Our custom true flatbed truck camper build thread

[Jfet]

Ok, I am going to collect random thoughts and progress pictures and put them here in a thread.

Goal: Construct a true flatbed camper with cabover, no slideouts but full 8 foot floor width inside. This will mount on a 2006 Isuzu NRR truck with a GVWR of 19,500 pounds and a current dry weight of 8700 pounds. The truck has a 20 foot flatbed that is 8 feet wide. The camper will take up 11 feet of the flatbed and the remaining area will be home to a future garage for our toys. We will install a hitch so we can pull our 17 foot Montgomery sailboat (trailer + boat is about 2200 pounds). The camper and garage will be removeable so the flatbed can be used for other purposes, or in case the truck needs extensive shop repairs down the road. Or if we are in Alaska and want to go pick up 3 cords of firewood or something 🙂

Here is a picture of the truck with some important dimensions:

[Jfet]

Friday and Saturday were 60+ in Seattle so we decided to install the solar system (finally).

Last year we purchased five grid tie panels, 270 watts each. They have an open circuit voltage of about 40V. We planned to use four of them on the roof of the camper pod for a 1080 watt beginner system.

We bought some 1.5x1.5x3/16" aluminum angle and constructed a lightweight frame for the panels. On the inner frame sections we installed 8 rubber feet made from 3/4" rubber horse stall mat (leftover from the headache rack bumper construction). The outer aluminum angle attaches to the sides of the camper with machined brackets and inner sections rest on the roof with the rubber feet. This keeps us from needing mounting holes in the roof. I believe the whole frame is strong enough that we will not have lifting issues while driving, but we could glue some supports to the roof in the middle if needed. We are going to run a GoPro up there for a bit of driving to see how things look. The panels are about 37 pounds each and are 64x39 inches. They are each bolted in 8 places to the aluminum bracket with 1/4" grade 8 bolts.

I was quite pleased today when we flipped the 20 amp breaker to the Midnite Classic 150 MPPT charge controller (60 amp breaker to the batteries). It was 10:30 am and the Seattle sun was up but not overhead. The Midnite found a voltage/current combo to deliver over 560 watts to the 24V battery bank...more than I expected on a late winter day in the NW. The camper also was parked on a slight hill with the panels pointed away from the sun.

560 watts at 10:30 am would probably mean 2kWh or more in a day but our house blocks the sun in the driveway past noon.

[pjay9]

Scrub a dub! LOL!!!

[Jfet]

Beautiful blue bird day in western Washington. Sunny and 60 degrees, so we washed the camper. It has now been outside in the Seattle weather for a fall/winter season with no problems except grime.

This brings up a good point.

When caring for a truck bed liner coated aluminum roof with no seams or holes, one needs to perform the following steps annually:

[pjay9]

At 17 feet the hull speed isn't that great...so you are probably doing just fine with the 2.5...maybe a 4 would be a wee bit better...9.9 naw! Overkill for sure! Eventually you'll have to post a pic of your rig all up ready to go with toys and boat...should be fun! Sun is out here right now!

[Jfet]

Yes, a 2.5HP Yamaha. Weak, but moves it at about 5 knots in calm water. She will only do around 6.5 knots just off of close hauled in good wind (displacement hull and only 17 feet).

We thought about getting a bigger kicker (maybe 9.9) but then realized this is a SAILboat. 😄

[pjay9]

JFET, Sweet craft, she looks like fun...taking her with you on your RV adventures will be fun and exciting to explore places. Do yo have a kicker?

[Jfet]

The garage pod is getting close. The remaining big step is paint and the truck bed liner for the aluminum roof (and bed liner for edge trim) so it matches the living pod. I estimate April sometime, depending temps (need to paint when temps are above 55.

Yes, the sad boat you see on the edge of the picture is our Montgomery 17 foot sailboat. It is sad because we used to take it out in the Sound every few weeks but for the past two years all it has had for a view is us working on this RV.

We will be pulling it with the truck camper setup. Here is what it looks like outside:

[pjay9]

You have a good looking pod...when you putting it on the truck? BTW, What sort of boat is sitting next to it...looks like it is a pocket sailboat?

I am going to have to make my way to Renton some day to admire your endeavors. This is a very interesting thread. THX for posting.

[Jfet]

ticki2 wrote:

Jfet wrote:
They are wired in series and run on a 12V battery (so technically each winch gets about 6V and runs slower, which it does).

Could you explain this to a dummy . I always thought running a motor at low volts was not good for the motor .

For a DC permanent magnet motor, running at lower voltage just means the motor goes slower and draws fewer amps. Obviously it has lower power too (1/4 the power since power is voltage squared divided by resistance, which doesn't change). Since one 2500 pound winch was more than enough to raise a 300 pound door, two 3500 pound winches at 1/4 power each are also enough to raise the door. They actually barely change noise when they come under the load of the door. I think they could lift a 1500 pound door.

I did measure the current draw and it was 25 amps from the 12V battery to the two series motors. The winch manual says a 500 pound load would draw about 46 amps at 12V for a single winch (but unsure what layer of spool they refer since the winch has less pull on the outer winding layers where I am running it).

After playing a bit more with lowering the door under winch outfeed tonight I do not think it will really be an issue. Even with no load the winches seem to keep enough in sync that the door lowers smoothly with little flexing.

[ticki2]

Jfet wrote:
They are wired in series and run on a 12V battery (so technically each winch gets about 6V and runs slower, which it does).

Could you explain this to a dummy . I always thought running a motor at low volts was not good for the motor .

[Jfet]

The new 3500 pound pull Superwinch Terra winches arrived. We welded in some support steel and mounted the winches one on each side. They are wired in series and run on a 12V battery (so technically each winch gets about 6V and runs slower, which it does).

The series wiring worked a treat when raising the door. If one side was slack it quickly catches up as the other motor slows because power is diverted. The door comes up exactly equal on both sides.

Lowering the door is not quite what I expected (but should have). Sometimes one motor will spin a little faster and the other cable will go slack. Not every time, but sometimes. I believe this is because the motors have no load on them when lowering the door. They don't run away and drop the door but one cable holds the weight of the door for awhile while the other unwinds faster. I am not quite sure how to fix this or if I should bother fixing it at all.

It looks a lot nicer and the cables are out of the way. It should be safer because of the redundancy in cable and brake.

[pjay9]

You can always get a Pod for Auntie...then no one will know! I like the hidden gems! Looking good!

[Bedlam]

I sure hope you're not going paint this thing Pea Green and add vinyl veneer.

[Jfet]

Aunt Edna is dead and doesn't really need a helmet or goggles to ride on the roof.

[bka0721]

kereams wrote:

bka0721 wrote:
But, be aware, in most states Approved Head Protection (helmet) is required and in all states, eye protection is required.

What the what? Huh?

Sorry you missed it. I really enjoy the updates and marvel over the pictures, including the view of the shop. But I do look at more than just the pictures. I read the narrative too. Sometimes it appears that there is an Easter Egg within. Some see it, some don't and maybe like me just interprets something that is not actually there. Now it's up to others if they find; Waldo, too.

b