n0arp
New member
I had an Arctic Fox 1140WB a few years ago, that I had on a stock 2019 Ram 3500, then a flatbed, then a 5500. I ended up selling that and buying a 2000 Country Coach Magna motorhome. I've posted about both here, but the Magna especially isn't really in the scope of what people are here for. I have a new project, a budget truck camper build based on a used 2015 F-550 and 2007 Okanagan 117DBL. First, photos of the Arctic Fox and the Country Coach...
I learned a lot through trial and error and am building this rig a little differently. The 2015 F-550 I found has 154K on it and a Knapheide flatbed. It's a base model with vinyl seats and extended cab. I chose the extended cab for the shorter overall length and easier access to the rear without a B pillar between the doors, and 4.88 gears because I plan on going to 37s. That'll give me an effective 4.17 final drive.
First thing I did was grab a cheap Android auto head unit with wireless Carplay and swap it in. I didn't grab a photo but it was a massive improvement for $130 and integrates extremely well - steering wheel controls work, audio/nav obviously does, and even things like door open alerts. I removed the rear seats, which will be replaced with two large shelves. The bottom shelf will be for dogs to ride on, and the top shelf for my cats in crates. I'll be building those this weekend and wrapping them in speaker box carpet so they don't look too homebrew.
The truck came with a factory bumper and what I think is a snow plow attachment. I removed all that and put a cheap Hooke Off Road bumper and X-Bull 13K winch on. I had to cut off the tow hooks because they're integrated to the frame horns on the F-550 and separate the winch controller because it wouldn't clear.
I found the camper six hours across the state, and left out at 8am one morning to pick it up. It was pouring rain all day, and then I had to prep the truck-bed on-site to fit the camper on. It was raining the entire time there, and the entire way back. It was a very long day... got back after ten. I didn't check it out too much, because I got it for a steal. Unless it had major rot, I wasn't going to walk away at that price point.
I wanted to get the entire thing on the truck, so I trimmed the side fascia at the rear and cut off the septic pipe. It doesn't have an on-board generator or air conditioning, which is fine for my purposes. I bolted 8' lengths of 2x2 angle 51" apart on the bed as rails, put 3/4" stall mat between them, and sat the camper on top. I used HappiJac tie downs that I just cut to size.
Since the door threshold will be 60" off the ground once I have the new tires, I picked of Torklift Glowstep Stow'N'Go 6 steps with an add-a-step. I also have a MORryde Safe-T-Rail on the way to mount next to the door. I ordered the extended All-Terrain Landing Gear and the SafeSteps to make entry easier for our dogs, but those haven't arrived yet.
My wife wanted to break up all the brown inside. I picked up some Kilz oil-based primer and she picked out Glidden "Mesa White". Panted the walls yesterday...
I learned a lot through trial and error and am building this rig a little differently. The 2015 F-550 I found has 154K on it and a Knapheide flatbed. It's a base model with vinyl seats and extended cab. I chose the extended cab for the shorter overall length and easier access to the rear without a B pillar between the doors, and 4.88 gears because I plan on going to 37s. That'll give me an effective 4.17 final drive.
First thing I did was grab a cheap Android auto head unit with wireless Carplay and swap it in. I didn't grab a photo but it was a massive improvement for $130 and integrates extremely well - steering wheel controls work, audio/nav obviously does, and even things like door open alerts. I removed the rear seats, which will be replaced with two large shelves. The bottom shelf will be for dogs to ride on, and the top shelf for my cats in crates. I'll be building those this weekend and wrapping them in speaker box carpet so they don't look too homebrew.
The truck came with a factory bumper and what I think is a snow plow attachment. I removed all that and put a cheap Hooke Off Road bumper and X-Bull 13K winch on. I had to cut off the tow hooks because they're integrated to the frame horns on the F-550 and separate the winch controller because it wouldn't clear.
I found the camper six hours across the state, and left out at 8am one morning to pick it up. It was pouring rain all day, and then I had to prep the truck-bed on-site to fit the camper on. It was raining the entire time there, and the entire way back. It was a very long day... got back after ten. I didn't check it out too much, because I got it for a steal. Unless it had major rot, I wasn't going to walk away at that price point.
I wanted to get the entire thing on the truck, so I trimmed the side fascia at the rear and cut off the septic pipe. It doesn't have an on-board generator or air conditioning, which is fine for my purposes. I bolted 8' lengths of 2x2 angle 51" apart on the bed as rails, put 3/4" stall mat between them, and sat the camper on top. I used HappiJac tie downs that I just cut to size.
Since the door threshold will be 60" off the ground once I have the new tires, I picked of Torklift Glowstep Stow'N'Go 6 steps with an add-a-step. I also have a MORryde Safe-T-Rail on the way to mount next to the door. I ordered the extended All-Terrain Landing Gear and the SafeSteps to make entry easier for our dogs, but those haven't arrived yet.
My wife wanted to break up all the brown inside. I picked up some Kilz oil-based primer and she picked out Glidden "Mesa White". Panted the walls yesterday...
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