Another 2020 Ram 5500 Flatbed Camper Build

[180out]

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.

View attachment 834767

Perfect!

 

[Brad_UT]

Trip is going great. Canada wasn't in any hurry to re-open the road to Fort Nelson so I took the long detour from Fort St. John down to Prince George and then west to Kitwanga. Then north on Cassiar Hwy 37. Partied with some Canadians at Meziadlin Lake. Camped right on the water at Twin Lakes CG. Saw Watson Lake signpost forest. (Wow, lots of European traveler's!) Then west to Whitehorse. Saw the LeTourneau land train at the transportation museum.

I'm now about 50km up the Dempster Hwy at Tombstone Territorial Park. There's only three groups here. Snow capped mountains all around and sound of rushing water from Yukon River only 50yds away. Sunlight is almost 24 hours a day now.

Headed into Dawson City later today followed by ferry crossing and then border crossing into AK. Will be wild camping along the Top of the World Hwy tonight.

Route so far:

 

[Brad_UT]

The Dalton Highway is no joke.

But we'll get to that in a minute. I made my way from Tombstone over to Dawson City and took a walk around downtown. Not very busy since still early in the season. Nothing spectacular to see there. The ferry crossing went really smooth. Only had to wait maybe 5 min. Then on to the Top of the World Highway. Wow, that is the highlight of the trip so far! Absolutely spectacular scenery. Did a little 4-wheeling up some gravel trail offshoots of the road. I'm always leery of plowing through deep (1-3 ft) snow but I gave it a shot a few times. The 5500 in 4WD with the MPT81's is a beast to behold. Fears not justified as it just plows through. Made it up to a peak with full 360 degree views. Just amazing! Road was in really great shape so I highly recommend this be a part of any AK trip.

Border crossing was on the highest part of the highway from what I could tell. Tiny place. Young guard loved the rig and we ended up chatting about that for a while. No issue getting back in. Camped at a BLM CG west of there that night. Discovered a puncture in my right rear tire. Fixed it with a plug kit I had brought. Always come prepared!

Went over to Chicken AK next. Found the saloon/campground/store place and fully expected to drink the day away talking to other weary travelers from all over the world. Then stagger to the RV when I had my fill. But it was not to be. The border opened early and this had caught them by surprise. They weren't even open yet. Nothing in the town was. Sucks. So, to Tok to pick up the hog leg. Had a great meal at the local restaurant. Then on to Fairbanks for WalMart, DEF/diesel and a truck wash. I think they use magnesium chloride to control dust on the roads. Turns into a thin coat of shotcrete on your truck.

Then it was north to the Dalton. Right out of Fairbanks it's paved. And up here, I've come to determine pavement a bad thing. The frost heaves are terrible. If you can imagine a long road laid out ahead of you, the frost heaves make it look like a rippled piece of bacon. Up and down, right and left, mile after mile. Tires will come off the ground at some point. It's a workout on the suspension -- and the driver. And then there's the endless potholes. All that is hard to fix on pavement. With a gravel road, you just grade it and it's like new again. At least for a little while.

One of my first experiences on the Dalton was waiting in a construction zone and seeing these oversized loads roll by the other way. These were two of the largest trucks I had ever seen. Oshkosh, I think. Fully covered in thick brown mud. Looked like a scene out of Mad Max. They were massive and I think they had come the whole way. After that, I was driving and here comes a few semi's with giant dust clouds roiling behind them. They pass me at about 60 and it's a total blackout on a narrow windy hill climb. I can't see anything. And I'm a little worried another one is going to slam into the back of me. Par for the course up here. This road isn't for the faint of heart. But, that's why I like it.

 

[RealTruck]

The Dalton Highway is no joke.

But we'll get to that in a minute. I made my way from Tombstone over to Dawson City and took a walk around downtown. Not very busy since still early in the season. Nothing spectacular to see there. The ferry crossing went really smooth. Only had to wait maybe 5 min. Then on to the Top of the World Highway. Wow, that is the highlight of the trip so far! Absolutely spectacular scenery. Did a little 4-wheeling up some gravel trail offshoots of the road. I'm always leery of plowing through deep (1-3 ft) snow but I gave it a shot a few times. The 5500 in 4WD with the MPT81's is a beast to behold. Fears not justified as it just plows through. Made it up to a peak with full 360 degree views. Just amazing! Road was in really great shape so I highly recommend this be a part of any AK trip.

Border crossing was on the highest part of the highway from what I could tell. Tiny place. Young guard loved the rig and we ended up chatting about that for a while. No issue getting back in. Camped at a BLM CG west of there that night. Discovered a puncture in my right rear tire. Fixed it with a plug kit I had brought. Always come prepared!

