DIY EarthRoamer (sorta)... newbie questions

[rruff]

Impressive indeed! My concerns would be more about long term connections for areas under repeated stress.

Like I said earlier, your main concern is the strength of the foam and how well the load is spread. Good adhesives are very strong. For piece of mind you can always put something solid in the core (like hollow square fiberglass tubes) which will not only strengthen the core, but give you something to bolt/screw to.

 

[ReluctantTraveler]

Thinking about mounting: my original plan had been to use a flatbed on a 1-ton platform for ease.

I'm considering mounting directly to the frame, though, to make better use of the space between the chassis. On a truck with a stiffer frame and use case that doesn't involve heavy offroading, how do you mount directly to the frame?

Do you attach the shell with u-brackets? Bolt directly through the frame?

Could I use a hybrid approach, and get a flatbed that has removable PT/wood flooring? That would allow me to essential use it for mounting, but have access to the space below it for an insulated basement.

 

[rruff]

I'd use the mounts that are already in the frame. That's what I'm doing with my current build. Actually in may case I need to allow for flex, but you won't have that issue.

If the truck frame is stiff, and you don't care about easy removal, I think the subframe is redundant. Make your floor/base strong enough to take the loads and bolt it right to the frame.

 

[ReluctantTraveler]

I'd use the mounts that are already in the frame. That's what I'm doing with my current build. Actually in may case I need to allow for flex, but you won't have that issue.

If the truck frame is stiff, and you don't care about easy removal, I think the subframe is redundant. Make your floor/base strong enough to take the loads and bolt it right to the frame.

Forgive my ignorance, as I've not owned a truck before. Would this be the mounts that would be used for the existing bed that gets removed? Safe to assume that only bed pickups have mounts, whereas a chassis cab would not?

 

[rruff]

Yes on the first question, don't know about the second.

 

[1000arms]

... Could I use a hybrid approach, and get a flatbed that has removable PT/wood flooring? That would allow me to essential use it for mounting, but have access to the space below it for an insulated basement.

... Although it would create a tall (but road legal) rig, one could build a slide-in truck camper (from plywood, rigid foam insulation, and epoxy/fiberglass) that has a "basement" between and below the pickup truck bed-rails, with the main body above the pickup bed and extending out to the width of the DRWs. Such a rig could have a tall and comfortable cabover above the cab of the CCLB. Put any water/gray/black tanks, and batteries, in the insulated basement. ...

A pickup truck bed, especially one with tall sides (of the bed), would allow one to build slide-in-camper with an insulated basement that sits in the pickup--truck-bed, with the passenger compartment (of the camper) above the pickup-truck-bed. This would make for a tall truck camper though.

There probably isn't as much room in the chassis cab truck frame rails as you might think, especially to mount an insulated compartment.

https://duramagbodies.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/DSC_0123A-min.jpg

https://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/chassis-cab/

https://www.ford.com/is/image/content/dam/vdm_ford/live/en_us/ford/nameplate/chassiscab/2022/collections/dm/19_FordSuperDuty-BoxFrame_01_HR.tif?croppathe=1_3x2&wid=900

Again, you might want to look over the Duramag Truck Body website. They do custom work, and might be able to build a box (or boxes) that are outside of the frame and below the flatbed big enough for an insulated compartment. Keep in mind that with the pickup-truck slide-in-camper basement, it would be easy to use a fan to push air in to the basement, but the truck boxes would be more of a challenge to heat.

For an idea of under-bed boxes, ignore the above-bed boxes and see:

Custom Truck Bodies - Duramag

Custom Truck Bodies from Duramag

duramagbodies.com

Many flatbeds have steel or aluminum decks instead of lumber. Duramag uses aluminum:

Aluminum Flatbed Truck Bodies and Beds - DuraMag Bodies

Flatbed Aluminum Truck Bodies from Duramag

duramagbodies.com

Keep in mind that a stock flatbed might be the cheapest and easiest way for you to have a "complete vehicle" for registration and insurance purposes. You could then build your camper on the flatbed.

 

[ReluctantTraveler]

This would make for a tall truck camper though.

