nnamssorxela's F250 Flatbed and Camper Build

[nnamssorxela]

Hi All,

I'm creating this build thread to document my build and share what I have and will eventually learn. I find that build threads also supply a source of motivation that I otherwise lack. I've slowly been creeping towards a full-size build over the years, and I'm ready to finally take the plunge, albeit at my glacial pace. I started backpacking and camping when I was younger, but once I added motorcycles into the mix I was hooked on "adventuring." I camped off the back of motorcycles and bicycles for years, then finally got my first pickup; an F250 that would serve as the base of my DIY shenanigans. I ended up making a little camping setup with a bed topper and was just blown away at how much easier it was to camp. I knew I wanted to work out of the truck as much as possible, and that I would need to upsize in order to "live" and not just "occupy" a space.

I found a decent deal on a pop-up camper that needed some work. This was a 10 ft camper that had a damaged roof and the resulting water damage. I "fixed" it poorly, the entire time thinking that building a roof from scratch would have been easier. At the time I just wanted to get a camper to see how I liked it, and decide what I did and didn't want in a custom build. Initially, I was fully set on a pop-up, but I have since decided a hard-side will make things infinitely easier and more efficient, with the sole exception of fuel mileage.

As far as this thread is concerned, not much has happened as I'm still in the planning phases, but I did not buy a ski pass this winter as I plan to make some good progress on this build instead.

A couple pics leading up to this moment:

 

[nnamssorxela]

Here are some rough "specs" of the flatbed and camper. The idea is to build a quality structure focusing on keeping it affordable and lightweight. I'm just a guy with a full-time job, a two-car garage, and little money. I do not want to build the camper directly on the truck because I use the truck for truck things.

Flatbed:
- 7' (84") wide, and 8.5' (102") long. 102" will give me 3" on each end, with 8' in the middle. The idea is to have a 2" headache rack and 2" gate in flatbed mode, allowing me to transport 8' sheets of material with an inch to spare on each end. 84" width will allow me to have 2" thick walls and still be able to run an 80" queen bed in east/west orientation if needed.
- This may be a two-part build, with the first part being a simple semi-rigid mount, and the second iteration being 3 point pivoting bed.
- I want to accommodate the gooseneck hitch (this may help mount the camper as well)
- So far I am thinking of a steel frame similar to what is pictured below, with an extruded aluminum deck. I may do an aluminum frame, but I am not set on one way or another yet. I need to do a little strength/weight/cost analysis
- I need about 7.5" of "jounce" if I ever want to run 35" tires. I can adjust the construction of the bed frame as needed to make this possible while retaining a completely flat bed.

This is my preliminary design so far. The "feet" are 1/4" thick, and the main bars and cross bars are 2"x3"tube (0.120" wall). The bolts will come up from the bottom and have a 2" washer and nut on the end that would be inside of the foot, sandwiching the poly mounts, which are the round discs in the images below.

Camper:
- Hard side for snow and simplicity.
- 10' long, with the departure angle cut after the bed ends.
- No wood!
- DIY sandwich panel. 2" Foamular NGX 400, 0.040" aluminum skin on the exterior, and smooth FRP on the interior.
- 3x3 or 4x4 3/16" Aluminum angle exterior frame. This will serve to protect the edges and mount all my panels to, in addition to the panels being mounted to themselves. I'm under the impression that this is not required, but I'm more comfortable with a metal skeleton, especially with an aluminum exterior skin.
- I want to run the bed in north/south orientation with storage on the sides and not underneath to save headroom.
- No black tank (cassette or composting)
- Shower, but I'm not sure there will be a dedicated room as I would like to integrate this into the dinette somehow.
- Kitchen
- Enough solar for working off grid. 1000W solar and maybe 600Ah of batteries?
- Internal (???) Fresh water and grey water tanks to keep from freezing, and keep the camper completely self-contained.
- Shape: hard one for me. It's tough to save space, keep it simple to build, and still have it look a little cool, or at least not look like a box truck. So far I am thinking of a cab-over that tapers down slightly, a curved leading edge and a departure angle cut. I also like the upper "cut" at the rear edge, but I'm sacrificing potential storage for better aesthetics and potentially improve gas mileage (lol). I like the stairstep and taper of idasho's, but I have a lot of measuring to do first.

