Setting up Flippac camper

[dansavo]

Hi All, I recently purchased an 8' Flippac camper. Scoured around here and elsewhere but not finding an answer to my specific questions:

-How do I set the cabover bed position to determine length to cut the hold down poles? Do I just have someone climb in and put their weight as far out as they can, then use that as the max travel of the cabover bed?
-What is stopping further rotation when more weight (2 people total) is added? From what I can tell there are no "hard stops" in the hinge or torsion bar, and it seems like the tension in the tent material is what defines this. Also, just pulling down the bed by hand when on the ground I seem to be able to pull it down past level with the rest of the camper.
-Thinking about ditching the hold down poles altogether in favor of a pair of lashing straps tied to roof rack cross bars that will go into the truck and camper roof. Any issues with this approach?

Really appreciate any feedback or things to watch for as I am totally new to this type of camper.

 

[highwest]

I just did this as well, so I’m no expert.

I set the lid so it was a straight line with the rear/bottom half of the shell.

I’m pretty sure you need the support rods to hold the lid both down and up.

Do you have the support rods and hardware? If not, they are reproducible, but the hood hardware will require some fab.

You definitely have unique geometry challenge there.

 

[dansavo]

I do have the rods and hood hardware, but the rods are thin wall (aluminum?) and seem too flimsy to take any compression loading. Additionally, the PO had the stainless hood brackets fastened by two sheet metal screws, I don't have a lot of faith in them holding up much weight before they fail. I may be overly cautious, but want to be sure I don't break/damage anything.

 

[highwest]

That sounds like every Flippac support rod arrangement that I’ve ever seen (mostly in pictures), so I would say you’re being overly cautious... but, that geometry is what I have not seen before. Your idea of a roof cross bar may fix that issue though - you might be onto something there.

Regarding the sheet metal screws, I was thinking of maybe replacing mine with rivnuts and bolts / machine screws.

Let me know if you need pics or anything, happy to keep trading notes.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I do have the rods and hood hardware, but the rods are thin wall (aluminum?) and seem too flimsy to take any compression loading. Additionally, the PO had the stainless hood brackets fastened by two sheet metal screws, I don't have a lot of faith in them holding up much weight before they fail. I may be overly cautious, but want to be sure I don't break/damage anything.

Regards to thin wall tubing. Try standing on a beer can. Or flick the wall of a bicycle frame. You don't need it to be thick to hold the weight. It needs to be thick enough not to dent. A dent in a tube is it's Achilles heel.

 

[jlcanterbury]

From the looks of your setup, I would ditch the typical hood-mounted hardware and utilize the roof.

You'd have plenty of support if you mount something towards the front side of the truck roof.

The idea of using a set of cross-bars on both the roof of the truck and the roof of the flippac would be really cool. You'd get additional mounting points for gear, and if those are both fab'd to the correct height, they could simply mate up when the top is flipped open, and a single clevis pin could lock it into open position.

 

[dansavo]

Yeah, like highwest mentioned, it's not an ideal geometry. I am thinking there is no way to install those rods vertically given where the flippac bed ends up over my truck cab. IF the poles were intended to provide vertical support to the bed, any angle beyond vertical would likely encourage buckling (to Dave's point above regarding dented tubes). I read somewhere on expo that they are just there to prevent the thing from closing up with a strong gust when no one is on the bed (will look for that comment).

I am leaning in the direction of a set of three crossbars (one on the truck and two on the flippac) as that would give me the needed mounting points for my 12' portabote anyway. Just not loving the idea of drilling 8 additional holes into the flippac to mount artificial rain gutters to support them. would be cool to utilize a pair of these somehow on the truck crossbar to latch the bed open, then one pull to release when closing up.



Does anybody know if there are hard stops in the hinges that are supposed to define the max opening range? Or is it simply the tent fabric under tension that limits travel? or some combination of tent fabric plus those lightweight poles that is capable of taking the advertised 1000lb max load of the bed? Hoping to better understand the function to help me make a decision.

 

[WOODY2]

I believe it's the torsion bar that limits (or is supposed to) the movement, My understanding was a design limit of 500 lbs. The rods down are just to stabilize the lid. The fabric or interior pole structures won't hold any weight and if they fail you will have a huge problem. I would move a little slower before any drilling or modifications IMHO. Also the installed hood pieces are better installed with RivNuts, Tek screws will work but can work loose over a period of time.

 

[pigsammy]

Maybe just a clamp on cargo bar on the truck roof that the flippac can rest on when open. A piece of pipe insulation would protect the top, and everything easily returned to stock if needed. Use your strap or tie down.

 

[inv3ctiv3]

The poles only prevent lateral movement of the bed they are not supposed to support your weight that's what the torsion bar does. My old flippac you could lay in the bed without any poles at all and after many breakages of the poles or mounts, we slept in it with just one pole pretty often. The torsion bars were rated for 1000lbs and can hold you no problem, just set up the poles so that you have to gently pull down to get them to lock into the hood hardware (they all were attached with two sheet metal screws that's nothing abnormal).

 

[Outback]

I do have the rods and hood hardware, but the rods are thin wall (aluminum?) and seem too flimsy to take any compression loading. Additionally, the PO had the stainless hood brackets fastened by two sheet metal screws, I don't have a lot of faith in them holding up much weight before they fail. I may be overly cautious, but want to be sure I don't break/damage anything.

Plenty strong. I was 250 alone plus add my wife and two young kids sleeping in it. no issues for years of use.