New Member - Unique(?) Expedition Rig
- Thread starter CoyoteThistle
- Start date
CoyoteThistle
Adventurer
Thanks for all the encouraging comments:sombrero:
So, I’ve been working on some improvements. Thought I’d share and show some more of the inner workings of Pro-Rig.
Travel mode, for lack of a better term, has been the biggest challenge. Keeping the cap from shifting and keeping dust out are the biggest issues.
The cap is secured in two main ways. On the outside are two ratchet straps that hook around the trucks frame rails and come up between the bed and cab, over the whole cap, and hook on to the bike rack. See the blue strap on the left in this shot. These straps also hold things in place on top (superstructure and plywood piece that extends the sleeping platform to full length.).
I like the straps because they are fairly failsafe. However, they don’t keep things from shifting side-to-side (or fore and aft for that matter).
The second hold down method is one I have recently been working on. The previous version used a hook bolt (is that what it's called??) that attached to the utilitrack with a little bracket and hooked to the aluminum bracket bonded to the inside of the cap. Here it is without the cap in place to give you an idea.
By angling it like this, it not only pulled the cap down snugly, but also forward into a plywood “bulkhead” at the front. It also greatly limited sideways movement. Also, with the tailgate locked, it makes it very difficult to get inside (one would have to really tear things apart).
On the downside though, it was a huge pain to install and take off. The location on the track had to be just right (had to take it on/off each set up to install the rear superstructure) to get the optimum angle and had to use jam nuts on it to keep it tight. All that with an awkward reach and minimal working space.
So, the new and improved version uses a clamp and spring set up. Just hook it, clamp it down and go!
I hope this setup works – I’m afraid the clamp alone could easily pull the aluminum bracket off the fiberglass if one was not careful. The spring should give some room for error there. Also, it should stay snug as the seal around the edges (see below) compresses. This improvement should shave a good 10 minutes of take down time and maybe 5 minutes off of set up time. And, more importantly, spare me some bloody knuckles.
I'm working on a slight mod to the rear superstructure so that these clamps can stay in place, making it even quicker to use.
Keeping dust out is another challenge. The gaps around the tailgate (bottom and sides) on the Frontier are huge. Instead of trying to seal them, we mad a “dust curtain” out of some vinyl fabric that attaches with Velcro across the inside of the tailgate from top to bottom. This worked nicely.
Sealing the edges where the cap meets the bed rails is a bigger challenge. Thanks to my sloppy fiberglass work, there are gaps in some areas (as wide as half an inch). I’ve tried using relatively soft foam to seal the gaps. It’s not working too well.
We started the last trip using strips of 3/4 inch Minicel foam. Problem was, the foam compressed slowly and by the end of the day things would loosen up and the cap could shift around a bit. Dust sure is good at finding any little gap.
We switched to some strips of open cell foam (sourced from our slightly over sized foam sleeping pad) in the middle of our trip. This compressed all the way easily so things stayed more or less in place. It worked fine for dust, but if it were to get wet, I assume water would seep through.
Not sure what the solution is. It would probably be best to true up the edges (more resin and dead brain cells) and use some sort of firmer seal. Ideas anyone?
The possibility of paint damage had crossed my mind. Now that you mention it, I think one windy night could do some real damage. Maybe sewing some nice soft fleecy material in along where the fabric meets the bed? Hmmm...
So, I’ve been working on some improvements. Thought I’d share and show some more of the inner workings of Pro-Rig.
Travel mode, for lack of a better term, has been the biggest challenge. Keeping the cap from shifting and keeping dust out are the biggest issues.
The cap is secured in two main ways. On the outside are two ratchet straps that hook around the trucks frame rails and come up between the bed and cab, over the whole cap, and hook on to the bike rack. See the blue strap on the left in this shot. These straps also hold things in place on top (superstructure and plywood piece that extends the sleeping platform to full length.).
I like the straps because they are fairly failsafe. However, they don’t keep things from shifting side-to-side (or fore and aft for that matter).
