OK that was funny I thought the PO-PO was outside my house lol - I had to turn the sound down to figure out it was coming from your video ha ha ha how funny was that. Anyone else do the same ????
Please watch that wood you used between flatbed and frame. When the time comes to replace it. Use Bass wood, Apitong, or Ipe wood. It has a high tannins which prevent or seriously slow down rotting and bugs too. Just a suggestion from a woodworkier.
Looks pretty good but I’d definitely go to a welder and replace the rest of the tie down frame work with a metal frame. Especially since you are taking it long distance plus a little off reading. Nice rig though.
A trick used down here for the fridge, is tomrempve it from the camper , turn upside down for 24 hours then refit. They get rust flakes that fall,off the inside of the pipes and block the flow of gas. Personally, I would throw it , replace with a dedicated 12 volt compressor fridge , they are a better all round unit for camping , and you plug in a 12 volt 110volt transformer if in a park, otherwise your battery bank and solar will handle the load fine
Yeah, those Danfoss either custom or purchased are nice. Having the option of 12/24V DC and 120VAC is nice. The propane fridge freezers are nice also, though from my experience more a chore and I suppose the risk if something happens with gas.
Keep the bigger weatherstrip on the side lockers. If those locks are allowed to rattle at all they will eat through the aluminum panels in a very short time. Riveting a small stainless guard over the oval holes will increase durability 100 fold.
Hearing you recite the specs of your truck at the beginning of the video I couldn't help hearing Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor in my head going "ARR, Arr, arr". 😄😉👍🏼
Pro Tip: poke around the rusty areas of your frame with a flathead and make sure nothing is eating through, then coat it with a good rust converter... you will thank yourself in the future when its time to sell and potentially prevent a massive headache. 👍
I nominate Sierra for Sainthood! I can live on a boat, but could not do the truck camper! Congratulations, you are the best tempered woman ever. You must have been raised by simply amazing parents! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Your fridge will work better when it's full. You can also add a 12v (D cell battery) fan. Just put it on the shelf by the back cooling grid and it will help a lot. The batter lasts a long time. Wilson
Billy! Look up Ospho.. rust converter.. you can buy a gallon..most color supply houses have it and body supply shops... coat that trucks under with it and wherever else you have surface rust on it. Rig looks awesome! Adventure continues!
Guys, you have what is called an absorption refrigerator. There are a ton of youtube videos on them. Don't restrict yourself to your make and model, just look up RV refrigerator, they all work the same. One improvement you can make is to get a 12V computer fan and mount in in the vent so it gets good airflow. Also look or any bug/mice/birds nests in the back of the fridge. Good luck, and if you're nice (you always are) I might even send you a couple fans I have lying around if I can find them. 8 hours later - I found the fans if you want one.
The major drawback to absorbtion refrigerator is it has to be pretty much perfectly level. Would it be worth it to put a compressor fridge in there, considering I have more than enough solar power to run it?
No AC is not a problem if you are use to it. Gonna need ear plugs with a Cummins and highway speed wind coming into the cab though. Might look into Dynamat to tame the sound level.
Back in '06 bought a Dodge Ram 2500 with a Laramie pkg. Towed a 5th wheel trailer. Stopped in camping World and purchased a "Spare Room". It was fantastic hanging off the side of the trailer. We could be outside and dry during inclimate weather. Just a suggestion our Spare Room turned out to be about 30' x 12' wide attached to the side of the trailer.
I like your setup. We di a lot of camping with our horses in our horse trailer. I have it setup to run on DC power and LP gas. I love being self sufficient. Good luck ya'll.
Those tie down turnbuckles would love to be twice as big. Twice as strong. And twice as safe ? (yes) You guys have made a beautiful thing. Love it, and look forward, as always, to your fun Videos. Thank You for another adventure of, "Work yer Ass off and Enjoy the Results." GREAT JOB TO YOU BOTH
Check the cooling coils on the refrigerator to make sure they are clean. Check to see if the temperature switch is working. Turn it all the way down, let it run for a few minutes. Slowly turn the temp switch to the coldest setting listening for the compressor to kick in. If not it may need to be recharged with Freon or the temp switch is bad.
@@richardhobbs9038 They said they were going a bit deeper into the woods, away from campsites on rough roads. The camper is going to be shifting around in the back constantly off road. The load points will move a bit on the eyebolt as it shifts, slowly bending the weakest end more open. With time, under a modest overload the eyebolt may completely open allowing the camper to shift off center of the flatbed. This might cause a weight shift that could flip the truck also.
