Alaskan Camper Build Up

[Prevailing4u]

Just read through your entire story. Wow what a great projects. I am looking forward to getting to bed before 1:00am now. I believe your CD player illumination stays on because likely your installer hooked both the ignition and battery wire together and ran them to your 12v source. If you disconnect what I believe will be the yellow wire (ignition wire), (you will need to confirm this) and install a switch to act in place of your ignition switch that would normally have been used if the CD player had been installed in your truck. This will give you the ability to fully turn off your CD player from your camper and the added benifit of reducing your current draw on your batteries.

 

[skysix]

That’s something I didn't understand until I looked into it a bit. Single rear wheels inline (on the same track as) the front wheels are considered to be superior to dualies for off road/rough road use ..... If dualies worked better for the application--they would use it ..... As I understand it, the main reason SRWs are preferred is it allows you to more easily negotiate obstacles in your path (if your front tire clears it--and you are going in a straight line your rear tire will also clear it), and allows your rear wheels to roll on ground that has already been compressed by the front tires (I'm thinking snow would be an example), possibly improving traction. If anyone knows additional reasons, I'd like to learn them.

I'm also curious - if you ran duals on all 4 corners in "flotation neded" situations, with spacers to allow airing down, you'd get the ground pressure advantages of those 16.00x20 (53") tires without all the suspension lift / gearing / high strength axle parts upgrades etc... Saw pics of a pickup at SEMA like that = likely more show than go however. Anyone have any experience trying this?

 

[haven]

"...if you ran duals on all four corners..."

The concept is sound, but I think the problem would be carrying the extra tires and wheels around for the rare moments when you might be able to take advantage of them.

 

[skysix]

I normally carry 2 spares, have needed both several times (NWT and Yukon gravel can be very hard/sharp). If trailer has same bolt pattern/rim and is loaded at half the ground PSI of the truck using singles and also carries 2 spares... Or drive normally on hard surfces using duals and 2 spares then mount the front duals for the beach, offroad snow or muskeg... tall skinny singles are usually best for mud and snow over hardpack.

Just brainstorming... and wondering about the front spare placement/airflow etc as 2 spares carried on swingouts on the rear can become wider than truck if sizes are tall.... But what a great build!

 

[noJeepshere]

Wow, just joined this site recently and found this thread (along with many others) and I have to say "Excellent job!" That is really a cool vehicle.

I have an idea for the tire though, get rid of it. Install a set of Hummer H1 beadlocks with inserts: http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=232062&page=2

 

[skysix]

Got a sneaking feeling that 16.5 rims won't clear the brakes on that heavy of a truck. HEMTT rims on the other hand (20" also double beadlock) would be only a tiny bit larger than 19.5", but the offset might be an issue.

 

[grizzlyj]

That’s something I didn't understand until I looked into it a bit. Single rear wheels inline (on the same track as) the front wheels are considered to be superior to dualies for off road/rough road use. If you think of a deuce and a half or a more modern version of it http://www.special-trucks.eu/webspecial_zetros/
Or even heavy haulers like those 10 X 10 missile haulers they are all using single wheels. If dualies worked better for the application--they would use it. I'm thinking things like heavy tractor trailer rigs used in logging use dualies because they might spend considerable time on pavement getting to the mill, or it’s needed for the extreme weight of the cargo? As I understand it, the main reason SRWs are preferred is it allows you to more easily negotiate obstacles in your path (if your front tire clears it--and you are going in a straight line your rear tire will also clear it), and allows your rear wheels to roll on ground that has already been compressed by the front tires (I'm thinking snow would be an example), possibly improving traction. If anyone knows additional reasons, I'd like to learn them.

Mercedes Unimog promo vids, suggesting that 10cm of sinkage into soft ground represents an additional 10% up gradient with regard to the overal drag on the truck.

@7.35
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17PqDnW_dCs&list=FLUmrGnz2nn5257IbwNDSKNw&index=43&feature=plpp_video


Then @8.00min
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZRews1U1K4&list=FLUmrGnz2nn5257IbwNDSKNw&index=54&feature=plpp_video

So the second, and most likely heavier laden tyre, gets both a previously compacted piece of ground, as well as no additional drag by following the same track compared to different track widths (F-R) or duallies.

 

[grizzlyj]

Excellent finished product Carlyle! Happy travels!

A few questions if you don't mind?

So you ended up with diesel air heating as well as the Platinum Cat? Gas for hot water? And gas for the hob and cooker?

Was the rubber mat between bed and camper different to before? Is it needed?

Reading the Platinum Cat site it seems to suggest it heats objects rather than the air. Does that mean it should ideally be facing you? Is having a storage drawer above it an issue? Is it any good?!?

Is your mattress just a normal household one? We've gone through two in our camper over threes years of sleeping, one was expensive, one cheap and neither lasted, the quickest area of deterioration being where you would put your knee to get into bed. Flipping and rotating slows this a little, but not by much. A few people have suggested I should have got a camper mattress which is designed to cope with the wide range of temperatures and humidities that a household one would never expect to see. Any thoughts?

Do you have any means of heating the underbed storage a little? Have you noticed a warmer bed already, or will the biggest improvement just come from better sealing perhaps?

I've put the silvered bubble wrap in one place in my camper and it attracted condensation. This may be a good thing since you are then drawing moisture out and can remove it, but not if the water runs off where you can't get at it!

I know its been asked before, but do you know how heavy it is? About a ton seems a stock but vague answer!

