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RE: Brainstorming Custom TC build
Quote -"It makes me feel like I can do it if that guy can pull it off (pretty much)." I think you're right about that. You have the shop and fabrication experience. You have had two truck campers so you're familiar with them. I assume that what you are looking for by considering this project is basically what we were looking for - not a total redesign , just a better built RV with higher quality materials. Take the good ideas from the big manufactures and the home builders, add your own and you'll have a truck camper that will last for years.
The major problem with our motorhome is that the builder did not seal things properly even though we continually stressed how important this was. We finally managed to get out of the rain in the northwest and are now down in the desert taking all of the exterior screw strips off , reapplying butyl tape and caulking everywhere that might leak. A seamless fiberglass shell would be ideal but hard for a home builder to pull off.
We only have a little over 1,000 miles on the motohome but all in all it's been fine - didn't even blow apart on the freeway ;) It's very solid , rides and handles great. We weighed it and even with all of the extra water and construction materials it's 2,000 lbs under weight and almost perfectly balanced. It's been an experience that we would not want to repeat and we're still not sure how to make a water tight exterior but we've learned a lot along the way. The Scotty was not built nearly as well and it's still zipping around all these years later so we're hopeful about the future of this one.
Good luck with your decisions!
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tonyandkaren
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03/21/10 01:07am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Brainstorming Custom TC build
We decide to get a small custom class C built about a year and a half ago for various reasons. Since we don't have a shop , tools or the skills to build the frame work we contracted with a truck sleeper builder. Unfortunately he did not have the skills to build a motorhome and the finished motorhome has many problems which we are slowly fixing. As far as materials used - aluminum framing , rubber roof , CTEC fiberglass siding , marine grade plywood, sprayed on foam insulation and stainless steel screws.
When we were researching building methods and materials , I found some home built RVs with good web pages. Most are not truck campers but they should give you a good overview of different construction methods and materials.
Fifth wheel, wood framing , fiberglass skin and ways to save money on parts - http//www.chadsprojects.com/
Super C - I think this one has a steel frame , aluminum siding glued on and bat insulation. http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=73051&st=0&start=0
Extreme truck camper - very unique construction http://thesupercamper.blogspot.com/
Probably closest to what you want - aluminum frame , aluminum siding , sprayed on insulation - http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/lex-carstensen%27s-bruiser-custom-camper/ ( edit - I see that you've looked at this one already- it does seem like they know`what they're doing)
Ours - http://customclasscbuild.blogspot.com/2009/10/all-about-this-site.html
If you decide to build please post pictures of the progress - I'm sure that a lot of us would be interested!
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tonyandkaren
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03/20/10 07:28pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Opinions Please on 1st big Family Trip
Sounds like a great trip! You might find some helpful information , especially fun stuff for the kids , on this site - http://www.cross-country-trips.com/
Have a good time!
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tonyandkaren
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03/18/10 05:16pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: On my Way: Death Valley, Mojave, Josuah Tree
Hi rabbitangel - I'm glad to see that the RV is working out for you.I don't have any specific route advice , just take it slow and have a good time! :)
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tonyandkaren
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03/18/10 10:35am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: ages of people on this forum
59 and 56
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tonyandkaren
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03/18/10 10:07am |
General RVing Issues
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1949 (maybe) Packard Class C
We drove through Goldfield , Nevada a few days ago and spotted this old homemade motorhome. No one was around to ask question about it but it looks like it still runs and by peeking in the windows we could see that it really has been set up and used as a motorhome. Goldfield is a great town for photographing old mining buildings and equipment.
http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/tonyandkaren/packard%20class%20C/020.jpg width=640
http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/tonyandkaren/packard%20class%20C/023.jpg width=640
http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/tonyandkaren/packard%20class%20C/025.jpg width=640
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tonyandkaren
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03/16/10 10:40pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Class C buckle
It's not normal. I agree with CloudDriver's advice.
