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Old 11th April 2010, 11:56   #31
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Nice to see people who comeup with their own solutions and designs. Curious, did you consider building a camper trailer, that you could tow with any SUV/vehicle. I had been to a RV show and was amazed to see thousands of space saving designs. I was thinking more on these lines.
Scamp Travel Trailers: 16 Foot Photos

Looking forward to seeing pics of the complete project.
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Old 11th April 2010, 12:45   #32
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@DKG
MAN!!! great planning and excellent executive! I am glued to this thread.
Best of luck with everything!!
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Old 11th April 2010, 16:07   #33
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Excellent work DKG, Hats off to you.
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Old 11th April 2010, 16:45   #34
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@DKG, how do you plan to change flat tyres at the rear when the camper is loaded? From the pics, it looks like near to impossible with the sides of the rear-bed dropped down.
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Old 11th April 2010, 19:07   #35
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I rented one of these during a recent road trip in Australia:

Wicked Campers | Cheap Campervan Hire Australia
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Old 11th April 2010, 23:22   #36
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How do you bolt it down to the bed when on the move?
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Old 12th April 2010, 08:57   #37
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@DKG great thread and great effort. I am amazed at both you and TBHPIANS for asking so many questions and Gosh some guys have some eye for details!

Its a continuous learning process so Best of Luck. Fortune favors the brave
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Old 12th April 2010, 11:04   #38
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Thanks to all of you for the kind words of appreciation. Its a delight to see so many people sharing my interest in this project

Quote:
Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR View Post
DKG any idea what is the weight of the fabrication?
Spike I reckon it should be about 500-600 kgs right now. But finished it could max out at a ton.

Quote:
Originally Posted by prasadee View Post
did you consider building a camper trailer, that you could tow with any SUV/vehicle
Given the kind of traffic you encounter in India it makes no sense to have large trailers tailing you. Its more stressful to drive so. Here the only thing I need to worry about is the additional height. The camper remains within the confines of the vehicle's existing boundaries so that way its as comfortable in traffic as it would be without the camper on the bed

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaguar View Post
]@DKG, how do you plan to change flat tyres at the rear when the camper is loaded?
option 1: It takes less than a minute to lift the camper off and drive the truck clear of the camper. If I do plan on retaining the truck sides this would be the way to access the rear wheels.

option 2: leave the sides at home when using the camper.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mpower View Post
How do you bolt it down to the bed when on the move?
With a set of clamps that can be screwed down with winged nuts. I still need to fabricate the clamps though. Basically I would have steel tubes of heavier guage running through the floor with ends that can be bolted down to the truck frame.
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Old 12th April 2010, 11:38   #39
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Sir, I think a DIY composting toilet should be the easiest. Since the RV is already designed and fabricated, you could make the unit and fabricate a tent around it. can put it up once you set up camp, at the same time save space in the RV.
Composting toilet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Old 14th April 2010, 18:42   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DKG View Post
There's a lot of space for tanks under the bed. That is not the issue. The challenge is to evacuate the stuff efficiently
You just need a septic tank large enough so that you dont need to service it during the trip.

Regarding the pneumatics..
You might be able to get a 12VDC or a 220VAC electric compressor which you can run using an on board inverter. If you want to do belt driven look for the smallest CV that uses air brakes and the pump from it. (Tata 407?)
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Old 14th April 2010, 18:58   #41
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Just one word-wow. I want to build my own truck camper when I grow up. Only difference that I want it to be a lot bigger (something like a full-sized truck/bus) but this thing is simply awesome. Can't wait to see the end-product. Wowies again.
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Old 14th April 2010, 20:48   #42
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DKG you are just brilliant! Amazing project, so when are you driving down to BLR with the camper? If you want a driver to accompany your CJ3B along, just give a buzzzzz

But seriously very good engineering project.
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Old 14th April 2010, 21:16   #43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DKG View Post
It uses a combination of vacuum and water to flush. But what next? Do they use an incinerator and evacuate the dust into the atmosphere? I can find out as a pilot is a friend

The challenge is in how you can efficiently and with minimal involvement dispose the dirt.

Some of you may think I'm crazy but I even thought of using the heat from the silencer to dry things !!!

The Sulabh Sauchalay organization has some toilets designed for rural use - minimal flush / convert to bio-fertilizer etc., you may want to investigate
Sorry, I dont have any links.. read about them in India today..
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Old 15th April 2010, 00:03   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smsrini View Post
The Sulabh Sauchalay organization has some toilets designed for rural use - minimal flush / convert to bio-fertilizer etc., you may want to investigate
Sorry, I dont have any links.. read about them in India today..
I doubt if these would be portable enough. IMO though expensive, its safe to go for a chemical toilet.

I have been thinking about your design ever since I saw this thread and a couple of additions that I would personally like
1. A small generator to power the camper when stationary.
2. Provision to enter the camper through the driver cabin.
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Old 15th April 2010, 14:49   #45
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Superb thread DKG. Don't know how on earth i consistently missed it for the last week or so!

I absolutely love the pneumatic solution for lifting the camper off the bed
Would love to see a video of it in action!

Also, i bet taking the bike off the camper is harder than getting it on there!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocky_Balboa View Post
....
2) Wouldnt having a bigger panel beneath the leg, help in the above and also the overall stability...
Bigger feet probably wouldn't aid stability - but would help distribute the weight over a larger area. And as you said, that would be useful on soft ground. It would really suck if the camper sunk in overnight preventing the truck from reversing in under it.

However, given the weight of the camper and the conditions it will be used in - i think those feet might just be sufficient.

Quote:
Originally Posted by black12rr View Post
...
2.Why not add light weight foldable solar panels ( I have heard they are heavy )...
Black12rr / DKG - take a look at this thread regarding solar panels etc. Similar theme as this thread.
Project Nomad : Solar panel for charging batteries

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaguar View Post
@DKG, how do you plan to change flat tyres at the rear when the camper is loaded?
He'll just keep the camper bolted to the car and activate the pneumatic legs j/k


Quote:
Originally Posted by Mpower View Post
You just need a septic tank large enough so that you dont need to service it during the trip.
DKG - to answer your question. I think ^this^ is the way it works on airplanes as well, ie instead of the incineration & disposal steps you mentioned.


Looking forward to more!
cya
R
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