Went over to Chicken AK next. Found the saloon/campground/store place and fully expected to drink the day away talking to other weary travelers from all over the world. Then stagger to the RV when I had my fill. But it was not to be. The border opened early and this had caught them by surprise. They weren't even open yet. Nothing in the town was. Sucks. So, to Tok to pick up the hog leg. Had a great meal at the local restaurant. Then on to Fairbanks for WalMart, DEF/diesel and a truck wash. I think they use magnesium chloride to control dust on the roads. Turns into a thin coat of shotcrete on your truck.

Then it was north to the Dalton. Right out of Fairbanks it's paved. And up here, I've come to determine pavement a bad thing. The frost heaves are terrible. If you can imagine a long road laid out ahead of you, the frost heaves make it look like a rippled piece of bacon. Up and down, right and left, mile after mile. Tires will come off the ground at some point. It's a workout on the suspension -- and the driver. And then there's the endless potholes. All that is hard to fix on pavement. With a gravel road, you just grade it and it's like new again. At least for a little while.

One of my first experiences on the Dalton was waiting in a construction zone and seeing these oversized loads roll by the other way. These were two of the largest trucks I had ever seen. Oshkosh, I think. Fully covered in thick brown mud. Looked like a scene out of Mad Max. They were massive and I think they had come the whole way. After that, I was driving and here comes a few semi's with giant dust clouds roiling behind them. They pass me at about 60 and it's a total blackout on a narrow windy hill climb. I can't see anything. And I'm a little worried another one is going to slam into the back of me. Par for the course up here. This road isn't for the faint of heart. But, that's why I like it.

View attachment 835796

Looks like I've found your thread with perfect timing. These are great pictures, and a great build, too!

 

[Brad_UT]

"Trust me, It's there..."

The Dalton is one of those roads that demands your full undivided attention all the time. With all the bumps, curves, hills and steep drop off's you're a right on the edge of a total yard sale all the time. With that said, the drive up was pretty uneventful. The 5500 camper rig just loves it. The scenery around Atigun Pass was out of this world. Unfortunately that's also when the weather turned overcast. Then came the snow and freezing fog. By the time I got to Deadhorse it was near whiteout conditions. The weather was in the low 20's that night when I camped on the edge of a frozen river. The sound of ice cracking in the distance reminded me that this place is very much alive.

The next morning we boarded the shuttle for the 10 min ride to the ocean proper. I was hoping for better weather, but mother nature wasn't cooperating. The ocean was frozen and snow covered just like the shore. So, it was hard to see where the land ends and the water begins. Everything was white. I made some kind of snarky comment to the shuttle driver Jack about driving 6000 miles to see some water. He says, "trust me, it's there." (He did a outstanding job narrating the trip by the way - highly recommend)

View attachment IMG_1505.JPG
View looking out on the Arctic Ocean

On the way back I go to know some fellow overlanders that I had seen off and on along the trail during the trip. They were making a long weekend trip from their homes near Fairbanks. We sat around the campfire and solved the world's problems over quite a few adult beverages. Just fantastic people and a highlight of my trip on the Dalton for sure.

After the Dalton, I went to Denali NP. Once again more Alaska awesomeness. The mountains just seem to go on forever. I spent alot of time waiting for Denali to reveal itself, but like the 70% of visitors who come to the park, I didn't see it. Heading south I found the next real gem of the trip: a big gravel bar on the Susitna River. This was another iOverlander jackpot. Expansive views and lots of peace and quiet. I stayed two nights to recharge.


I'm down on the Kenai Peninsula now. Visited the Homer Spit and now off to Seward with a glacier hike in between. Kenai Fjords NP ocean cruise/tour tomorrow. Then McCarthy/Kennecott. More good stuff to come for sure.

 

[Alloy]

Thanks for the compliments! I have had some issues with aluminum bed. There are quite a few gusset plates that connect the frame rails that run front to back to the slats that run side to side. Alum-Line only welded one side of these triangular plates so they were weak. Cracks have started to form in some of these and I've had to fabricate bolted connecting plates to take their place. I fear this will continue to be an issue. I'll admit, the aluminum bed seemed like a good idea in the beginning, but if I were to do it again, I'd definitely build it out of steel.
View attachment 803451
Getting the spare down is easy. Roll it out and let that mf'er drop. Lifting one up takes two people or alot of liquid courage.

Nothing wrong with aluminum just Alum-Line are crappy builds. The welding is downhand and the channels isn't thick enough.

My $0.00002 to fix (welding the other side will delay cracking) this would be to add a 6" long doubler (3/8" flatbar) between and the gusset. The doubler would go flat on the channel so a strip needs to be cut out of the gusset with a Sawzall for the doubler to slide in. The doubler should only be welded (may need a curved welding nozzle) top and bottom and the gusset welded (uphand not downhand) vertically on both sides.