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tonyandkaren
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03/15/10 03:43pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Stove and counter are sinking
It may be structural damage inside the wall. Have you had any sign of water damage in that area?
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tonyandkaren
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03/15/10 10:15am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: RV parking - Nugget in Sparks, NV ?
More information -http://www.casinocamper.com/NV_Carson_City_Nugget.htm
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tonyandkaren
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03/14/10 10:37am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: The old girl is back - where to start
Wow - that looks great!
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tonyandkaren
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03/12/10 10:56pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: I didn't give up!!
Congratulations! Getting double what you paid for your house is fantastic. Don't forget how inflated the market was 3 years ago. The current selling price was probably more realistic.
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tonyandkaren
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03/12/10 10:39pm |
Full-time RVing
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RE: Structural Failure - 2008 Adventurer 106 Truck Camper
You are going to need a lawyer. Don't wait to long. I don't know about Canadian law but in the US if the statute of limitations runs out you'll be out of luck and get nothing.
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tonyandkaren
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03/12/10 02:13pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: right off the bat...
Congratulations Gary! Can't wait to see the pictures!
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tonyandkaren
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03/12/10 01:49pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Florida State Forests
I didn't think there were any campsites, even public , in Florida for $5.00 at night. Thanks for the tip!
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tonyandkaren
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03/12/10 10:41am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Chains or Traction Tires
Where are you headed?
We're in eastern Oregon heading south. We'll be catching US 95 at Burns Junction and following it into Nevada. Everything looks good along that route but thanks for the storm warning.
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tonyandkaren
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03/11/10 10:01pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Chains or Traction Tires
Thanks for the answers. We came over 5 or 6 passes today on US 395. The carry chain signs were up but we lucked out , a few flurries and no snow on the road. Hardly any traffic and no cops. We carried chains in our old RV after we scared ourselves coming down a dirt road on the snowy side of a mountain in Colorado but we never had to use them. I think we better get some for our new motorhome just in case.
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tonyandkaren
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03/11/10 06:26pm |
Roads and Routes
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Chains or Traction Tires
We're heading south on US 395 in Oregon ,over mountain passes. The roads are clear of snow and the forecast is good but the ODT web page states that carrying chains in vehicles over 10,000 is a requirement. Do you carry chains? Has anyone ever been questioned? I can't find any exceptions for RVs so it looks like it pertains to us too.
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tonyandkaren
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03/11/10 10:25am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: air-card on or off when not using?
Ours only powers up when the computer is turned on. It has to reconnect each time even if it's kept plugged in. I usually disconnect before shutting down because the computer takes a long time to shut down if all of the programs are not closed first.
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tonyandkaren
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03/11/10 10:03am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Owners, past and present, of v10 Dodge Rams please respond.
We just sold our Scotty motorhome which was built on a 1996 Dodge 3500 V 10 4x4 truck chassis so basically the same as the truck that you're going to look at but always loaded. We had some overheating problems which were caused by the fan clutch not engaging on temperature. We had to replace it several times but the last one was heavy duty and no more problems. The brakes weren't very good but that may have been fixed on the 1997s. Our transmission failed at 100,000 -the replacement is still going strong with over 200,000 more miles. We blew an oil ring on #10 cylinder at 160,000 miles and had the engine rebuilt. 170,000 more miles on the engine and running great. We had to replace the track bars several times. Finally got one at Les Schwab and it's been fine for 200,000 miles. Occasionally the idle ran high. This could be cured by spraying carburetor cleaner in the manifold.
We think that the engine failure was a fluke but the transmission was a known problem. Other than those two things we had no major problems in over 330,000 miles of driving. We averaged 10 MPG on the highway.
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tonyandkaren
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03/10/10 10:45pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: state inspections while on the road
We're Pennsylvania fulltimers. We usually go back to Pa. once a year to see family, doctors, etc. Our inspection sticker is always several months overdue but we just get the motorhome inspected as soon as we can and we've never had any problems.
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tonyandkaren
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03/10/10 09:16am |
RV Lifestyle
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