SoCalDesertRider wrote: ....A steel frame can be made just as light as an aluminum frame by using larger diamter thinner wall tube.
True but how thick do you want the walls of a TC to be?
1.5" tube is plenty strong for use in a camper.
Well take that 1.5" and add 1/4" to each side for the interior and exterior coverings and you get a wall that is 2" thick. Now times that by two and 4" of the overall width of the camper is now taken up by walls and contributes nothing to its usable space. If 1" aluminum tubing is used instead then you will instantly gain 1" of interior width. Admittedly not a lot but given the size constraints of the type of TC being discussed it is still a significant gain.
2007 F350,HighLine,SC,LB,4x4.6.0/Auto
2007 Outfitter Apex9.5, 270W solar, SolarBoost 2000e, 2 H2000i's, 2000W inverter, 2 20lb LP on slide out tray, 4 Lifeline AGM batteries, Tundra fridge
1995 Bounder 28' ClassA sold
1991 Jamboree 21' ClassC sold
SEMPER FI
JeffPritchard wrote: Am I the only one here who dreams of a camper that goes WAY beyond the hard sided popup idea to a point where the camper looks like just a rectangular piece of cargo sitting in the bed of the truck, no higher than the cab of the truck? You hop out of the truck and hit a button, and pieces raise up and slide out and tilt and slide and scoot and raise...and about 30 seconds later you've got something the size of a Class A land yacht standing before you with acres of space inside?
It just really seems to me that a popup camper and/or a TC with some slide-outs only scratches the surface of what could be done to make a compact and very portable piece of "cargo" transform itself into a really full featured large living space.
Call me a dreamer, but I say this can be done to an extent that anything we've seen so far would be laughable by comparison. Some day when I retire...
SoCalDesertRider wrote: ....A steel frame can be made just as light as an aluminum frame by using larger diamter thinner wall tube.
True but how thick do you want the walls of a TC to be?
1.5" tube is plenty strong for use in a camper.
Well take that 1.5" and add 1/4" to each side for the interior and exterior coverings and you get a wall that is 2" thick. Now times that by two and 4" of the overall width of the camper is now taken up by walls and contributes nothing to its usable space. If 1" aluminum tubing is used instead then you will instantly gain 1" of interior width. Admittedly not a lot but given the size constraints of the type of TC being discussed it is still a significant gain.
2" thick walls seem to be about par for the course in wood-framed campers, when you consider the siding, plywood, stick frame and interior paneling.
ONE additional inch of interior width. Oh boy, now THAT's somethin to write home about! Haha! Start drinkin light beer instead of regular and you won't miss that extra inch.
Take also into account, that a welded steel frame handles bending, twisting and oscillating/vibrating forces with greater longevity than a comparable welded aluminum frame. The steel frame has less tendency to crack in the heat affected zone next to the weld than the aluminum. In my business, I get a fair amount of work repairing cracks in welded aluminum aparatus.
When subjected to bend test, a welded steel joint will deform the base metal before the weld will fail, if properly welded. In aluminum bend test, it cracks at the weld, therefore an aluminum frame benefits from additional bracing that the steel frame doesn't need.
It is also more expensive to fabricate in aluminum than in steel, due to higher cost of material and more expensive and time consuming manufacturing cost of welding aluminum. If I were to build a camper frame from aluminum I would likely use rivets and/or bolts than welding so the frame can have some freedom to flex without failure.
I don't dis-like aluminum, I like working with all metals, but there are strengths and weaknesses of using different metal types in different applications which must be weighed before producing a complicated structure in any material type.
Welded steel framed campers have proven their strength and reliability over years of use and are somewhat common. Welded aluminum framed campers are not common. Not to say someone hasn't made one that is still intact after years of use, I just haven't seen or heard of any. Not that I'm a camper expert by any means. Haha.
Anyways, just a few ideas to think about.
* This post was
edited 05/17/08 02:07am by SoCalDesertRider *
Thanks for sharing this Marx. It's an interesting design. Haven't ever seen this one before.
When "closed", this doesn't miss the mark too far. When "deployed", however, this is a couple of orders of magnitude less than what's in my head. For starters, where's the bathroom?
I'm thinking of something that would have all of the finery that my Lance 1191 has, with about twice the interior space...and similar to this Australian camper when "closed". (but designed for a truck with a "regular" bed on it)
Quote: So it you really want to twist, you need to setup that aforementioned flatbed with some form of three-point mounting system.
BTG hit the nail right on the head. I have to agree with him 100%. What you need, is a flatbed with 3-point mount to frame/articulation system, and mount your selected camper to it. If you go bolting your camper to the flatbed, you can bypass the traditional tiedown system entirely. Simply remove the jacks system, and re-attach when you get home.
IMO, I see no benefit in using the "traditional" tiedown system in a truck camper/offroading situation. In fact, when we "offroad" (but really, just drive/negotiate on previously established sometimes terrible tracks, off the beaten path), we always *loosen up* our tiedown system, and rely completely on high-density foam blocks placed completely around the tub fore of our wheel wells, to keep camper relatively square. For rear slide action, we rely on the loose tiedown to "catch" our camper if it should slide rear-ward on steep inclines. Typically, our camper re-seats itself into foam inserts forward when we head down a steep decline.
SoCalDesertRider wrote: ....A steel frame can be made just as light as an aluminum frame by using larger diamter thinner wall tube.
True but how thick do you want the walls of a TC to be?
1.5" tube is plenty strong for use in a camper.
Well take that 1.5" and add 1/4" to each side for the interior and exterior coverings and you get a wall that is 2" thick. Now times that by two and 4" of the overall width of the camper is now taken up by walls and contributes nothing to its usable space. If 1" aluminum tubing is used instead then you will instantly gain 1" of interior width. Admittedly not a lot but given the size constraints of the type of TC being discussed it is still a significant gain.
2" thick walls seem to be about par for the course in wood-framed campers, when you consider the siding, plywood, stick frame and interior paneling.
ONE additional inch of interior width. Oh boy, now THAT's somethin to write home about! Haha! Start drinkin light beer instead of regular and you won't miss that extra inch.
That one extra inch gives roughly an additional 7sqft of interior space to a 9.5' TC. An inch here and an inch there all adds up for space just like the ounces do for weight.
Offline
