Post photos of your truck camper on this thread. Any photo with a truck camper in it is allowable; any brand, any year.
If you have a couple of nice truck camper photos from your vacation, feel free to post them here. But, if you have 10, 20, 30 or 130 vacation photos you would like to post, this is not the thread for them. Just start a new thread and post all of them you like there. If you would like to also post a couple of the better TC photos on this thread, that is fine.
This thread is for Truck Camper photos only. But feel free to post comments on posted photos.
Because this thread is very long, I will occasionally clean it up by removing the older posts that do not have truck camper photos and other off topic material. Also, please limit photo width to 640 pixels. Please do not post thumbnail size photos, they are just too small to see and will be deleted. Please post photos, not just a clickable link to a photo.
Please limit the photo file size to reasonable size. preferably less than 100k, but absolutely less than 200k. Large size files just take too long to download.
Register at photobucket.com (free), download your pictures (takes a while), hi-lite and copy the URL, then use the "image" icon
to paste the photo URL.See the links below for help with posting photos.
PhotoBucket.com - Free Photo Hosting
Posting Photos Help Thread
Posting Photos Brad's Way
Another Good Thread With Photo Posting Info
Technology Forum
Posting Photos on the Forum - Help Thread
More help with photos
More help with photos (2)
Photo Bucket Photo Hosting Site
NetBoy's Thread on Compressing Photos
Can't See the Photos? Click Here (The Mad Norsky)
BradW ๐ ๐
Hey, I'm new here. I bought this 1996 Texson camper last year from an older couple who had kept it in nice shape. I did some basic maintenance and upgrades (deep clean, new battery, onboard battery tender, 100% LED lighting retrofit, etc.) and then built a subframe to elevate it over the fairing on my F650's flatbed, and incorporated fork pockets and lockable storage. The camper is permanently "tied down" to the galvanized subframe, and the subframe is secured to the flatbed with nylon webbing straps. When I mount it, I just lift it up with my forklift and back under it. The truck's air suspension usually runs 25-30 psi with the camper mounted, so it's a nice cushy ride and it doesn't hammer the camper to death. Total height is about 12'6" to the top of the AC unit.
I just finished de-winterizing the camper, and I'm getting ready to take a 2-3 day trip down to Cedar Rapids, IA this weekend. Looking forward to putting some miles on it this summer, although it's already paid for itself in hotel savings.
The day I dragged it home - had to bring a car trailer because it didn't fit on the truck.
The basic subframe, minus the sheet metal panels.
The subframe parts and ladder, fresh out of hot-dip galvanizing.
The tiedown strategy. (I have incorporated a spring-loaded rear tiedown since the photo was taken.)
Plenty of lockable, albeit not weather-tight, storage. This was a boondocking trip to a campsite way off the beaten path, near Duluth, MN. If you're going to drive a big truck 20 miles down a logging road, bring a chainsaw.
That ladder hangs on the camper's roof ladder when it's stowed. (I added grip tape after this photo was taken.)
I just finished de-winterizing the camper, and I'm getting ready to take a 2-3 day trip down to Cedar Rapids, IA this weekend. Looking forward to putting some miles on it this summer, although it's already paid for itself in hotel savings.
The day I dragged it home - had to bring a car trailer because it didn't fit on the truck.
The basic subframe, minus the sheet metal panels.
The subframe parts and ladder, fresh out of hot-dip galvanizing.
The tiedown strategy. (I have incorporated a spring-loaded rear tiedown since the photo was taken.)
Plenty of lockable, albeit not weather-tight, storage. This was a boondocking trip to a campsite way off the beaten path, near Duluth, MN. If you're going to drive a big truck 20 miles down a logging road, bring a chainsaw.
That ladder hangs on the camper's roof ladder when it's stowed. (I added grip tape after this photo was taken.)
JohnHeinz wrote:
That's a nice-looking Jeep, jshupe. The wheels are amazing too. What specific rims are they? I'm planning to purchase a set from 4WheelOnline, and I haven't made up my mind yet, with regards to the specific brand.
Thanks. Vision Nemesis 111 machined, with painted rash ring.
Washed and waxed. Inspecting and re-sealing around the roof next. (edit) That's the side of my garage reflecting off of the camper.
That's a nice-looking Jeep, jshupe. The wheels are amazing too. What specific rims are they?
jshupe wrote:Bert the Welder wrote:
Love to see pic's of the top and shots of the rack and mounts, if you are able and inclined. I was about to ask how big the battery bank is.....but just occurred to me that with all that solar, you might only need 1! LOL!
We have a 48V system for 120VAC loads in addition to the factory 12V system I haven't decided what to do with yet -- on our fifth wheel, I removed the 12V batteries and use multiple (Victron Orion) DC-DC converters in parallel, but on this one I'm not sure I'll bother.
12V is two group 29 120AH (if I recall correctly) batteries. 240AH total, 120AH usable @50% DoD. Lead acid.
48V is three SimpliPhi 3.8kWh batteries. That's roughly 900AH@12V. LiFePO4.
120V is provided through a Victron Quattro 48/3000 inverter.
Panels -> SmartSolar -> 48V batteries. Since the rig has AC power 24/7, a Progressive Dynamics converter (though somewhat inefficient in this manner) just floats the 12V system. If I want to decouple them for any reason, I just unplug the converter but I've only done that once when we were low on the 48V batteries and I didn't want to run the genset until morning and didn't want it to kick on automatically (as it's programmed to do). That let us run the 12V loads (mainly furnace that night) off the 12V batteries.