If the channel is cracked through the crack can be open with a die grinder/Sawzall and welded from the inside once the 3/8" doubler is on the outside. Best to weld the crack last as the welding on the outsie will act as a preheat.

Do you have an air dryer? My buddy that works on ambulances in Alberta that have air suspension. He curses manufactures that don't install air dryers.

Edit.....I forgot to mention I put Expel PPF on my acrylic windows. The clarity dropped by 2% but the PPF doesn't get scratched by every single twig. I've removed 2 deep scratches with a heat gun.

 

[Brad_UT]

Nothing wrong with aluminum just Alum-Line are crappy builds. The welding is downhand and the channels isn't thick enough.

My $0.00002 to fix (welding the other side will delay cracking) this would be to add a 6" long doubler (3/8" flatbar) between and the gusset. The doubler would go flat on the channel so a strip needs to be cut out of the gusset with a Sawzall for the doubler to slide in. The doubler should only be welded (may need a curved welding nozzle) top and bottom and the gusset welded (uphand not downhand) vertically on both sides.

If the channel is cracked through the crack can be open with a die grinder/Sawzall and welded from the inside once the 3/8" doubler is on the outside. Best to weld the crack last as the welding on the outsie will act as a preheat.

Do you have an air dryer? My buddy that works on ambulances in Alberta that have air suspension. He curses manufactures that don't install air dryers.

Edit.....I forgot to mention I put Expel PPF on my acrylic windows. The clarity dropped by 2% but the PPF doesn't get scratched by every single twig. I've removed 2 deep scratches with a heat gun.

Thanks for the advice. Some major bed work is definitely on my todo list. I was actually thinking about replacing the aluminum C-channels with a steel subframe. Without a bunch of lift equipment, I'd have to do this without taking the bed/camper fully off the truck. Not fun, but I'll get it done eventually. I've been monitoring the crack during this Alaska trip. It's opened up, but not lengthened significantly. No other cracks noticed either so all is well for now. I jut cringe a little every time I twist the frame and camper rocks side to side.

The air dryer: I avoided using a traditional one because they use alot of air due to the way they purge the dessicant. But I do have a small filter/separator just for the air bag valve manifold. Never seen any moisture in it. The Oasis (oiled) compressor is plumbed into one tank which feeds another. There's plenty of time for the air to cool and water to condense out. I also have a heating pad on the valve manifold that prevents any condensate from freezing overnight and leaving me stranded. Probably not the "by the book" setup, but it's been working great so far.

The scratches in the paint and on the windows let the masses know this isn't just a mall crawler. I happy with that. lol.

 

[Brad_UT]

 

[Alloy]

Thanks for the advice. Some major bed work is definitely on my todo list. I was actually thinking about replacing the aluminum C-channels with a steel subframe. Without a bunch of lift equipment, I'd have to do this without taking the bed/camper fully off the truck. Not fun, but I'll get it done eventually. I've been monitoring the crack during this Alaska trip. It's opened up, but not lengthened significantly. No other cracks noticed either so all is well for now. I jut cringe a little every time I twist the frame and camper rocks side to side.

The air dryer: I avoided using a traditional one because they use alot of air due to the way they purge the dessicant. But I do have a small filter/separator just for the air bag valve manifold. Never seen any moisture in it. The Oasis (oiled) compressor is plumbed into one tank which feeds another. There's plenty of time for the air to cool and water to condense out. I also have a heating pad on the valve manifold that prevents any condensate from freezing overnight and leaving me stranded. Probably not the "by the book" setup, but it's been working great so far.

The scratches in the paint and on the windows let the masses know this isn't just a mall crawler. I happy with that. lol.

I usually see 4-6 are cracked. For just one welding both sides would work. An idea for the long term would be to cut alum. flatbar that fits inside between the flanges of the channel. On the outside bolt 3/16"-1/4" alum angle to the channel/flatbar and gussets. Best to do before more cracks show up.

Good there's no H2O in the lines.

I looking at a buddies truck with the same tire garage. We are probably going to use a 300-500lb drawer slide to hang/lift the tire.

 

[Brad_UT]

I'm starting to feel like Alaska wants me to leave. The Arctic Ocean was a whiteout. No northern lights. Denali didn't reveal itself. The Kenai Fjords boat tour got cancelled. No salmon or bears in Valdez at the hatchery. And now, I just found out the McCarthy road is closed. Damnit!

I'm not letting it get me down though. It's still been a great trip.

Check out this really great wild camp spot on the Resurrection River. On the road up to Exit Glacier north of Seward. Stayed two days here. Met this German guy who was taking a year off to tour Canada and then South America in his trusty Land Rover Defender. We offered up a few choice camp spots in Utah on his way down. I hope he makes it.


