Alaskan Camper Build Up

[Carlyle]

Capt Eddie, sorry about the slow response but this is the first internet connection after spending the last week in Yellowstone. Airbags make a huge difference in the ride of your vehicle and when you purchased your Lance should have been one of the first things to put on your vehicle. I upgraded shocks as well, but by far the airbags make the greatest difference. We're running Firestone's.

Spence, glad you enjoyed the build and the wife and I keep tabs on the cost of the build all along the way. She does roll her eyes at times when I want a new toy, but she does come around when it proves its use. Anything you want to know just let me know.

After a week in Yellowstone of running with intermittent sun we started to use the generator and were only able to pull three amps out of it before it bogged down and stalled. The Yamaha 1000 is rated for 8 amps, so I wonder if I need to connect dc to dc and go directly to the batteries? The Outback system can take in as much as 30 amps when plugged in, but the generator supplies little power at this time.

 

[Carlyle]

We just finished a four day fall camping trip to Hecla Junction, north of Salida in Colorado. The weather was great and the solar system and batteries kept all the components running flawlessly the whole time.

The fishing conditions were great on the Arkansas with hardly a soul around to scare off the skittish fish in the gin clear waters.

The truck just hit 100,000 miles and it goes in the shop next week for a complete fluid change. Oil, transmission, coolant, transfer case, brake, axles, power steering and anything else I can think of. My big quandary is whether I will pull off the catalytic converter now that it is out of warranty?

This month I'm also going to wire in the Engel directly and add two more 12 volt outlets in the camper interior. The flex net which is part of the brains for the Outback system is being sent back for a programming error recall. I hope that is a quick turn around.

I just ordered a Stable load, Superhitch and 21" extension directly from Torklift International, nice people there btw. The extension and hitch should help the rear storage pod flexing too much. The Stable Load is supposed to help with side to side movement of the camper. I'll keep everyone informed.

 

[locrwln]

Very nice.

How are liking the 19.5's? I really want to upgrade mine, but I have to put more miles on my michelins.

Jack

 

[Carlyle]

Hi Jack,

I have to say the 19.5's with the Goodyears are one of the best upgrades I have made so far. Once you get them you'll be happy, I know I am.

 

[Capt Eddie]

Are the tires rated G to be used on a F 450 with 16000 pay load? The tires on this new truck are only 31 inches. What size did you get and will they fit on the 6 inch wheel?

 

[locrwln]

Hi Jack,

I have to say the 19.5's with the Goodyears are one of the best upgrades I have made so far. Once you get them you'll be happy, I know I am.

Excellent. Did you notice a difference in the weight of the tires/rims over your old set up? I realize you feel the camper more than anything, just curious. Also are the new tires pretty quiet?

Awesome build, I would really like to take mine in that direction, but it will be some time before I can go that far.

Jack

 

[Carlyle]

Jack and Capt Eddie,

The tires are Goodyear G-124's 265-70R19.5 that are G rated for 5500 lbs each. They go up to 120 psi and I currently have them at 100 psi. The lowest I have been told I can run them safely at is 65 psi. They are an aggressive tire and one of the few rated for mud and snow and stand a tad over 35" tall. They are heavier than the OEM wheels and the Nitto 33's I had previously. They have about 10, 000 miles on them now and I can see no wear at all. Noise is about the same as the Nitto's I previously ran or a hair more. They basically sound like big truck tires, what more can I say other than you get used to it after a few miles.

They have a very solid feel on the road and do not feel mushy in the corners. This was particularly noticeable with the Bridgestone Revo's that I took off after about 200 miles and the Nitto Terra Grapplers (same as Toyo's). One big I have noticed so far is that they behave much better in heavy rain and standing water than the previous tires, probably because they are narrower. I am yet to have them on snow or ice.

They will fit on the 6" rim and the only draw back to these tires is that I had to reroute the exhaust because I put an identical tire and wheel underneath in the spare position. Oh, and they cost about $365 each plus wheels.

Thanks for the encouragement on the build!

 

[Prybry]

2 water inlets?

And an extra step added to the bottom of the camper so that getting on top when the top is up is not a rock climbing experience...

OK, I have to ask why 2 water inlet connections... city water and fresh water? What's the difference?

 

[Carlyle]

The fresh water inlet is for filling the water tank. The city water inlet bypasses the water tank and gives you running hot and cold without adding water to the tank. BTW, I really don't use that feature.

One thing I would like to figure out is how to use compressed air to push water from a jug into the fresh water inlet. Any ideas out there?

