Has anyone built a big slide-in "truck" camper for a M35 Deuce?

[jesusgatos]

Oh, and regarding the pop-up campers: I had a 10ft Alaskan Camper that I was planning on putting on the back of a Deuce. Would have been a great fit. But then I decided to just build an M109. Check out the custom pop-up camper that this guy built. VERY nice work. I've seen it in person and he's done a great job with it.

 

[unclemikey]

I just have to chime in on this, having been there. Few talking points...one, camper jacks. Bad Idea, ask me why I know this ? I tried some modified jacks to mount my camper, the jacks worked well and had no problem, but the camper was way and the heck up in the air, to the point I didn't want to be anywhere around it. Major Unstable. Even with support straps and stands under the unit, it was way way bad. I put my camper in with a crane, much better, no problem. So, who has a crane laying about to get the camper in and out when needed! As for mine, it just stays in, sort of like having a M-109. If you have to remove the unit, the best way has been talked of, build a platform the height of the truck bed and roll the camper out with rollers. Remember, if you have a cabover camper, the camper will have to be spaced up anyway to clear the truck roof, and a bit more for bed flex. So if you don't have rollers you will have to build a platform spacer between the camper and the bed of the truck anyway. Believe me, to have a dropside would be a Godsent.

As to the types of units.......I like the M-109, but it is a bit cramped for a full camper. The shelter can be removed, but is a bit smaller than a 109 ( same problem). A slide in camper will have to be modified a bit, but it is ready to go when in place. Now hear this, a camper is a weak sister to a M109 or shelter. I have made supports to make my camper a bit more rigid, but it will never be as strong as a shelter or box of a M-109. The truck can take a lot more than the camper can, so you have to be a bit judicious as to what you get youself in
to.

As to the type of campers.....the Alaskan and the Unicat are way way cool. But they are large Cubic Dollars. If you got the bucks, go for it, that is a good as it gets. But most of us a large out lay of the green is just a bit much right now. I had an Alaskan some years ago and loved it, wish I had it back, but could not afford it today. A conversion of a shelter or 109 is also going to cost some coin and time, but you will have what you want. A slide in camper when in place is ready to go. The cost of my camper was zero dollars. The folks just wanted it out of the back yard ( such a deal ). It had a bit of water damage, but no big deal. You can get some very long deals on campers. The advantage being the have all the gear (toilet, reffer, heat, sink, bathroom/shower, A/C, ect) with them already. Even if you are going to convert a 109, buy a camper and strip it down for the parts. One short coming regarding a camper, the bloody thing is going to sit way up there. So always look up as to where you are going. However, all other camper trucks are going to shiver in fear on the roadside in your presence.

Will thats my worth. Know this, no matter what you do, your going to have a lot of fun. You just got to love a deuce !

Unclemikey

 

[jesusgatos]

Thanks for posting! Love that truck.

Even if you are going to convert a 109, buy a camper and strip it down for the parts.

Hah. I tried that. Bought this water-damaged camper for $200. Was planning on stripping out all of the appliances and swapping everything into my M109. Things spiraled out of control, and the only thing that's made it into Mah Deuce is the stove (and I've been looking at some really nice gimballed marine units...).

 

[greenjeepster]

The easy solution for removal would be a setup like a salt spreader. It has two legs that drop down at the back and a roller on the front. You drop the two legs down and pull the truck forward, the spreader rolls back on the roller and then there are two more legs that just fold down when they reach the rear of the truck. You pin the front two legs so they will not fold back up and pull the truck all the way out from under it.

Instillation is the opposite.
1. Back the rear of the truck under the front roller.
2. un pin the front legs, back the truck into them so they fold up.
3. keep backing until the spreader is all the way in the truck.
4. lift up the rear legs.

The first picture shows a salt spreader in the truck with the rear legs.

Second picture shows a salt brine tank with the same unloading system. Not the rollers on the front, the front two legs fold back and the rear two lift up.

 

[Kohburn]

As to the type of campers.....the Alaskan and the Unicat are way way cool. But they are large Cubic Dollars.

Unclemikey

got a good laugh out of me on that one, quote worthy.

To buy one would involve selling my house, I plan to build one. Takes time, but I have more cubic time than cubic dollars.

