Camper jack attachment durability
- Thread starter ReluctantTraveler
- Start date
VanIsle_Greg
I think I need a bigger truck!
When I built my camper, my friend and I worked on this pretty extensively. Needed to be strong and durable. I managed to pick up a decent set of steel camper corner attachments for the legs long with a rebuilt set of hydraulic legs for a fair price. The corner brackets are attached into the steel corners. I drilled and tapped 5 bolts directly into the steel uprights. Also, the steel in each corner is reinforced with a square plate to assist in rigidity and overall strength for each corner.
I can lift the camper with one corner and it hardly racks at all. Corner Jack security was top of mind for all the reasons you see out there and all the horror stories of corners failing.
1x1" steel corners - thick wall tubing plus a 1x1' steel plate
Ties all the corners in together (squares because easy to cut)
Brackets are pretty standard used old camper brackets. Worked out great, but extra holes I didn't use. Super solidly attached and bedded in with a bunch of Sika.
Lifting this thing still freaks me out every time. lol
I can lift the camper with one corner and it hardly racks at all. Corner Jack security was top of mind for all the reasons you see out there and all the horror stories of corners failing.
1x1" steel corners - thick wall tubing plus a 1x1' steel plate
Ties all the corners in together (squares because easy to cut)
Brackets are pretty standard used old camper brackets. Worked out great, but extra holes I didn't use. Super solidly attached and bedded in with a bunch of Sika.
Lifting this thing still freaks me out every time. lol
Alloy
Well-known member
By the time head of the screws/lags show rust/corrosion the wood has already been rotting for 2-3 years.
I'll remove the jacks and replaced the factory caulking with Sika 715. It's a STP (silane terminated polymer = UV protection + amazing stretch) used on EPMD roofs.
Last edited:
ReluctantTraveler
Well-known member
I've been thinking about this a bit more lately after seeing a video from Rugged Mountain Custom RVs on their jack mount points. It's basically just really beefed up, lag-bolted lumber.
It's also basically how decks are constructed, so I'm starting to feel like I'm maybe over-thinking things.
It's also basically how decks are constructed, so I'm starting to feel like I'm maybe over-thinking things.
Last edited by a moderator:
rruff
Explorer
I very strongly suggest that if you DIY the shell, you take a cue from people who build using foam/FG construction. Everything is bonded.
Rebate your joints, then follow up with interior and exterior aluminum angle. For reinforcing spots in the panel or creating hard points, you can bond in fiberglass square tubes.
Check with Cascadia, Lemker, and Borias if you want someone to make the panels for you.
On a F550 you will need to get an articulating subframe also.
Are you sure you don't want to just pay someone?
ReluctantTraveler
Well-known member
Do I want to pay someone to do it for me? Absolutely! I have a whole thread from just a day ago on how I've been quoted about $55k pretty consistently for them, though, which is likely outside my budget once you account for the rest of the build.
Regarding the subframe, that's not strictly true. It could be, depending on floor length, attachment method, and intended use. Several vendors have told me I don't need much, and that fast guns with a bit of spring and give to them would likely be enough for the floor length I have in mind.
rruff
Explorer
This is what they do with slide-ins and is usually adequate if you aren't too adventurous.
Did you look at Mesa Overland? They use Cascadia panels and have a full big flatbed build with interior and everything for $70k. https://www.mesaoverland.com/campers/chassis/long/
ReluctantTraveler
Well-known member
I did, and they don't.
That price is JUST for the base price for build out. It doesn't include the box, windows, or assembly.
(It's not very clear on their website, which they are admittedly in the process of rebuilding. Blayne, the owner, was very nice.)
VanIsle_Greg
I think I need a bigger truck!
Have you looked into the Total Composites products? They make big ExPo truck boxes and slide in campers etc. Seems to me they are less than what you quoted there, and I believe that they include a door, windows and so on. Of course you built it out, but the basics are there. All Arctic Tern stuff too.
ReluctantTraveler
Well-known member
If you exclude the windows, the box is $32k assembled with an entry door. $70k baseline for the basic interior build (goes up from there depending on quality of materials, number of windows, size of the electrical system, etc).
ReluctantTraveler
Well-known member
Yes, I have a thread in the DIY channel about box cost. For the size of box I want, TC's authorized builder quoted me about $50k (same as Cascadia Composites) with windows pre-installed.