I quickly dismissed slide-ins early on for a variety of reasons. This sounds like another one.

There probably isn't as much room in the chassis cab truck frame rails as you might think, especially to mount an insulated compartment.

Thanks for the pics! I for some reason thought there was more space in there.

Again, you might want to look over the Duramag Truck Body website. They do custom work, and might be able to build a box (or boxes) that are outside of the frame and below the flatbed big enough for an insulated compartment.

I actually just reached out to them yesterday for some info. Thanks for the suggestion!

Keep in mind that a stock flatbed might be the cheapest and easiest way for you to have a "complete vehicle" for registration and insurance purposes. You could then build your camper on the flatbed.

This is where I ultimately landed. It becomes an easy subframe, means i have a usable truck if the camper is removed, as well as lots of built-in external storage when the camper is attached.

Cheers on all the help!

 

[1000arms]

... This is where I ultimately landed. It (stock flatbed) becomes an easy subframe, means i have a usable truck if the camper is removed, as well as lots of built-in external storage when the camper is attached. ... Cheers on all the help!

You are welcome! The flatbed should also make your truck a "complete vehicle".

 

[ReluctantTraveler]

You are welcome! The flatbed should also make your truck a "complete vehicle".

I'm assuming this is an insurance requirement thing?

I've been with my insurance company for nearly 2 decades and use them for everything, so they're always really chill and accomodating. Didn't even occur to me that a chassis cab might be an insurance challenge!

 

[1000arms]

I'm assuming this is an insurance requirement thing?

I've been with my insurance company for nearly 2 decades and use them for everything, so they're always really chill and accommodating. Didn't even occur to me that a chassis cab might be an insurance challenge!

Member Benefits | NTEA

www.ntea.com

Things vary depending on location and insurance companies, but, I have read reports of some people having great difficulty insuring "DIY" vehicles. Using a pickup truck with factory bed (complete vehicle) or a chassis cab (incomplete vehicle) and a bed/body/... manufactured by a company such as Duramag, is likely much easier to insure than a DIY project vehicle. Check with your insurance company ahead of time to prevent any nasty surprises.

 

[ReluctantTraveler]

Member Benefits | NTEA

www.ntea.com

Things vary depending on location and insurance companies, but, I have read reports of some people having great difficulty insuring "DIY" vehicles. Using a pickup truck with factory bed (complete vehicle) or a chassis cab (incomplete vehicle) and a bed/body/... manufactured by a company such as Duramag, is likely much easier to insure than a DIY project vehicle. Check with your insurance company ahead of time to prevent any nasty surprises.

As in, you insure it as a truck, and then add the camper onto it.

 

[1000arms]

As in, you insure it as a truck, and then add the camper onto it.

Versus asking an insurance company to insure an "unknown bed".

Keep track of your receipts and take photographs of your camper build to get your camper insured too, but keep in mind making it as easy as possible for an insurance company to say, "Oh sure, we can insure that, no problem at all."

 

[ReluctantTraveler]

How ridiculous would it be to use shiplap, coated in a clear epoxy, for the exterior of a build (with a thin, sealed plywood veneer underneath it) instead of going for a smooth fiberglass look? The idea of a camper that looks like a pirate ship sounds rad AF.

 

[rruff]

You can certainly use shiplap. Curved surfaces, too? Just more work and maintenance... should be strong enough if the planks are cut from good marine ply.

You can put a layer of fiberglass on the exterior too, for greater durability. The fiberglass cloth will become transparent so long as you use the right kind. The exterior will need a UV varnish.

 

[ReluctantTraveler]

You can certainly use shiplap. Curved surfaces, too? Just more work and maintenance... should be strong enough if the planks are cut from good marine ply.

You can put a layer of fiberglass on the exterior too, for greater durability. The fiberglass cloth will become transparent so long as you use the right kind. The exterior will need a UV varnish.

Oh neat! I was under the impression "spray on fiberglass" was a thing? Am I totally misunderstanding how this works.

I was specifically looking at @IdaSHO's build, and it looked like he did a spray on layer of something for the exterior.