Search results

Got all four lifters mounted. Time for wiring. In my reading and research on these electric lifters, it seems that their speed is very sensitive to the voltage they see - important in a camper context as a longer wire run for a given lifter means more voltage drop so that lifter will be slower...

Well, a solid two months without any real work on the camper finally came to an end this weekend. Minor progress but it felt good to do something. Work on the lifters resumed. I've been playing around with the final design for the lower mounts. Here's what I settled on, behold, the trapezoid...

I looked at all these options too and settled on the following for outer and interior construction of our camper: 1) use thickened epoxy to slightly overfill the "end grain" of the honeycomb core panel, position the panel, clamp in place, let dry overnight or so 2) use thickened epoxy to do...

Following this build for sure. Your thought process on cabover/no cabover was very similar to mine. I went without and am very happy with the result. Looking forward to seeing your pop-up design, floor plan, etc. as it all unfolds.

Had some time to get work done today. All four upper mounts installed. They are anchored in to 1.5" of plywood behind the aluminum angle. They seem really solid. Here's an actuator hanging in place. I think they will look pretty good in the end. Also got the rear lower mounts on. They...

A little progress to report on the electric lift project. Got the mounts designed and built. All aluminum since that's what I can work with with my tools. Forces shouldn't be too great since the scissor lifters will be doing most of the work, but did my best to over engineer these. Rear...

The panels insulate okay. I would go as thick as you can if keeping the cold/hot out is important. Foam core composite panels generally have slightly better insulation per inch but tend to weigh just a bit more. I primarily notice cold coming in at the "seal" between the slide-up and the main...

I did a composite hard side slide up for a 5 foot bed. (see sig for the build thread). I'm well under 1,000lb dry (with lots of bells and whistles built in) so I think you can do it if you use composites. I didn't do a cabover but I did play with the idea a lot during my design phase. I don't...

I agree generally with LeishaShannon on all he says. On the other hand though, there is comfort in having a BMS if something in the system goes haywire. That being said, I'm not crazy about that BMS kit from ECPC but I bet it will work okay. A better design would protect the battery at the cell...

We managed to get in a short trip over the weekend. Spot called Monache Meadows in the southern Sierras. First real 4X4 road we have done since I installed the airbags and Daystar cradles - they worked great. Kept the bags at 55psi, aired the tires down to 25psi front and 30psi rear and the ride...

I recommend you read through as much of this as you can stand: https://marinehowto.com/lifepo4-batteries-on-boats/ See especially his opinions on "drop in" batteries. He identifies several big potential downsides to using these. He also tries to talk you out of DIY ;-) Bottom line for me is...

Well, it's been a long summer with minimal travel :cautious: due to work and life, but it's time to do some upgrades with an eye towards fall and winter trips. Two big projects in the works: First, Pro-Rig is officially going electric! Settled on some actuators (Firgelli) and a ordered up a...

Not sure if this is a good approach or not (just a design idea, I haven't installed it yet) but I'm planning on using a small bilge air blower like this: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F7ANK7S/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_14?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3EBZ5HHZPL73 It'll bring in air from outside...

Looking really good, congratulations on the progress! Please do report on how the toilet works out. I like the price tag vs. the Natures Head :)

Ah yes, basalt, love the volcanic rock. Crack width between hands and fists is grim work! When you're looking for that solid elbow jam, you know it's getting ugly :)

That looks like super fun climbing - the rock is a spitting image of the Owens River Gorge (near Bishop, CA). Yeah, a 5.9 hand crack that you can't get your hands in gets tough real quick! He with the big hands gets to flail then the small-handed wife/girlfriend/kid get to cruise and rave about...

Hadn't thought of going custom. I like it. Could probably also customize speed and force to something closer to my ideal. Got some ideas brewing on how to deal with the extra 1/2" (avoiding limiting straps or external limit switches) if I go off-the-shelf. Firgelli does have good prices - nice...

Okay, anyone have experience with 12v linear actuators and care to share some wisdom? I want to automate the slide-up. The basics: Slide-up has 17.5" of travel. Actuators need to go on the outside of the camper and be upside down (motor up). I think one on the front/passenger and one on the...

Yet another little project to report, filed under "keep your partner happy!"... So, Sheri is pretty sensitive to bad tasting drinking water and to date has more or less refused to drink out of the holding tank (there is a slight plastic taste, so I get it). Anyway, this meant buying bottled...

I'll second your truism. It seems kind of obvious when I read it but in all my thinking and research (and maybe even philosophizing) on camper design, I never fully developed the thought. I think this is a perfect philosophical starting point for those out there designing their own camper. And...