My camper ideas, thoughts, and plans...

[oonimog]

I bought the truck specifically to build into a camper, and for that reason, I bought a U1300L37 (additional 45cm wheelbase compared to standard U1300L), with fast axles, and the OM352A. Since buying it, I've put about 50K km on it with a camper built under the tarp, including a couple trips into the Sahara. The truck is awesome but it's time for a real hard-sided camper.

While living in Germany, I met with Unicat, ActionMobil, Langer&Bock, and others to see their products check out prices. Needless to say, they're far from cheap, but I did learn a lot from them. In the meantime, I've spent a few years designing my version. My criteria includes: all weather capability and secure (hence hard-sided), full standing interior height, fixed full size bed, a toilet and shower, self sufficiency, the ability to carry two spare tires, and the ability to carry a dual sport moto, all without compromising the Mog's off road capability. In my mind (sorry as it may be...), compromising on off road ability pretty much removes the point of using a Mog as a base.

Keeping the off road capability means no taller than it already is, a low center of gravity, and as light as possible. This drove the decision to move the roof and use self supporting FRP/foam core walls. You mentioned using SolidWorks as a design tool. I'm also using it so I attached a few images to better show the design. I hope they're useful.

Cheers

 

[OutbacKamper]

oonimog;
What type of lift system do you plan to use for the roof? I am trying to design a smaller version of your camper to fit a flatbed F350 and the lift system is giving me the most problems. I want to avoid a hydraulic system if possible and would also like to avoid a cable system. At the moment I am leaning towards a scissor lift arrangement. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks
Mark

 

[Blair G]

I bought the truck specifically to build into a camper, and for that reason, I bought a U1300L37 (additional 45cm wheelbase compared to standard U1300L), with fast axles, and the OM352A. Since buying it, I've put about 50K km on it with a camper built under the tarp, including a couple trips into the Sahara. The truck is awesome but it's time for a real hard-sided camper.
Cheers

Nice truck! The L37 are a hard one to find.
Blair

 

[Metcalf]

oonimog,

Thanks for the info and pics! I am very jealous, you seen to be a lot farther along than I am! I am still trying to find a nice clean mog for a fair price. I am thinking along a lot of the same lines as you are as far as the construction of the unimog camper goes. Do you have any pics of your original camper? I would love to read a travellog of your africa trip if you have a website.

I have a few thoughts....

How are you going to get the spare tires out and to the ground? I noticed that you have a small crane built onto the back. Getting the spare tires out from the compartment to the crane might be a little bit of a challenge. Can you get the tires out and use the crane with the top down. I think I have finally decided to move the spare tire to the outside. I know this has some downsides ( theft, CoG considerations, etc ) but I think having the spare tire/wheel in the same position that it will hook to the crane will be a big bonus. Also, I don't want to have to put a muddy, messy, and heavy spare tire back into a compartment. I like everything being really compact...but I don't know.

Do you have a shower in your design? I noticed that you are using a dropped step in like I am. I am going to use folding steps so that I can transform the step in area into a shower. I am also going to have the toilet on the same level as the sunken area. This way I can use the bathroom with the top down and still stand up.

I really like our design. Do you have the mounting dimensions for the bed mount accurate? I would love to have a copy of that solidworks file. I can't find a blueprint of the mog bed mounting to save my life.

I will post up a few solidworks pics when I get a chance. I just upgraded to SW2007 with all the options from 2004 It took a little bit to get it all running.

 

[oonimog]

oonimog;
What type of lift system do you plan to use for the roof? I am trying to design a smaller version of your camper to fit a flatbed F350 and the lift system is giving me the most problems. I want to avoid a hydraulic system if possible and would also like to avoid a cable system. At the moment I am leaning towards a scissor lift arrangement. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks
Mark

Hi Mark,
I like the scissor lift because it requires fewer actuators so it may be cheaper and lighter, and usually does a good job maintaining alignment between the parts. The downside is the space required, as one side of the scissor has to move a significant distance and the mechanism has to fit somewhere.

