C5500 TopKick 4x4 Crew Cab Build

[Byrdseye]

Thanks! All rigs have their pros and cons and the C5500 has many pros going for it. I think it is a big advantage to be able to build out over the cab the way traditional truck campers are configured. (the M2 may be too tall for that without using a popup) I'm using the same style of spring loaded bed to frame connection that you have decided to use on my current flatbed . The truck is configured to pull a 23,000 lb fiver and I direct bolted the rear of the bed to the frame along with the air hitch and the spring mount is up front by the cab. My bed is very heavy steel built and won't twist with the truck frame so the spring mounts help to prevent point loading. Very easy to fab and no maintenance required. So far it's worked fine. :smiley_drive:
How long of a frame stretch are you going with? (cab to axle distance?)

 

[NeverEnough]

CA is 128", wheelbase is 235", extended from the 194" factory configuration.

My friend bought an International 7400 4x4 crew cab for his towing company a few months back. It measured almost 9' to the top of the cab with the way it was setup. But it looked so cool that I started shopping around!

I ended up getting a great deal on my truck, so that set everything else in motion. The Topkick has allowed me to have a 3' inside dimension for the cabover attic and keep the height at 12' with the 39" tires mounted. If it was any less, I'd definitely do some sort of pop-top for the attic. Jay Shapiro's rig has a pretty cool one.

 

[Byrdseye]

Your frame stretch looks good...........should have plenty of room! Jay did come up with a clever design for his popup. I never would have thought of it!

 

[NeverEnough]

Progress Report

Things are moving along, too slow for me, but moving nonetheless.

The upfitter is struggling to get the 45gl. step tanks mounted as high as possible, but they came up with a way to modify the brackets and straps today that will buy me 2". That should get the bottom of the tanks a smidge higher than the transfercase skid plate. I'm pretty stoked to have 90 gallons of fuel capacity!

I also bought one of these, a Road Rhino bumper (it will look better on my truck):

And one of these Warn M15000's to stick inside:

Both should arrive next week. I'm hoping that all the subframe work will be done by the end of next week as well.

The "test" panels arrived from Plascore today, so by the end of the week I should have a go or no-go on my design/fabricatrion scheme. I'm hoping it all works out. If not, there's a Plan B and C. But if it does work....:smiley_drive:

 

[alaskaboy]

I like the look of that road rhino bumper as I am also in the market for a very large winch bumper, but could not find a listing for it in their catalog (Go Rhino). Do they have a seperate page or do you have a link.

mnb

 

[NeverEnough]

You can contact Elijah at roadrhino@gmail.com. He's got some stuff on eBay, but I don't think he's got a website up yet.

Both my winch and bumper arrived yesterday and the bumper looks great. Hope to have them both mounted up by the weekend. I'll post some pics when that's done.

 

[NeverEnough]

For those of you interested in how the Road Rhino bumper looks:

It fit perfect and the welds and general workmanship look great (I'm relying on the expert opinion of the guys at the upfitter. They can't believe what I paid for it!). Since it all fits, they'll pull it off and paint it black. The Warn M15000 went in perfectly.


Here's how the 50gal. step tanks look installed:

They're about an inch lower than the front side steps, and about even with the skid plate. The cab will sit a bit higher than shown, the Link air-ride is not inflated, and I'm swapping out the bags for the next size up.

 

[Lynn]

I love this build.

You have me thinking that a topkick is probably the best option for the truck I'm hoping to build.

Thanks!

 

[NeverEnough]

Any experience with Spinflo products?

I only found one reference to Spinlfo on the board, but just curious if anybody has had any experience with Spinflo ranges and sinks. I'm considering these two products:

http://www.thetford.nl/web/show/id=61351/langid=42

http://www.thetford.nl/web/show/id=61275/langid=42

http://www.thetford.nl/upload/83621_622_1159782365476-SPINFLO_TRIPLEX_F_OL_CD_L.jpg

I'm curious how their range quality stacks up agains the Atwood and Suburban products here in the US.

 

[Desert Proven]

Can you get lockers for the topkick?

