Do it all Dodge diy flatbed and alu-cab pop up

[Do-it-all Dodge Dan]

I want to show progress of the build from the beginning but unfortunately almost all the pictures are to large to upload.

Unfortunately I'm much more comfortable with a welder than I am with a phone or a computer.

So we'll have to start kinda in the middle of the build.


I've been running the old dodge for over 15years coast to coast with a 4wheelcamper eagle model popup
It's got over 800,000 miles on it to-date and adding daily.

The old 2004 eagle model has been a good camper. But nothing last forever and I just never had time for repairs so it was easier to take out a loan and start over.

I decided to switch from a full pop up to a wedge style pop up mostly because of my job I'm getting older...50.. and I sleep in the camper every night while on the road with my job transporting semis. And climbing around on a narrow rail to undo latches is sketchy in good whether and down right dangerous in ice and snow.

Unfortunately this rig will probably be 99% work and 1% play but I will hit the trail as often as possible. The beautiful thing about my job is I can find my self stuck without work on a weekend anywhere in the country. And I quickly just search trails near me a make it happen.

I have hit trails from one side of the county to the other.

I absolutely love the mountains in east , the west and the deserts of Utah around moab.

I'll try get new lower quality pictures as the build progresses to I can share. Any diy ideas for the flatbed and tool boxes or the alu-cab especially interior builds will be appreciated.

Here's some pics the old and new .

 

[Do-it-all Dodge Dan]

The new.

 

[Do-it-all Dodge Dan]

One of the reasons I switched to a wedge from a full pop up is the difficulty of popping the top while loaded on a semi.

example.

Before

After

I also shortened the frame of the truck over a foot and moved the hitch forward 18inchs of it's original position for more room to get in and out of the camper while loaded as well.

 

[ITTOG]

Why did you choose to shorten? Did you not need the space a longer camper would provide?

 

[Do-it-all Dodge Dan]

I have been working on figuring out electric lay out and heat.

For the first few trips out I used my small 2000w generator on gas and a small electric heater

Running on low 700w ya get about 6hrs on a gallon.. and when it's 10deg that equals a cold morning getting dressed.

So I had to get the diesel heater from my previous build installed asap. But my fiance committee said I'd get cut off if I spent anything so I get no budget but I do have some scrap wood and steel laying around.

Before I could get the heater running I needed to get power in camper so my quick a a bit dirty solution was flip the front corner braces and mount a scrap of plywood to the front wall. This will house insulation behind the plywood , a victron battery to battery charger, 2 power inverters one huge 2500watt modified sign wave and 1 small pure sign wave a blue sea fuse box all the wiring to charge a single 100ah battleborn and a sok 206ah LiFePo battery , and a victron solar charger controller.

Here is my ugly solution.



Note that wiring mess was only a temporary test fire of the heater.

And the location of the heater is probably temporary as well. I think I'm going to move the heater to the inside of the tool boxes .

I'll get pics when it's done.

 

[Do-it-all Dodge Dan]

Why did you choose to shorten? Did you not need the space a longer camper would provide?

You probably noticed the space between the back of the truck and the camper in the above pics.

The little space lost on the length of the truck was worth the safety of getting in and out of the truck at 2am in the cold.

Plus the added benefits of being lighter.

I do admit if I was only using the truck as a tow rig or overlanding rig I might have gone with the longer 6.5 alu-cab instead of the 5.5 alu-cab and instead of 60in tool boxes I could have then used 72in tool boxes. Like my old setup.

 

[Colby Jack]

Is this the Landcruiser model or the Alu-Cabin? Looks awesome!

 

[Do-it-all Dodge Dan]

The alu-cabin.