Hydraulics aren't a problem for me but I'm still not sure if I will use them for the roof. I've been considering using electrically driven rams, typically used to raise the engine hatch on power boats. They're self contained so installation would be fairly simple and the cost is about the same as a hydraulic cylinder, without the complexity. My only concern is synchronization due to differences in motor speed. The roof could probably take some amount of misalignment but without trying it, I don't know how much is too much.

Blair - Thanks, and you're right, they're not so common.

Joaquin - Thanks for the tip, I'll give it a try.

 

[Metcalf]

I'm planning on using a pair of air rams to lift my top. There is already an air sytem on a unimog and most any expedition vehicle. The speed can be adjusted by a simple restrictor fitting and the force by a simple pressure regulator. The valve can be either electric or manual. The rams can also be crosslinked to allow them to raise at the same rate by dividing the load.

I plan on having a simple sectioned tube that will snap around the air ram when in the up position for a safety.

I am also going to use a double action ram so that I can not only raise the top, but also hold it down to keep rattles down and to help the top seals work a little better in the sand.

 

[oonimog]

Hi Metcalf,

The picture of the truck is with the original camper under the tarp. If you're asking for pictures of the inside, I can send some to you. Unfortunately, I don't have a proper website but I do have a place where I can post pictures. If you're interested, I can post some pictures but it will take about a month as I'm leaving for another Saharan trip this Wednesday.

Spare tires: What's not shown is the drawer that the tires are mounted to. This allows the tires to slide out under the crane and be picked up directly. I would consider mounting the tires outside but I need to have a place for the moto and inside isn't practical. The crane performs double duty as it's also used for loading the bike. The crane is independant of the roof so is unaffected by the roof's position and both the crane and moto rack both fold flat against the wall when not in use.

The shower will be above the toilet. There will be a grate that folds down to make the bathroom floor level with the rest and allow the stairwell to become a basin for the shower. The height with the roof when down still provides enough room to use the toilet, though peeing like a woman will be easier than standing...

I've already built the camper frame and have test mounted it to the truck so I believe the dims are accurate. I'm not sure they would be helpful to you as with the longer wheelbase, the locations are different.

I'd love to see your work, I look forward to the pictures.

 

[Metcalf]

Oonimog,

I'll get a rough solid model up so you can see my basic concept, its starts going really slow when your starting to make everything accurate and dimensionally correct.

How long are you going to be gone on your trip? I dropped you a PM so I could swap e-mails with you. I would love to stay in touch. Its hard to find overland traveling contact from the US.

I totally forgot about you having the longer wheelbase. Do you know off hand if there are any unimog manuals that give accurate frame blueprints/drawings?

On one of my past designs I used a drawer for the spare tire. I was planning to have the drawer over the top of the tire with a small winch ( manual or electric ) so that I didn't need an extra crane. I think it all became a little bit too complicated a design.

I am giving up having a motorbike for two folding mountain bikes that will store about where your spare tires do. I think a bike or two will be nice for the cities and denser populated areas so I don't have to drive the mog around all the time.

How wide are you building your camper? I am shooting or under 2300mm. I think this is about right without it being too big.

I did find a nice way to help seal the camper. I am going to use brush seals to help seal the moving top. They are easy to find. Run one on the inside section and one on the moving section for a double seal. This should also help keep the moving top from shifting at all and gouging the sides of the camper. My top will also have a rubber seal for when the top is down to help keep out the dust.

Are you going to have a pass through to the cab of the 'mog? That is one of the main reasons why I decided on the triangle pop up. That way I can run a full size pass through to the cab. When its cold and windy the girlfriend and I won't have to go outside at all. Just hit a switch and crawl in back. I think that is going to be nice for long days on the road in bad weather.

Take care....