And how tall when down, preferably from truckbed to top of skylight, since I won't be having the aircon if/when I get one.

Sorry if thats more than my allocation!

Cheers

Jason

 

[noJeepshere]

I have an idea for the tire though, get rid of it. Install a set of Hummer H1 beadlocks with inserts: http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=232062&page=2

Got a sneaking feeling that 16.5 rims won't clear the brakes on that heavy of a truck. HEMTT rims on the other hand (20" also double beadlock) would be only a tiny bit larger than 19.5", but the offset might be an issue.

Now that you mention it and I've had a good nights rest (yeah right) I see that. It was a thought. IMHO, that spare detracts from the overall vehicle, as the truck without it looks just hawt, and very well engineered, but having that huge tire hanging off the front doesn't work. I like the idea of cutting into the camper space and having it mounted flush in the side of the vehicle, that way it's out of the way but it's still very available.

Just my $0.02

 

[AeroNautiCal]

It has to be said...

Whilst the build is really something else, I just can't help thinking how extremely cute the dog is in this pic!

 

[skysix]

Mercedes Unimog promo vids, suggesting that 10cm of sinkage into soft ground represents an additional 10% up gradient with regard to the overal drag on the truck.

@7.35
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17PqDnW_dCs&list=FLUmrGnz2nn5257IbwNDSKNw&index=43&feature=plpp_video


Then @8.00min
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZRews1U1K4&list=FLUmrGnz2nn5257IbwNDSKNw&index=54&feature=plpp_video

So the second, and most likely heavier laden tyre, gets both a previously compacted piece of ground, as well as no additional drag by following the same track compared to different track widths (F-R) or duallies.

Same argument holds if duals front and rear however. As to drag duals vs singles, yes more drag but also less depth of penetration due to 50% reduced ground pressure. Would have to test to see if a dual/dual setup actually has better efficiency than a single/single setup with the same ground contact area. I think if the tires sizes were the same however, the dual/dual would win as less resistance due to shallower depth even though more width. Likely ground compressability dependent however.

 

[Carlyle]

Just read through your entire story. Wow what a great projects. I am looking forward to getting to bed before 1:00am now. I believe your CD player illumination stays on because likely your installer hooked both the ignition and battery wire together and ran them to your 12v source. If you disconnect what I believe will be the yellow wire (ignition wire), (you will need to confirm this) and install a switch to act in place of your ignition switch that would normally have been used if the CD player had been installed in your truck. This will give you the ability to fully turn off your CD player from your camper and the added benifit of reducing your current draw on your batteries.

Thanks! I'll look into that one and put a switch on it.

 

[Carlyle]

I'm also curious - if you ran duals on all 4 corners in "flotation neded" situations, with spacers to allow airing down, you'd get the ground pressure advantages of those 16.00x20 (53") tires without all the suspension lift / gearing / high strength axle parts upgrades etc... Saw pics of a pickup at SEMA like that = likely more show than go however. Anyone have any experience trying this?

I don't think I can ever see myself running dual wheels front and rear unless I'm in a farm tractor.

Thanks for the input though.

 

[Carlyle]

Excellent finished product Carlyle! Happy travels!

A few questions if you don't mind?

So you ended up with diesel air heating as well as the Platinum Cat? Gas for hot water? And gas for the hob and cooker?

I ended up with propane only for heating, cooking and hot water.

Was the rubber mat between bed and camper different to before? Is it needed?

I had a rubber mat on the old camper too, it just keeps the bottom of the camper from getting scuffed up. The bottom is skinned on this one as well so the aluminum skin stays intact now.

Reading the Platinum Cat site it seems to suggest it heats objects rather than the air. Does that mean it should ideally be facing you? Is having a storage drawer above it an issue? Is it any good?!?

Seems to work great down to 30 F so far. Very easy to use and the dogs love it.

Is your mattress just a normal household one? We've gone through two in our camper over threes years of sleeping, one was expensive, one cheap and neither lasted, the quickest area of deterioration being where you would put your knee to get into bed. Flipping and rotating slows this a little, but not by much. A few people have suggested I should have got a camper mattress which is designed to cope with the wide range of temperatures and humidities that a household one would never expect to see. Any thoughts?

I have a nice household mattress that is extremely comfortable. No issues with break down, but I will keep that in mind and move around when getting gin bed accordingly.

Do you have any means of heating the underbed storage a little? Have you noticed a warmer bed already, or will the biggest improvement just come from better sealing perhaps?

To heat the under bed storage I simply leave the door open or off. The bed seems to be warmer at night and the sealing is better with no over cab bed.

I've put the silvered bubble wrap in one place in my camper and it attracted condensation. This may be a good thing since you are then drawing moisture out and can remove it, but not if the water runs off where you can't get at it!

Moisture is always an issue in camper and something to be mindful of always.

I know its been asked before, but do you know how heavy it is? About a ton seems a stock but vague answer!

15k loaded

And how tall when down, preferably from truckbed to top of skylight, since I won't be having the aircon if/when I get one.

9' 4" now, minus about 2-3" should be about right

Sorry if thats more than my allocation!

Cheers

Jason

Sorry about the slow response, but I just had a hernia repair and I'm a little slow right now. As always, any and all questions, interjections, help, humor etc are always welcome and one of the reasons I like ExPo portal so much.

Carl

 

[Carlyle]

Whilst the build is really something else, I just can't help thinking how extremely cute the dog is in this pic! View attachment 104791

We like our Airedales too!