2020 Ram 5500 DIY Composite Panel Camper Build Thread

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

RESPECT!

After watching our Total Composites box being put together this week by OAT I have a TON of respect for you doing it yourself. It can be done in the right shop and with a few friends but it takes a BUNCH of work. My hat is off to you man for your DIY!

CHEERS!

Thanks for the kind words sir!

I am super thankful to have some crazy and talented friends that share the same "Send It" mindset as me... Its amazing what 3 rednecks with some tools can do when they put their ideas together.

Originally i really wanted to pay someone else to assemble the box portion but couldnt find anyone competent anywhere around me, so........... Just had to send it!

The actual assembling of the box was an epic fun comedy show from start to finish and an experience i'll remember forever.

The day everything showed up, my 2 friends that helped with the assembly didn't believe me that the entire thing was held together with adhesive, and were very apprehensive, and thought i had lost my mind.

Between the 3 of us, we had exactly zero experience in anything of this nature and didn't have any fancy overhead gantrys or other cool gizmos that would of aided assembly.

Just 3 dudes, some muscle, some stupidity, and a mission.

The 3 of us have VERY different backgrounds when it comes to building stuff, and it ended up being the perfect mix for problem solving and getting it done.

I'll forever be grateful for their assistance getting the box together and the epic month long experience it was, and for the other handful of folks that assisted when it was needed.

Its been 2 years and i still get an odd sense of pride every single time i step inside of it.

Oddly enough, the handful of things i am not 100% happy with are all things that we outsourced, and should of done ourselves.

NOTE: For those that remember when i built up an FZJ80 (in my driveway) and raced it in the Baja1000 in 2007, one of my friends that i built that with, was also one that helped with the camper assembly...

Hashtag Not Scared

 

[Mat Mobile]

Oddly enough, the handful of things i am not 100% happy with are all things that we outsourced, and should of done ourselves.

I had a very different kind of build but this has also been my experience. Very frustrating...

Great job! And thanks for sharing your after-thoughts!

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Soooo...

First real odd snag here with the build that had me stumped...

Tried to fire up the Air Conditioner the other day and once the compressor kicks on, the Victron Multiplus kept shutting off with a low voltage alert (batteries were fully charged and tested when it did this).

After a ton of trial and error, customer service support phone calls from Signature Solar (where i bought them) it was determined the BMS in the batteries was shutting them down due to the spike.

This doesnt make a lot of sense, because the AC has run perfectly for 2 years on the 300ah LifeBlue i had, and the draw is WELL within the specs of these batteries and the BMS units.

Doing a ton of testing, the highest draw i ever saw spike was 182a at 12v. Tech support even confirmed my wiring and everything and said i should be safe up to 440a discharge.

I disassembled the batteries to see if anything was loose or anything, and to my surprise, the build quality on them was much better than expected.

I did a test and simply bypassed the BMS by disconnecting it, and everything worked perfectly fine and tested great six ways to sunday.

The batteries come with BMS software and i plugged in my laptop and was able to monitor it, but no adjustments can be made. More of a battery MONITORING system than a battery MANAGEMENT system.

So... I will be replacing the BMS with a higher quality, adjustable unit at a later date, but for now, it is bypassed and working fine.

NOTE: Signature Solar customer service has been amazing to work with and try to troubleshoot the issue.

Just a heads up for anyone considering these batteries:

 

[gprguy]

Interesting. My first thought was "soft start device" as I just finished installing one on my (much lower quality) A/C, but I see the Houghton says over and over that it doesn't need one.

Feels like something Will Prowse could dig into and make a useful video from.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Interesting. My first thought was "soft start device" as I just finished installing one on my (much lower quality) A/C, but I see the Houghton says over and over that it doesn't need one.

Feels like something Will Prowse could dig into and make a useful video from.

My thoughts exactly and why it was so puzzling

 

[chris_the_wrench]

@RAM5500 CAMPERTHING
I watched your build in real time, and I just binged read the 81 pages over the past couple of days.

Thanks for documenting the process so thoroughly and without BS!

My quick relevant backstory: We have a 5500 Crew 84" on order(hopefully July!). Initial plan is to build an 11 foot'ish flatbed/subframe and drop our current truck camper and a mess of tool boxes onto it. Perhaps a couple years down the road build something like you have done. The initial truck purchase was a big $$ deal for us, so any modifications we do have to be well planned and needed. Going to stick with the dwr for now, I'd like to do Kelderman, just timing($$) could be tough. Ive heard through the inter webs they do a a Black Friday sale....

