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Camper Project

53 posts in this topic

Posted

Since the Mangy is done, I need another outlet for my wasted life. 

Last fall my wife and I came into a deal on a nice 5th wheel toy hauler to replace our travel trailer style toy hauler.  We wanted more living space and something we could use other than at Oshkosh.  We'd love to go out west and maybe someday up to Alaska!

The old trailer

R-wagon.jpg

The new 5er

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It's very nice inside with room for the golf cart, motorcycles or my CanAm Defender, which wouldn't fit in the old one. 

My old truck, however, was really grunting to haul this new trailer at 19,000 gross.  So I thought I'd look around for a nice dually. 

Anybody look at duallys a lately?  Holy crap on a cracker are those things expensive. $80k and up for a new one, easy!

Okay.  I'll look for a used one.  $50-60k for a 3 year old dually with 100k miles.  No thanks. 

 

Theres got got to be a better way. 

Turns out, there is. 

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Posted

Better way - Drive the Motorhome and tow the truck!  All it takes is $$$$$$$$!  Ha!  Nice rig - sure you will enjoy it.  EDMO

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Posted

I thought that maybe a MDT, medium duty truck, might be a better fit.  Something like an F450 or C4500.  Looking at the "truck papers" these are available for somewhat reasonable money ($20-30k).  More capable with larger brakes and axles, able to deal with the weight of the 5er.

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After looking a couple of these trucks, I learned that for $30k you can buy a crew cab 450 class cab and chassis with the same engine (derated) as a one ton dually, but with a utility interior, torn vinyl seats, crank windows, a rubber floor mat and they drove and rode like crap.  Most had 150-200k miles.  Less miles or better equipment (not both) made the price jump again to $50 to $75k.  New we are talking $100K or more.  Wow!  Screw that.

 

There's got to be a better way.

Turns out there is.

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Posted

You keep adding that "turns out there is" at the end, WHAT IS IT???  :-)   JImChuk

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Posted

The only way to cheapen up recreational hobbies is get rid of them and stay home.

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Posted

Pay someone to deliver and pickup for OSH and deal with it next year.

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Posted

Our 5th wheel 'only' weighs about 14,000 fully loaded.  2013 RAM 3500 w/Diesel, no dually, pulls it all day long with no problems at all.  Unless something goes wrong, I'll be at Oshkosh with it all week.  It isn't a toy hauler, but it's 38 feet from the front to the back of the bumper.  If our first apartment had been as nice as this camper, we'd probably still be living in it!

Picture attached, the truck is my old 2500, I traded it 2 years ago for a 3500.  We also want to take it to Alaska, and the 2500 didn't have any cargo capacity left after the trailer was hooked up.  I want an auxiliary diesel tank if I'm going to Alaska at 10mpg.

 

picture_Small.jpg

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Posted

Stay in a motel ! Hell of a lot cheaper!

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Posted

Stay in a motel ! Hell of a lot cheaper!

True but it's so much fun to arrive at the campground start a fire and chill all night.

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Posted

You could get chilled the same in a much cheaper rig.

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Posted (edited)

My Dodge pulled the camper fine.  12-valve Cummins (tuned), 5-speed, air bag rear suspension.  It pulled fine, plenty of power.  Stopping and emergency maneuvering is another topic completely!  Pulling this trailer with my old truck is unsafe.  Period.  I needed more truck.

As a side note, my wife has a bum left knee, so the 5-speed was not earning points for her.  She does drive and pull the camper.  New truck needs to be an automatic.

 

There's got to be a better way.

Turns out there is.

 

 

Jim - it's called being dramatic... :lmao:

Edited by Av8r3400

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Posted (edited)

Cheapest way to see Alaska is to fly up and rent a small motor home for a week or two - I paid dearly making the trip several times getting anywhere from 6 to 12 mpg (Some at $6 a gallon) for the 8000 mile round trip - Of course that way you wont get to see 100 trillion trees in the many long miles between towns on the Alaska highway.  It's a very long haul!  Normal time from St. Louis solo-driving about 12 hours a day is 9 days, but I made it one time in 6 days to meet a schedule - Never again!   EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted

Ed - The trip TO and FROM Alaska would be half of the adventure.

 

Here is the list of mission critical items:

  1. Safety
  2. Affordability
  3. Ease of operation
  4. Utility
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Posted (edited)

Ed - The trip TO and FROM Alaska would be half of the adventure.

 

Here is the list of mission critical items:

  1. Safety
  2. Affordability
  3. Ease of operation
  4. Utility

Larry,  The adventure was living there for 11 years - I guess I drove the ALCAN too many times to enjoy the trip except for a couple of scenic spots.  The first trip was exciting going up, but after that it was like work and mostly boring.   A lot of the places I stopped to eat had lousy food in Canada - Sorry Canadian guys - but got rancid beef in Whitehorse and then went to KFC and they screwed that up too!   Maybe about 1 out of 5 meals across Canada was decent cooking.   EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted

(Not when you bring your own kitchen...)

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Posted (edited)

(Not when you bring your own kitchen...)

