Flatbed and composite panel build on Dodge 2500

[HMT]

OR sell the whole works and build a 5500 since I had so much fun doing it!

Sell this (and maybe even the big truck???) ... then build the 5500 to rule all ...

 

[Jeep]

Sell this (and maybe even the big truck???) ... then build the 5500 to rule all ...

Actually Bajarat turned me onto a couple nice Man 4x4 and 6x6 trucks that I can legally import into Canada. Any takers for my current fleet???

 

[Victorian]

Kat MAN? They sound and look amazing! But you better buy shares in oil....

 

[Victorian]

Here is a fine example of an 8x8 MAN we build...

 

[Jeep]

My 650 is big enough! I need a smaller faster rig! This unit will work good. Although if I had a Man I'd be contributing to the western Canadian economy, more so than our government!

 

[HMT]

Mark,

What would an 8' approximately weigh? Keeping everything else approximately the same ... I know the innards would have to squish into an even smaller space. Is it just 2 feet less of the walls and roof (floor is already 8' if memory serves), minus the bunk(s), and cabinets and tank dimensions probably a bit smaller?

 

[Jeep]

Well, the cabin was around 762 lbs empty, the exact number should be back in the thread, I'm just going off of memory, so if we take a 10' cabin that works out to approx. 75 lbs per foot, adjust with a guess for the overhead and I'd say we will pull 125 lbs out for 8'. We can adjust the .125 aluminum interior components down to .102 and still exceed any strength requirements, that should knock close to 100 lbs out, gets us around 1869 lbs. Take out the 2 6 volt batteries at 126 lbs and the 25 lbs of roll out battery box, and the 47 lb inverter, replace with a 12 volt battery at 65 lbs and a 3000 watt Xantrex at 13 pounds and we knock out another 120 lbs for a total of 1749 lbs, I would also take the 35 gallon grey tank and knock it down to a 15 gallon plastic version to take care of another 35 lbs, remove the bunk mechanisms to drop another 45 lbs and we are at 1669 lbs. That was a very good question, some simple changes dropped 425 lbs and never changed any of the comfort features, still have a great solid cabin, lots of water, just have to deal with grey water sooner, still have good A/C and solar, along with all of the other features. We could knock out the 12 volt dedicated system in the camper, just use the truck battery for basic lighting and furnace, lose the solar, and pick up a Honda 1000 watt generator that weighs 30 pounds and be at 1621 lbs, I'd say we'd shave a few more pounds as 4/0 cable is heavy, and a few other things that add weight discreetly. I'm pretty sure if we used wood for cabinets we'd save some weight but the structural integrity of this unit and the way it is built is really incredible and I don't want to sacrifice that , I mean really we could have a 8' flatbed camper that is expedition quality coming in at 1621 lbs dry, with a full bath, double redundant heat, auxiliary power, and so on.

 

[HMT]

The internal aluminum structure and the strength it provides is definitely a part of the appeal of this build ... at least to me. Eliminating the dedicated 12 volt system is an interesting thought; though I would want to keep the 2-way fridge happy for a long weekend if not longer. I know the new Ram 1-ton trucks have some nice options for 380-440 amps worth of alternator depending on gas or diesel.

Truly is a balance of cost per pound of fun and convenience. Phenomenal build. :smiley_drive:

 

[Rebellion]

Mark,
How much could you save if you used an aluminium rear bumper instead of steel?

 

[mk216v]

Well, the cabin was around 762 lbs empty, the exact number should be back in the thread, I'm just going off of memory, so if we take a 10' cabin that works out to approx. 75 lbs per foot, adjust with a guess for the overhead and I'd say we will pull 125 lbs out for 8'. We can adjust the .125 aluminum interior components down to .102 and still exceed any strength requirements, that should knock close to 100 lbs out, gets us around 1869 lbs. Take out the 2 6 volt batteries at 126 lbs and the 25 lbs of roll out battery box, and the 47 lb inverter, replace with a 12 volt battery at 65 lbs and a 3000 watt Xantrex at 13 pounds and we knock out another 120 lbs for a total of 1749 lbs, I would also take the 35 gallon grey tank and knock it down to a 15 gallon plastic version to take care of another 35 lbs, remove the bunk mechanisms to drop another 45 lbs and we are at 1669 lbs. That was a very good question, some simple changes dropped 425 lbs and never changed any of the comfort features, still have a great solid cabin, lots of water, just have to deal with grey water sooner, still have good A/C and solar, along with all of the other features. We could knock out the 12 volt dedicated system in the camper, just use the truck battery for basic lighting and furnace, lose the solar, and pick up a Honda 1000 watt generator that weighs 30 pounds and be at 1621 lbs, I'd say we'd shave a few more pounds as 4/0 cable is heavy, and a few other things that add weight discreetly. I'm pretty sure if we used wood for cabinets we'd save some weight but the structural integrity of this unit and the way it is built is really incredible and I don't want to sacrifice that , I mean really we could have a 8' flatbed camper that is expedition quality coming in at 1621 lbs dry, with a full bath, double redundant heat, auxiliary power, and so on.