Questions:
-What kind of fuel filler hose did you find to extend your filler neck that didn't kink?
-Is the HDPE attached to the subframe or truck frame?
-How much more of a royal pita 'do you think' it would it be to install the Kelderman system after your box was mounted?
-I've had some 'internet experts' tell me that a 5500 19500 gvwr is required to stop at weigh stations on the interstates, your experience?

Thanks again.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

@RAM5500 CAMPERTHING

Questions:
-What kind of fuel filler hose did you find to extend your filler neck that didn't kink?
Thanks again.

The truck actually includes it. It came with a large bag with both filler necks and about 6ft of that hose

-Is the HDPE attached to the subframe or truck frame?

Subframe

-How much more of a royal pita 'do you think' it would it be to install the Kelderman system after your box was mounted?

I am not sure if it would of even been possible. If it was possible, it would be the pinnacle of PITA to install after the box is mounted.

-I've had some 'internet experts' tell me that a 5500 19500 gvwr is required to stop at weigh stations on the interstates, your experience?

The folks that told you such things are probably folks that wear their masks in the car when they are driving by themselves.

I've had "internet experts" tell me the world is flat... Sooooo

I've never stopped at a weigh station in my life.

 

[chris_the_wrench]

-Thanks for the real world experience with the Kelderman install, looks like I better bust my hump at work abit more over the next few weeks so I can order the Kelderman settup before installing the flatbed...

I am not sure if it would of even been possible. If it was possible, it would be the pinnacle of PITA to install after the box is mounted.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

-Thanks for the real world experience with the Kelderman install, looks like I better bust my hump at work abit more over the next few weeks so I can order the Kelderman settup before installing the flatbed...

The install itself is pretty straight forward and simple.

Mainly because everything is very easily accessible

 

[Big Rudy]

The install itself is pretty straight forward and simple.

Mainly because everything is very easily accessible

 

[Big Rudy]

Just a couple clarifications. I have asked before about your Sterling B2B, I'm getting real close to installing mine. Did you mount it under the hood? If not, would you if you had room?
Communications with Sterling have led me to believe its fine as long as water is not intruding. I'm doing a 12v to 24v, so if its under the hood close to the starter battery my wiring back to the house batteries would be smaller gauge, and one. Just for the record, Sterling(Ben) has had great customer support, can't wait to get it up and running.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Just a couple clarifications. I have asked before about your Sterling B2B, I'm getting real close to installing mine. Did you mount it under the hood? If not, would you if you had room?
Communications with Sterling have led me to believe its fine as long as water is not intruding. I'm doing a 12v to 24v, so if its under the hood close to the starter battery my wiring back to the house batteries would be smaller gauge, and one. Just for the record, Sterling(Ben) has had great customer support, can't wait to get it up and running.

No, mine is mounted in the camper.

1) It’s pretty dang big and didn’t have room
2) I try to keep any and all electrical components out of the elements, regardless what manufacture says.

 

[chris_the_wrench]

Here is the center console / air bag control system thingamajig fitted up. Thanks again to @Brad_UT

Was able to retain the factory USB plugs and 120v plug and super stoked with how it all fits. Needs some adjusting and tweaking, but this will be the general idea:

Lots of good info in this thread. Did you end up running a power switch for your arb air compressor off the factory aux switches? From my initial studies those oem switches look very easy to hook up. True?? Are those gauges and panel in front of the cup holders on the center console(dont have my truck yet to look at, looking at pics online)?
Thanks

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Lots of good info in this thread. Did you end up running a power switch for your arb air compressor off the factory aux switches? From my initial studies those oem switches look very easy to hook up. True?? Are those gauges and panel in front of the cup holders on the center console(dont have my truck yet to look at, looking at pics online)?
Thanks

Yes, arb is wired to the upfitter switches

don’t understand your other question

 

[Big Rudy]

The other Sterling/ Signature battery question I have. When I purchased my Signature batteries, we went around and around about using a B2B charger. This was late last fall, they said it was not recommended, so... I did what you did, and bought them anyways. My build has been sitting, I'm starting to wire tomorrow, finally. Question : did you use the Sterling preset charging profile, or create your own?
Thanks again.