Alaskan Camper Build Up

[Carlyle]

Hi Mark,

I hope all is well with you, your family and the build on your home.

I have asked Bryan at Alaskan to use the DC Airco as first choice and the DV Breeze as second choice. I am really hoping they can find a way to make it work as it will be just the right size for a truck camper and draws so little power compared to a regular ac that it could run off a 1k generator in a pinch. Our current generator is a 3k Yamaha propane and it is simply too heavy and cumbersome to be used day to day use.

We are putting a box under the flat bed on one side and the propane tank under as well on the other side, if room allows, a box in front of the propane tank.

The camper will be pretty much permanently mounted to the flatbed. The current camper we are using has only come off twice and that was to have the camper worked on. I am planning on using some sort of elastomers with the U-bolts to attach the camper to the flatbed to allow for the slight flex of the bed.

Lastly, the Ute bed is aluminum and weighs in at 300 lbs (less than the current bed, the camper will be around 2100 lbs. So not much heavier than the current camper. Fresh water will be larger, but gray and black less because we are using cassettes for both of those. Not much more weight as far as I can figure, but still a lot for a one ton truck. One of the reasons a F550 is in our future.

[TACODOC]

Cool build! Being from the Northwest I have always liked Alaskan Campers.

[OutbacKamper]

...Maybe the best thing for you to do is finding a way to snuggle in a...

Wait AN F'EN Minute!!!!!!!

PM me! I prefer to share me suggestions in private!

Now that's just cruel

[Carlyle]

Hi Klahanie,

The Ute bed is not 8'6", but 9' according to the US dealer, with the headache rack gone it will be closer to 9' 6" and thus the camper will have some overhang. This I will live with until I get a new truck in a few years. Soon as I find an F550 Supercab with a 12-14' bed that is not ULSD and a 6.4 liter. That will be another thread down the road... BTW, most of the flatbed makers and resistant to making a custom 10' bed as they are concerned about overhang and being sued.

A standard model 2004 Ford F350 has a curb weight of 5,415 pounds.
2004 Ford F-350 Specs and Data
URL: http://www.internetautoguide.com/car...04/ford/f-350/
Quote: "Weights: gross vehicle weight rating (lbs) 9,900, curb weight
(lbs) 5,415, gross trailer weight braked (lbs) 7,800 and max payload
(lbs) 4,485#

Minus 40 gallons/400 lbs for fuel
Minus two adults and an over sized Airedale 400lbs
Minus 30 gallons of water/300 lbs
16.5 Warn Winch and Buckstop bumper 500 lbs
Tire Chains and recovery gear 200 lbs


And the list goes on, yes I'm close to the loaded weight and you can tell by the feel of the truck. When the camper came off, it felt like a bucking bronco under my feet!

As far as the propane tank, yes I'm going to try and squeeze in a big one.

Thanks and please forward any ideas.

[Carlyle]

Here are a couple of similar examples of what we are doing:

[Carlyle]

With my formal training in CAD I came up with this design for the LCD TV to sit behind the driver's side settee and will be attached to 20" gas arms that will require about 20-30 lbs of pressure to push back down and lock away behind the settee. Alaskan is having hesitations, but I really want this to work:

Just kidding about the CAD experience...

We bought two hides of this from www.weleather.com for the seats:

[Carlyle]

I will take your point to heart and look for a tank, or two that will tuck in somewhere under the frame. Are Kevlar composite tank safe under a vehicle? Are they as strong as a steel tank for this sort of application?

[Carlyle]

Our current Hallmark has soft sides as well as sucks up propane and batteries in the winter very quickly. At -20 F it can barely keep 60-65 inside and the bed is oh so cold... I'm hoping the hard sides, double pane windows, and extra insulation is going to make this camper more hospitable in the winter. We are also having a catalytic heater built in to augment the furnace. This will also draw no battery power.

I agree with going with a large propane tank and having the spare fuel along. I also plan to take a small tank that can be refilled locally when going on longer trips. This will plumb into the existing system when needed.

[Carlyle]

BTW, the Espar is nice but very expensive and a major undertaking to set up.

[wild1]

I think that you will be pleased with the setup that you are building. We have an extended cab f-350 with a utility box and an eight foot alaskan. We are pushing a hundred nights out in it this year including three months in the southwest and baja last winter. For us it strikes the perfect balance between comfort and portability.