We went 48V in this because we have 48V in our fifth wheel, and already had six of those SimpliPhi batteries in there. We move three batteries between the rigs and have them on Andersen connectors. I built simple trays for them to sit in using angle.
I don't have a photo of the rack or mounts on hand, but most uprights are just 1-1/2x1/4 aluminum bar with stainless bolts to sections of 2x2-1/4 aluminum angle. Each piece of angle is cut 8" long, and mounted to the roof using four molly bolts. If we ever remove the rack, we can just remove the bolts for the uprights and leave those "feet" behind and not worry about patching a bunch of holes.
This is a photo I snapped of a sticker I added... hah, for all the looks and questions it gets. You can see some of the construction. It was taken before the outer edge supports were added. The wind dam is for tree branch/limb management as much as anything, and is connected from the top using exterior stainless door hinges. I then rested it on the front cap and hand bent 1x1/8 aluminum bar to secure it to the rack on the roof - so I wouldn't have to put any holes in the cap.
This photo is of a cracked panel - user error. I was trying to break some galled stainless threads loose and lost the wrench on the opposite side of my impact, and the wrench handle smacked the underside of the panel. A sad casualty due to my stupidity. ๐ฎ :S It shows the feet I was talking about.
The bars that run under the panels to support them are made for mounting panels on residential roofs. They come with bolt mounts that wedge the panels against the bars and hold them under normal conditions. Since constantly moving at highway speeds isn't normal conditions, I added four L brackets with four Teks screws in each one (two into the panel, two into the rack, for an additional 16 total screws per panel) for additional security. Then I stitched all the panels together on the outer edges using 3/4-1/8 aluminum angle and more Teks screws, and the outboard "legs" bolt through it and the panels. It takes about ten minutes to remove all the bolts and screws to pop a panel off for maintenance.
Anyway, hope that provides what you're looking for.
That's great! Thanks! Looks like a nice efficient method. I saw a roof rack mounted solar panel set up somewhere that looked similar. Covered the most of the roof. Was on a van though and the steel rack tilted both ways and was counterbalanced with springs so looked to take quite little effort to lift and tilt. Yours reminded me of it.
Thanks again!
Bert the Welder wrote:
Love to see pic's of the top and shots of the rack and mounts, if you are able and inclined. I was about to ask how big the battery bank is.....but just occurred to me that with all that solar, you might only need 1! LOL!
We have a 48V system for 120VAC loads in addition to the factory 12V system I haven't decided what to do with yet -- on our fifth wheel, I removed the 12V batteries and use multiple (Victron Orion) DC-DC converters in parallel, but on this one I'm not sure I'll bother.
12V is two group 29 120AH (if I recall correctly) batteries. 240AH total, 120AH usable @50% DoD. Lead acid.
48V is three SimpliPhi 3.8kWh batteries. That's roughly 900AH@12V. LiFePO4.
120V is provided through a Victron Quattro 48/3000 inverter.
Panels -> SmartSolar -> 48V batteries. Since the rig has AC power 24/7, a Progressive Dynamics converter (though somewhat inefficient in this manner) just floats the 12V system. If I want to decouple them for any reason, I just unplug the converter but I've only done that once when we were low on the 48V batteries and I didn't want to run the genset until morning and didn't want it to kick on automatically (as it's programmed to do). That let us run the 12V loads (mainly furnace that night) off the 12V batteries.
We went 48V in this because we have 48V in our fifth wheel, and already had six of those SimpliPhi batteries in there. We move three batteries between the rigs and have them on Andersen connectors. I built simple trays for them to sit in using angle.
I don't have a photo of the rack or mounts on hand, but most uprights are just 1-1/2x1/4 aluminum bar with stainless bolts to sections of 2x2-1/4 aluminum angle. Each piece of angle is cut 8" long, and mounted to the roof using four molly bolts. If we ever remove the rack, we can just remove the bolts for the uprights and leave those "feet" behind and not worry about patching a bunch of holes.
This is a photo I snapped of a sticker I added... hah, for all the looks and questions it gets. You can see some of the construction. It was taken before the outer edge supports were added. The wind dam is for tree branch/limb management as much as anything, and is connected from the top using exterior stainless door hinges. I then rested it on the front cap and hand bent 1x1/8 aluminum bar to secure it to the rack on the roof - so I wouldn't have to put any holes in the cap.
This photo is of a cracked panel - user error. I was trying to break some galled stainless threads loose and lost the wrench on the opposite side of my impact, and the wrench handle smacked the underside of the panel. A sad casualty due to my stupidity. ๐ฎ :S It shows the feet I was talking about.
The bars that run under the panels to support them are made for mounting panels on residential roofs. They come with bolt mounts that wedge the panels against the bars and hold them under normal conditions. Since constantly moving at highway speeds isn't normal conditions, I added four L brackets with four Teks screws in each one (two into the panel, two into the rack, for an additional 16 total screws per panel) for additional security. Then I stitched all the panels together on the outer edges using 3/4-1/8 aluminum angle and more Teks screws, and the outboard "legs" bolt through it and the panels. It takes about ten minutes to remove all the bolts and screws to pop a panel off for maintenance.
Anyway, hope that provides what you're looking for.