 

[oonimog]

Hi Metcalf,
I know what you mean about the time it takes for the details, if I told you how much design time I've invested in my camper, you wouldn't believe me. Combine that with the research online, trips to trade shows, supplier visits and phone calls, and on, and on, and on... Why am I doing this again...?

I'll be away for three weeks. Hopefully, I'll have email access in some places but it will depend on cell coverage. During past trips, I was surprised at the coverage in areas that I never thought it would be possible.

I have the complete Mog manual set and I can look to see what drawings are available. If there's nothing there, a good friend of mine works for an MB dealership selling Mogs in Germany and he may be able to help.

Why did you give up on the hanging spare tire concept? I need a hoist for the moto, as well as two spares so the hanging concept won't work for me but I really like the idea. My pickup uses the exact same thing and it works very well.

I started out at exactly the same width as you but have shaved it down to ~ 225cm. I did this so it would match the width of the truck. In fact, when I first bought the Mog, the bed was much wider than it is today. I cut the sides off and narrowed it to 225cm so it would fit into a high cube shipping container. Even so, the bed rubbed against the container wall but the damage was very minor and was probably not really due to the width.

The jury is still out in regard to a pass-through. I used to think this was very important to me but I'm not so sure any more. Maybe my biggest reservation is that I'm not sure I'll have the heart to chop up the cab. My truck has the ag cab, that has a much larger rear window, so this may allow me to use the window openning and not cut anything. It's not high on the priority list at this point.

I recieved your PM, check your email for a reply.

Cheers

 

[CornDog]

I don't know if it would help much, but I was doing some reading on another buildup of a Mog 1300L by this guy in the UK. He says he did all the planning with some CAD program so that would probably have the dimensions as well. I've e-mailed and asked him questions before and he seems a OK guy. If you asked, I'm sure he'd share his drawings/dimensions with you.
good luck!

http://www.unimog.org.uk/
just click the "converted into a campervan" link.

:26_7_2:

 

[oonimog]

Metcalf,
I checked the Mog manuals last night and found drawings that show details of the frame but nothing for the pritche/body mounting details. Such drawings must exist for manufacturers that build Unimog bodies so I'll ask when I'm in Germany on Thursday.

 

[Metcalf]

Thanks Oonimog. I got your e-mail last night and will fire one off when I have something good to say! Keep in touch on the trip if you have a chance. Are you taking your existing soft top 'mog?

I'm working on some solidworks stuff today and tonight. I should be able to get a rough model of what my concept looks like. Then I will start in on the final plans. the aluminum framework for the camper and top is going to be pretty neat....

Have a safe trip! Take lots of pictures!

 

[Metcalf]

Well I finally got the chance to make a rough solid model of my camper idea. This is to scale also.....

If you have questions or ideas please ask. I will be working more and more on this concept in the days to come. This isn't going to be a short project. There are a lot of details not shown yet ( coming soon ) but you should be able to get the idea....

 

[Metcalf]

Here it is from the side with the top up and down....

As you can see there is great headroom over most of the walking floor. The person in the pictures is 6' tall. I should be able to work over the entire kitchen area without having to duck at all. I think as long as you step left a little bit after coming up from the bathroom you should have full head height. This design also lets me have full sitting height ( an then some ) in the bed area, while allowing a good deal of room under the bed for storage and the refrigerator. I will have the fresh water tank, a long storage compartment that runs up under one of the dining room seats, and storage for two folding mountain bikes in cases.

Most everything in the kitchen and dining area will be able to be used with the top down if needed. The table converts into a bed for use on the road if someone is sick. The bathroom is fully operational with the top down also. You can crawl back into the bathroom while on the move if needed.

This design is coming along...and there will be much more to see....

Ideas and suggestions are welcome...

 

[Grim Reaper]

I really like that design. The sunken entry is a great idea. Have you though about putting the bed on a hinged lid so you can access the storage compartment from inside if you need something?