The TARDIS - A Four Wheel Camper Build

[Redline]

Very good fuel economy in my opinion.

Do you know your total added weight and/or your gross weight?

What speeds were you driving?

snip...
Minnesota to Montana (highway and ethanol)
4 tanks
average mpg 16.4

Around the mountains of Montana (two lane and forest road, with ethanol free gas)
5 tanks
average mpg 19

Montana to Minnesota (highway and ethanol)
4 tanks
average mpg 16.4

snip...

 

[Overland Hadley]

Very good fuel economy in my opinion.

Do you know your total added weight and/or your gross weight?

What speeds were you driving?

My weight, well, ummm, errrr, 10 pounds under GVWR?

Freeway driving was done at 60-65 mph. I know I could get better mpg going 55 or 60, but it is hard not to do 65.

I noticed that you were getting 19.2 when your truck was stock, what are you getting now? Both with camper and without.
With my truck unloaded I can average between 19 and 22 mpg per tank, not bad considering the bigger tires and OME lift.

 

[Redline]

My weight, well, ummm, errrr, 10 pounds under GVWR?

Freeway driving was done at 60-65 mph. I know I could get better mpg going 55 or 60, but it is hard not to do 65.

Agreed, it's hard to drive slower than 65.

I noticed that you were getting 19.2 when your truck was stock, what are you getting now? Both with camper and without.
With my truck unloaded I can average between 19 and 22 mpg per tank, not bad considering the bigger tires and OME lift.

19.2 under repeatable, test conditions, not all the time, but the lift alone didn't take much away, about 1 mpg from memory. Now the truck is in a state of change, with some recent changes and many in the works in the coming weeks/months. I've not had time to repeat my tests for comparable data, that's at least two months out. I'm so busy right now I don't even have time to blog or drool on my new tires

James

 

[chvy39z]

Overland
Just wondering how the wood floor works out for you. I travel alone and I seem to drag debris(small rocks,etc.) on my shoes into the camper. With another person and a dog it appears, does the floor tend to get scratched? I kind of like the 4wheel camper floor in my Hawk for that very reason. Just wondering???

 

[Overland Hadley]

Overland
Just wondering how the wood floor works out for you. I travel alone and I seem to drag debris(small rocks,etc.) on my shoes into the camper. With another person and a dog it appears, does the floor tend to get scratched? I kind of like the 4wheel camper floor in my Hawk for that very reason. Just wondering???

I am so happy with the floor. The only thing I do not like about the flooring is that it has now been discontinued, and as far as I know there is no chance of getting more of it. So I can not use it in any other projects.

It is not a wood floor, but a plastic "composite" floor.

As a commercial flooring it is very scratch resistant. The only time it got any sign of a scratch was when a small rock got under one of the heavy totes and I slid it across the floor. I rubbed the scratch with my finger and that made it more or less not visible. We do take our shoes off once inside the camper, so that helps keep the floor cleaner.

The main thing I like about the floor is I was able to put a layer of Reflectix under the flooring. That in combination with the hollow core of the flooring makes for a nicely insulated floor.

Decided to go a different direction with the floor.

Someone here on ExPo mentioned Mannington icore II commercial flooring as being a good option for use in a camper. I did some research and it looked like a nice product, so I ordered some samples.

This is an interesting product that is made here in the US, it is waterproof, has an air gap to provide insulation and sound deadening. It also has an amazingly tough outer surface, today I beat and scratched away at my samples and there was virtually no damage. It does retail for about $12 SQFT.

The reasons I did not go with the teak and holly plywood is: I was worried about warping in extreme temperature changes, the flooring glue needed would add extra weight, the surface varnish adds weight and scratches very easily. It would also take some maintenance to keep it looking good, I enjoy building things but I do not enjoy repairing things.

Note: As icore II is a commercial product it is hard to find a place that will sell you the small amount needed for a camper. I bought from floorstoyourhome.com. Their quoted shipping charges are for freight, but call and talk to Adam and he will get the couple cartons needed for a camper shipped via UPS.

 

[Overland Hadley]

 

[Overland Hadley]

I did some work on the brackets for mounting the MaxTrax under the cabover.

Mostly some figuring, lots of measuring, and a four stage drilling process. (A drill press would have been nice for the 3/8 stuff, but I am stubborn and like to use the simple tools I own and not go to a friends shop.)


Lots of holes drilled.

Todays work bench.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Propane Systems for Expedition Vehicles

Here is a fantastic resource regarding propane setup and use.

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/docs/propane4xvehicles.pdf

A 26 page pdf from Doug Hackney.

Thanks Doug.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Under Mattress Air Circulation System

One thing that did bother me was the change in height of the bed platform. This is somewhat unavoidable with the slide out bed, as the part that slides out will be higher by the thickness of the slide out material. There would be a way to change the design to eliminate the level change, but I like the way the current design works so I am not going there.

The problem was that my hip bone was right at the meeting point of the two boards, so it was uncomfortable. I think most people do not have this problem with the factory foam, but with my thermarest system (and my side sleeping 190lb frame) it was a problem.

I just ran across this link this evening, thanks SmkSignals! - Under Mattress Air Circulation System -

This system would kill the proverbial two birds, it would even the bed area and it would keep any condensation problems at bay.

It is expensive, but at less than two pounds it is lightweight. (And nothing makes something lightweight like being being expensive.) I thought about trying to find a similar material that would cost less, but I have not found a material that is light and also so compression resistant. But if anybody has any ideas let me know.

 

[SLO_F-250]

Hey Overland! That is a good idea to take care of the under mattress condensation! I have had the same problem. Too bad it is pretty dang expensive. Might have to think about that one for a while. I was debating on using some of the "aluminum foil bubble insulation" I have left over from my fridge install.

Camper and truck look great! Keep the pictures coming. :costumed-smiley-007

 

[brianjwilson]

Hey Overland! That is a good idea to take care of the under mattress condensation! I have had the same problem. Too bad it is pretty dang expensive. Might have to think about that one for a while. I was debating on using some of the "aluminum foil bubble insulation" I have left over from my fridge install.

Camper and truck look great! Keep the pictures coming. :costumed-smiley-007

If you have it, give it a try. I used reflectix (foil bubble wrap stuff) under and about 4" up the sides of the mattress in my hard side camper and it seemed to help a lot. Actually I used 1/2" foam insulation, then reflectix, then the mattress on top. Nice and toasty with no notable condensation. Light weight, low profile, fairly cheap. It really seemed to help reflect and retain body heat in the bed when it was cold out.

 

[herm]

how about the plastic garage flooring tiles that are mesh? or the plastic mesh you see at the enterence to a commercial building?

 

[westyss]

Or a new age product that is cheap and has air ducts that run throughout the material, provide some insulation and is readily available, if it gets wet or ruined it can be swapped out for new stuff for almost free.................its called corrugated cardboard

 

[AeroNautiCal]

Or a new age product that is cheap and has air ducts that run throughout the material, provide some insulation and is readily available, if it gets wet or ruined it can be swapped out for new stuff for almost free.................its called corrugated cardboard

If you use corroplast (corrogated plastic) you won't have problems associated with ordinary cardboard.

 

[Every Miles A Memory]

If you have it, give it a try. I used reflectix (foil bubble wrap stuff) under and about 4" up the sides of the mattress in my hard side camper and it seemed to help a lot. Actually I used 1/2" foam insulation, then reflectix, then the mattress on top. Nice and toasty with no notable condensation. Light weight, low profile, fairly cheap. It really seemed to help reflect and retain body heat in the bed when it was cold out.

We used the thickest Reflectix we could find in our camper and it made a huge difference. Wasn't expensive at all