Legislation for Camper Bodies / Truck Bodies

[Stafford]

Can someone point me in the direction of the legislation for truck bodies / camper bodies? (Will be reg'd in Western Australia)

If you adhere to maximum width and rear axle overhang are you pretty much alright?

I am intending to have one side of the camper box fold down to be a kind of deck, any potential problems with this?

Any advice really appreciated, first build and its feeling a bit daunting!

 

[SkiFreak]

Can someone point me in the direction of the legislation for truck bodies / camper bodies?

What you probably need is VSB #6

If you adhere to maximum width and rear axle overhang are you pretty much alright?

Pretty much, especially if you intend to stay with dual wheels.

I am intending to have one side of the camper box fold down to be a kind of deck, any potential problems with this?

I would not think so.
After all... they make goods trucks with roll-up sides. Having a fixed side that lowers is not that much different, when it comes to the structural integrity of the body that supports this functionality.

Any advice really appreciated, first build and its feeling a bit daunting!

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.

 

[Stafford]

Thanks for the help SkiFreak, cheers!

 

[Maninga]

The fold down deck really shouldn't be an issue, I've seen a couple that came up for sale from Army recruitment and events providing mobile stages very similar to what your drawing shows.

If you're concerned about a particular part passing registration, I've typically found the roads departments useful to talk with. If no luck there, have a chat with an engineer who certifies modifications. Spoke with one about my build right at the beginning, to get around any issues that might have come up. Very helpful, put the mind at ease and, at least for me, hasn't cost me anything sofar.

 

[Stafford]

Thanks Maninga, good idea to talk to a certifying engineer, thanks mate!

 

[SkiFreak]

The biggest problem with building anything on the back of a truck is that there are no black and white rules to follow in the documentation; the documentation simply provides "guidelines". The problem with that is that guidelines are open to interpretation by whoever is signing off the build or modifications. If you catch them on a good day then there may be no issues at all, but catch them when they're having a bad day and they can make your life very difficult.
Getting advice from an engineer is definitely a good idea, but this does not guarantee that what he says would be approved by the motor registry. I was told this by a senior, well respected engineer here in Canberra. He said that he can approve the same modification ten times, but on the eleventh time there might be a different guy signing it off and he has to fight for the customer to get the same modification approved. Stupid, but true.
I won't even start on the hassles you can have if you get a modification done in a different state. Just because something can get approved in one state does not guarantee that it will be approved in another.