SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

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wonkywheel
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 23449Post wonkywheel
September 15th, 2018, 9:29 pm

Thanks for the offer, Mike. I'll see how things go sorting the legs out before I get that far.

Sounds like a plan Zildjian. Again, when I have the legs sorted I'll give you a call.
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm" .......(Winston Churchill)

2007 Ford Ranger "Thunder" 4x4
Camper aedificavit domum
2016 Ford Ranger "Wildtrack" 4x4

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wonkywheel
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 23510Post wonkywheel
September 18th, 2018, 10:20 pm

Every time I move the camper nearer to my truck ( hight and positioning) the bloody wind gets up and moves it about. :shock: I spent quite a bit of today chocking the wheels on the trolley, putting support props up to try and stop it moving about. I purchased 8 medium density building blocks to stand it on but with the ground being uneven there is always one point taking most of the load. That becomes the pivot point for the whole thing to slew around in the wind. The neighbors are fed up with throwing bits of Celotex insulation back over the fence. :oops: It seems no matter what I put on it, there is always a few bits that make a break for it. :lol:
Then I started to sort out oneI'm the front legs, but i'm having second thoughts :roll:
My initial thoughts were to have the leadscrew nut traveling up and down the screw. With that in mind, I have almost completed the winding heads :? That means the winder, which has to be at the top is very high up for the front legs.

I am now wondering if it is possible to have the nut position fixed with the screw going up and down instead. If I did this I think I could have the jacks inboard disappearing up inside the cabin. I need to give it more thought :idea: :?: :geek: :lol:

With the camper now sitting on my trolley( which I meant to extend in both directions to give it a bigger footprint :oops: but haven't :roll: yet) I have virtually established the linear center of gravity :geek: ( trial an error until the nose almost had me)
As near as I can tell, with the battery situated under one of the seat positions, it's about 250mm towards the back behind the back axle centerline.

With my deteriorating muscle strength (old codger :roll: ) lifting a small propane gas bottle was a little challenging and it occoured to me that the seating position being forward nearest the bed, the gas box, which was destined to be to the rear of that, will move the center of gravity even further back.

Another thing requiring further thought :ugeek: Initial idea is to move the gas box forward on one side and the fridge forward on the other :?: :?: Consideration for getting in and out of the cabover bed :?:

I actually got the 12 mm eye bolts out with a view to putting them in the truck bed, but, I think the thread may be too short taking into account the corrugations in the bed liner :( :oops: > I was going to need more anyway to put in the camper so nothing lost.
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm" .......(Winston Churchill)

2007 Ford Ranger "Thunder" 4x4
Camper aedificavit domum
2016 Ford Ranger "Wildtrack" 4x4

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zildjian
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 23521Post zildjian
September 19th, 2018, 7:47 pm

I am now wondering if it is possible to have the nut position fixed with the screw going up and down instead. If I did this I think I could have the jacks inboard disappearing up inside the cabin. I need to give it more thought :idea: :?: :geek: :lol:

If I have that right you're correct,
the nut is welded horizontally in head of lower leg, bolt passing vertically down into it and obviously wound from headstock

Might have read your comments all wrong in which case ignore my obvious comment.......... :shock: :shock:

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wonkywheel
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 23523Post wonkywheel
September 20th, 2018, 5:53 am

Zildjian,
Yes, I think it might work.

Initially, I will fit the legs as originally thought but really as fixed legs and rely on the farm jack to raise and lower. This way I can attempt to stop the wind from moving it about and get it bolted onto the truck while I investigate other possibilities. I am keen to at least get it on the truck to see how it fits, looks, and feels ;)
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm" .......(Winston Churchill)

2007 Ford Ranger "Thunder" 4x4
Camper aedificavit domum
2016 Ford Ranger "Wildtrack" 4x4

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zildjian
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 23555Post zildjian
September 22nd, 2018, 7:12 am

Well, as Mike says give us a date over a weekend and we can help with that if you like

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wonkywheel
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 23659Post wonkywheel
September 29th, 2018, 10:33 pm

A lot done but not much progress :roll:

After my success purchasing a roof vent complete with a fan unit off eBay, I managed another purchase, or two :shock:
Before I get too far ahead, Just for Mike :oops: :lol:

Image $00mm sqare hole in the roof Image Outer lid and frame ImageDropped inplace through the hole, from the inside.Image Fixing screw hole just visible in the corner ImageInner frame Image Pretty cover with sliding blind
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


The thought was, when cooking in "Lightning" it was actually not "in" but standing outside at the rear of the teardrop. Initially, I was going to use the same 2 burner/grill and gas bottle "in" the demountable. I was aware that the gas bottle needed to be in a sealed gas box with drop outs for any escaping gas. Not a problem :o . When the Smev 2 burner/sink combo with the smoke glass lid came up on eBay, I thought that is much better than my old hob unit. It was faulty and the owner wanted a 3 burner instead of the 2(which was now 1 burner as the second went out as soon as you let the control knob out) I am hoping that it is an easy fix as I think it is the flame out thermocouple gone down, just replace.
The problem was it was near Scarborough for collection only :(
I had intended to get some pvc sheets from the "Cladding Warehouse" in Bradford to line the walls and make the shower room hygienic and watertight. A couple of good sheets to do the shower and a few more seconds for the walls to be covered with van carpet. Again the goods,(just the seconds) were collection only. I hadn't wanted to get them yet as there is too much else to do before I get to that stage BUT. If I combined the trips it makes it more economical.