Most of the trips were solo - I got good food at Fireside Inn, but they sold it - Got good German food at Haines Junction, but they died and I had to eat Chinese there the last 2 trips.  I think I have tried to forget most of the meals I had on those trips!  Wife will never forget last trip - We crossed the border into Montana looking for some Country food - Small place advertised "Smashed Potatoes" - That's what we got - No butter or cream in them - just "Smashed"!  Ha!  We don't cook that way...  EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted (edited)

So, for the last several months I've been researching a tow vehicle with the capabilities I need and still staying in a reasonable budget.

Logic kept bringing me back to the same thing:  I need to build my own RVHauler.  So I did.

 

I looked at probably 50 trucks over a several months to educate myself and find what I needed to suit my requirements.  I found the one to pull the trigger on at a place called RDO Truck Center in Fargo, ND.  My truck started as a 2012 Volvo VNL64T730, D13 Volvo engine of 425 hp and 1850 pound feet of torque and the coveted iShift 12 speed transmission.  She has just over 600k miles which is nothing for this type of truck.  Factory warranty is 5 years/500k miles.  So it is literally just off warranty.  I also have all of the service records since it was new because the company that ran it used this same dealership for servicing.

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Yeah, I know.  But that's how I roll...   I purchased the truck for just less than 1/3 the cost of the new F350 I had looked at.

Edited by Av8r3400
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Posted

WOW!  You don't need a trailer with that - just put a barbeque pit on the back!  :BC:   EDMO

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Posted (edited)

First step was to make the truck legal to drive.  I do not hold a CDL and have no intention of getting one.  In my state (Wisconsin) this is not and issue.  Just license the truck as a motorhome.  No CDL, no airbrake endorsement, no weight restrictions.  Yes that's perfectly legal.

To be recognized as a motorhome a vehicle must have four of the following seven items:

  • Food Storage - Fridge
  • Food Preparation - Microwave
  • Sleeping Accommodation - Two bunks
  • Independent Heating System - Webasto Cab Heater
  • Shore Power or Generator - Shore power plug for the sleeper
  • Potable Water
  • Toilet 

This truck already has five of the seven right from the factory!

I went down to the DMV and came home with this:

Title.jpg.deb2cf4cd4c3aebe828c3aa313800f

Edited by Av8r3400
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Posted

Wouldn't be surprised if the mileage isn't any worse than the dully pickup would have been.  And it will pull a load.  And stop it also.  JImChuk

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Posted (edited)

Jim - pulling with my Dodge I was getting 7-8 mpg.  With this truck, last weekend was the first trip out, we got 12 mpg.

 

The next item on the list is to shorten the chassis and drop the power divider axle (the forward rear end).  The power divider axle is not designed for continuous operation so I can't just cut off the rear axle.  Both come off and the rear is moved forward to the front position.  This is called "singling short".  Many of the people who build these trucks single "mid" to a point between the original axle mounts or "long" to the rear position in order to get more deck space or to put a small car (Smart Car) sideways behind the cab.  I have no intent on doing this and prefer to keep the chassis short and maneuverable.

So she went into the shop and we did this:

Single%201.jpg

Edited by Av8r3400

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Posted

When she came out of the shop this is what I ended up with:

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You will also notice that the commercial 5th wheel plate is gone.  A commercial plate only articulates in one direction, fore and aft, not side to side.  In very short order this will twist the relatively light frame on a camper and ruin it.  Also, even though the truck is air ride, too much shock and vibration would be transmitted into the trailer with a standard hitch, so I found a guy in Florida who make an air ride hitch specifically designed for HDTs (Heavy Duty Trucks) like this.  http://ethitch.com/product/et-hitch-the-original/  You can see it mounted on the truck here:

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At the time of this photo I was still working on mounting the fenders, lights and wiring on the back of the truck.  I will eventually add a receiver style hitch to the back of the truck as well.

 

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Posted

Here's a couple of shots of the interior of the truck.  It has dual air ride seats in front and what Volvo calls the "work station" configuration in the sleeper.  The lower bunk is convertible from a "dinette" to a bunk and the upper bunk folds up out of the way when not being used.

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Work_Station.thumb.JPG.759a79979afbd1562

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Posted

The truck will continue to be a work in progress, but it is now on the road and very comfortably pulling my 5th wheel camper.

Trailer.thumb.jpg.9d4b6b25c97d10ae4a487f

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Posted (edited)

I don't know of any state, or Canada, that requires a CDL to drive a privately owned truck that is not for hire.  District of Columbia idiots made me put the owners names, address and "Private Vehicle" and "Not For Hire" on the side of one of my Box Trucks.  Alaska just laughed when I had to explain the white 2" high letters on both doors of the truck.   I had a CDL but didn't need it for that truck.  Diesels had to pay a road tax and get a sticker put on in Montana back then. 

BTW:  Canada is like U.S. in terrain - flat in Midwest, Hills above Montana, Rocky Mtns above West Montana & Idaho, Trees in West.  Alaska Highway is ALWAYS under construction in Summer - Frost heaves in late Spring.  Don't even think about it in Winter!   EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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