DonCurley wrote: ..... (and if I may be so bold to say, considerably more than Hallmark will ever entertain).
Don
I would agree that would be a bold statement Given the opportunity I believe Hallmark would also modify their product to the customers specification- within reason and without loss of integrity to the product
Trails,
For the sake of the OP, I do not have any intentions of having this thread degrade into the typical Hallmark versus Outfitter "stuff". I fully stand by my stated opinion, but I will leave it up to the OP to investigate that specific matter to his heart's desire if he so chooses.
Don
* This post was
edited 05/15/08 04:27pm by DonCurley *
JeffPritchard wrote: BT,
......
OTOH, whenever the rear of the unit experiences a sudden up/down motion (like a speed bump), the forces that would normally be spread out at least across the whole back edge of the camper (if not across the whole floor), will be applied to the wimpy frame of the camper at the center of the rear edge. I would expect that to twist the camper about that rear connection point, and possibly to bend the frame piece that goes along that back bottom edge. All of those forces are now concentrated at that one point of the frame.
cheers,
jp
You got it pretty well stated, however, the single attachment point at the back is attached to the relatively rigid steel flatbed, not the camper. The upward stress is being spread out evenly across the entire width/length of the flatbed, not the camper. Any forces transmitted to the floor of the camper (including twist) are being applied to the bed first at the three points, then via the flatbed deck surface to the camper deck. A straight upward force with no side to side would essentially be identical to a 4 point system as far as the camper goes (the bed itself could use reinforcement at the attachment point if it were not a heavy/stout bed.)
The only drawback I can really see is weight, for the kind of rig the OP describes. For a smaller truck, and pop-up camper, an aluminum deck might be better, but then the tie-down points might need to be strengthened.
I really enjoyed looking at the 3-point system on the GlobalXpedition rig at the Denver RV show until the guy blew me.....grief....about taking pictures of his system that he spent "over 20 thousand" developing. Whatever.....I went to the show to take pictures of campers....if he didn't want it seen he should have hung drapes around it...sheesh!
2006 LanceMax 1191 - loaded and well-used
2005 C4500/Kodiak 4x4, GVWR 17,500
Now parked: 2001 S&S 8.5SC on 1997 GMC K2500 (235K miles)
A true off road slide-in? Several wannabes have been mentioned but nobody mentioned the Alaskan? Alaskan’s are built to order and I haven’t seen a name here yet that would compare … I would start there.
Looking for any information available on Del Rey "Sky Lounge" and Kamp King slide-ins for preservation/restoration projects.
The Callen campers are built strong and good for off road use. They use a welded steel square tube frame instead of 2x2 sticks and plywood. I have an old Callen shell that I took all the interior out of and found it to be very well built.
Check them out, they're not far from you, in El Cajon.
DonCurley wrote: By the way, if you're interested, I can share with you what I have been doing to make my truck & camper more off-road worthy, so just let me know.
Don,
I've read a lot of your posts, here and on the Outfitter forum, and they came to mind when I started this thread. I remember a lot the mods you did to your Outfitter, and that's partly why I mentioned Outfitter. I like them, and I'd really like to see an Outfitter OR (for Off Road) version that encompasses most if not all of your mods. I realize it would be a small market, but it could be an on-demand type of modification that would be incorporated into the camper by the manufacture, much like you'd add 4WD when purchasing a truck. Just some thoughts....
Thanks,
K
kylekai,
I own no stock in Outfitter, nor do I have any "pull" with them whatsoever, but if you go in with a detailed up-front list of what you specifically want modified and customized, my educated guess is that you will be able to get most if not all of what you are looking for (and with surprisingly not a lot of additional cost). Again, I know that you would like to simply say that you want the "OR" version of whatever Outfitter model you may be interested in, but that will unfortunately not work. However, with a small amount of thought, further research, and list making in the early stages, I'll bet you could come away with something pretty close to exactly what you are looking for.
SoCalDesertRider wrote: The Callen campers are built strong and good for off road use. They use a welded steel square tube frame instead of 2x2 sticks and plywood. I have an old Callen shell that I took all the interior out of and found it to be very well built.
Check them out, they're not far from you, in El Cajon.
It seems like the OP is more interested in a pop-up style versus a hard-sided TC (which I personally think is a potentially wiser choice for more difficult off-road conditions). Unless I missed it on their website, Callen apparently makes only hard-sided campers. Additionally, while I completely agree with you that a welded metal tube frame is a better choice for strength and rigidity over wood, I prefer the use of aluminum tube over steel tube for weight saving considerations.
DonCurley wrote: ..... (and if I may be so bold to say, considerably more than Hallmark will ever entertain).
Don
I would agree that would be a bold statement Given the opportunity I believe Hallmark would also modify their product to the customers specification- within reason and without loss of integrity to the product
Trails,
For the sake of the OP, I do not have any intentions of having this thread degrade into the typical Hallmark versus Outfitter "stuff". I fully stand by my stated opinion, but I will leave it up to the OP to investigate that specific matter to his heart's desire if he so chooses.
Don
Why make bold statements are are not based upon fact or knowledge of the product.
We all know about opinions- everyone has one dont they
btggraphix wrote: The upward stress is being spread out evenly across the entire width/length of the flatbed, not the camper. Any forces transmitted to the floor of the camper (including twist) are being applied to the bed first at the three points
OH! Flatbed is attached at 3 points, not the TC. I get it.
DonCurley wrote: ..... (and if I may be so bold to say, considerably more than Hallmark will ever entertain).
Don
I would agree that would be a bold statement Given the opportunity I believe Hallmark would also modify their product to the customers specification- within reason and without loss of integrity to the product
Trails,
For the sake of the OP, I do not have any intentions of having this thread degrade into the typical Hallmark versus Outfitter "stuff". I fully stand by my stated opinion, but I will leave it up to the OP to investigate that specific matter to his heart's desire if he so chooses.
Don
Why make bold statements are are not based upon fact or knowledge of the product.
We all know about opinions- everyone has one dont they
I typically try my best to make factual and knowledgeable statements in either my professional or personal life. If you don't agree with my opinions, I could care less. Let the OP make up his own mind.
SoCalDesertRider wrote: The Callen campers are built strong and good for off road use. They use a welded steel square tube frame instead of 2x2 sticks and plywood. I have an old Callen shell that I took all the interior out of and found it to be very well built.
Check them out, they're not far from you, in El Cajon.
It seems like the OP is more interested in a pop-up style versus a hard-sided TC (which I personally think is a potentially wiser choice for more difficult off-road conditions). Unless I missed it on their website, Callen apparently makes only hard-sided campers. Additionally, while I completely agree with you that a welded metal tube frame is a better choice for strength and rigidity over wood, I prefer the use of aluminum tube over steel tube for weight saving considerations.
It was my understanding the original poster wanted a camper that was built for off-roading. It didn't appear to me from what he said that a pop-up type was a 'must'. Excuse me if I read it wrong.
A steel frame can be made just as light as an aluminum frame by using larger diamter thinner wall tube.
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Given the opportunity I believe Hallmark would also modify their product to the customers specification- within reason and without loss of integrity to the product
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