What are my panel options for compoiste body

[juha_teuvonnen]

Hi All,

I am building a "truck camper" that will go on the flat bed (sides removed) of an M1083 5-ton MTV (US Army truck). I don't want to permanently attach the box to the truck and I will be using the bed that the truck came with instead. There will be an engineering solution that will deal with truck frame/bed flex and the interface between the camper box and the truck. Essentially the box will be installed on a subframe that can move relative to the bed. This way when the truck frame and bed flexes, the camper body won't break.

I have ruled out wooden and aluminum frame construction at this point because I intend to also use the vehicle on unpaved roads and in cold climate. I know about "total composites", they have a solid product which rightly commands an appropriate price. So far I was unable to find any other viable sources of panels for my build, possibly because I didn't look hard enough. I looked at various SIPs and it seems that they could be an option, but there are no extrusions/pultrusions for them that I could find. I am also not sure as to their mechanical properties, but I like the fact that theey are metal-clad on the outside and can be painted in any color. I am not big on white color. If you could tell me about vendors that I have overlooked and should be considering, I would really appreciate this information.

My other option is to build a steel outer frame (exoskeleton) and attach the panels from the inside.

P.S. Weight is not really a consideration for this build. Due to my choice of truck, I have the luxury of not being constrained by weight for this build. Anything short of brick and concrete should work.

 

[The Artisan]

This pod proto shell went to a guy who mounted it on his lmtv flatbed. Not sure if welded it or has it removable. 800lbs with 14ga exo cage2" frp composite pod 12.4 x 7.4 x 7 I have kits coming but will be a little while.
Kevin

 

[juha_teuvonnen]

Hi Kevin,

Where can I find out more about this? It seems very much in line with what I want, except I want 14 ft long and an overhang to go over the roof. Since I am planning to make it easily removable, I'll just remove it and leave it on jacks in case I need to tilt the cab to work on the engine.

 

[The Artisan]

Hi Kevin,

Where can I find out more about this? It seems very much in line with what I want, except I want 14 ft long and an overhang to go over the roof. Since I am planning to make it easily removable, I'll just remove it and leave it on jacks in case I need to tilt the cab to work on the engine.

Shoot me a Pm. My new build is incorporating my new patent pending poptopper as a topper and as a side popout
Kevin
My layout allows for a 10 x 7 living room with 7 foot couch, fold down queen bed, fold down 2.5 x 5 dining table, 7 foot kitchen and large fold out bathroom
14'could do a dedicated bathroom 3 x 7 feet

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Following

 

[rruff]

So far I was unable to find any other viable sources of panels for my build, possibly because I didn't look hard enough.

You could always just make your own. Plenty of people do. I figure if you are driving a truck like that you aren't adverse to getting your hands dirty...

 

[juha_teuvonnen]

I am pretty handy and not at all averse to getting my hands dirty. I love doing things with my hands, but I am learning to be realistic about my projects and time I can afford to spend on them. I can probably find enough time to build a box from a kit provided by somebody like Total Composites. Making my own panels, as fun as it sounds, will probably involve a learning curve and a very significant time investment.

 

[rruff]

Yep, most things seem pretty easy once you know how to do them, but it takes some time for sure.

 

[juha_teuvonnen]

I looked into doing a an "alcove" that goes over the cab, like many truck campers do, and decided against it. The roof of M1083 is approximately 9ft 4 in. That does not leave much space inside the "alcove" if you want to stay under 12 ft overall height, a little over 2 ft which is probably too claustrophobic to be viable. The back axle is far enough aft on these trucks that I could do a 2 ft overhang on the back without adversely affecting the approach angle. I am thinking about 16 ft long 7 ft tall rectangular box, standard truck body width, 102in on the outide IIRC.

I want the camper to be reliable, offroad capable and usable in cold winter climate. This rules out pop-ups and slide-outs. Making the most of the space inside the box through careful design will be key. Since bedding is only used at night, being able to fold it away and/or transform it into seating will maximize space utilization.

Ideally I would like to have a queen or king size bed and two bunk beds.

Here are a few ideas I "borrowed" from sleeper trains:

A Bottom bunk that transforms into two seats and a small table:

A top bunk that can be lowered when needed (look at the right side of the below pic, raised in front, lowered in the back):

An alternate option is to have the bunk fold against the wall.

 

[rruff]

IThat does not leave much space inside the "alcove" if you want to stay under 12 ft overall height, a little over 2 ft which is probably too claustrophobic to be viable.

2ft is plenty for a sleeping berth or storage.