Ram 5500 Fire Crew Carrier Overlanding Camper Build

[OverlandFT]

Were you ever able to get pics or more detail on mounting setup?

I remember looking at the setup, but never took any pictures. The box is spring bolt mounted toward the front half of the box and bolted directly to the frame at the rear bumper where the tow anchors are located. I can take pictures, but probably won't pick up the truck again for 2-3 weeks.

 

[KiwiMtnClmbr]

I remember looking at the setup, but never took any pictures. The box is spring bolt mounted toward the front half of the box and bolted directly to the frame at the rear bumper where the tow anchors are located. I can take pictures, but probably won't pick up the truck again for 2-3 weeks.

Pics would be awesome when you get to it.

Also, when your daughter’s bunk is lowered, what height is above the mattress for her and how does she handle it? I’m laying out a minimalist box to sleep 5 (crazy I know!) with a very similar footprint to yours. I’ll hopefully have more vertical space to utilize.

 

[OverlandFT]

Pics would be awesome when you get to it.

Also, when your daughter’s bunk is lowered, what height is above the mattress for her and how does she handle it? I’m laying out a minimalist box to sleep 5 (crazy I know!) with a very similar footprint to yours. I’ll hopefully have more vertical space to utilize.

It's around 20-24" above the bunk mattress to the ceiling, just depending on how low I drop it. My daughter (6yo) sleeps great up there and never had much of an issue with the lack of space. I've been up there too and getting in and out is the biggest challenge, but not so much for a kid.

It's a small space, sleeping 5 (comfortably) will be an interesting challenge! Please share what you come up with.

 

[DOJ1]

I like the build, I purchased the snake river hotshot truck.
I would like (with your permissions keep and use the one photo you have of it. With the crew.

 

[OverlandFT]

I like the build, I purchased the snake river hotshot truck.
I would like (with your permissions keep and use the one photo you have of it. With the crew.

Awesome, congrats! Looks like the same manufacturer (phenix) as mine. Although I appreciate the shorter length of my truck in a lot of driving situations, I would love to have an extra truck box on each side. I look forward to seeing what you do with it. The pictures are from Snake River Hotshots Facebook page. I just credited the pictures, I don't own them.

 

[OverlandFT]

Pics would be awesome when you get to it.

Here's the mounting method on the box-to-frame. The spring bolts mounts are toward the front of the box. The rear is directly bolted to the frame rails.

 

[OverlandFT]

In the late Spring, I was debating what I would do for a better toilet on the summer trips. Well, it took three months and missed my summer trips, but I finally received the Laveo Dry Flush toilet! First impression is it seems well made with a sturdy plastic molded housing. I like how its rechargeable battery powered, has a full size toilet seat, and includes a cartridge trash bag for quick disposal. The design uses a vacuum pump to open up the bag and a lazy susan mount on a motor to spin the bags closed. Here's what it looks like without a cartridge installed.



Here's a demo video I made prior to install.

 

[KiwiMtnClmbr]

Here's the mounting method on the box-to-frame. The spring bolts mounts are toward the front of the box. The rear is directly bolted to the frame rails.

Many thanks! So your box is just shy of 7' long correct? Is it just the single set of spring bolt mounts at the cab-end and the rail bolts at the rear end or is there another set(s) of spring bolts in the middle of the box?

 

[OverlandFT]

Many thanks! So your box is just shy of 7' long correct? Is it just the single set of spring bolt mounts at the cab-end and the rail bolts at the rear end or is there another set(s) of spring bolts in the middle of the box?

The box is 8.5' long and has just the one set of spring bolts about 1 ft from the front.

 

[KiwiMtnClmbr]

The box is 8.5' long and has just the one set of spring bolts about 1 ft from the front.

Wicked; this is exactly what I was hoping/thinking. I'm about to begin my construction of a DIY 8' long box on a similar platform base and I have been debating the merits of a single spring mount at the cab end of the subframe. Real world proof of concept with a rugged use(d) truck is the kind of confirmation that makes me sleep a bit better ;-).

 

[Blair G]

The box is 8.5' long and has just the one set of spring bolts about 1 ft from the front.

I have married up a 13ft buggy box to my LMTV and used essentially the same system that was used on the original chassis. Hard mounted at the back with springs towards the front. The only thing I added were vulcanized rubber strips between the the box rails and the truck frame rails. The original design also included some safety cables that went around both the truck frame and the box frame to keep the two connected in the event of a crash. My plan is to do the same.

 

[Third]

Kitchen & outdoor sink.

View attachment 673592

Can you share some info on that outdoor sink?

And I also settled on using the Laveo Dry Flush for my build. I've no issue installing a blackwater tank, but when I first saw those I was sold (I had an RV once and am all too familiar with dumping stations and been using a little camp toilet in my current build as a placeholder...I'm done messing with sewage, LOL).

 

[OverlandFT]

Can you share some info on that outdoor sink?

And I also settled on using the Laveo Dry Flush for my build. I've no issue installing a blackwater tank, but when I first saw those I was sold (I had an RV once and am all too familiar with dumping stations and been using a little camp toilet in my current build as a placeholder...I'm done messing with sewage, LOL).

For the sink, I built a frame around it to attach the faucet and mount push-to-open drawer slides. The faucet is a 360 degree, folding design that lays flat when the drawer/sink is closed. I used an Ambassador Marine drain with a 95 degree drain angle to provide enough clearance to slide open. The drain hose is for a dishwasher and the faucet connections are the SS braided hose.

It was challenging to make the sink fit in such a small space and I wish I could have fit a bigger sink, but it's still very useful every time we're out. We use it for filling the dog water bowl, washing hands, hot water basin for scrubbing dishes.

On the Laveo toilet topic, we were able to use it on a weekend trip and it worked great. The emptying was an extremely easy, 30 second task.