Thank you very much! I don't think I can patent the design, but I did put a lot of thought into the design to create my desired functionality. I hope this design works for others as well. I'll keep sharing more as the build out comes together and my feedback on it's use and likely small changes that will improve the design.
I am literally in the middle of designing my custom truck topper, so I totally get the 50 different iterations of the "same" thing lol Stoked to see your build! Subscribed!
Thanks! Hopefully my talking thru the ideas will give you some that might work for your camper. Iterate and iterate and iterate and the design will come together that works for you. Thank you for subscribing.
@@MikeBabsBC You're welcome. I try to be succinct and leave out some details but cover enough to explain the trade-offs with each design decision. Glad it is helpful, thank you for letting me know.
Some thoughts: Having the bed north south alignment does mean losing out on seating while the other half is asleep with the bed out. Having the option to seat while the other is in bed is quite important. But the north south alignment has great benefit on access and non-disturbance. Question why did you choose a 3.25 inch wall thickness, seems more than the normal thickness. Much appreciate your extremely detail approach and explanation.
Yes, the north-south bed alignment was a want for ease of getting in and out of bed for both sleepers. So my sliding and tilting ned does allow for at least two people to sit in the bench while two sleep or 1 in each spot. It should work out well. The camper side walls are 2" thick, while the ceiling, floor and front and rear walls are 3.23" thick (50 and 80mm). These are the standard wall thickness for a Total Composites camper.
Yes, that's right, although I will put a storage box on top of the cab's roof rack. Some carry a spare tire up there. Since the cab is only about 5 feet long it gains 4+ more feet of camper space compared to a single cab pick up in the same total length, but a much shorter wheelbase, and therefore much better turn radius and maneuverability, so a great trade of nearly two queen beds stacked plus far more storage compared to just one in a cab over.
Yes, I set up my website to auto send after subscribing, which was the easiest way I could automate it since I've provided to dozens or hundreds of people. My website is www.vantripping.com. You can also send me an email and I can provide a link to it. You can email me via that website or via email in the video description.
@@vantripping Thanks for the response! I downloaded the google doc you made up, which is absolutely fantastic. I'm referring to the diagrams you refer to in this video at 1:54 in.
That door opening to the front of the cab with the stairs going to the front as well will be VERY difficult. Anytime you open the door from the exterior, you have to step back down the stairs. If windy, the door is at your back as you go in, will hit you in the back of the legs. I would encourage reversing one of the two so they oppose and prevent issues…. Just my 2 cents
Agreed and thank you for your suggestion. The door supplier sent me the door with the opposite hinge side I requested, so I'm going with it. The entry will be a large porch platform with room to stand on while opening/closing the door as well as sit a couple of chairs on it. Assuming I can make that work. It's complicated, but I feel like I have a plan that'll work.
I certainly would have preferred far better fuel economy, but the GM LS6 liter and Alison transmission are ubiquitous and dependable, and fairly efficient but no where as efficient as I would prefer, but all that is available on this chassis in gasoline which was my preference over diesel as I talked about in my chassis choice video. Why do you think this is a poor powertrain?
@@vantripping ok , I was under the impression that your Fuso was driven by the Fiat 3.0 with Duonic tranny (FG) …The quite thirsty Vortec +Allison is certainly a better option… So sad that the Chicken Tax have prohibited all the Awesome chassis available elsewhere (Atego, Hino 4x4, Real Isuzu and Mitsubishi… Im very tempted to follow your footsteps , either CORE or an unreliable Domestic truck ( 550 simple cab)
@@vantripping You’re so lucky to get the V8 in the US, we only have a diesel here which sucks. Thanks as always for your hard work in documenting your process and helping us learn more about what’s involved in making these things!
@@chocolatebrick9777 You are welcome. I'll report more on the driving experiences of the mighty and unfortunately thirsty V8 as I get to driving it and using this camper. Glad my info share is helpful. Be much more to come.
@@DrDGr2 Yes, I really didn't want to deal with diminishing diesel pumps, DEF, exhaust sensor failures, and restart limit count downs. Or the large exhaust regeneration system in the ideal spot for my stairs, and of course, the less than ideal power. But the thirsty V8 brings with it range limitations and fuel expense. I'll share more about the driving experiences with it over time. Throughout my two+ year search for the ideal chassis platform to build this camper, I was and still am always frustrated by the lack of good 4x4 expedition truck platforms in the US. The chicken tax has got to go. I will say that this chassis is a good platform but not perfect, but then all are compromises to something else.
