97 F-350 CCLB build:

Seabass

Idiot
Looks good. I was thinking you needed a door on that. Out of sight, out of mind. You don't need theft or tampering to your propane tank.:ar15:

Armalite does make a very impressive and effective security system. I wasn't overly concerned about tampering. However, I do also have a a "ThreeDog" security system that is a little easier seen. I've noticed its a great preventative system!
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Seabass

Idiot
FYI, per DOT that propane compartment cannot be locked.

I had no idea. I'm not gonna change it till they make me- I guess I will at that point. In the mean time it looks really cool. Thanks for the heads up. I'd better be trying to find a second latching mechanism for when I am forced to do away with the lock.


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Seabass

Idiot
We'll we decided that we needed to take the camper out. So last night me and the wife loaded up and headed to the back of our property. There's a four or five acre wood with a half moon cut out on the east side. It's kind of at the top of a ridge line and it overlooks a small farm pond. The setting is gorgeous. We headed up just before dark and set up a grill and began to cook some steaks-
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A pic of the wife grinning and brimming with joy over the experience.
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And one of the truck sitting ready for the nights eating, chitchat, and hopeful sleep. Both of us were very happy overall. I have yet to clean out the fresh water tank- and I want to replace all the lines and the faucet. It has a manual pump on the faucet and I want to install a switched 12 volt pump and faucet. But I had my 7 gallon fresh water cube and we used it and filled the sink to wash dishes. Much to my disappointment the drain was stopped up. Apparently some kind of critter had stuffed the drain line with what looked like dried up grass. Go figure. I snaked it clean quickly and we had a draining sink in no time. The lighting was great in the camper and we hardly noticed we were so primitive- pretty darn cozy. After great food and stimulating conversation we were ready for bed. My first real complaint. I'm 6'4" and come in just a tic over 300 lbs. That mattress was no match for my Sasquatch physique! I was on the plywood my friends. I gotta do something. We have a four or five night trip planned in a few weeks and that's not gonna work. I also need more 12v power outlets. There's only one. We wrestled for dibs on it. I won. I usually do. Aside from that I'm so pleased to have a night under our belt. It's definitely headed our way. The wife took some pics while I was driving out the ridge on the way home this morning. I figure I should post em.
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One of my next projects is a rear tire carrier. I think I'm going to make a swing away gate on the rear bumper. Kowboy has about what I want on the back of his beautiful red Ford. I think I'll make something very similar. I like the idea of some jerry cans and a little extra fresh water. Since I can't fit my spare under the truck- It's gotta happen. I'm not getting far from home with no spare. I'll be sure to post pics and tell all about my screw- ups as well as semi successes. Forward Ho!


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Last edited:

Philp100

Observer
As a big guy (6'2") I can relate to your discomfort with the bed! Just to throw an idea out there, instead of a swing away rear tire carrier how about one that swings down and becomes steps for the camper?

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Seabass

Idiot
As a big guy (6'2") I can relate to your discomfort with the bed! Just to throw an idea out there, instead of a swing away rear tire carrier how about one that swings down and becomes steps for the camper?

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This is why I go to the thread with ideas. I hadn't considered a drop down carrier that doubled as a step. I will definitely look at that. As long as I can leave a trailer hooked up and still drop it down it may just be what I need to do. I'm already tired of fooling with my step ladder. I have considered a roof top mount for the truck. I've got 4 pairs of Yakima rain gutter clamps and cross bars. I have two of these trucks and set up each truck to carry my kayaks/bikes over the cabs-
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-work truck
I've got just enough room in front of the camper to put the tire or a short cargo basket. Either would have to hang out over the windshield just a little- but I'm considering all options. Thanks for the input.


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Seabass

Idiot
One of the drawbacks to a pop-up is the lack of space to fit a thicker mattress in the upper bunk.

No kidding! I looked at a memory foam pad that's 4" thick. I'm thinking I could use it- but it's gonna touch the ceiling- especially if blankets are on the bed. I think it will still work. The original mattress is very soft and should compress when the top comes down. I just hope that's enough cushion to at least get me off the plywood on the bottom. If not- there's always the air mattress. My poor wife hates them. She says they are fine till I get on beside her- then she says it's like sleeping on a hill because all the air moves to her side! Being married is so entertaining.


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Seabass

Idiot
Well, it's Sunday and we try to go a slower pace when the work permits. Today, the work permitted. Cattle graze summer grass so the feeding goes easy. And other than some hay that I should have been working in there wasn't much pressing on me after church. So I took some time and attached some extra lighting to the camper. On my topper I have two- square three LED lights mounted on my cargo basket on the front facing over the sides- and two 4" six LED lights attached to the back of the rack facing rearward. These lights are absolutely amazing! It's unbelievable how bright they are. So I thought the camper should have the exact same setup as the topper. I did a real tight job putting them on the topper and didn't want to take them off, so I bought a complete second set for the camper. Since the truck is already wired the job is already partially done. I used a six-wire jacked trailer wire to feed the system. It runs from the switches mounted in my dash all the way to the driver side rear stake pocket. When I took the topper off to go get the camper I cut the big bundle a few inches inside the bed. This left me room to put a female six-round trailer plug on it. Now I can put the male end on the topper and simply plug my lights up. The same is to be done on the camper. I ran the six round thinking that I would have extra wires already ran should I ever want to add more "stuff." Currently I have a ground and one wire for the front lights and a second for the rear lights. Since they are LED they don't pull that much current and I believe the wire gauge is plenty adequate. I only took time to attach the lights and get the wire leads into the camper. Hopefully one evening this week I can find time to finish. In the mean time I thought I'd update the thread and try to keep it going. So here's a few pics...
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had to drill extra holes for the stainless steel screws to mount the rear light bases. I used two screws so I didn't have to worry about the lights rolling over.
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An up close of one of the rears.
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Front base mounted under the overhang facing to the side. It lined up just front of center of the rear door on the truck.
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Close up of the three diode side light.
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Not so close up.
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The nearly finished project. The inside turned out better than I thought. All the wiring for the front lights is under the bed and going to run to the rear of the camper under the sink- totally hidden. The rear wasn't so simple. I drilled all the way through to the inside to get the wire in! It's mine- I'll do what I want! Luckily the hinges for the rear wall top section have Velcro laced covers and the wire is nearly unnoticeable.
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So we keep digging and doing. Progress made is comfort gained! And besides, workin on your rig for fun is just that. Carry on men!


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Seabass

Idiot
Progress is always good. The little things add up and make using much more fun.

I agree. Now I have a much larger platform to mess with. It drives my wife nuts! She says I can't ever just leave anything alone. But I tell her to think about it like its one of the rooms in our home - and I'm simply satisfying the need to re-arrange the furniture. Ya know, I think she finally understands why I do it!


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98dango

Expedition Leader
I agree. Now I have a much larger platform to mess with. It drives my wife nuts! She says I can't ever just leave anything alone. But I tell her to think about it like its one of the rooms in our home - and I'm simply satisfying the need to re-arrange the furniture. Ya know, I think she finally understands why I do it!


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I'm going to try that expiation next time.
 

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