SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Self builds and DIY projects
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wonkywheel
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 26071Post wonkywheel
June 8th, 2019, 3:31 pm

This has been the first chance I have had to check out the camper since we returned from Exmouth.
I remembered hearing some strange lumps and bumps on the way back from Santapod the other week and the threads I had read about the Suntreckers flexing slightly and tapping the truck cab roof came to mind. I re-read them again this morning and went to inspect the underside of the cab-over bed when it stopped raining.

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There are definite signs that there is some movement. It could have been in part my own fault as I found I had failed to tighten the LH bed clamp onto the tub, although there are 3 others :?
The design was intended to just miss the roof bars without the need to remove them. The noises I heard seem to have been the camper moving the roof bars along the truck roof. I am thinking that the bed liner allows the camper to rock under adverse condition (camper field ruts). This has then moved the roof bars a little at a time until the rear one was close on 100mm out of position. I could see by the dirt marks on the truck roof it had been a bit at a time.

I am going to need some packers to lift the whole thing slightly higher.
I am unsure whether to fit stips between the corrugated bed liner to alleviate the flexing at the same time. As I need more Celotex insulation board I might go for 25mm (which is what I am using) a piece of 6mm ply as a weight spreader with 4 strips of wood that fit in between the corrugations. Or, just fit a chunk of 18mm ply to the bottom of the camper. (quite heavy :( )

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Whichever way, I need to get these things sorted smartish. I don't want to miss the Pizza 8-)

Ps
While on holiday I did have a little play with my raspberry pi computer(7-inch screen) with the intention of putting it in the camper

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It only uses a 5 volt supply as its an arm phone chip running it 8-) :roll:
"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

Amanda_P
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Joined: March 14th, 2017, 12:09 am
Location: Sheriff Hutton, North Yorkshire

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

Post: # 26078Post Amanda_P
June 9th, 2019, 2:33 pm

It may be a mistake to fix the camper rigidly to both the truck bed and the cab roof. If your truck is anything like my old Hilux, the chassis is quite flexible, and, particularly with a load in the tub, the chassis may flex quite a bit. The camper and tub may move as one piece, and the cab as another, with the rails bending in the middle. Trucks are clearly built for this to happen - there's a clearance gap between the cab and the tub on every one-tonner I've seen (not so much on smaller pickups, which are more of a monocoque or modified monocoque type).

If this is happening, this could be why your camper has contacted the roof bars on the cab. You might be better off removing the bars, leaving more clearance for the camper to waggle about in the fresh air above the cab!

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

Post: # 26079Post wonkywheel
June 9th, 2019, 3:10 pm

Thank for the input Amanda.
I must admit, I had thought of it as though it was totally rigid, but had noticed the gap you speak of. I had already measured it in various places and written the sizes on the cab to check when I get the camper back on ;)
I definitely need to increase the clearance!
I might still keep the bars on and use some form of packer underneath at least for the time being because every time I need an 8x4 sheet of material I have a purpose-made framework that fits the bars :roll:
Failing that I will have to resurrect my teardrop trailer chassis and get a trailer board :( this turning into use while you build project It might be some time before I have everything I need :shock:

I see you are from "Up North" :lol: will we meet up at Whitby in a couple of weeks?
"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

Amanda_P
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Joined: March 14th, 2017, 12:09 am
Location: Sheriff Hutton, North Yorkshire

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

Post: # 26106Post Amanda_P
June 13th, 2019, 8:05 am

wonkywheel wrote:
June 9th, 2019, 3:10 pm
Thank for the input Amanda.

I see you are from "Up North" :lol: will we meet up at Whitby in a couple of weeks?
My work is rather unpredictable and tends to eat up weekends, so I haven’t booked yet. I’ll be there if I can, and it’s looking promising at the moment.

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

Post: # 26127Post wonkywheel
June 15th, 2019, 2:03 pm

Time seems to fly by :o

I need to reassemble my electrics ready for next weekend at Whitby 8-)
So many things planned to do but....... :roll:

Packers for the camper to sit are out of the window :? , so it will have to be roof bars off the truck. The rain has held up my electrical system check out but that WILL get done next week, ( The running fuses are in the lower cupboard next to the door so I sit outside to work on it)
With only 5 days left before Whitby and 2 weekends before Santapod "Dragstalgia" I am struggling to make progress :shock:
Next week I need to sort some sort of greywater storage. Santapod camping being a little primitive :lol: means that greywater is usually thrown under the truck :o I am assuming Whitby is a little more sophisticated so I will need storage. I have planned a trip to Ikea, for a foam mattress, then Go Outdoors for waste pipe and water tank.
I considered having a sprung mattress and even the wooden slats underneath but I was worried that the overall height of 180mm+90mm would make the head clearance to small. My foam seat cushions, when laid out for a large single, are plenty comfortable for me so I will be going for the 150mm foam. At £80 it seems quite economic compared with my 4x 150mm seat cushions at £25 each from Dunelm ;)

I still find hot water for washing or washing up is easiest produced with my large stainless steel washing bowl directly either on the gas rings or Cadac. I only takes a minute or two. 8-)