Too much indeed.
With the mains in socket already fitted, I moved the leisure battery to its potential position and connected up the battery charger. Considering the last time I used the battery was in May, I was surprised that after 10 minutes the charger clicked over to full.
Image I have a plugin voltmeter that fits a cigarette lighter so I thought I would check it out.
:oops: I'm not quite sure how it happened but, I managed to get a short in the temporary wiring :(

First I could smell burning :o ,

Then, there was smoke :shock:

Then there were burnt fingers trying, unsuccessfully to unplug extremely hot bullet connectors :cry:

Then there was PANIC :!:

:geek: I kicked the crocodile clip off one of the terminals of the battery.
Boy did I say Blow it :lol:
I then went to find my battery cut off switch and moved fitting it higher up the list of thing to do ;)

Image Sheets of pvc after unloading them. I have a frame that fits on my roof bars especially for carrying 2440mm x 1220mm (8x4) sheets. It has worked fine on relatively rigid sheets :)

These 2mm thick pvc sheets were similar to trying to hold a bag of snakes. They bowed, sagged, slid about :roll: nightmare
One of the "seconds" sheets was 300mm longer than the standard 8x4 but I thought that will be ok :roll:
After getting all the sheets strapped down I then went around and gaffer taped the edges to stop the wind getting in between them. They will be fine, I said to myself :|
The satnav had decided to go home down the M1. I didn't like that idea so changed the route to A1(plenty of laybys). I still had to go along the M62 to get to the A1.

I stuck to under 60 mph. Trundled along the M62 with a host of heavy goods lorries. I could see the front of the frame through the top of the windscreen and the extra 300mm sticking out in front. It will be fine :roll:
Then I heard a noise something like organ pipes resonating from the roof :shock: A quick check through the top of the windscreen. Wheres that extra 300mm gone :shock:
A check in my rearview mirrors. Not behind me. But then again neither were the lorries. They were about 100 yards behind. Something had put them off from following me at there usual 6 inches. The image of a Ford Ranger with a blue sail flash through my mind :oops:
The M62 hard shoulder changed between "Use in an emergency only" to "Use for next junction" or "Congestion use hard shoulder". I was in a "Use for emergency only section so I pulled over to survey the situation. A quick look showed the sharp edges of the pvc sheet had cut the gaffer tape and the 300mm extra piece allowing the wind to get under it. Although I know the hard shoulder was for emergency use only, not everyone did. Or perhaps the matrix boards had changed but I was confronted with a group of cars coming down the hard shoulder towards me at some speed. I jumped back into the truck, the hazard lights were already on and I rolled down the hard shoulder to the next off point and found a layby. I cut the extra 300mm off. Applied almost a roll of gaffer tape.

I continued the rest of my journey home at 50 mph without any problems. Even the lorries 6 inched from my bumper gave me a kind of reassurance :lol: All in all the trip took 11 hours for the round trip. :x

Today it all seems like a dream, not the nightmare it was, especially when I look at the cooker/sink combo

Image
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm" .......(Winston Churchill)

2007 Ford Ranger "Thunder" 4x4
Camper aedificavit domum
2016 Ford Ranger "Wildtrack" 4x4

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zildjian
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 23665Post zildjian
September 30th, 2018, 6:35 am

That sounds an interesting road trip Mark,
Motorways not having that handy hard shoulder is a shame these days so planning for laybys on A1 makes a lot of sense
glad you got yourself and purchase back in one piece, are those the last of the large components for collection now,
trailer might be useful for any further bits.

The extra light through rooflights will be welcome later on I'm sure, think the next one I buy will include a fan too
they look so much more useful than what I have presently

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wonkywheel
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 23679Post wonkywheel
September 30th, 2018, 8:56 pm

Zildjian,
you have a good point.
I still have the trailer and 8x4 base frame from "lightning" I might consider using that next time.
It might be a bit bouncy as the indispension units are rated at 750g.
On the fan vents. My old Omnivent is a 3-speed suck or blow switched fan unit. The new one is digital 8-) . It goes up in 1/2 units for each touch of the button so in effect 6 suck and blow speeds. Coooooool eh ;)
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm" .......(Winston Churchill)

2007 Ford Ranger "Thunder" 4x4
Camper aedificavit domum
2016 Ford Ranger "Wildtrack" 4x4

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zildjian
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 23680Post zildjian
September 30th, 2018, 9:03 pm

Also I found a Facebook group for those Chinese heaters I think you mentioned installing

Image

https://www.facebook.com/groups/146837062640024/

might be of interest I don't know

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derestrictor
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 23753Post derestrictor
October 6th, 2018, 9:52 am

good morning
was wondering if you are able to do any work towards completing your camper in bad weather like this.
Think you had it more or less watertight in previous reports :)

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