The second hold down method is one I have recently been working on. The previous version used a hook bolt (is that what it's called??) that attached to the utilitrack with a little bracket and hooked to the aluminum bracket bonded to the inside of the cap. Here it is without the cap in place to give you an idea.
By angling it like this, it not only pulled the cap down snugly, but also forward into a plywood “bulkhead” at the front. It also greatly limited sideways movement. Also, with the tailgate locked, it makes it very difficult to get inside (one would have to really tear things apart).
On the downside though, it was a huge pain to install and take off. The location on the track had to be just right (had to take it on/off each set up to install the rear superstructure) to get the optimum angle and had to use jam nuts on it to keep it tight. All that with an awkward reach and minimal working space.
So, the new and improved version uses a clamp and spring set up. Just hook it, clamp it down and go!
I hope this setup works – I’m afraid the clamp alone could easily pull the aluminum bracket off the fiberglass if one was not careful. The spring should give some room for error there. Also, it should stay snug as the seal around the edges (see below) compresses. This improvement should shave a good 10 minutes of take down time and maybe 5 minutes off of set up time. And, more importantly, spare me some bloody knuckles.
I'm working on a slight mod to the rear superstructure so that these clamps can stay in place, making it even quicker to use.
Keeping dust out is another challenge. The gaps around the tailgate (bottom and sides) on the Frontier are huge. Instead of trying to seal them, we mad a “dust curtain” out of some vinyl fabric that attaches with Velcro across the inside of the tailgate from top to bottom. This worked nicely.
Sealing the edges where the cap meets the bed rails is a bigger challenge. Thanks to my sloppy fiberglass work, there are gaps in some areas (as wide as half an inch). I’ve tried using relatively soft foam to seal the gaps. It’s not working too well.
We started the last trip using strips of 3/4 inch Minicel foam. Problem was, the foam compressed slowly and by the end of the day things would loosen up and the cap could shift around a bit. Dust sure is good at finding any little gap.
We switched to some strips of open cell foam (sourced from our slightly over sized foam sleeping pad) in the middle of our trip. This compressed all the way easily so things stayed more or less in place. It worked fine for dust, but if it were to get wet, I assume water would seep through.
Not sure what the solution is. It would probably be best to true up the edges (more resin and dead brain cells) and use some sort of firmer seal. Ideas anyone?
The possibility of paint damage had crossed my mind. Now that you mention it, I think one windy night could do some real damage. Maybe sewing some nice soft fleecy material in along where the fabric meets the bed? Hmmm...
riveroceanandmountain
Adventurer
very cool idea!
Inspires me more to get going on my own ideas..... way to go!!
One question..... where did you buy those hold down clamps?
Thanks
Inspires me more to get going on my own ideas..... way to go!!
One question..... where did you buy those hold down clamps?
Thanks
For a quick fix on the gaps part if you don't want to do more glass work I'd try to cut/fit some wood strips to fill the gaps and then seal the wood well. Use some double sided foam tape (its pretty sticky and ~1/16" thick) to stick these fit pieces to your fiberglass work. Then since you'd now have a relatively flat bottom you can some basic foam/gasket to seal it up. Should be fairly easy/cheap to try out. Can always do a more permanant mod later (or even just glass over the wood strips to bond it to your fiberglass).
Also making sure the dirt is removed off the paint before setting up with help too, don't want to turn into sand paper rubbing that grit into the paint.
Also making sure the dirt is removed off the paint before setting up with help too, don't want to turn into sand paper rubbing that grit into the paint.
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adventureduo
Dave Druck [KI6LBB]
What a creative way of thinking. I see you're in SoCal... We'd love to have that truck at our Toys 4 Tots event!
CoyoteThistle
Adventurer
Whew, back from the holidays (and some travels!!).
Glad our work is inspiring! Thanks for the feedback.
Clamps came from a place called Reid Supply Company (via Amazon). Lots of cool stuff there.
CoyoteThistle
Adventurer
Despite the hectic holidays, we got Pro-Rig out for a quick trip between X-mas and New Years. We did some more exploring in Death Valley, enjoying some unseasonably warm weather.
