Hi Paul. Welcome back! I'm glad all went well and I'll be checking out your trip report soon!
In your absence, I've been busy with my Skamper. I got the 4" tall under bed storage built and secured the lid with a piano hinge to keep the hinge butt profile low under the mattress. (No peas for this princess! Ha, ha.) I then stopped into a local slide-in camper manufacturer to see what their storage units looked like. To hold the bed up, they used a single hydraulic lift like are used on topper back windows and was told I could get them at any auto supply store. I was warned that if I got too strong a lift, it wouldn't stay closed.
I weighed my storage lid and mattress and estimated additional weight for bedding for a total of about 33 pounds. With that figure, I headed to the nearby NAPA.
My first question was whether the weight load ratings were per lift or based on a pair. I was told they were for one lift. I then asked if I only needed to know the total weight or I had to figure in distance from axis, etc. The first guy advised me it would handle the total weight so I got a 35 pound lift.
To get enough height to easily access the back of the storage area, I located the lift about midway between the hinge and the front. It didn't hold the weight. We then went to 45 pounds. It held the lid and the mattress but sunk with additional weight. A 60 pound rated lift worked without popping up.
I also rewired a bunch of stuff with advise from DWH.
I pulled the cooler and will put in shelves to hold plastic storage bins. I'm going to make the storage area below the bed a top-loading box instead of front-loading and put a cooler in there, lining the box with additional rigid insulation for longer cooling.
I have a new question for you. I got lots of advice about batteries in your absence including the necessity of venting it. I don't have a vented space in mine. The previous owner just had it in the box below the bed. I'm thinking of putting the battery on the outside but I'd welcome ideas about what to carry it in to prevent theft and allow for waterproof wiring connections. Where do you have your battery?
Also, I'm wondering where you found your LED lights that match the light socket.
Thanks.
Hey Laura! Thanks. The trip was great, and I am still working on getting picks on the
trip report thread.
Good to hear you are working on the skamper. I like your hydraulic storage mod. Mines just a pipe that supports it, but when the bed has everything on it its a pain to raise, and my Girlfriend doesnt like to use it. I think Im going to have to do something exactly like you did.
As for the battery. To my knowledge venting is a pretty light term. Just look at the plastic cases you buy to put them in. From everyone I talked to, venting just means dont seal it off. So I put mine under the seat in the middle of the camper near the front of the truck. Basically the step you use to get up on the bed. Its under there next to the water tank in one of those plastic cases. Plenty of venting, and all my wiring is right there.
I did have it outside of the camper in front of the passenger side wheelwell, but that was a pain cause I would have to mess with it every time I needed to take the camper out. Plus I couldnt take it out to plug into the charger if I wanted.
For the exact LED lights, Ill have to get back to you. I forgot where I found em. They were about $15 a pop though, but since Ive had them, I know you can get them cheaper. I like mine alot, and love the fact that you dont have to worry about the battery.
Let me know if you have any more questions, and get some picts up of all the work youve been doing!
Cheers,
Paul
Pict for fun. Scenic Byway headed to Zion....
