The TARDIS - A Four Wheel Camper Build

[Overland Hadley]

Stripped down and ready for the next phase.

Now that I have Hadley ready for the FWC, I am thinking about possibly changing platforms for the camper. What do you all think.....

:elkgrin:

 

[Hill Bill E.]

Now that I have Hadley ready for the FWC, I am thinking about possibly changing platforms for the camper. What do you all think.....




:elkgrin:

Naw.....I say go with a Jeep! A nice old CJ5, that should work!

:coffeedrink:

 

[Overland Hadley]

Naw.....I say go with a Jeep!

An AEV Brute would be mega.

Wait, is that thing a camper or a trailer?!

 

[Hill Bill E.]

An AEV Brute would be mega.

Wait, is that thing a camper or a trailer?!

A little of both! It's a 'pick up' camper, with a tag axle!:elkgrin:

Love to find a set in nice condition!

 

[Overland Hadley]

Can somebody grab a measurement for me?

I want to know what the width of the aluminum siding is. I am going to have some brackets custom made, and I do not want it overlapping the siding, and thus crushing the lip of the siding.

Thanks!

 

[Overland Hadley]

I like the weight saving cutouts in this build.

Might just do triangles instead of circles.

 

[cwsqbm]

A little of both! It's a 'pick up' camper, with a tag axle!:elkgrin:

Not a jeep, but that reminds me of a camper I saw in France in 2004, attached to an small car:

 

[Flagster]

Now that I have Hadley ready for the FWC, I am thinking about possibly changing platforms for the camper. What do you all think.....








:elkgrin:

I think you should try a ute bed for a platform...then I can see what it looks like before I bite:ylsmoke:

 

[pods8]

I think you should try a ute bed for a platform...then I can see what it looks like before I bite:ylsmoke:

You just trying to see what a ute bed looks like, ute bed on a tacoma, or a ute bed w/ a camper of this nature?

DirtyDog over at WTW just picked up a custom ATC camper built for the ute flatbed on his F250.

 

[Overland Hadley]

I think you should try a ute bed for a platform...then I can see what it looks like before I bite:ylsmoke:

You just trying to see what a ute bed looks like, ute bed on a tacoma, or a ute bed w/ a camper of this nature?

DirtyDog over at WTW just picked up a custom ATC camper built for the ute flatbed on his F250.

There are also a couple of pictures on WtW of a Gen2 Tacoma that has a flatbed. It is getting ready for a XP Taco Camper.

I will see if I can find them, and grab them.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Here they are. Does not show very good, I have requested some better shots, but non have come through.

Sure does raise the COG.

XP Taco thread is HERE.

 

[DirtyDog]

Sure does raise the COG.

As per our flatbed discussions, while the bed is around 3 inches higher than a stock bed, a flatbed allows for all camper appliances to be on the floor rather than above the bed rails. Moving all that weight lower in the camper likely negates any COG concerns for the slightly taller bed.

 

[Overland Hadley]

As per our flatbed discussions, while the bed is around 3 inches higher than a stock bed, a flatbed allows for all camper appliances to be on the floor rather than above the bed rails. Moving all that weight lower in the camper likely negates any COG concerns for the slightly taller bed.

Best I can figure a flatbed on a Tacoma would be about six to eight inches higher. Not sure how there would be room for the wheels to flex otherwise, as the top of the wheel wells are nine inches higher.

With my plans for a non-flatbed camper I have the tanks plus all storage at the floor of the camper. (Granted this is a shell build, I am not sure where the factory has the tanks located.) I will have nothing heavy stored above the bed rails, just a couple duffles of clothing.

So compared to my build plans, the COG would be a little higher. But having the extra storage and floor area would be worth it. I guess I was just looking at the photos of the Tacoma and thinking how much higher the bed looked.

 

[pods8]

Best I can figure a flatbed on a Tacoma would be about six to eight inches higher. Not sure how there would be room for the wheels to flex otherwise, as the top of the wheel wells are nine inches higher.

My dodge is set up similarly in terms of wheel well height but my truck wouldn't ever come anywhere close to actually tucking the wheels with stock leaf springs, definitely not with airbags on the rig to handle the camper. If you have a heavily articulating rig then maybe you'll try and keep that type of clearance but 99% of rigs don't need anywhere near that esp. if the upper travel is restricted by an airbag/bump stop.

Not sure if I'll buy or build my flatbed but either way the deck would be ~6" above the frame rails which is ~3" higher than the stock bed floor.

With my plans for a non-flatbed camper I have the tanks plus all storage at the floor of the camper. (Granted this is a shell build, I am not sure where the factory has the tanks located.) I will have nothing heavy stored above the bed rails, just a couple duffles of clothing.

My 99' hawk has the water tank and propane tank above the bed rails on the driver side. I think some of the most recent designs by FWC are putting the propane in the back on the floor and water tank in the front on the floor which makes sense but the older ones are heavily weighted high on the driver side.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Good points Pods8.

Now that I think about it, with the lift and the Timbrens there is no way my wheels could come even close to the top of the wheel wells. So a flatbed at the normal bed height would work.

Interesting that the older campers had the tanks up high. Not ideal.