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My (our) Ultimate Truck Camper Body Build

RICKIM
Explorer III
Explorer III
Let me start by saying that I wouldnโ€™t have built this without my wifeโ€™s blessings.
This is something Iโ€™ve wanted to build for a few years, and she was on board with it from the start of the thoughts and designs.
We had a 2008 3500 DRW Cummins and 2008 AF 1140 which weโ€™ve had since new.

Weโ€™re avid travelers and had put over 125,000 enjoyable miles of fun with the truck and TC. The truck handled it fine but we wanted something with more capacity and piece of mind.
We had upgraded our TC with the same exact AF 1140, only 11 years newer, so
with the larger tanks and new do-dads the new TC had, the longer trips, and more toys we wanted to bring with us, we felt we should start the process for a bigger truck and body.

Now, I looked at flatbeds, flat beds with boxes, aluminum bodyโ€™s, service bodyโ€™s, etc.
I called Douglass Truck Body as we liked that style TC bed, as well as two other builders for a cost on what we were looking for, but they were going to need the truck and camper for a minimum of two months.
That was not going to be an option as we live on the east coast and theyโ€™re on the west coast, and she was NOT going to have the new truck and new camper out of her sight for that long.

I brought the subject up with a recently โ€œearly retiredโ€ certified submarine welder friend of ours who wanted something to do so I asked him if he was willing to work with some designs and ideas I had put down on paper, cad, and pictures.
He was on board with the welding and fabing part, now, to make it happen.

I special ordered a RAM 5500, C&C, 60โ€CA, 4WD, Cummins, Aisin, 19,500 GVW Laramie with all the fixins....Figured this will be the last truck (hopefully) for quite some time so after 9 weeks this is what showed up:






As soon as the truck was in my hands I started ordering all the โ€œstuffโ€ I had in planning.
I found a company from Alabama that would custom make any box, doors, handles, and metal gauges I was looking for.
I needed 16โ€ boxes as I wanted the body width to stay narrower for the camper โ€œwingsโ€ in the rear and not interfere with tie-downs.
Started with 1x3 oak, 2x4x1/4 wall on the chassis, and 3โ€ channel for the cross members.




I incorporated the bed and camper tie-downs to the chassis.
I also put recessed pocket tie-downs in the bed for hold downs when Iโ€™m using the truck
for things other than traveling with the TC.













Curb and road sides coming together.





More to come...
2018 AF1140DB, 400W solar, Trimetric, Lifeline GPL-31XTโ€™s, rear deck,
2019 5500 Ram Crew, DRW, 6.7L-CTD, Custom TC bed, on board air, Front Rack
48 REPLIES 48

dblr
Explorer
Explorer
Looking good, can not wait to see more!!!!
2017 River Stone Legacy 38MB
2001 Kenworth T2000
2009 Smart on the deck.

jimh406
Explorer III
Explorer III
Looks like a great plan.

'10 Ford F-450, 6.4, 4.30, 4x4, 14,500 GVWR, '06 Host Rainer 950 DS, Torklift Talon tiedowns, Glow Steps, and Fastguns. Bilstein 4600s, Firestone Bags, Toyo M655 Gs, Curt front hitch, Energy Suspension bump stops.

NRA Life Member, CCA Life Member

gbopp
Explorer
Explorer
Awesome project. Thanks for sharing. :C

Son_of_Norway
Explorer
Explorer
Very impressive right from the start. Keep the pictures coming.
Miles and Darcey
1989 Holiday Rambler Crown Imperial
Denver, CO