 

[jesusgatos]

That's a good suggestion greenjeepster. The thing I was most concerned about was having to mount the front jacks out far enough to clear the tires. I would prefer to mount the jacks to the front/rear faces of the box (I don't want to increase the width of the vehicle). So I was thinking that I'd need to make some kind of slide-out system for the front jacks. But greenjeepster's post just made me realize that I don't have to lower the front legs until I've driven the vehicle out from under the box, past the tires. Duh.

 

[yetti96]

The easy solution for removal would be a setup like a salt spreader. It has two legs that drop down at the back and a roller on the front. You drop the two legs down and pull the truck forward, the spreader rolls back on the roller and then there are two more legs that just fold down when they reach the rear of the truck. You pin the front two legs so they will not fold back up and pull the truck all the way out from under it.

Instillation is the opposite.
1. Back the rear of the truck under the front roller.
2. un pin the front legs, back the truck into them so they fold up.
3. keep backing until the spreader is all the way in the truck.
4. lift up the rear legs.

The first picture shows a salt spreader in the truck with the rear legs.

Second picture shows a salt brine tank with the same unloading system. Not the rollers on the front, the front two legs fold back and the rear two lift up.

I like that setup. It is just a huge stretcher that goes in the back of an ambulance. The legs can be made stout easily and a few heavy duty caster for half of the load and no need to get electric or hydraulic jacks and worry about all of that weight on 4 posts that will try to travel up and down without any lateral movement.

Good find...I would have never thought of that for inspiration as we have no need for those salt trucks in Florida.

 

[jesusgatos]

So now I'm thinking that I could just attach four large steel tubes (with telescoping jacks inside them) at the corners, but on the front/back walls. The cabover rack / roofrack that I built out of 2" x .120-wall tubing is bolted to the lift-points using 1/2" plate and 1" Grade 8 hardware. That's going to make it really easy for me to mount these jacks so that they're tied into the lift-points at the top corners of the box. Shouldn't need to do anything more than rivet them down the sides of the box to keep them stable. Maybe tie them together from side-to-side at the bottom with another piece of tubing.

As far as dimensions go:
The way I built the cabover rack, the front and side walls extend down past the floor of the rack so that the bottom leading edge of the rack sits about even with the top of the windshield. I'll need to jack the box up just high enough so that the cabover rack with clear the cab. A 5-6" pipe should do it. It looks like there's just enough room for me to slide a piece of 3x3" square tubing up inside the cabover rack (without blocking the little peep-door at the front left corner of the box). The box is about 7ft tall and will never be much more than 4ft off the ground, so there will always be a minimum of at least 3ft of overlap. I'm liking these numbers. Don't think I would be too worried about those legs holding the box way up there in the air.

 

[jesusgatos]

If I make the box removable, I'll build a very thin flatbed out of something like 1.5" square tubing, and then sandwich that between the frame and my M109 box. That way I'll have a useful bed once I drop my box.

I'd better start designing that flatbed...

 

[srodocker]

im now thinking of attaching a cab over camper on a chassis of a m105 trailer. when i first started thinking of making a camper this is what i wanted to do ...hrm

 

[jesusgatos]

I installed a 12ft uhaul box on top of an M353 trailer (that's 12ft including the cabover, probably very similar in dimensions to a cabover camper). Had to extend the tongue a few feet so it wouldn't hit the box. But I'd to build something a little bit smaller and more maneuverable, so lemme know if any of you guys are interested. I've got to sell this one to make $ and room for the next one...

 

[unclemikey]

Jesusgatos, that box sure works well, I like it.

 

[Kohburn]

Oh, and regarding the pop-up campers: I had a 10ft Alaskan Camper that I was planning on putting on the back of a Deuce. Would have been a great fit. But then I decided to just build an M109. Check out the custom pop-up camper that this guy built. VERY nice work. I've seen it in person and he's done a great job with it.

boat building method. I'd done some stuff like that before, very nice result but definately time consuming. Thanks for the link, gives me some more stuff to think about.

 

[dieselfuelonly]

The easy solution for removal would be a setup like a salt spreader. It has two legs that drop down at the back and a roller on the front. You drop the two legs down and pull the truck forward, the spreader rolls back on the roller and then there are two more legs that just fold down when they reach the rear of the truck. You pin the front two legs so they will not fold back up and pull the truck all the way out from under it.