 

[andy_b]

Here are some rough "specs" of the flatbed and camper. The idea is to build a quality structure focusing on keeping it affordable and lightweight. I'm just a guy with a full-time job, a two-car garage, and little money. I do not want to build the camper directly on the truck because I use the truck for truck things.

Flatbed:
- 7' (84") wide, and 8.5' (102") long. 102" will give me 3" on each end, with 8' in the middle. The idea is to have a 2" headache rack and 2" gate in flatbed mode, allowing me to transport 8' sheets of material with an inch to spare on each end. 84" width will allow me to have 2" thick walls and still be able to run an 80" queen bed in east/west orientation if needed.
- This may be a two-part build, with the first part being a simple semi-rigid mount, and the second iteration being 3 point pivoting bed.
- I want to accommodate the gooseneck hitch (this may help mount the camper as well)
- So far I am thinking of a steel frame similar to what is pictured below, with an extruded aluminum deck. I may do an aluminum frame, but I am not set on one way or another yet. I need to do a little strength/weight/cost analysis
- I need about 7.5" of "jounce" if I ever want to run 35" tires. I can adjust the construction of the bed frame as needed to make this possible while retaining a completely flat bed.

This is my preliminary design so far. The "feet" are 1/4" thick, and the main bars and cross bars are 2"x3"tube (0.120" wall). The bolts will come up from the bottom and have a 2" washer and nut on the end that would be inside of the foot, sandwiching the poly mounts, which are the round discs in the images below.

Camper:
- Hard side for snow and simplicity.
- 10' long, with the departure angle cut after the bed ends.
- No wood!
- DIY sandwich panel. 2" Foamular NGX 400, 0.040" aluminum skin on the exterior, and smooth FRP on the interior.
- 3x3 or 4x4 3/16" Aluminum angle exterior frame. This will serve to protect the edges and mount all my panels to, in addition to the panels being mounted to themselves. I'm under the impression that this is not required, but I'm more comfortable with a metal skeleton, especially with an aluminum exterior skin.
- I want to run the bed in north/south orientation with storage on the sides and not underneath to save headroom.
- No black tank (cassette or composting)
- Shower, but I'm not sure there will be a dedicated room as I would like to integrate this into the dinette somehow.
- Kitchen
- Enough solar for working off grid. 1000W solar and maybe 600Ah of batteries?
- Internal (???) Fresh water and grey water tanks to keep from freezing, and keep the camper completely self-contained.
- Shape: hard one for me. It's tough to save space, keep it simple to build, and still have it look a little cool, or at least not look like a box truck. So far I am thinking of a cab-over that tapers down slightly, a curved leading edge and a departure angle cut. I also like the upper "cut" at the rear edge, but I'm sacrificing potential storage for better aesthetics and potentially improve gas mileage (lol). I like the stairstep and taper of idasho's, but I have a lot of measuring to do first.

I've just finished a similar build using a custom Total Composites box. Like you, mine is built on a turn-of-the-century Super Duty. I am over GVWR and you will be, too. Whether or not that is a turn off is up to you.

I would strongly consider using an off-the-shelf aluminum flatbed to save time, weight in comparison to steel, and ultimately, money. The price range can vary wildly but even if you had the tooling, the cost of your time and materials to build is unlikely to be worth it unless you have some experience w/ fab work.

Likewise, while DIY panels might seem to be more cost effective when considering materials, once you add in your time and the value of the experience of builders who have done it before, I think that the value of DIY diminishes rapidly. This does not take into account if you want to DIY the panels and box - if that is the case, then there is certainly enjoyment in the work.

The main limitation for solar is space. Our roof is 13.5' long and ~7' wide - we can barely fit 8x 100w flexible panels. Our AC is a mini-split on the rear wall. The only other roof stuff is a hatch and fan. Residential solar panels are more energy dense but much heavier.

Regarding cost - the AT Aterra XL is a close analog for our camper and the price is cheaper than what I built mine for. IMHO, I think our TC box is better (construction, insulation, etc) and since it was designed for our needs, that adds value. Ours was not much more expensive but has considerably better components and a design that is exactly what we want and that, too, adds value.

