Another 2020 Ram 5500 Flatbed Camper Build

[Brad_UT]

Your bed an Alumaline?

I had one. Mike the salesman is the worst person I have ever worked with. Ordered a bed and custom insert like a topper when camper not in my bed.

He screwed up measurements and was fully documented in emails and final drawings. He told me after spending $15,000 to just deal with it.

Sorry about your bed cracks. Aluminum is brittle.

I think Mike is the guy I that I talked to also. I clearly remember him saying, "you're not one of those overland camper guys are you?" When I said yes, he just sighed. But, he was okay to work with and all the dimensions came out just like my sketches. As far as custom aluminum beds go, they're pretty much as good as you can find anywhere. The right way to build it for our application would be to rivet or bolt all the connections like in an aircraft, but nobody would build that, or at least you couldn't afford it if they did.

 

[Brad_UT]

Hi Brad, love this rig. I'm sure you've already posted this but how is the bed attached to the frame? Bolts/plates, isolating pucks, springs etc? Always trying to learn stuff. My aluminum flatbed is holding up well so far but I had extra long sills and a 12 on center cross beams as a custom add on. Also did spring mounts in the front and middle and bolts at the rear.

My primary thing with aluminum is it doesn't rot like steel does with our salty roads in No Utah. Hopefully it holds up.

Bed is spring mounted to the frame just like yours. I'm sure there are a few pages earlier in this thread where I go over the details like length, spring rate, source, etc.

The weight and corrosion were on my mind too. I built most of this truck in my garage near Ogden, UT. I don't know what they put on the roads up there, but it'll rust bare steel in no time.

 

[Brad_UT]

Check this out. I had a dual Viair compressor setup, Dual 425's I think. I liked the compact size and having two for redundancy on the trail, but they just didn't put out enough air. Airing up all four MPT's at once from 30 to 70 would take maybe 20-25 minutes.

I bit the bullet and got an Oasis XD4000. This is a bad boy weighing in at like 73lbs and pulling 190 Amps. The pressure gauge needle on my 7.5 gal of air tanks rises up about as fast as a second hand moves on a watch. It's pretty cool. I haven't tried airing up the tires yet, but I bet it'll be more like 5 min now.

This thing is really overkill, but I couldn't find too many options in a size between a dual Viair setup and the Oasis.

 

[180out]

Check this out. I had a dual Viair compressor setup, Dual 425's I think. I liked the compact size and having two for redundancy on the trail, but they just didn't put out enough air. Airing up all four MPT's at once from 30 to 70 would take maybe 20-25 minutes.

I bit the bullet and got an Oasis XD4000. This is a bad boy weighing in at like 73lbs and pulling 190 Amps. The pressure gauge needle on my 7.5 gal of air tanks rises up about as fast as a second hand moves on a watch. It's pretty cool. I haven't tried airing up the tires yet, but I bet it'll be more like 5 min now.

This thing is really overkill, but I couldn't find too many options in a size between a dual Viair setup and the Oasis.

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I have had one for years. the unit is great. not cheep but gets it done. I don't even run a tank as the unit makes so much air. I can fill 6 245/70 19.5 from 60 to 120 in less then 5 min. I fill them all at once.

 

[Brad_UT]

Big news! We're heading up to Alaska next week...

About 10,000 miles and 2 months on the road. This is the trip I had in mind when I started this build. Time to go do it!

It's also a good final post to wrap up this thread. Thanks to everyone here for following along these past few years. I hope the information has been helpful in your own build.

If you see me out and about, please stop and say hello!

 

[unreng]

What route are you taking to AK? If you have the opportunity, visit Vancouver Island. It’s a truly spectacular place.
We documented our 2023 AK trip and it might give you some ideas/places to travel.

Chris & Julie & Ry (@arcroamer) • Instagram photos and videos

582 Followers, 483 Following, 233 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Chris & Julie & Ry (@arcroamer)

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If you haven’t purchased these already, the Backroads MapBooks are really helpful for travel thru BC - https://www.backroadmapbooks.com/destination/backroad-mapbooks/

We have a set if you want them (they’re new) - just pay shipping from Reno, NV and we can get them to you before you leave. 👍

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

So Glad to see this finally happening

 

[Brad_UT]

If you haven’t purchased these already, the Backroads MapBooks are really helpful for travel thru BC - https://www.backroadmapbooks.com/destination/backroad-mapbooks/

Hadn't seen those before. Thanks for the tip!

I'm heading to Denver, SLC and then north through Idaho to Kalispell MT to see from old friends on the way. Cross the border, Banff, Jasper, Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, Watson Lake, Whitehorse. Then decide if I can take the eastern route (Klondike Hwy) to Tok, but just depends if the border crossing east of Chicken is open yet. Then it's on to all the usual places: Dalton Hwy, Denali, Kenai Peninsula, McCarthy/Kennecott. I was thinking about Vancouver on the way back. Capilano Forest Suspension Bridge Park looks pretty cool...

