Poor man's 1999 F450 Truck Camper Build

[ByeBye]

Initially had a shop appt to change cables as my tools are scattered between places and I don't like wrenching in Apt. complex parking lot but cancelled shop appt and decided to do it myself. Should be done this AM.

I also decided to go with 2/0 everywhere except lead to starter which is 3/0.

Love being able just to roll under the truck and work w/o having to jack the vehicle up, though.

Got a Blue Sea Systems ST Blade Fuse Block - 12 Circuits with Negative Bus & Cover yesterday and have begun checking for one or two large solar panels on CL. Have two Trojan 105, Renogy Rover solar controller and Magnum Energy MMS1012 1000 watt pure sine wave inverter ready to go.

 

[ByeBye]

Got the battery cables all good to go. Starter spins like I never heard it before.
Now I've decided to rearrange priorities. First, fab some swing out jack mounts for front and back while designing and acquiring parts for an automatic charging relay system (while I have all this new wisdom re: cables and such retained, lol)

Solar will be next, or not.

 

[ByeBye]

Making some progress. Met w/ a fabricator/welder yesterday, vet working out of his garage. Gonna trade some shop equipment I have for some work on repurposing the headache rack into a drop down porch on the rear. It will also be my spare and misc mount when in the up position, at least that's the present direction I'm going.

Finally got every jack I had and got the camper up enough to reposition it. Got the rear of the camper forward to where there's about 3 inch lip of deck. Not enough for a step but w/ a drop down that's not as important, I'm thinking.

Got the toolboxes set in for first mock up. Tomorrow I'll get the generator out and mock it up as well so I can  position tie down chains and such.

Very happy as things seem like they're flowing.

 

[highdesertranger]

I was wondering what happened to you. highdesertranger

 

[ByeBye]

Sorry, HDR. I had temp fabbed some jack extensions when I raised camper to put horse stall mats down but they seemed so sketching, a strong breeze would move the camper. After studying the situation and findling very level ground to work on I decided to give it go and just go SLOW. It worked even though I had to pull out the floor jack as well, as I ran out of hydraulic fluid in one. Good thing is I always had the truck under it and just had to NOT bump the rear jacks.

Think eventually I'd like to have a 'tray' fabbed that the camper would sit in, and be supported across the whole under belly and incorporate jack connections on corners. Jacks wouldn't have to extend so far.

 

[bullfrog]

Looks really good, with plenty of room for the cab to move and flex without hitting the camper. I have used 4 x 4 s front and back to lift my camper box off my trailer. I have seen people use the new type plastic pallets under their truck campers when they set them off at the campground to prevent the floors flexing on uneven ground. I don't know if you could slide lumber through the pallet and lift by them or not, I guess it all depends on how heavy your camper is. I'm fortunate to have a lot of 16" x 16" x 24" wooden blocks used to block up house boats laying around so I could use standard hydrolic jacks setting on blocks to lift the 4" x 4" s. I have jacked up the trailer and camper then blocked the disconnected camper and lowered the jacked up trailer to move the trailer out from the camper. You could probably block the camper and lower the tire pressure on the truck just as well. Lots of options.

 

[ByeBye]

Been acquiring needed/wanted parts. Got a couple of 20" 250 lb drawer slides that I'm attempting to mount my Champion 3500 watt dual fuel generator to. I have a heavy duty, 1000 lb, turntable that I'll incorporate into the design so I can have easier access to all sides and being able to point exhaust if I need to leave it on the truck. Keeping the ball bearings clean will be an issue, imo.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C26Q5WV/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VXY4CA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Received (4) 7" aluminum gate hinges that I'm planning to use to mount rear drop porch.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B071VYTS76/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

When I finish this post I've got a starter to put on.
https://www.dbelectrical.com/products/starter-ford-7-3-diesel-e-f-truck-van-powerstroke-94-03.html

Gonna be a busy man.

 

[ByeBye]

Starter done. With new cables and starter I now realize how slowly the engine was turning over. Took about twice as long as it would if I had it to do again but I also tidied up the cable arrangement under the hood so it looks a little more professional, imo.

 

[ByeBye]

Drove up to Flagstaff and picked up one of these:
Canadian Solar CS3K-305MS Monocrystalline 305 Watt Solar Panel 
along with:
Magnum ME-ARC50
Magnum Energy Battery Monitor Kit

and assorted knic-knacs.

Been working on fabbing some tiltable panel mounts. I'll post pics when I get it close but basically 2x3x.250 alum angle in 3" lengths for roof mounts attached w/ 3M 4950 tape. That'll be 36 sq in of tape contact on the fiberglass. 

I'll post more about attaching the panel to the mounts when I have more pics to help. 

My new mattress topper, 4" 5lb memory foam arrived. Been testing it out and, even on top of a soft mattress, it's added an hour and half to my sleep time. 

Once I get my panel mounted, and off my old mattress, I'll install my new slumber-gasmetron. (I'm optimistic)

Been difficult to find the 'right' place for electrics central board. Pretty sure I'm gonna remove the stovetop/oven, sits on driver side wing and do it there with enough space overhead for a 2 burner stove/stovetop (basically just remove the oven and keep stove top) or just more counterspace and use a portable stove top as needed and stored away when not.

