|
|
As some who follow some threads I have been writing, I am considering building a custom off-grid extreme truck camper for hunting and deep in the woods excursions. I have been considering aluminum but now I am wondering if I would have to overbuild it so much that I might as well go with steel for the frames. That brings up the question of the sizing for the members. The camper would go on my F-250 Short bed and would need to be able to take some moderate 4WD work (not rock crawling though that would be nice but more like rutted roads). The camper would have a cab-over sleeping section. For construction, the steel concept I had thought of would use a steel cage with some composite like Nidacore panels on the outside bonded with high strength adhesive and perhaps some fasteners. The inside would contain furring strips of wood to provide mounting surfaces and thermal barrier and then wood panelling over that. The area between the studs would be filled with expanding spray-in foam and then cut off flush with the inside before installing the wood panelling. I even thought about having the whole camper coated with Line-X to make it bulletproof. I am reasonably competent MIG and Fluxcore welding. The question I have is what sizing should I be looking at for the frame. I could use 1" Square tube for the walls but I tend to MASSIVELY overengineer things and since I need to pay attention to weight, I dont want to over engineer too much. Suggestions would be appreciated.
Reply:All I can say is I know the commercial use aluminum, and the older ones used wood.Bruce DeLaetHeavy Equipment Mechanic and Welder1948 SA-200 short hood1949 LincWelder 1801963 SA-200 red faceMiller S-32-P
Reply:If you go to a trailer supply place (around here it's a Nuera transportation dealer).They sell all of the plans, structure parts, window pieces, etc. That'd probably be your best bet.Most regular spray foam insulation is very flammable, it costs a bit more for the non flammable type.Line-X will not make it bulletproof, though.Buy American, or don't whine when you end up on the bread line.
Reply:Originally Posted by WeldingMachineIf you go to a trailer supply place (around here it's a Nuera transportation dealer).They sell all of the plans, structure parts, window pieces, etc. That'd probably be your best bet.Most regular spray foam insulation is very flammable, it costs a bit more for the non flammable type.Line-X will not make it bulletproof, though. |
|