Traveling 2gether Journal
Adventurer
Hi all.
I am planning to build a camper that will be permanently mounted on my Toyota T100 with a pass through similar in theory to the Maltec land cruiser campers. The camper will be attached to the truck cab and move together as one.
My general plan is to build a subframe out of steel square tubing that will be attached to the frame using 6 urethane body mounts as well as being tied into the rear body mounts of the cab. Then build the camper on top of this frame out of 2 inch XPS foam board laminated with 3/16 inch marine grade plywood inside and out. Then a layer of 6oz fiberglass cloth on the outside. The camper will be attached to to truck cab with Sickaflex or Korapop or ? adhesive. Interior cabinetry, etc. will be primarily plywood glued and screwed.
I have some experience working with all of these materials, but am not an expert at any of them. I will be learning to weld for this project and hopefully improving my other skills as well.
Questions:
1.What size steel square tubing should be used for the subframe?
- I've seen everything from 1x1 to 2x6 and rarely see wall thickness mentioned in people's write-ups. The camper's footprint will be 6'2" wide and 8'8" long and likely be 1500+ lbs when loaded.
2.Will 6 polyurethane body mounts (equivalent to the ones that hold the rear of the cab) be appropriate?
- My thinking is that I want the cab and camper to move together, so using the same mounts throughout would work well, apposed to hard mounting or using the pivots and springs that I've seen used on bigger builds?
3. What should the first layer of material on top of the frame be?
- I've seen plywood used often, but am concerned with it's durability when exposed to water, heat, mud, etc.
4. will a camper made of XPS and 3/16" plywood hold together for many 1000s of miles off pavement or does it need a frame? (talking about a frame supporting the walls and roof, not the subframe)
- Ive read threads on the subject, but can't come to a conclusion. People seem to disagree without saying why. Anyone with experience, please chime in.
Thanks for the help.
I am planning to build a camper that will be permanently mounted on my Toyota T100 with a pass through similar in theory to the Maltec land cruiser campers. The camper will be attached to the truck cab and move together as one.
My general plan is to build a subframe out of steel square tubing that will be attached to the frame using 6 urethane body mounts as well as being tied into the rear body mounts of the cab. Then build the camper on top of this frame out of 2 inch XPS foam board laminated with 3/16 inch marine grade plywood inside and out. Then a layer of 6oz fiberglass cloth on the outside. The camper will be attached to to truck cab with Sickaflex or Korapop or ? adhesive. Interior cabinetry, etc. will be primarily plywood glued and screwed.
I have some experience working with all of these materials, but am not an expert at any of them. I will be learning to weld for this project and hopefully improving my other skills as well.
Questions:
1.What size steel square tubing should be used for the subframe?
- I've seen everything from 1x1 to 2x6 and rarely see wall thickness mentioned in people's write-ups. The camper's footprint will be 6'2" wide and 8'8" long and likely be 1500+ lbs when loaded.
2.Will 6 polyurethane body mounts (equivalent to the ones that hold the rear of the cab) be appropriate?
- My thinking is that I want the cab and camper to move together, so using the same mounts throughout would work well, apposed to hard mounting or using the pivots and springs that I've seen used on bigger builds?
3. What should the first layer of material on top of the frame be?
- I've seen plywood used often, but am concerned with it's durability when exposed to water, heat, mud, etc.
4. will a camper made of XPS and 3/16" plywood hold together for many 1000s of miles off pavement or does it need a frame? (talking about a frame supporting the walls and roof, not the subframe)
- Ive read threads on the subject, but can't come to a conclusion. People seem to disagree without saying why. Anyone with experience, please chime in.
Thanks for the help.