:bowdown::smiley_drive:

 

[Jeep]

Mark,
How much could you save if you used an aluminium rear bumper instead of steel?

I just did some aluminum bumpers exactly the same for a fleet job, client can bypass all scales under 4500kg if we achieve the weight. They came in almost 150 pounds lighter but don,t have a hitch, with a class 5 hitch you'd still save 100 pounds.

 

[Jeep]

The internal aluminum structure and the strength it provides is definitely a part of the appeal of this build ... at least to me. Eliminating the dedicated 12 volt system is an interesting thought; though I would want to keep the 2-way fridge happy for a long weekend if not longer. I know the new Ram 1-ton trucks have some nice options for 380-440 amps worth of alternator depending on gas or diesel.

Truly is a balance of cost per pound of fun and convenience. Phenomenal build. :smiley_drive:

I really like the benefit of the aluminum structure as well, everything in the whole build adds strength and that is important. You are absolutely 100% with the cost per pound vs comfort and convenience. You could save a ton of weight, pack like a backpacker, and have a very strong, dry, secure sleeping and storage facility. I agree with wanting to keep the 12 volt system intact, but on with the weight saving kick here, why not drop a solenoid between the two batteries on the truck, replace the batteries with 2 of the biggest batteries that will fit the truck, and run a couple hundred watts of solar to the house battery? Could easily run the fridge and heating system and truck should still start every time as one oversize battery is at 100%

 

[IdaSHO]

Certainly an option, and should be considered by those that do very little extended dry camping.

I considered it early on, but having a big 12V hungry diesel (lots of juice needed to get started) I opted to go overboard on battery, and keep things isolated.

Although I do run a 200Amp continuous duty relay under hood, with #2 conductors from truck batteries, to relay, and to camper batteries, that allow me to tie the systems together.

Simple toggle switch in the cab controls it.


This allows for 4 things...

*FAST bulk charging of camper bank when driving
*Additional battery for extended dry camping periods
*additional battery for extreme cold diesel starts (every amp counts!)
*And the ability to charge/maintain the truck batteries with the camper mounted solar

 

[Jeep]

Corner Caps!! 10 hours of cutting, forming, tig welding, sanding....but these will get shot white and will finish off the corners aesthetically and structurally. Just have to whip up a ladder, roof rack, and rear mounted storage locker and the outside is done. Also made the decision to peel the wood cabinet doors out, going with King Starboard XL. We use this stuff in some pretty harsh environments and it just works very well, I'm also changing out the Southco latches for some HD compression latches. The Southco's are pretty, but the additional little catches, extra screws, and general loose fit with the catch really disappoint me. The compression latches are solid, no extra parts, and stay tight, no rattles! Maybe a little old school and there's no money to be saved when you buy the good ones but they are superior.

 

[mk216v]

Corner Caps!! 10 hours of cutting, forming, tig welding, sanding....but these will get shot white and will finish off the corners aesthetically and structurally. Just have to whip up a ladder, roof rack, and rear mounted storage locker and the outside is done. Also made the decision to peel the wood cabinet doors out, going with King Starboard XL. We use this stuff in some pretty harsh environments and it just works very well, I'm also changing out the Southco latches for some HD compression latches. The Southco's are pretty, but the additional little catches, extra screws, and general loose fit with the catch really disappoint me. The compression latches are solid, no extra parts, and stay tight, no rattles! Maybe a little old school and there's no money to be saved when you buy the good ones but they are superior.

View attachment 331990

WOW, lots of work Mark! Is that needed for every build of yours, or just your own camper?

Good info on the Southco. Have you looked at or used the SPEP latches? Similar, from Cali; http://www.spep.com/