Instillation is the opposite.
1. Back the rear of the truck under the front roller.
2. un pin the front legs, back the truck into them so they fold up.
3. keep backing until the spreader is all the way in the truck.
4. lift up the rear legs.

The first picture shows a salt spreader in the truck with the rear legs.

Second picture shows a salt brine tank with the same unloading system. Not the rollers on the front, the front two legs fold back and the rear two lift up.

That is an awesome idea, thanks!! Looked at another Deuce today that I really liked... just waiting on that dang Bobcat to sell now 'cause I'm ready to start this camper project!

 

[oldMan99]

So now I'm thinking that I could just attach four large steel tubes (with telescoping jacks inside them) at the corners, but on the front/back walls. The cabover rack / roofrack that I built out of 2" x .120-wall tubing is bolted to the lift-points using 1/2" plate and 1" Grade 8 hardware. That's going to make it really easy for me to mount these jacks so that they're tied into the lift-points at the top corners of the box. Shouldn't need to do anything more than rivet them down the sides of the box to keep them stable. Maybe tie them together from side-to-side at the bottom with another piece of tubing.

As far as dimensions go:
The way I built the cabover rack, the front and side walls extend down past the floor of the rack so that the bottom leading edge of the rack sits about even with the top of the windshield. I'll need to jack the box up just high enough so that the cabover rack with clear the cab. A 5-6" pipe should do it. It looks like there's just enough room for me to slide a piece of 3x3" square tubing up inside the cabover rack (without blocking the little peep-door at the front left corner of the box). The box is about 7ft tall and will never be much more than 4ft off the ground, so there will always be a minimum of at least 3ft of overlap. I'm liking these numbers. Don't think I would be too worried about those legs holding the box way up there in the air.

Jesus,

Just wondering if you ever did this or decided not to??

 

[tm america]

The easy solution for removal would be a setup like a salt spreader. It has two legs that drop down at the back and a roller on the front. You drop the two legs down and pull the truck forward, the spreader rolls back on the roller and then there are two more legs that just fold down when they reach the rear of the truck. You pin the front two legs so they will not fold back up and pull the truck all the way out from under it.

Instillation is the opposite.
1. Back the rear of the truck under the front roller.
2. un pin the front legs, back the truck into them so they fold up.
3. keep backing until the spreader is all the way in the truck.
4. lift up the rear legs.

The first picture shows a salt spreader in the truck with the rear legs.

Second picture shows a salt brine tank with the same unloading system. Not the rollers on the front, the front two legs fold back and the rear two lift up.

Awsome setup..could be easilty done with a s280 shelter...i like it

 

[jesusgatos]

No, I haven't gotten to that yet. Still something that I'm planning on doing, but I haven't been able to spend much time working on Mah Deuce lately, and I've got a lot more pressing concerns (engine swap, install the new cab, paint, plumbing, propane, electrical, etc.). The jacks are something that I've put in the 'luxury' category and will add when time & money allow.

 

[beachbummer]

Hummmmm.......thinking out loud.........why not find an small, older pull behind camper.....take the axle off and set it on a frame that fit just inside of the deuce bed.

Build a frame the same highth as the deuce bed that you could slide the camper off onto.
If you put rollers on the bottom of the camper frame you could easily roll it from frame to frame.

Just my idea.

Why not do what your saying... BUT use the M105? trailer. That way it frees the truck up to go trail riding or whatever else!

 

[jesusgatos]

In my case, it's because I'm going to be pulling a custom enclosed M103A3 trailer full of all my dirtbikes and other toys, tools, etc. M109 box has been converted into a live/work space. But there are a lot of trade-offs in either case, and you make a good point.

 

[oldMan99]

No, I haven't gotten to that yet. Still something that I'm planning on doing, but I haven't been able to spend much time working on Mah Deuce lately, and I've got a lot more pressing concerns (engine swap, install the new cab, paint, plumbing, propane, electrical, etc.). The jacks are something that I've put in the 'luxury' category and will add when time & money allow.

Not to Hi-jack this jack thread but....

Engine swap? Just replacing the old worn out stock unit or making a move to something new and cool? Will it need a Flux Capacitor???

New cab? Just a replacement for damage/rust reasons or something new and custom?

Inquiring minds want to know!