Several "firsts" for the trip: first time with three people, first test of our new sink, first test of some new Hellman helper springs and first test of improvements meant to ease setup and take down.
The third person was my GF's 11 year old son. He hasn't camped much or spent too much time out in the boonies. I think he had fun. He had his own bed and reportedly slept well. Here's a look at Pro-Rig with the third bed deployed:
It took 5-10 minutes to drop the kitchen (see below) and set up the sleeping area. The "mattress" is the pads from the seating (2" thick foam - enough for a kid). We could still slide off the upper bed for a midnight pee without disturbing him.
We were also very excited to test out our new sink (previously we had used the sink sprayer outside). This was huge!! Love the functioning sink.
Leftover turkey and potatoes from X-mas dinner (also pictured) made for the finest Pro-Rig dinner yet:chef:
Also tested were some new Hellwig Helper leafs to deal with the saggy rear end. So far, I'm very impressed. Rear end rode several inches higher and the frequent bottoming we experienced on the Utah trip was gone. Didn't test them yet for articulation on rougher stuff, but they rode nice in some rocky washes and on washboard and paved roads.
The new clamps and some of the other mods (and the fact that we didn't have any extra gear strapped on outside and no bikes) made setup and take-down much faster - I forgot to time it precisely, but it was closer to a half hour than the "close to an hour" we were spending on the Utah trip.
Ease of setup/take-down is addictive I think. The faster it gets, the more faster(?) you want it to get! After every trip we have tried to improve Pro-Rig - first with the lighter fiberglass sleeping platform (the migration from Pro-Rig 1.0 to 2.0). Then with recent improvements (call it Pro-Rig 2.1).
As usual then, on the drive home I started scheming. I've become temporarily obsessed (so my GF pointed out ). How could setup get even quicker? What about a process that only needed one person? Is it possible?
I started scribbling ideas down and I think I've got it! Yes, yes, some torsion springs, lots of aluminum angle, channel and flat bar, some bearings and bushings...
Stay tuned, Pro-Rig 3.0 is coming!!! :wings:
Several "firsts" for the trip: first time with three people, first test of our new sink, first test of some new Hellman helper springs and first test of improvements meant to ease setup and take down.
The third person was my GF's 11 year old son. He hasn't camped much or spent too much time out in the boonies. I think he had fun. He had his own bed and reportedly slept well. Here's a look at Pro-Rig with the third bed deployed:
It took 5-10 minutes to drop the kitchen (see below) and set up the sleeping area. The "mattress" is the pads from the seating (2" thick foam - enough for a kid). We could still slide off the upper bed for a midnight pee without disturbing him.
We were also very excited to test out our new sink (previously we had used the sink sprayer outside). This was huge!! Love the functioning sink.
Leftover turkey and potatoes from X-mas dinner (also pictured) made for the finest Pro-Rig dinner yet:chef:
Also tested were some new Hellwig Helper leafs to deal with the saggy rear end. So far, I'm very impressed. Rear end rode several inches higher and the frequent bottoming we experienced on the Utah trip was gone. Didn't test them yet for articulation on rougher stuff, but they rode nice in some rocky washes and on washboard and paved roads.
The new clamps and some of the other mods (and the fact that we didn't have any extra gear strapped on outside and no bikes) made setup and take-down much faster - I forgot to time it precisely, but it was closer to a half hour than the "close to an hour" we were spending on the Utah trip.
Ease of setup/take-down is addictive I think. The faster it gets, the more faster(?) you want it to get! After every trip we have tried to improve Pro-Rig - first with the lighter fiberglass sleeping platform (the migration from Pro-Rig 1.0 to 2.0). Then with recent improvements (call it Pro-Rig 2.1).
As usual then, on the drive home I started scheming. I've become temporarily obsessed (so my GF pointed out ). How could setup get even quicker? What about a process that only needed one person? Is it possible?
I started scribbling ideas down and I think I've got it! Yes, yes, some torsion springs, lots of aluminum angle, channel and flat bar, some bearings and bushings...
Stay tuned, Pro-Rig 3.0 is coming!!! :wings:
