Dodge Ram 5500 motorhome
- Thread starter Healeyjet
- Start date
Healeyjet
Explorer
I will try to figure out how to post it tonight. This winter a fellow had two Unimog U500's for sale in Saskatoon. We had a look at them and were very close to making an offer but they were fairly tired and were far more off-road capable than we would ever need as we don't plan to leave North America. Then, while on vacation this winter, Annie and I had the opportunity to purchase a Revcon Trailblazer in Palm Springs. We test drove it and spent a lot of time going over it. The problem was the chassis was old enough to be brought in under RIV but it was the owner of Revcon's personal unit so he never titled it until 2010 so I couldn't get it cleared to bring into Canada. We loved the fact that the bed was not over the cab and didn't have to be put away in the morning to use the camper. As well, you could walk around both sides of the bed so one of us didn't have to crawl over the other to go to the bathroom at night. I then sat down after looking at XRacer's camper and thought that it was totally the way to go for us. Use a truck box manufacturer. I contacted ITB and got the dimensions for a 17' exterior truck box and went to work to design the camper down to the inch. I think Annie thought I was crazy I spent so much time on it. We were going to use a Ford F550 but never got a warm fuzzy from the local dealer and the fact the Dodge had the Cummins engine we decided on that. We went with a regular cab so we could have a longer camper and we have no grandchildren yet and won't have for a few years. I originally had drawn it with a dry bath but we decided a larger sofa was more important for us than a dry bath so we stretched the sofa 12" and made a wet bath. We have no dining booth we will have a comfortable sofa. Over the cab for us is just storage with the provision to put a mattress up there if we decide to down the road. We totally designed the camper for ourselves and may have trouble selling it down the road but it is definitely a camper that will work for us for the next 20 years.
Ward
Ward
I think there are a lot of campers for 2 people that would sell pretty easily, look at the crop of expedition rigs out there, most sleep 2 comfortably. Agreed on the Mog, too many good roads and not enough rough roads or trails (overland type) to appreciate the Mogs capabilities. Might as well have a comfy faster ride for some of the long boring stretches of North America. We do the same, drag the Jeep or take the moto's.
Healeyjet
Explorer
Floor plan...
The five small white rectangles will actually be round recessed LED lamps
The large white rectangle in the middle is the roof mounted A/C
The two grey rectangles are the Maxxair vents
Pretty self explanatory
The boot cubby is an open area accessible from the step. Cabinet above cubby will have a pull out cutting board
The microwave will fill the open area created for it
Fridge below the microwave
Cabinet beside the sofa will have a pullout "cutting board" for lack of a better term to increase surface area.
Left drawing shows the back wall closet and drawer configuration
The right drawing shows the front wall against the cab of the truck with the walk through
Weight distribution chart
The five small white rectangles will actually be round recessed LED lamps
The large white rectangle in the middle is the roof mounted A/C
The two grey rectangles are the Maxxair vents
Pretty self explanatory
The boot cubby is an open area accessible from the step. Cabinet above cubby will have a pull out cutting board
The microwave will fill the open area created for it
Fridge below the microwave
Cabinet beside the sofa will have a pullout "cutting board" for lack of a better term to increase surface area.
Left drawing shows the back wall closet and drawer configuration
The right drawing shows the front wall against the cab of the truck with the walk through
Weight distribution chart
Last edited:
xracer144
Adventurer
Because of the added height of the truck, I was able to extend the skirt down a couple inches past the body line of the cab. This will make my underbody storage compartments taller. Something to think about for expansion down the road.
There were a few things that made me say "really??" Don't be shy while they have your truck. I wish I would have stopped in more often at the start of their construction and taken more pics.
There were a few things that made me say "really??" Don't be shy while they have your truck. I wish I would have stopped in more often at the start of their construction and taken more pics.
Victorian
Approved Vendor : Total Composites
One thing that helped others in the past, was a cardboard or cheep plywood layout in the assembled truck body. You wouldn't believe how many changes we had to make....
LandCruiserPhil
Expedition Leader
looks to be a very cool build.
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