"Dragstalgia" at Santapod is something of a highlight for me. Reto drag racing, good live bands, my son usually comes too, as it's my birthday that weekend as well(71 :shock: no wonder everything takes so long :lol: ), quite a few friends turn up too.


p.s. Amanda, it looks like the last pitch has gone, maybe next year :D
"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: # 26222Post wonkywheel
June 24th, 2019, 9:32 pm

Ikea didn't work out well. :(
After trooping around following the arrows to find the mattresses the one I wanted said see customer services.
Customer services were at the exit, next to the entrance. The two children that seemed to be manning customer services had a cue about 8 deep and kept disappearing sorting the customers. I hadn't allowed enough time for this so I left empty-handed. Looks like I will be sleeping on my sleeping bags again.

Loaded up ready to leave Friday morning for the run-up to Whitby. Now my truck is due a service :o when I fired it up it ran as lumpy as hell, almost shook the extended wing mirrors off. Just when I thought I was going to miss the trip, it smoothed out and was running on all four again. :? Oh well give it a go :roll:
The trip up went quite well considering. A bit underpowered, especially in the moors, with bouts of mild kangaroo diesel :lol: I was surprised I wasn't seasick :lol:

A great weekend meeting many new friends and had a lot of positive reaction to my build.

The trip home was similar to going up apart from coming down with a cough and sore throat, and getting the engine management lite come on with about 25 miles to go. I stopped and had a look under the bonnet. :roll: engine, yes, water, yes, oil, yes. Carry on then.
12 miles to go and one good chug and the engine cut out :shock: :?
After calling my son to arrange a tow truck I had a go at starting it.
Yes, so off I went and drove straight to the garage that was due to service it.
With hindsight I think I may have just stalled the engine :roll:
I had just come off a tight roundabout and was going up a steep incline when it happened although I did have time to clutch in and coast to a halt on the chequers on the side of the road. It started ok at the garage this morning and am expecting a report tomorrow :?:
"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: # 26225Post zildjian
June 25th, 2019, 6:34 am

IKEA, was that Milton Keynes by any chance?
What about a memory foam one instead, those are thin really nice to sleep on and available widely, we have one on top of the cushions, which is probably overkill and makes bed that much higher though I've never removed one or the other.

Will have been good to see many other camper all in one place I'll bet, glad you had a nice weekend despite car trouble
can always guarantee something will misbehave the second you turn the key to go somewhere :)

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

Post: # 26229Post wonkywheel
June 25th, 2019, 7:15 am

Yes Zildjian, Milton Keynes.
I have wondered about memory foam but I am a bit worried about being both too high and too hot. At the minute when I sit on the edge of the bed my head just touches the roof. Extra height to sit on and a curtain rail overhead might make it difficult.
I have always been warm enough in bed and invariably have to shift positions to find a cooler piece of the mattress.

It was great to see a good selection of campers. The "Bigfoot" on an American Ford was certainly an impressive size with just about everything you could ever need inside. He comes from Kettering too, another "Local". With a bit of prior organization and your attendance we could have had a small Northamptonshire convoy :lol:

The problem was a blocked fuel line filter. Now rebooked for a full service.
"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: # 26349Post wonkywheel
July 7th, 2019, 6:51 am

I have not done much over the past 2 weeks apart from clear out the Whitby stuff. Garden and household chores have taken up most of my time. Raspberries ripening in ever increasing numbers have meant jam making every other day :)

All I have managed to do on the camper is sort the radio out. In fitting a car radio, I hadn't realized just how much power they used when on. With the voltage meter reading 13.4 volts and the radio on standby I could see it drop to 12.2 volts with all four speakers on at full volume. Not that I listen that loud very often :roll: but it is something to be aware of as I tend to have a radio on all night quietly if I am suffering from tinnitus.( the whistling hiss can be most distracting when trying to sleep some times, 54 years of engineering has taken its toll, and some would say an appreciation of rock music ( ACDC concerts 3 times, Motorhead 4 times))

Only another 4 days and its off to Santapod again for 4 days 8-) 8-)
"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: # 26629Post wonkywheel
August 6th, 2019, 9:22 pm

No work on the build (weekend 12-15 July) as it was yet another shakedown outing to Santa Pod for the Dragstalgia meeting :lol:

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First on-site so I was the camp commander. I picked the spot and tried to spread out as much as possible to save enough room for the rest of our group. It seemed to work out ok as we all got in together.

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With a little help from the neighbors, I managed to put up the event shelter

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The small fire pit was a good investment, £41 from Cotswold Outdoor. We started it with wood outside the event shelter, got the charcoal going nicely then lifted it into the middle of the shelter. It seemed to warm up quite nicely and as it was open all around we all shared the heat and were able to toast marshmallows into the night. My incomplete electrical system meant I had spare lengths of live cabling coiled in the camper. This enabled me to hang an outside light out of the window when the main site lighting and funfair shut down at midnight. I think I need some solar lights on the event shelter so as not to drain the battery overnight.

A good long weekend and a new list of things to do when I get back.
"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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