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Re: WTF! update update UPDATE!

Posted: May 4th, 2015, 7:24 pm
by Sheriff
Sorry to see this.

It looks like the tailgate hasn't been taken off. I'm not too hot on physics, but does taking some of the the camper's weight on the tailgate increase the leverage on the chassis, and make fracture more likely?

With my SKarosser I have to take the tailgate off my D40 to make room for the grey water tank, but when I had a D22 I didn't and I could see the chassis bend when the camper was loaded - the gap between cab and tub visibly increased at the top. That was one of the reasons I 'upgraded' to a D40, though not sure now that it was such a good decision.

Re: WTF! update update UPDATE!

Posted: May 4th, 2015, 7:32 pm
by zildjian
Good point that, I could (and did) leave mine in place all the time when I had a nav but now have to remove it as well

Re: WTF! update update UPDATE!

Posted: May 4th, 2015, 8:26 pm
by rubberrat
'First class of lever' if I recall anything of my O level physics (it was the 70's!)

Re: WTF! update update UPDATE!

Posted: May 4th, 2015, 8:33 pm
by Peaky
rubberrat wrote:First class of lever if I recall anything of my o level physics (it was the 70's!)

1870's ???????????????? :lol: :lol: :lol: :P

Re: WTF! update (or here we go again)

Posted: May 4th, 2015, 9:17 pm
by rubberrat
Yes my fine man... A wonderful decade of fantastical inventions..those devils steam engines and electricity..
No good will come of it. * doffs stovepipe hat *

Re: WTF! update (or here we go again)

Posted: May 5th, 2015, 10:10 am
by rubberrat
OK, my numbers are in. I won't put up actual figures here for obvious reasons -
In full camping trim - 75% tank of fresh water and the separate loo flush tank full. Everything we would possibly carry, two folding bikes and Myself & Mrs Rubberrat (Svelt-like)

I am 10% over the GVW of 2900 (+ 320kg) - I should be able to deal with that.
Axle 1 (F) - 12% (minus figure)
Axle 2 (R) + 18% (positive figure) - this is the issue with double cabs, the majority of the camper loads the rear axle.
View the rig from the side.
I judge that less than 20% of the total camper weight loads the front axle. Less easy to control by moving stuff internally, so I will need to run the camper fairly empty and load everything for camping into the rear seat space of the truck. In our case that is reasonably possible if we don't have the folding bikes which are still bulky folded.

The specified weight of the camper (650kg) and the weight of the truck in road trim - that showed 2100kgs on the weighbridge should equal 2750kg
Actual all-up loaded weight of equipment, occupants and fluids is 17% over that (470kgs extra) *The tailgate is removed for the second loaded figure*
I can drop 20KG with the spare wheel, 60kg bikes, 60kg water, 20kg superfluous travelling 'stuff' that is never used. =160kgs
Thus another 160kgs of weight savings to find.

Do feel free to check my maths - I like maths for fun, but i'm no professor.

Re: WTF! update (or here we go again)

Posted: May 5th, 2015, 1:08 pm
by zildjian
On a side note, I've seen this camper up close and when the rest of you witness the emporium within you'd be confident Mark can easily achieve the target weight by life-laundering it thoroughly :mrgreen:



But in order the rest of you don't leave yourself open, lets keep the actual weights to ourselves on this public forum and deal with this issue either by moving/losing weight or re-plating our vehicles to comply,







obviously we understand its for all our benefit to share information but we won't be broadcasting your details


Zildjian

Re: WTF! update (or here we go again)

Posted: May 5th, 2015, 2:04 pm
by rubberrat
I do regularly life-launder... But for some reason, more stuff comes out of the machine than goes in.

Re: WTF! update (or here we go again)

Posted: June 12th, 2015, 9:36 pm
by Peaky
Just a quick update on my Navara chassis upgrading.
My reinforcing laser cut 'fish' plates should be arriving from Germany courtesy of Darren from Bimobil UK within the next week or so. Then the truck will be taken to an old mate of mine who specializes in Landrover modifications & repairs including competition preparation. He reckons that he'll be able to do the required work of removing the rear tub, welding the fish plates in position & re-fitting the rear in a day, no problem.
Then once that's done, I'll be ordering the new spec BFG AT tyres which are due to be released in the UK sometime in July with a bit of luck. Then finally, I'll should be able to re-plate to 3.5tonne :D

Image

Navara Chassis Upgrade

Posted: July 13th, 2015, 9:43 pm
by Peaky
Well, we got the upgrade done today. We kicked off at about 8:30am with a cup of Tea & a head scratch about how we were going to attack the job in hand. We then set to disconnecting the fuel filler pipe from the body work & then unbolting the truck bed from the chassis. This was done fairly quickly with only 4 bolts to undo, albeit they did need a bit of heat to persuade them to undo.
Once this was done we then proceeded to lift of the truck bed which took 3 of us to do.
Time for a cup of Tea then all the brake pipes & electrics were disconnected from the chassis so we could set to with the grinder to remove the existing chassis paint so as to get a decent key for the welding. The new plates were then clamped into position & spot welded to the chassis. It was now 12:30ish & our stomachs were rumbling & it was off to the local chippy for Steak pudding, chips, peas & gravy with a buttered barm cake washed down with a cup of Tea :)
Now that our bellies were full, it was time to carry on with the welding. We started to seam weld the plates which took a little longer than we had originally thought due to the welder overheating & tripping out about 3 times during the course of the afternoon :cry:
So you guessed it, we had a quick cuppa during the cooling down process ;)
As one side was completed, I set to with the underseal which was also a rust eater dobbing it into every nook & cranny. Time for another cuppa while the paint dried & then reconnect all the brake pipes & electrics. Now it was time to remount the truck bed which this time took 5 guys because we were struggling to realign the fuel pipe through the bodywork. This was done without a hitch & it was just a case of re-bolting the bed to the chassis & touching up any underseal after some final welding to ensure everything was solid & as it should be :D :D :D

If anybody requires any welding / fabrication then I can recommend my mate Wayne to help you out. He gets booked up at least 3 weeks in advance so you need to plan ahead. Just give me a nudge if you need anything doing & I'll pass on his details ;)

Now it's time to get some of the new BFG AT's sorted out & then I can proceed with an application to upgrade the GVW to 3.5tonnes.
I hope you've enjoyed the write up ?
I've posted below a link to the pics rather than list every photo from the day :geek: :geek:

http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/peaky ... %20Upgrade