 

[BigJimCruising]

Very nice build up!! Fantastic job and lots of smart upgrades! Keep building my dream rig so when I can afford I'll just call up Alaskan and tell them to build me yours! lol!

Your idea of the compressed air to fill your tank reminded me of a friend who bought that kind of setup for his jeep. It used compressed air to fill his gas tank from his jerry cans. If you're using those for extra water then this setup should just screw right onto the jerry can, hook up your air compressor and you can empty the can in a couple minutes. I'll see him soon and I'll ask where he got it and let you know. I do know it was from an off roading kind of store. Happy camping!

Found it!: http://websites.uk-plc.net/2012_Mar..._Products/products/Fuel_Storage__Transfer.htm I don't know where you find them around here but this will show you what I was referring too.

 

[allnew2me]

Regarding the transfer of fuel, just get a valve stem and drill a hole in a spare cap to fit it. Make sure your pickup tube goes to the bottom of the fuel can and pressurize it with just enough to get it flowing good. I did this with a couple garden sprayers also instead of using those silly pumps.

 

[RocKrawler]

Found it!: http://websites.uk-plc.net/2012_Mar..._Products/products/Fuel_Storage__Transfer.htm I don't know where you find them around here but this will show you what I was referring too.

curse that link, I saw scepter fuel cans with no restrictions so I added 3 to the cart & saw it was frm the UK... DANG! I want at least 3 diesel cans for the new rig & cant get anyone to sell them to me here. [end thread hijack]

 

[Carlyle]

It's snowing and cold here and it was time for a few winter projects in the camper:


We have a set of shut off switches by our feet area under the settee that had a habit of getting knocked off, especially with a dog in the camper. I made a clear Lexan cover and hinged it for access when needed.

It has always been annoying to have the bathroom doors swinging around when they were not completely closed, now with the aid of a few magnets they stay open and don't swing around if were not completely level.

Covers for the solar fans for those really cold nights and useful for blocking sunlight if you want to sleep in.

 

[Colorado Ron]

Great job. Its the small things that add up to make all the difference on a trip!

 

[Carlyle]

Where in the world is Waldo? klahanie, that's me and the wife's image is cut off as we sit by the campfire at Turquoise Lake near Leadville, CO.

This weekend was a good test for the camper and its ability to function in the cold. Temperatures plummeted to a brisk -17 F and the camper maintained inside temps easily at 65-70 F. The overhead was a little chillier than the rest of the camper, but in some ways that is good, because I prefer to be in a little colder temps when sleeping. I have gone ahead and put the window plastic in place on the overhead windows, that is heat shrunk in place, to help create a bit of a dead air barrier and it seems to help somewhat as well.

Batteries in the camper did well as most of the heat created came from the catalytic heater with the furnace for additional heat as needed. Without the furnace the catalytic heater would have kept inside temps around 45-50F. The truck batteries were another story, when I went to start after three days, after plugging the block into the camper batteries for an hour, I discovered that my second starting battery was at 4 volts and not holding a charge... The offending yellow Optima went back to the store for full replacement under warranty yesterday as it was only a year old. probably took the cold snap for me to notice that the second battery was crapped out. I did have to get a jump from a friend to get started though. BTW, it takes about 20 minutes of connection to another vehicle to get these diesels to turn over and start.

The propane tank is down to 1/3, but it has been 8 weeks since I filled it last so I do not have a good idea yet on propane consumption other than that the catalytic heater seems to use less than the furnace and that I have ample propane for long trips.

The pass through to the cab was passing a lot of cold air, but this was easily fixed with a couple pillows for now and a plug is being made of foam and a cordura cover currently.

I think the weak link at this point is the camper door. Obviously it is not well insulated and for that matter doesn't have a bug screen for the summer. You could feel the cold against the door when the temps were low. I am having a door cover made out of quilted material similar to a moving blanket that will snap in place so help insulate the door. To make it extra versatile, a screen will snap in place in the same spot for summer use to keep the insects at bay and allow the door to stay open all the way, or only the top half. I'll post pictures of this project when complete.

In conclusion, this camper is made for the cold. The extra insulation in the floor and elsewhere is paying for itself tenfold. There are no drafts and the camper stays consistently warm and is comfortable down to -17 F at this point. The camper batteries can heat the block of the truck if needed and I need to set up a way to do a jump of the truck batteries in a pinch. The solid sides are per pleasure versus the soft sides on my past pop up camper. The past camper, can't mention names, had insulated soft sides, but are just not made for these low temperatures. They also became non pliable at those temps and made it difficult to drop the top without catching the material. Suffice to say, hard side are working out better for me.