Flatbed and composite panel build on Dodge 2500

[Jeep]

The rubber floor

I want a non slip, damage resistant floor, my truck had a 5/8" rubber mat in it for 11 years, it has hauled everything! And no damage to the floor. So I sunk the floor plate 1/2" below the sills, this will leave the rubber matt protruding 1/8" above the sill, this on top of a 3/16 deck plate with 3" cross members on 12" centres will be bombproof and be the perfect platform to rest the camper on. I should have the rubber cut and installed in the next day or so, than a trip to the scales to see what this thing comes in at. The deck felt about the same weight as the box, the bumper is marginally heavier than the Trail Ready but it also incorporates the hitch. The bumper is slid back 6" so I actually expect the front axle weight to be lighter than it was stock which will be a good thing, as the camper will have an overhead and I have lower cabinets going in from=nt and behind the wheels. My goal is not to exceed GVW or axle weights.

 

[Boost Creep]

awesome looking so far. i like seeing builds where people take the extra efforts to make something like you seem to be

 

[ripperj]

Nice build, I too like seeing nice fab jobs
Thanks for taking the time to post pics

Sent from my Passport using Tapatalk 2

 

[Victorian]

I'm impressed!

 

[Jeep]

Thanks guys, hopefully the rest turns out as good. Remember what they say about the last 10% of a job!

 

[leelikesbikes]

oh ya!

looking forward to this build! everything else ive seen of yours has been awesome! im sure this one will be great too. i have a standard cab 2500 ram and have been wanting to do a lightweight camper build on a flatbed with side entry. just looked at some panels a guy in spokane was selling the other day.
dont be shy with the pics, we all wanna see your handiwork!:Wow1:

 

[locrwln]

Amazing work. I would love to have a flatbed built for mine that was that well done. Looking forward to the rest of the build for sure.

Jack

 

[Jeep]

It's a little fatter than I like

Took a trip to the scales, front axle weighs in at 2130 KG (4695 lbs.), and the rear axle came in at 1360 KG (2998 lbs.) Front axle is 20 KG (44 lbs.) heavier than stock, rear axle is 100 KG (220 lbs.) heavier than stock, total deck/bumper/hitch weight is 390 KG or 860 lbs. It's a little heavier than I'd like but it is also very robust and I don't anticipate any issues whatsoever.

 

[smlobx]

Are you taking any reservations?
Seriously very nice work.

 

[leelikesbikes]

i spent a couple years just north of you in lacombe, but its still nice of you to do the kilo/lbs conversion for those of us in the states, otherwise that truck would be looking pretty light!

 

[pappawheely]

How much of the 860 lbs is in the rear bumper?

 

[Jeep]

The rear bumper is heavy, I'd say 250 lbs. I screwed up and forgot to weigh it individually, and I'm just building the prototype with quick 2D CAD files, I've been building stuff for a very long time with the same equipment and tooling so I know my tolerances and radius's off the top of my head. I can blow a flat 2D cad file into the cutting equipment on the fly, I will be modelling everything in Solidworks as soon as I can, it's a great tool for taking care of the minute details, and I can then get an individual component weight. Long explanation huh? I am making a rear apron that will bolt on under the deck and work with the factory hitch for some applications that don't require a rear bumper, and in all reality you can leave a stock bumper and hitch on if you want, I was initially going to do that with my Trail Ready rear bumper. Would be lighter.

 

[Jeep]

Flex test

I lifted the truck same as before, same tire, same side, and had to lift the truck 2 more inches before the other side lifted, the truck got a little stiffer, and the suspension took up the flex. We measured between 3/8 - 1/2" of twist in the bed. So we reduced the factory flex by 1/8-1/4". It's difficult to measure hence several pics from different elevations to demonstrate. The tire passed the top of the frame and still had about 1.5" before it could touch the side sill, but due to the motion of the axle it was already clear of the inside flange of the sill, so lots of room. This pretty much solidified my belief that a pivoting subframe on a Dodge truck at least would have no benefit, it would add weight, complexity, cost, lose floor height, etc. The other factor is that the frame only started to twist and transfer that motion into the bed in the last few inches before the other wheel started to lift, so the suspension ate up 80-90% of those forces, those aren't even a decent set of leafs either, just factory Dodge stuff. We do drive in some conditions where we do push the truck close to those limits, but so far in 150 000 KM's it will not add up to 2% so that is also a factor to consider. There are places for a pivoting frame, this application does not justify it, if desired the sill I designed will accommodate a spring set up (built in, just in case I was wrong!). The amount of flex the bed is seeing is well below any limits of fatigue, aluminum does not like to flex at hard joints like welds, but if you let it twist over a plane no issues, that's how this one works.

 

[Jeep]

My back isn't sore!

Cuz my panels are nice and light!!!!!!!!!!!



Fiberglass, PP honeycomb, fiberglass. Can't start chopping them up for a couple weeks but looking forward to it! Solidworks will come into play before I make too big of a mess!

 

[Jeep]

No slipping

I got my 5/8 rubber mat today, measured out at 1/2" thick, so it sits flush with the side sills, Oh well, maybe a good thing, weight is going on fast. Another product I like is Lava Grip, it's on the rear bumper, it sticks really good, has a 5 year warranty, and we have been using it for 2 years with no issues. It's made in Fairbanks Alaska of all places, must be tough?! I might redo the rear bumper with an aluminum section that mounts to the hitch, I will model it and see if the weight savings justify the cost.











Gave the truck a nice finished look, one thing that has shown up while driving is the drop in road noise, the truck is much quieter. I live on a road full of frost heaves and broken pavement, no more oil drumming or rattling from the gate.