Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: Our custom true flatbed truck camper build thread

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Topic: Our custom true flatbed truck camper build thread

Posted By: CREATO on 03/15/13 07:04pm

I like your plan but to tell you the truth I drove a couple of these NPR's and I am concerned you are going to run way short of power. The 2 that I drove had I think 185 hp and 16' box vans on them.
Good luck with your project.

I dont rent out space in my brain

Posted By: Jfet on 03/15/13 07:14pm

CREATO wrote:

This one has 215hp 5.2 liter....seems pretty strong...does 60mph at 2500 rpm with redline at 4000? (i would have to go look)

I am not a speed demon anyway...you get so much better mileage at 55 because of air resistance.

If I want to go 180mph, I will mount my camper on a Bugatti Veyron

Posted By: CREATO on 03/15/13 07:31pm

Jfet wrote:

CREATO wrote:

I wasnt worried about speed more hills and wind robbing power and maybe the two I drove werent up to snuff. you have about 20% more power and once rolling not much differance in the vehicles should be fine I guess.

Posted By: RobertRyan on 03/15/13 10:16pm

Jfet wrote:

This one has 215hp 5.2 liter....seems pretty strong...does 60mph at 2500 rpm with redline at 4000?

They power this and the Pickup tug and has no problem cruising at 60mph

[image]

Posted By: btggraphix on 03/28/13 08:29am

Hey jfet, making any progress? It's funny, I just had a long conversation last night with a buddy who has set his mind on building a small TC for a Ram 3500 SRW using similar construction techniques so I told him he really needs to check out your thread. It's the only custom build I can remember seeing that was truly a TC and that's what he wants to build.

The content on this thread, especially with your pictures and diagrams will be very useful for anyone wanting to follow in your footsteps.

One question: why did you choose to build out of steel instead of aluminum? I assume 1) cost and 2) weight not as big an issue for you with the big chassis. Or was it for other reasons?

I'm going to try to find my body-builder's guide for the Kodiak for grins but I think it was a digital copy that is buried in backups of my older PC. Since they build them anymore it may be harder to track down online now. Do you have a body builder's guide for the Isuzu?

Posted By: RoyB on 03/28/13 09:11am

Is your cassette pottie going to be like this one... This one has the pull out tank on the side door which I see you have planned on blocking both sides in your floor plan...

We love out cassette pottie...

[image]

oops nevermind I see from your floorplan you are going to have this set in sideways with a privacy door. The tank will pull out into the hallway so to speak...

Roy Ken

* This post was edited 03/28/13 09:23am by RoyB *

Posted By: wnjj on 03/28/13 10:12am

RoyB wrote:

oops nevermind I see from your floorplan you are going to have this set in sideways with a privacy door. The tank will pull out into the hallway so to speak...

It looks like it will pull out through the outside wall, which makes more sense than through the interior.

Posted By: RoyB on 03/28/13 11:55am

I don't think this model will do that - it is either a right hand or left hand version. The one I have is left hand which is accessible thru an outside door on my POPUP. The pull out tank is almost the same size as the width of the cassette pottie.

The OP said he ordered a left hand version so it looks like it will come into the inside hallway the way he is planning on installing it.

Those tanks are great being water tight. Mine will not even leak if I turn it over when I am pulling it on its two wheels. Already done that haha... It has a good carry handle so will go down the trailer steps pretty good I think. I have brought mine into our house here before to dump down our house toilet.

Roy Ken

Posted By: kohldad on 03/28/13 08:36pm

Quote:

The OP said he ordered a left hand version so it looks like it will come into the inside hallway the way he is planning on installing it.

That would make the most sense to me. One less penetration into the outside. Not only less chance of a leak, but also less loss of insulation and less chance of an air leak.

2015 Ram 3500 4x4 Crew Cab SRW 6.4 Hemi LB 3.73 (12.4 hand calc avg mpg after 92,000 miles with camper)
2004 Lance 815 (prev: 2004 FW 35'; 1994 TT 30'; Tents)

Posted By: Jfet on 03/31/13 04:23pm

Hi guys. Been busy the past two weekends cutting and welding. We now have the complete steel frame welded including door and window frames. For the person that asked, we went with steel over aluminum because the welds are easier (don't need a spool gun also), steel welds hold up better than aluminum during vibration, steel is cheaper, the frame will be painted and also is not exposed to the outside, weight not as big of an issue for us.

I will get some more pictures up soon. We have made a test frame of tube steel that we Sikaflex 252 bonded some 0.050 aluminum sheet. It is incredibly incredibly hard to squeeze out the 252 with a hand caulk gun so a pneumatic Cox gun is on order. The test frame is probably dry but I am giving it a few more days then I am going to paint it and leave it outside for a few weeks. It seems to be incredibly bonded. We used some 1 inch square by half inch thick rare earth magnets (these could pin a small child to the fridge next to his artwork) to clamp the aluminum to the frame on the test piece and will do the same on the final skinning.

We have the Thetford toilet now on hand. Our plans are to have an outside hatch to remove the tank for dumping. Examining the actual toilet, this is not a big deal at all and will be easy to install.

We bought some 1/2 inch 4 foot by 10 foot ACX for the roof and probably will Sikaflex that to the roof joists this coming weekend if the pneumatic caulk gun arrives. We also might bend and Sikaflex the 1/4 inch double layer marine ply around the front roof curve. After the roof ply, then the belly wrap (1/16" aluminum) then the walls (also 1/16" aluminum), then 2 inches of pink foam board R10 insulation, then 1/4 inch mahagony ply interior walls, then something for the final roof layer.

* This post was edited 03/31/13 04:43pm by Jfet *

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