WHEN SIERRA SMILES, SHE GLOWS. it's therapeutic watch how she smiles from her heart. Together with trusty Billy, they sure got it goin' on... GOOD ON YA
Little jealous of the 5.9 with no def, egr etc. I have the 2013 6.7 Cummins. Still a friggin beast. Trying to delete, but it's getting tougher. Nice remod of the camper too. Just bought a new Palomino TC. Made a bunch of solar, lithium battery upgrades. Living in Florida, it's nice to be able to run our ac off solar.. subscribed. 👍
Danfoss either custom or purchased are nice. Having the option of 12/24V DC and 120VAC is nice. The propane fridge freezers are nice also, though from my experience more a chore and I suppose the risk if something happens with gas.
Fridges working on propane or 12 V do need about 48 hrs to properly cool. So the first 24 or 36 hrs before leaving you should cool it on 110V and carry the food from the house fridge. Fear winds from Chile.
That battery to battery DC/DC charger is probably the most important part of your charging system. I am surprised how many rigs dont have one installed. My diesel van has a fast idle option and if we are not receiving solar power or it is night time, I can bump the idle up to the 1800 RPM range and be fully charged up in 20 minutes or less. I dont ever have to worry about the charge level getting to low and damaging my batteries or being without power.
Put a steel plate over the tires. If the tried comes off there goes your nice storage box. When that tree comes off it can do a lot of damage. Happened to me. Took the entire fender off the dually. A nice little custom made fender mainly to protect your investment.
Great truck and great project! I don't have a working radio either and kind of don't miss it anymore. I love older, high mileage, not killing the bank kind of trucks. This is one!
Nice work you two!! For the fridge, propane fridges can have trouble circulating the cold air and keeping the inside cold. Even more so when the fridge moves regularly and doesn’t always sit level. To remedy, a way to circulate the cold air key. You can wire up a simple USB powered fan (cheap on Amazon) and run the wire and fan into the fridge. Hope it works for you guys! Cheers
Can I ask where you got your cutting board. Two tips for the frig. Get a fan made for frig. And take an air hose and blow out the flame tube. Mine was doing the same and I found bee's nests and spider webs were clogging the tube. Be sure to keep the frig level or you will ruin it. I also have a truck camper I redid. Mine is a 94 sitting on a 98 GMC 2500.
It's important to take the rig across a truck scale and see what your total loaded weight is. (after you have all your water, personnel stuff etc) Being overweight can get you into trouble in more ways than one.
Add some "L" flashing under the side sheeting that extends just over the storage side-panels. this way water will run off and not into the storage box. Then it will be 90% water tight.
Im a RV technician. In the heat of the summer (90 degrees plus), they say the fridge will only act as a cooler, temp wise. If the fridge is working properly on LP and 110 and not getting cold in cooler ambient temps, the whole unit will need to be replaced.
This is a declaration of marriage ??? I think so..this is ... of course it was about time .... well done Billiiii .... congratulations to you guys ... you deserve it after so long together and beautiful moments
The fridge probably has an ammonia powder for cooling ( not freon ) Check behind the unit for a powdery residue near the tubing. If it is there the unit is toast. I had that happen on a '96 Fleetwood Bounder. Had to replace the fridge.
Those Norcold fridges are expensive. They use Hydrogen to cool i.e. no compressor... If it cools the same on power or gas then i would look at the thermostat. See if you can find a service manual on the web. For the truck AC, once you change out the parts consider recharging it with R152a. It works super well and is available at every walmart. It is computer keyboard duster. Charge it until cold air is coming out the vents then stop. Tons of videos on utube about it. If it originally is a R134 system make sure to use PAG oil and if it was an R12 system use Ester oil. R152a doesn't care what oil is in there. Good luck.
Great job on the truck camper. One thing you could try on the refrigerator is to take it out and lay it on its left side for about 24 hours. I do not know why this works, but it brought a full size rv fridge back to life and into perfect working condition for me several years ago. I enjoy your videos and can't wait for you to get back to sailing again.
The fridge is usually the most problematic for RVs, especially in warm climates. Propane/battery just doesn't cut it. You should be able to get better results when plugged into shore power? But there are many vids out there on converting from absorption type to compressor type fridge. Don't feel badly that you have a lousy fridge. I have a 2018 Dometic 3-way that sucks when it gets above 70. I will be converting to a compressor type in the next year. thanks for the videos. Can't wait to see the RIB vids!
