks like it was only made for a few years in the early 00's and I wonder if it had problems.

Thanks Bill. I'll keep that in mind if I get the 1140 and have the problem. I've contacted two 1140 sellers on Craigslist and received photos. It looks like there is only one exterior hatch in front of the generator that may be exclusively for storage. It's in about the same position as my 1020 hatch, but will likely be quite a bit larger given the additional 7" overall length of the 1140.

Dennis,

Yep, the fridge blow out problem gave me fits until Lance Customer Service sent me the baffle for the burner tube. If I remember correctly, the Dometic fridge with electronic re-ignition will attempt to re-ignite the blown out flame several times over a period of about 30 seconds, and if unsuccessful, it automatically shuts down.
There was no set pattern with the blow out problem. Some days it would blow out while traveling in cross winds, which was understandable, and other times it would blow out in a calm and after only traveling a few miles. On the camper roof there was a factory installed combination crank up satellite dish/TV antenna near the fridge roof vent and the Dometic Penguin air conditioner was nearby. The combination along with the fridge side vent being close to the front corner of the camper and the air flow around the cab of our '00 Dodge dually quad-cab with the factory swing out towing mirrors may have created a draft that forced air down the fridge vent causing the blowouts. The baffle that Lance sent me fixed the problem. After installing the baffle, there was no more blow out problem.

I may still have a diagram of the baffle that I posted on the LOA forum at the time and if you purchase the Lance 1140, and have a fridge blow out problem, let me know and I'll try to find it and send it to you. It's easy to fabricate using a piece of galvanized sheet metal. To install the baffle requires removing the roof vent, removing the fridge mounting screws, and sliding the fridge towards the inside of the camper about a foot to get access to back of the fridge. It sounds more difficult than it actually is.

I don't recall how much outside storage there was on the 1140, but if it had been a big problem, I more than likely would have remembered it.

Bill

Thanks Bill. I wouldn't have probably even noticed the water fill location during a look-see. Just wondering about the frig burner blowing out - with electronic ignition there must have been a pretty consistent down draft to keep the flame from relighting. Was it only a problem in gusty circumstances or did you notice it happening under other situations?

How was the exterior storage on the 1140? I have a 1020 and there's almost none.

Dennis

We owned a '01 Lance 1140 that we bought new in 2001 until we traded it for a '03 Lance 1121 in mid-2003. The only reason we traded was to get a slide out model. The Lance 1140 worked nicely for us and we enjoyed traveling it for many miles. We really liked the "L" kitchen layout, and for us, there was plenty of storage.

We had problems at first with the Dometic fridge on the driver side. It would easily blow out the flame while traveling from passing trucks and from the wind currents coming from around the front corner of the camper. With the assistance of Lance Customer Service, we fixed that problem with a baffle at the top of the burner tube.

The only thing we didn't like about the 1140 was the fresh water tank exterior fill port. It was located on the passenger side which made it unhandy for refilling at some campgrounds and required turning around and driving in the wrong direction. I could have used a longer hose, but controlling the water flow from the opposite side of the camper was also unhandy. I considered a minor irritation for an otherwise excellent camper.

I tried a "Search" on this site in the Archives to find the posts and photos I had made concerning our '01 Lance 1140, but was unsuccessful.

Bill