 

[kmacafee]

I think Mike is the guy I that I talked to also. I clearly remember him saying, "you're not one of those overland camper guys are you?" When I said yes, he just sighed. But, he was okay to work with and all the dimensions came out just like my sketches. As far as custom aluminum beds go, they're pretty much as good as you can find anywhere. The right way to build it for our application would be to rivet or bolt all the connections like in an aircraft, but nobody would build that, or at least you couldn't afford it if they did.

I've had an Alumaline flatbed for almost 6 years and 125000 miles. The company makes a good product but the CEO is a total a*#hole and that drives the culture.

 

[180out]

Hadn't seen those before. Thanks for the tip!

I'm heading to Denver, SLC and then north through Idaho to Kalispell MT to see from old friends on the way. Cross the border, Banff, Jasper, Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, Watson Lake, Whitehorse. Then decide if I can take the eastern route (Klondike Hwy) to Tok, but just depends if the border crossing east of Chicken is open yet. Then it's on to all the usual places: Dalton Hwy, Denali, Kenai Peninsula, McCarthy/Kennecott. I was thinking about Vancouver on the way back. Capilano Forest Suspension Bridge Park looks pretty cool...

be sure and leave your firearms and weed with your friends in the US! The Canadians have no sense of humor on those issues and the right to take your truck. hard to mount a legal battle while standing at the border with nothing.

 

[Brad_UT]

be sure and leave your firearms and weed with your friends in the US! The Canadians have no sense of humor on those issues and the right to take your truck. hard to mount a legal battle while standing at the border with nothing.

I was sweating the crossing so, yeah, I wasn't taking any chances. I tossed some food items, dropped off my pistol to be shipped to AK, donated some ammo, etc. Didn't have any weed... yet.

I crossed today and it went really smooth. Border guard lady asked about alcohol, smokes, firearms, and "any other weapons for personal protection." Took all of 60 sec to get through. BUT... it could have just as easily been some jerk that decided today was the day he was going to stick it to the guy from Texas.

Funny, the border lady was pretty hot and I really wanted to hit on her, but hen I decided that might not be a good idea. lol. I'm digging that Canadian accent.

 

[Brad_UT]

Made it up to Ft. St. John. Unfortunately the Alaska Hwy route north is closed indefinitely due to the wildfire in Ft. Nelson. That town was evacuated and lots of the folks are here. I may give it a day or two to see if the highway reopens or change plans and take the west route on 37.

When I was coming through Dawson Creek, I was looking forward to seeing the "Alaska Hwy Mile Zero" sign. Figured there would be a good spot to take a pic. Nope, the Canadians love their roundabouts and put one right in front. This is the best I could get.

 

[RCP]

Big news! We're heading up to Alaska next week...

About 10,000 miles and 2 months on the road. This is the trip I had in mind when I started this build. Time to go do it!

It's also a good final post to wrap up this thread. Thanks to everyone here for following along these past few years. I hope the information has been helpful in your own build.

If you see me out and about, please stop and say hello!

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Love the truck, saw you on I-15 heading north, we chatted for a few seconds while stuck in traffic (white Ram Power Wagon). Good luck on the trip to Alaska.

 

[Brad_UT]

Love the truck, saw you on I-15 heading north, we chatted for a few seconds while stuck in traffic (white Ram Power Wagon). Good luck on the trip to Alaska.

Thanks RCP! That was one hell of a 2.5 hour delay sitting on I-15 wasn't it. Nice to meet a fellow overlander.

 

[Brad_UT]

Woke up this morning and called the British Columbia road people to get an update on the closure of 97. There has been alot of chatter on the news about the fire and the people, but nothing on when the ROAD would open up. The conversation went something like this, "well...there's the permits eh, and we have to work in close cooperation with the municipal council people eh, the wildfire service eh, and the first nation elders and yada yada yada. eh." Basically, road ain't gonna open for days. That's fine. It is what it is. Just say it. Geez. So I bailed out of there early and set off on the long detour from Ft. St. John to Prince George to Kitwanga then north on 37. A meager 700 mile detour.

It wasn't before I turned north onto 37 did the scenery feel remote. (Everything since Jasper has been what I would call oilfield country - same feel as west Texas.) I only saw a few other vehicles the whole time. I poked around some forest service roads along the way to look for dispersed or wild camping sites but didn't find anything that looked legit. (Important since Canada feels that I shouldn't have a gun -- which only guarantees all the criminals will...) I did so some fairly hard core RV off-roading though. Pretty cool that I can get right back on the highway and do 72mph and the ride's as smooth as can be.

Not finding my wilderness spot, I had to take one of the last three spots at Meziadin Lake. This place has people stacked right on top of one another. Seriously, why? Getting out of here as quick as I can in the morning...

Route today from Ft. St John in the east over to Meziadin Lake in the west.