M35a2 home made camper ideas

[m16ty]

Well I've got a 28' pull camper but I'm thinking of selling it because I'm wanting to go camping a little further off the beaten path.

I'd like to add some sort of removable camper to the back of the deuce. I've looked at the S280 shelters but the ones I've been able to find need work and they want what I consider too much for them.

I've been tossing around the idea of just building a box for the back. I've got a steel shipping crate that will have to be cut down some to fit in the bed but it's got a good strong frame. What I'm wondering is what to do about siding roof material. I could use standard roofing but can't seem to figure out how to tie in the corners to make it watertight with the ridges in the tin.

I've also found a fairly good deal on standard semi van trailer panels but that looks like it would require a bunch of rivets to make the thin AL lay flat. I'd also still have to figure out how to seal the corners if I used this.

Any ideas?

 

[gimpyrobb]

Back when I had my 86 toyota hi-lux pickup, it had an aluminum bed cap. I took it apart, put new seals in and painted it. It was an awesome setup. Anyway, where ever the aluminum met, there was some putty with the aluminum channel screwed over it. Then you put that plastic bubble tape in the AL track to hide the screws. It looked ok and kept it water tight. might want to look at an aluminum truck cap to get some idears.

 

[R Racing]

How about finding a old airstream trailer. Remove the axle and mount it on back.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Or one of those fold out soft top campers. That would leave you room for ATVs.

 

[gunboy1656]

How about a box off an m109. Set it up with outriggers like the old truck campers.

 

[m16ty]

How about finding a old airstream trailer. Remove the axle and mount it on back.

That would look like you were hauling some sort of bomb.

I've actually been looking around at some of the camper parts sights and found some fiberglass sheeting that a lot of the modern campers use. Looks like you just glue it to some plywood backing. That could be a option.

The more I think about it, I'm thinking I may be better off just using the crate bottom and building the sides and roof with some wood. My thinking is the sides would have to be cut down some and the wood would be so much easier to work with and attaching wall covering to.

 

[m16ty]

How about a box off an m109. Set it up with outriggers like the old truck campers.

I've thought about that and a friend of mine has one. I'll admit I haven't measured it but I'm almost 100% sure it wouldn't fit inside a deuce bed. I do have a A2c so I could remove the sides but that would be a pain also.

I don't want this box to be a permanent fixture. I use the deuce for many other things so it has to be removable. I've got a big forklift so with some fork pockets setting it in and out shouldn't be a problem.

I'd really like a S-280 but paying $2K for just a gutted box with damage just seems like too much to me.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Swbradley1 has an s280, but I'm not sure what he is asking for it. Might want to PM him.

 

[swbradley1]

$2k




But I would rather put in the back of one of my trucks.

 

[swbradley1]

If I had the steel I'd build a steel frame and cover it with marine grade plywood and then cover it in fiberglass resin. Make sure whatever you do the roof is hard and has some slope. Rubberized roof on campers are for crap. Ours didn't stand up to an ice meteorite two years and cost almost $9,000 to replace.

 

[DoubleE]

Cut the tongue and axle off an old pop up camper and slide it in sideways.

 

[rosco]

Building anything, like a camper box, boils down to being a whole lot of work, and expense. That Civi camper stuff will shake apart, in a couple of moves, and look just like your heading to the dump with it. The S-280 Shelter, was built for it, and fits the way it should (and has resale value). It was already made for it.

 

[Smokinyoda]

Oh wait... you said removable!

 

[Recovry4x4]

What about the box off a cube van or even an ambulance box? Ambulance boxes show up on govdeals from time to time. They are sturdy and well insulated.

 

[peashooter]

Well I've got a 28' pull camper but I'm thinking of selling it because I'm wanting to go camping a little further off the beaten path.

I'd like to add some sort of removable camper to the back of the deuce. I've looked at the S280 shelters but the ones I've been able to find need work and they want what I consider too much for them.

I've been tossing around the idea of just building a box for the back. I've got a steel shipping crate that will have to be cut down some to fit in the bed but it's got a good strong frame. What I'm wondering is what to do about siding roof material. I could use standard roofing but can't seem to figure out how to tie in the corners to make it watertight with the ridges in the tin.

I've also found a fairly good deal on standard semi van trailer panels but that looks like it would require a bunch of rivets to make the thin AL lay flat. I'd also still have to figure out how to seal the corners if I used this.

Any ideas?

Well I've been through the process of converting something to a camper and don't want to go through it again as it took far more time than I expected. I've also followed a member's thread on here who converted a shipping container to a camper on an m36a2 which looks like far more work than I went through. If I wanted to get a nice camper with minimal effort, I think I would copy some of UNCLEMIKEY's ideas like he has shown here:
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showth...n-camper-box&p=1251531&viewfull=1#post1251531
and here:
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showth...our-Campers!&p=1219677&viewfull=1#post1219677

 

[oddshot]

If I had the steel I'd build a steel frame and cover it with marine grade plywood and then cover it in fiberglass resin. Make sure whatever you do the roof is hard and has some slope. Rubberized roof on campers are for crap. Ours didn't stand up to an ice meteorite two years and cost almost $9,000 to replace.

I've been working on plans for a pop-up, fold-out camper on the back of my bobbed Deuce for about a year now and hope to begin construction soon. See the fotos attached below.

The steel frame will be, in part, constructed using the bows and steel bits currently holding the M105 cover and rails up. I will be attaching a steel top on to that. The top will raise using a combination of scissors jacks and hydraulic lifts.

Construction will be a frame of square mild steel tubing, covered with a light gauge mild steel or aluminium skin. When fully raised there will be 6' of clearance between the roof and the bed. When retracted, the roof of the camper will be lower than the roof of the cab.

Although one of the the pictures shows a vehicle with a "slide-out" feature, I have drawn plans for fold-down panels sufficient to create two sleeping areas that will sleep two. The sleeping areas will be removable soft sided tenting with screen windows and vents as you would find in a tent.

I plan to build modular units (sink with hot water heater, food storage with stove top, etc), that can be removed and easily stored when not supporting camping. This should allow use of my truck as medium/heavy hauler when needed.

 

[oddshot]

BTW, these things don't have to be expensive, heavy or complicated.

A used 2 axle cargo trailer of the proper size could yield most of the material needed ... especially the roof.

 

[gringeltaube]

Well I've been through the process of converting something to a camper and don't want to go through it again as it took far more time than I expected. I've also followed a member's thread on here who converted a shipping container to a camper on an m36a2 which looks like far more work than I went through. If I wanted to get a nice camper with minimal effort, I think I would copy some of UNCLEMIKEY's ideas like he has shown here:
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showth...n-camper-box&p=1251531&viewfull=1#post1251531
and here:
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showth...our-Campers!&p=1219677&viewfull=1#post1219677

Don't forget this other thread: "Shelter to Camper Conversion", made (by Jürgen) in Germany.
I had the chance to check it out, personally: SEHR GUT!


G.

 

[m-35tom]

there's my old unimog!!

 

[oddshot]

there's my old unimog!!

Yeah ... I LOVE that truck and its Alaskan Pop-Up.