 

[ckelly78z]

Sounds like you are figuring things out for the better. I really like your truck, and wished my 99 7.3 Lariat F250 was in that good of shape. I had never thought about mounting a truck camper on a flat bed, but am impressed with the amount of side storage you have, that standard truck campers don't.

 

[ByeBye]

The option of LOTS of storage and ability to have a working truck that's separate from the camper, plus 4x4 capability, sold me on the flatbed.

If I had it to do over I'd start w/ a F350 but scenario has changed since I acquired the F450.

 

[ByeBye]

Haven't really done much directly to the rig, been too busy getting everything down to a 5x10 storage room and selling/donating the rest, but have an appt on the 12th to fab my rear drop down deck/porch by repurposing the headache rack and, best of all, we're going barter for I can put some of this stuff that I don't need to use.

I'll attach a pic of the rack. As you can see it has the diamond plate skirts on the bottom of the sides. We'll put a bottom across there so I can store jerry cans, spare (maybe). When the deck is raised and locked it'll help secure the rear door as well. The deck will also add more brake/signal lights to the rear.

I have a TEMCo 12ga-2/0 HYDRAULIC LUG CRIMPER TOOL, TEMCo HEAVY DUTY 12" 4/0 ga WIRE & CABLE CUTTER Electrical Tool and a front trailer hitch receiver, for my new/old hitch receiver bike rack to fit in, on order.

If no big bumps in the road occur I'll be headed out in 10 days or so to East, N. Miss and middle Tenn then to St. Lucie, Fla. Then back West chasing 70 degrees and scouting wilderness acreages.

 

[ByeBye]

Finally got hooked up w/ my welder friend and got started on the headache rack being repurposed into a rear drop down deck.
Have support chains attached to rear jacks but they want to twist the jacks w/ load on deck, which I definitely don't like, so I'm going to have a 40", or so, piece of 1x2 alum channel for a brace underneath. It'll be removable and will attach just above the hitch on the bottom of the bed and to the deck, centered.

 

[Homeless in Canada]

The option of LOTS of storage and ability to have a working truck that's separate from the camper, plus 4x4 capability, sold me on the flatbed.

If I had it to do over I'd start w/ a F350 but scenario has changed since I acquired the F450.

And pull a trailer

 

[Gr8ful]

Looks great, Congrats! I have a '98 Dodge with the last month they made the 12 valve 5.9 Cummins diesel with 115,000 miles & 12'x8' bed. I don't know what to do with it as I have the ambulance.

 

[Doubleone]

Pretty cool... That repurposed headache rack looks right at home on the back. Almost like it was made for it.

 

[ByeBye]

Thanks guys, I think once I get a suitable surface on the deck and the lights hooked up it'll do fine. When finished it'll even do as a lightweight cargo carrier, in a pinch. Firewood, etc.

I had planned to head out East tomorrow but a month in on this flu and I'm still compromised some. It's been really tough trying to get all this done and not feeling like doing anything but lay around. So, I'll get on the road when I get on the road.

The deck will detach very easily so I don't think I'm going to take it East with me. I'll probably have to do some parking lot sleep overs and the deck is suitable more for remote locations. With folding steps and no deck I can get in back and pull the steps in behind me, for a little more sleuth. With the deck I have to leave it down when inside...till I get it motorized.

 

[Weldman]

Nice set up and great work on reusing the headache rack. Surprised no one has stolen your propane tanks or anything off the side.

 

[ByeBye]

[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Now that I have access to a decent work area the electrical system getting some attention.[/font]


[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1st photo with panel upside down on saw horses[/font]

[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]2nd shows my two Trojan T-105 6v 225 amp hr batteries and Magnum MS-1012 inverter/converter/charger. Connecting cable shown on batteries was just so I could put them on a 110v battery charger, won't go in final build. I bought them about 8 months ago and was afraid they had discharged more than was safe. Showed 64% when I put them on the charger.[/font]

[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]3rd shows fitting up the ;hinged mounts I fabricated so that I'll have the ability to tilt the panel when needed. Also shows the walker I salvaged so I could used the adjustable legs to set the degree of tilt. Although after a few days of climbing in and out of the camper and being too lazy to put the steps out, think doing lunges with a 24" high step ?, my legs/butt muscles are so sore I thought about keeping the walker 'as-is', haha.[/font][/font]
[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]
[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]4th pic shows where I have sawed the adjustable legs off[/font][/font]
[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]
[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]The panel is 300 watts and I'll be adding another couple of batteries to the battery bank in a month or so.[/font][/font]

[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Now have to go back, 'cause I crs, and figure the optimum tilt range. [/font][/font]

 

[ByeBye]

@Weldman

I had my generator mounted/locked on there till hoodrats tried to abscond with it. They couldn't get it off but managed to do some damage in trying to do so. That was some months ago, I put it in storage till right before I left.