So Billy, what about the rusty doors on the truck? Do have plans to repair those? I can't believe you haven't repaired the AC in your climate area! HOT & HUMID is not what I could stand while driving that rig! All in all you have done a great job in getting things ready for your on-the-road adventures.
You two are pretty darn knowledgeable and crafty, coupled with a heavy dose of eagerness to try just about any project yourself, I find that very rare, especially at your age. You probably already fixed this, but at 13:33 of the video I noticed you got some grounds that are just wrapped around a solid copper wire, if you do not solder them, they are likely a problem waiting to happen. Thanks for sharing this journey with us.👍
What a rig!!!! I hate myself for selling my setup. Capri camper on a 4x4 Chevy 1500 with manual transmission… ugh I want it back. I will have it back, but way better
Good campervan summary. Pleased you fixed that hole in the back camper door by putting a sticker over it...McGyver right there. Please fix the truck aircon...Jetty will appreciate it for sure 🐕😁
Take refrigerator out and turn upside down for an hour...reinstall and let sit for couple hrs. And then turn on. Possible tube blockage and this process will often solve problem.
Great job. Billy maybe some rubber "bumpers" over the top edge of your outside storage doors. Protect you when the doors are open and seat nicely with your weather striping.
Wife saw the shark teeth on the counter... Looks like fun in Venice. We camp at Oscar Sherer and it's great. Lots to do if that's not where you were already filming from.
I had the same problem with my propane/AC fridge. It needs to be absolutely level when operating for extended periods. Mine is a Dometic. I installed a bubble level just above it to make sure it is level when I park. Working great ever since. BTW, it uses ammonia for a colant. Great vids. Thanks for sharing.
I have a 1999 dodge similar to yours for 18 years now. I put the 285 BFG tire's on the truck. I drove it home and notice more sway in the truck. Did some research on this, truck come with 245's originally and stock rims are 6.5 wide. they do not recommend 6.5 wide tires with the 265 tire let alone the 285s. I end up going to 2006 17 inch dodge wheels that clear the steering linkage ( believer there 8 inch wide rim). I put 17 265/70s load rang E's BFG's This made a huge difference in handling with the camper on the truck. I also had Carquest Bruser shocks, There a stiff shock and made the truck ride rough empty but hand good with the camper on the bed. Since then I have put Bilstein shocks on the truck, Now it ride good, but camper handling sucks. I suggest heavy shock. Keeps the truck stable on the road.
I hope for the tie down eye bolts you purchased high strength items, not standard chromed hardware store parts. They are surprisingly weak, and these are under massive loads at times.
I am sure he knows. The tie down bolts at the big box stores should not be trusted to hold that thing down at all. I usually get all my items like that from erigging!
I love how you guys are so adventurous and exploring the world from all angles... Land and Sea!! If you ever get to Northern Indiana you are welcome to stay in my driveway for free as long as you want. I have a 30 amp hook up for you and Water. Safe travels guys.
Not sure you will read this but I wanted to let you know that most states have laws against tire exposure. You would be wise to mount mud flaps to your rear tires to avoid getting citations.
Awesome truck camper, When I did my trailer much the same as what you have done. I replaced the stereo with a more modern unit that I found on Amazon that was digital, had at least a CD player and was bluetooth capable. I also routed it over to connect into a flat screen tv that we mounted inside and so it was able to handle the sound from the tv. You should check into one, for your truck camper. It would make a great addition. I don't think the one I bough was very expensive as it wasn't name brand, but was designed for campers.
Awesome job folks...great new lease on life for the camper and truck...also congratulations are in order...you two are perfect for each other..many happy year ahead!
Been following and enjoying you 3 for, well, long time since the trawler. You have done a Great Job making the camper look Brand New! I have an old model motorhome that needs such a loving touch. Thanks for the motivation.
The fridge needs to be real level to operate properly if it’s not level you can destroy it, the ammonia will solidify and block the tubes, if it won’t get cold it could be somewhat blocked already
Take the fridge out and burp it! Turn it upside down, let it sit 20-30 min, then turn it back over and let it sit for 12 hours, or less, it should burp and you will hear it. This gets the air bubble out of the fridge ammonia. It will be cold again.
Hope see you guys one day down the road we also full rime in a TT we are currently in Ohio temp are really nice no ac or heater needes all day long enjoy your new journey
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