PovertyRoamer- F550 4x4 CC 7.3 11' flattie moto/mtb/surf sherpa with a Lance 1040

[jtcym1149]

In the last 14 years I've gone from sleeping in a truck cap to a Livin Lite truck camper then back to a truck cap set up and now I'm building what is in my eyes a low budget expedition rig. I went back and forth as to whether I was building the camper, repurposing something commercial into a camper or buying another truck camper. Back in February I picked up a Lance 1040 for 12k off RVTrader.

On the 3 hr ride home I knew that a F350 wasn't going to cut it as the tow vehicle. It moved and stopped it but it didn't exactly inspire confidence.
So the search was on for a 450 or a 550.

 

[jtcym1149]

In July I found a 2001 F550 Lariat edition which I've rarely seen in years of looking. A landscaper purchased it in 2001 but it got hit from behind and it was a 200" wheelbase(a pain to drive in suburbia hell) so it spent a lot of time sitting. It had 33k miles on it. Only thing I didn't care for was the leather seats and the fact that it was an automatic but its pluses far outweighed the minuses. $17,500 and a 40 mile tow home and the project was starting to come together.

 

[jtcym1149]

 

[jtcym1149]

It has a 3" body lift and a 4-6" suspension lift. Some of the suspension lift is coming off. I never thought I'd like a body lift but its so easy to work on with the body lift and a stock heavy duty flatbed needs no modification to sit the camper's cabover 2" above the cab instead of the massive gap that exists when you throw a tc on a work flatbed. Luckily I had it towed home because a brake line broke from corrosion just loading it up.

 

[jtcym1149]

Next up was a flatbed. Originally I was going to build it with help from my brother but I found a local dealer selling a takeoff 11' flatbed that needed a little work. $1250 delivered

 

[BritKLR]

Going to be a cool build!

 

[Lance990]

I own a Lance 990 and haul it with a '07 F350 DRW and I really like the floor plan of 1040. The front face-to-face dinette is the right way to layout a camper, in my mind. So, I am basically building out my truck cap for camping and trying to downsize from my 990. The camper weighs 3,800 lbs wet and it is just too big for off-road travels. I have been a lot of places I shouldn't have gone but it is just too big to go where I want. I want to simplify how I travel and increase where I can go so I am enjoying building a micro-RV in the bed of my truck. I'll still keep my 990 for long vacation travels with the wife but for solo trips, I am perfectly content sleeping in the bed of my truck. I will be installing a heat exchanger under the hood for hot water today and testing it out. I have already installed a 45A converter in the back along with a power distribution center for 12V and 120V. I have 2 ways to get power into the camper depending on the source: a 15A plug and a 30A plug. I have a 135AH AGM battery, a 300W PSW inverter, a 26 qt fridge/freezer and two 25" x 75" tri-fold sleeping mattresses. Another addition will be the installation of a 46 gallon water tank in the rear of the cab which will be plumbed to an outdoor shower with a 12V on-demand pump. There is a 100W solar panel on the roof of the cap to run the fridge during the day and keep the battery topped off. I even built a wooden tailgate insert for setting up a residential 5000 BTU air conditioner. I am kind of over the large land yacht approach to camping and I am going in a different direction, for now. It will be interesting to see how you build it out.

 

[jtcym1149]

I still kinda have a truck cap camper and I love the simplicity. I do most of my deep exploring and recreation on a moto, mtb, paddleboard or jetski. In the future I see myself trailering a pre runner or a trail rig to get out to those far away areas with 4 wheels so this is only going to be a forest road hotel. The excess weight capacity is in place for this reason. In short I was tired of roughing it. I'm getting soft as I get older. I also like the idea of hauling the trail ride that you get gnarly with. Easier to get it home when you break it.

 

[da/dt]

Looks like you’ve found some good deals!

 

[jtcym1149]

If anyone is looking to do buy a 450 or above and is having trouble insuring it State Farm is the only company I found in NJ that will do it. It's a private policy and the rate is the same as I pay on my 250 and 350. Unfortunately they won't insure it until it has a body on it hence I had the flatbed delivered. Was wishing I had a bigger tractor or excavator but we made do with an engine hoist and a couple floor jacks. A lot of pushing, cursing and straining. If my one buddy didn't stop by I probably would have went and bought a come along to help pull it on. To make things easy we cut the boxes off. One of them was shot after being hit and the current plan is to radius skirt the flatbed to the cab's lower countour

 

[jtcym1149]

Finished product. Just waiting on u bolts to secure it and the camper will be test fitted

 

[jtcym1149]

Next up I scored this heavy duty (250lb) motorcycle lift off facebook marketplace for $600 and a 1 hr ride to get it. Put on a Curt 20000 lb hitch and tested it all out. The moto lift was meant to haul a full dresser harley on a Class A and is rated to 1000lb. I'm planning on fabbing up some rails and carrying two motos on it. The 20" of lift makes it so I can lift the bike by hand onto it and then raise it up. A small ramp might be necessary. I probably won't be able to lift the bike onto it after riding 20 mi loops of sandy singletrack. Can't wait to take this beast to the UP next year. Another plus is that the rack is 4" above the hitch when lifted. So my departure angle isn't horribly affected.

 

[zb39]

I'm liking this build!!

 

[jtcym1149]

Been busy getting the camper ready for initial mounting and everything took longer than I anticipated. First matter of business was some extensions for my dually swing outs to clear the big rig duals which are 8'-5" wide. Used 1/4" plate steel and replaced all hardware with grade 8.

 

[09Busaman]

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