 

[DKB2GO]

subscribed

 

[stjjames]

:ylsmoke:

 

[NeverEnough]

Preview of the final floorplan

Thought you might want to see the final floorplan. In case you're just joining in, my needs are a bit different from most in this community in that I have a large family. This rig is designed to travel as compact as possible while still providing a lot of room for sleeping and eating. So I designed a unique, thoroughly untested, slide-out system. It's simple and strong, and I think it will work. This shows the body in the "travel" position, 22' with the cabover, and 17' at the chassis (total truck length just shy of 30'):

The configuration is typical of a galley/dinette setup. Each dinette bench as three slide-out storage bins. The sink, range, microwave, and refrigerator are all accessible.

Once at camp, the "nested" slide is deployed, first 8'3" to the rear, then the side slides deploy right and left 27". The table moves to the dining room, which as a fold-down bench and fold-down counter-top for additional food prep space. There's also room for 6 folding chairs (5 are shown), which are stored against the walls between the slide and body during travel.

The "dinette"/side slides convert to full-size beds, and there's an optional single-size bunk platform for each side. Lucky for me the business next to mine is a custom fabricator of vehicle and boat interiors, so they've designed some nifty convertible cushions/mattresses. So we'll be able to sleep two over the cab, 2 in the dining room/galley (table and bench convert), and 4-6 in the slide.

Having such a large slide to the rear was a fun problem to solve, but I'm confident in the engineering at this point. As it rolls out, it's weight will be supported by a folding platform much like a liftgate platform (which also doubles as a motorcycle/atv hauling platform) with it's own set of drop jacks. The slide mechanisms are a relatively recent invention from Schwintek, now a part of Lippert Components. They're strong, light, and simple, with a very easy manual override. Thanks to honeycomb panel construction, the entire slide component will weigh less than 800lbs, including all cabinets, mattresses, etc.

 

[Riptide]

Jeez, you might be on to something!! Can't wait to see how this one turns out! At the pace you're going, we won't have to wait too long, either.

How are you set for storage? I know with the three of us, storage, depending on the season, can be challenging. Obviously, cold weather dictates bulkier clothing. Although we don't camp in a tent, all of our gear comes from lightweight camping circles, 'cuz the stuff is usually, compact, lightweight, and versatile...

Just how big is your family?

Great work!

 

[NeverEnough]

Me, the wife, and four "boys"- ages 18 down to 9. That means there's always a couple of friends (usually female at this point!) along for the adventure. Most of our trips are within 6-8 hours of Park City, UT, usually not more than a week, but we do like to get off the beaten path as much as possible.

Years of experience of loading and unloading trailers, RVs, houseboats, etc. has influenced my design heavily. I want to spend my time on the trip, not getting ready for it or cleaning up. I've designed the rig to keep everything on-board that is always needed, while allowing for plenty of "non-permanent" storage space. So here's how the non-permanent (food, clothing, bedding, and activity specific gear) storage works:

1) Basement: Two 52"x24"x28" basement storage compartments with a 52"x52"x6" pass through space. This is reserved for non-permanent gear storage.

2) Roof Rack: The fold-down observation deck on the roof (had one on our previous rig and loved it) doubles as an 8'x10' gear rack for large items like kayaks, windsurfing boards, etc. It also protects the PV panel assembly during travel (the assembly is attached to the big rear slide so it moves back with it in camp-mode, exposing the roof deck).

3) Interior luggage: The "stair" assembly that give access to the cabover and roof hatch can hold 9 "roll-aboard" size luggage/gear bags. It will have movable dividers to allow different configurations, but it's a large storage unit.

4) Additional interior luggage: Since so many of our trips involve playing in the water, the shower doesn't get used very often, so it will have removable shelves so it can double as extra storage as needed.

5) Pantry: The galley cabinets have a lot of room for food, the refrigerator is a 10.5 cu.ft. model, and the dinette has six removable 22"x24"x11" crates for food and sundries.

6) Bedding: We're used to utilizing the cabover for blankents and sleeping bags, and it has it's own cabinets as well.

Plus-----The liftgate rack can hold over 800lbs of gear (two dirt bikes, an ATV, or a pile of mountain bikes, inflatable kayaks, etc.).

AND---- I'm building a matching 16', super-light trailer as part of this project. It has room for 8 dirt bikes, or piles of just about anything else. It also will have it's own toilet "closet" and wash basin. It's a modified V-nose design with a door on the front that mates up with the camper's rear door. It will also have toy-hauler style fold-down bunks on each side to accommodate 4 more bodies when needed. I'll put overhead gear racks (bus style have worked best in my previous trailers) along both walls for extra storage. If that's not enough, I can put more crap on the trailer roof! And if that's not enough, then I'm staying home.