While waiting for McCarthy Road to open, I went back to another camp spot I saw on the way down to Valdez. This might possibly be the coolest place I've ever camped. Amazing views with little wind and no mosquitos! Thompson Pass:

 

[Alloy]

I'm starting to feel like Alaska wants me to leave. The Arctic Ocean was a whiteout. No northern lights. Denali didn't reveal itself. The Kenai Fjords boat tour got cancelled. No salmon or bears in Valdez at the hatchery. And now, I just found out the McCarthy road is closed. Damnit!

I'm not letting it get me down though. It's still been a great trip.

Check out this really great wild camp spot on the Resurrection River. On the road up to Exit Glacier north of Seward. Stayed two days here. Met this German guy who was taking a year off to tour Canada and then South America in his trusty Land Rover Defender. We offered up a few choice camp spots in Utah on his way down. I hope he makes it.
View attachment 837769

While waiting for McCarthy Road to open, I went back to another camp spot I saw on the way down to Valdez. This might possibly be the coolest place I've ever camped. Amazing views with little wind and no mosquitos! Thompson Pass:
View attachment 837770

Are you happy with the trucks fuel/range?

 

[RealTruck]

I'm starting to feel like Alaska wants me to leave. The Arctic Ocean was a whiteout. No northern lights. Denali didn't reveal itself. The Kenai Fjords boat tour got cancelled. No salmon or bears in Valdez at the hatchery. And now, I just found out the McCarthy road is closed. Damnit!

I'm not letting it get me down though. It's still been a great trip.

Check out this really great wild camp spot on the Resurrection River. On the road up to Exit Glacier north of Seward. Stayed two days here. Met this German guy who was taking a year off to tour Canada and then South America in his trusty Land Rover Defender. We offered up a few choice camp spots in Utah on his way down. I hope he makes it.
View attachment 837769

While waiting for McCarthy Road to open, I went back to another camp spot I saw on the way down to Valdez. This might possibly be the coolest place I've ever camped. Amazing views with little wind and no mosquitos! Thompson Pass:
View attachment 837770

An absolutely breathtaking sight!

 

[Brad_UT]

Are you happy with the trucks fuel/range?

If you believe the truck's trip odometer/computer, I've been getting 11-12mpg after 7500miles. Gravel roads and hilly/curvy terrain certainly pull down the average, but what really kills it is airing down the tires. I normally run 75psi on the highway, but when I air down to 40psi or so for really rough roads, you can feel the increased rolling resistance and load on the engine. With 73 gal or so of Diesel on the truck, range anxiety has never been an issue. The best piece of advice I've hard up here is to "always run off the top half of your tank."

I've been at the Basecamp CG in McCarthy for two days now. Another incredible camp spot right at the base of Root Glacier!

 

[DirtWhiskey]

Such a great trip Brad. Been following along. Exactly why I built my rig. Now I just have to stop working. Have a year of hard pull until I can piece together longer than 2 weeks.

When you were at Tombstone did you do the hike to those crazy wild peaks? That's a dream destination for me.

I might have asked earlier but it your bed hard mounted or spring mounted?

 

[Brad_UT]

Such a great trip Brad. Been following along. Exactly why I built my rig. Now I just have to stop working. Have a year of hard pull until I can piece together longer than 2 weeks.

When you were at Tombstone did you do the hike to those crazy wild peaks? That's a dream destination for me.

I might have asked earlier but it your bed hard mounted or spring mounted?

Thanks man. All that hard work will pay off when you get up here and start living out of it. I think this trip has proven to me at least that the 5500 based truck camper is just ideal for exploring this wilderness and standing up to the punishment that is driving in Alaska. It's not too big or too small so you can get into a lot of places other vans and RV's won't even try. And having the fuel, power and water to be self-reliant for a week or more gives you lots of piece of mind.

Like you, I put this trip off for a few years waiting for the job situation to allow it. When I left my job in April I finally had my chance. I was ready.

I've done quite a few short hikes on the trip, mostly up to see glaciers or overlooks, but none at Tombstone unfortunately. That's a beautiful area for sure. At 48 my knees are as good as they used to be and my hiking ability is really determined by how much Advil I take.

The bed is fixed in the rear and has two pairs of springs, one pair mid way and the other pair near the front of the bed. The truck frame flexes quite a bit so you have to do something. They've been working great for me. I've put the GoPro down there to see them in action and they definitely do move like they should. Just don't do an aluminum subframe for your bed like I did. Mounting aluminum boxes to a steel subframe is the way to go. I think the spring and mount details are further back in this thread somewhere.

Sad to say, but I've started the long trek home. I don't think I'll be able to top the camping scenery at McCarthy in that last pic. Crossing the border into the Yukon today. Next up is Muncho Lake and Liard Hot Springs. Kind of backwards I know, but I had to bypass those on the way up due to the wildfire in Ft. Nelson.