 

[nnamssorxela]

Thanks for the input. I admit I get a lot of enjoyment out of all my diy projects, and I believe I can do it for a fraction of the cost, learn a lot, and make it exactly how I want it.

I'd love to get something turn key, or even a shell like you have, but the only way I can afford this is doing it myself. Just an aluminum flatbed can hit 15k!

I have a small shop in my garage and am familiar with metal fabrication, but this will definitely push my limits as I'm hoping to keep the metal to a minimum.

My current camper is well over the gvwr, heck, just a couple shovels of rock puts me over according the the scale at the landscaping yard. I'm hoping I can get the camper lighter than my current one.

I'm also hoping to run a rear mounted mini split. I've also been watching used solar farm panels sell, but not sure I want to gamble that yet.

 

[andy_b]

Thanks for the input. I admit I get a lot of enjoyment out of all my diy projects, and I believe I can do it for a fraction of the cost, learn a lot, and make it exactly how I want it.

I'd love to get something turn key, or even a shell like you have, but the only way I can afford this is doing it myself. Just an aluminum flatbed can hit 15k!

I have a small shop in my garage and am familiar with metal fabrication, but this will definitely push my limits as I'm hoping to keep the metal to a minimum.

My current camper is well over the gvwr, heck, just a couple shovels of rock puts me over according the the scale at the landscaping yard. I'm hoping I can get the camper lighter than my current one.

I'm also hoping to run a rear mounted mini split. I've also been watching used solar farm panels sell, but not sure I want to gamble that yet.

I have an Alumna flatbed. The overall quality is meh but it does what I need it to do perfectly. Installed, it was $5k. I see your plates are CO - I got it from Four Corners Trailer in Bayfield.

A friend happens to resell used panels (he's in MT) and has never had an issue, either with customers or his own projects. Although they would be super heavy, used panels like that are a great deal for sure.

 

[nnamssorxela]

Some older progress. I made these jacks for my current camper, but I will swap them over to the new one when it's ready.

Started with a trailer jack, and cut the mounting ring off:


The jack shaft has groove down it to keep it tracking. I need to extend the shaft, so I made an inner sleeve. The half that goes into the jack is grooved.


The other side is pressed (pounded in with a sledge, then plug welded as a precaution) into the extension.




I also welded a temporary plate to the jack body for mounting. Eventually, this will be quick release.

 

[nnamssorxela]

I have an Alumna flatbed. The overall quality is meh but it does what I need it to do perfectly. Installed, it was $5k. I see your plates are CO - I got it from Four Corners Trailer in Bayfield.

A friend happens to resell used panels (he's in MT) and has never had an issue, either with customers or his own projects. Although they would be super heavy, used panels like that are a great deal for sure.

Depending on the panel, I may "only" need 2 (I realize they are huge and vary in size) to get close to 1000W. My current flexible 100W panel is keeping up, but I'm using mostly propane appliances, and not working out of the camper with internet, etc. Maybe a single large panel will be plenty, but I need to figure out the electrical budget.

 

[andy_b]

No one has ever said, "I have way to much power." You'll want as much as possible if you're planning on running AC.

Anyhow, this is a fun project and you'll enjoy it for sure.

 

[nnamssorxela]

Well it's been a while, but I'm finally starting phase 1 of this project. This consists roughly of the following projects:
-front winch bumper
-Install modern electrical in current camper
-flatbed
-Refresh suspension

The truck was actually stolen and recovered, so I thought I'd treat it to a little upgrade for coming back to me.

Mocked up my winch plate:





I also 3d printed a little winch solenoid relocation box to save some space:





For the electronics I purchased waaay too many cells to make a 600+Ah 24V battery, but never too much power right?

I also got a 24v 2000W Victron Multiplus compact, a Victron 24/12 charge controller I'll be using to step down the 24v to 12v for my existing camper circuit breaker, and a Victron smart shunt. Still waiting on solar and the charge controller purchase.

For the flatbed I ordered some lights from Australia because they were just too cool. I'll need to run a wire from my front turn signals to take advantage of the orange sequential LEDs.