The TARDIS - A Four Wheel Camper Build

Overland Hadley

on a journey
Greetings

I did a lot of research before buying an Aluminess front bumper and based on what I found, they are indeed airbag compliant.

That is great to know! If I ever get front end damage I am going to install an Aluminess bumper instead of a replacement factory bumper.
 

Overland Hadley

on a journey
Today was the first time in 85 days that it got above freezing, and even then it was just for a short while. Wish I could share a photo of the camper, but it is dark all of the time. (well not all of the time, the sun is slowly starting to gain strength.) I have been keeping the camper clear of snow, at this point the snow is almost as deep as the camper roof, so there is a hole dug around the camper....

Between the cold, snow, work schedule, and being sick with something like pneumonia for most of January, it is a long winter. I want to go someplace warm and green, I need to crunch some numbers and see if I can make it happen.

Strangely the Appalachian mountains are calling for the first time in 16 years, maybe it is time to go back.
 
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bknudtsen

Expedition Leader
A pic of the snowbound camper would be cool. Sorry about the crud. Seems that most everyone I know had some sort of respiratory illness this winter.
 

kayak15

Observer
Having gone to school at Appalachian State University, the Appalachian mountains are always calling! Worth every penny to make that trip.....no matter where a person finds themselves!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Overland Hadley

on a journey
A pic of the snowbound camper would be cool. Sorry about the crud. Seems that most everyone I know had some sort of respiratory illness this winter.

I hate being sick, so much productive time wasted. Not that outside projects have much of a chance in this weather, but there are plenty of inside projects to be worked on.

Was able to grab a photo while I was in town today. Will follow.
 

Overland Hadley

on a journey
Having gone to school at Appalachian State University, the Appalachian mountains are always calling! Worth every penny to make that trip.....no matter where a person finds themselves!!!

Yes, and it is one of the few places in the country that is not in longterm drought conditions.
 

Overland Hadley

on a journey
What are people using for a ladder to access the roof?

Here is why I am asking, while we were camped in Wyoming we were hit by an overnight snowstorm. I first realized there might be a lot of snow when I started to get up and noticed the roof was seriously sagging in the middle. It surprised me as the middle was sagging by about 2-3". As I was worrying about the sagging roof my girlfriend got up and noted that we had 9-12" of heavy snow. From my sleeping bag I decided I would drop the front of the roof and try to shed the snow off the front. Big mistake! Even laying on the bed with my knee braced on the roof and the help of my over sprung lifting struts, the roof came crashing down trapping me and almost crushing the dog. (It still makes me shiver to think how close I came to seriously hurting our dog.) With some help I was able to extract myself from under the roof and get out. My girlfriend ended up working from my shoulders to clear the snow, and even then it was a major process and a major problem to drop the roof. I tweaked my back and somehow managed to crush my girls foot dropping the rear of the roof. Not a good time and I am glad that all involved (including the camper) came away okay.

Given the time of year and locations I travel to getting another night of snow on the roof is a good possibility, and I want to be able to deal with snow when traveling solo. I need some sort of ladder! I have put together a couple designs using Aluminum Bolt-Together Framing, custom fit to the free space under the cabover, but it is really expensive. So I am wondering what solutions others have come up with? Maybe I just need to set up a step/platform on the front jack brackets?

All ideas are welcome.




Here is a photo as we were driving out, had to shake off a bunch of trees that were bent over and blocking the road.

IMG_0925.jpg
 

chvy39z

Observer
Nathan
This 4ft Werner ladder works well for me I can brace myself with the side of the camper and stand on the top rung. I used it when I was carrying a kayak. model number is 6004, lightweight and very sturdy. Just one idea.012.jpg
 

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