Pop-up hinges?

[Unholy]

Greetings everyone! I am new to the forum, crossed over from tnttt.com upon suggestion from a member from that forum. I'm seeking assistance with a few things in regards to building my own popup camper for my 2005 Dodge Ram 2500. It will be a flatbed in a couple months if all goes right. I started the basic design phase, but need assistance with some issues.

My popup's hinge will be facing directly into rain, dust, etc. What kind of hinge would be best for this, where can I order one? Then, how do I go about keeping the elements out of it? I took a brief look at a Aliner camper hinge, but wonder what someone else might have come up with. Ideas, thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated. I hope to keep the height at just over 7' closed. Currently the truck is just a tab over 6' or so. Looking to have the roof popup to increase the rear of the camper by roughly 3' I took a look at Midog's build log, this is sort of what I am aiming for, a popup with hard sides/panels. This is in part due to the fact that my camper will need a bit more insulation as I plan to camp in temps bellow 20 degrees. Yup... winter camping.

This will be my first build, so I am trying to get ideas, technical issues and costs panned out before it is time to start the build. I have other questions, but for now, this one matters most. I look forward to any help! Thank you. - Unholy.

 

[otis24]

I was looking at hinges on WestMarine.com the other day. I went to a West Marina a little while ago as well.

They have a pretty good selection and everything is burly and stainless steel. It's also pretty pricey as well.

I would think you'll still want a good seal from a gasket of some sort regardless of the hinge.

Are you going to have a build thread when you start your camper? Sounds like it's going to be pretty sweet.

I'm thinking of building a flat bed pop top for my Tacoma like a Tommy Camper in Australia but a hinged wedge top instead of a straight pop top.
https://www.tommycampers.com.au/

 

[Unholy]

Hey Otis! Yeah, I have found some beefy hinges, but nothing that is sealed up. I was able to get a few responses here and there and notice that it seems everyone uses seals behind the hinges. Which means easier to do I guess, but at the same time, making the sides a bit more tricky. I look at some straight pop top options, but I have issues with finding a simple mechanism that wouldn't fail so easily. Just seems the wedge is the easiest, simplest way to go. Lots of interesting Tacoma camper builds in here!

 

[GoKiteSurf]

Another option is integrating Westfalia hinges or this style of hinge is nice - you can purchase these new hassle free. There are a few different styles used over the years. I too went the DIY for my pop top and built L brackets out of steel/reinforced and bolted the westfalia hinge to it. I learned in the long run a few benefits going this route over a "door" hinge style. Some learnings going this route winter camping...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vw-Earlyba...h=item286b639831:g:zAYAAOSwd1laagDW:rk:6:pf:0

- Westfalia hinge will provide additional vertical clearance as it raises the roof for increased head clearance vs simple hinge will require you to increase the angle of your roof for desired head clearance (less vertical space towards hinge).This helps reduce roof angle (helpful for high winds with reduced lever), reduced tent side wall surface area on sides/rear due to roof angled lower and vertically raised which in turn can reduce surface area for condensation build up which is a key issue to battle and less surface area for heat dissipation.

 

[otis24]

I’ve been thinking of using a Westfalia tent for the fabric on my pop top.
Using the hinges would be a good idea too.
I have a friend with a 1981 westfalia I can get all the dimensions from and build the top similar so I can use that tent and hinges.

 

[Unholy]

The hinges are interesting GoKiteSurf and thank you for sharing. Unfortunately, These won't work for me as my design isn't a tent on the pop top, but rather hard sides that fold up into place. I'm not to worried about the lack of room at the hinge area, since that is just storage of the slide out bed platform. Once in place, I think the head room would be closer to a foot and half on the short side. Not a lot of room, but it is a trade off. Interesting set up though!

 

[RoadForce]

I don't know if these are available in the US, but google "tila continuous hinge" and you will find a sealed hinge that I believe is German built and available here in Europe (but quite costly!).