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Bison Overland Flatbed Shell Build on 2010 Ram 2500 CTD


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#11 Totemo_Hayai

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Posted 05 January 2021 - 05:33 AM

You mentioned heaters. FYI, I am in the process of changing my heater setup to draw the re-circulated "cold air" from outside of the camper instead of inside, so as to made for drier camping.  Something to keep in mind as a "possible" to do with Propex or Diesel heaters.

I do like the idea of drier camping. If the to be heated air is drawn from outside the camper, would that possibly create too much positive pressure inside and make it difficult for the blower to circulate air? My camper seems to be fairly air-tight and I want to be able to keep the vents closed when heating.


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#12 Kolockum

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Posted 05 January 2021 - 07:22 AM

I do like the idea of drier camping. If the to be heated air is drawn from outside the camper, would that possibly create too much positive pressure inside and make it difficult for the blower to circulate air? My camper seems to be fairly air-tight and I want to be able to keep the vents closed when heating.

 

That reminds me of my Jeep wrangler with a ragtop. Whenever I had my heater on high, the sides and roof would be bulging out like a balloon. I can just picture our campers doing the same.

 

The idea of an outside intake is a new one to me.


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#13 Vic Harder

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Posted 05 January 2021 - 04:46 PM

I would still want to keep a vent or window open a crack, which we do now anyway.
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#14 Totemo_Hayai

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Posted 06 January 2021 - 06:19 AM

I want to be able to heat to 68F in 20F weather and I don't think that will be possible heating outside air with a vent open. The ability to dry out the camper with outside air is really appealing. I think I could setup to have both options with the Y Flap found here: https://expeditionup...erature-ducting


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#15 Totemo_Hayai

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Posted 09 January 2021 - 08:24 AM

Fridge Install and Early Electrical

 

This was my third weekend with the rig. The previous weekend was spent making the left portion of the forward bench and applying a finish to the left side cabinet. I used DEFT Satin Clear, it seems to be OK. I didn't sand between coats so it actually feels rougher than before I applied the finish. The important part was getting it coated with something because I would also be using the camper during its build. I figured I could sand later.

 

I should also point out that the truck was having a number of issues at this point. This might just be how things go when you purchase a vehicle with nearly 200k miles sight unseen. The truck barely made it home from Tulsa. From the first turn and then every turn thereafter the power steering pump made horrible noises. I spent the 2,000 mile trip home trying to assure myself that the noise was the power steering pump because the noise would also occur when not turning. After some research on the second night I learned that the brakes are also powered by the power steering pump. The next day I called a repair shop near home to setup an appointment to replace the power steering pump and replace fluids. On the final stretch, about 70 miles from home I stopped for a final pit stop. When I was returning to the cab I noticed a small puddle forming under the truck. Thinking that the leak only occurs when the engine is shutoff and manageable, I continued on towards home. I drove a bit slower to keep temps and pressures low while monitoring the engine temp. I was pretty confident that if I kept the temp under 205F or so I wouldn't lose coolant or damage the engine if I was wrong. This worked and I was able to make it home, thankfully without getting stuck in traffic or running out of fuel. The shop also addressed the leak the next week, it turned out to be the water pump.

 

The week after that the truck threw a check engine light code for a crank case ventilation (CCV) filter. So back to the shop it went to change the CCV filter and a valve adjustment for good measure. When I got the truck back it had about 10 check engine codes. I think they leave the key in the on position when working on the truck and the codes on newer cars apparently can't clear through the use of a code scanner. Fortunately, the codes disappeared after a day or so of driving.

 

Back to the third weekend and camper build... I selected a Dometic CRX-65 fridge, but didn't have it on hand to verify that what I had in mind would actually workout in real life. The tricky part was knowing where the front feet of the fridge would end up because that dimension is not defined in the installation manual. As a result of this, my fridge platform is a little longer than it needs to be, but it is still covered by the fridge.

 

Routing out the fridge vents:

fridge vent cutout.jpg

 

The fridge instructions imply through various pictograms that there should be 2" of space under the fridge platform, behind the fridge, and above the fridge. This space should also be vented to the rest of the room.

 

Fridge Platform:

fridge platform.jpg

 

The fridge platform is a 3/4" piece of plywood supported by more 3/4" plywood on the edges.

 


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#16 Totemo_Hayai

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Posted 09 January 2021 - 08:39 AM

Fridge Install and Early Electrical - Continued

 

Fridge Installed:

fridge in place.jpg

 

Batteries:

early battery install.jpg

 

At this point only one battery is hooked up at a time. I had to remove them to charge with the included charger because the rig is parked on the street and I can't have an extension cord running across the sidewalk. Wiring for the fridge runs through a switched breaker panel next to the left bench. In retrospect, the fridge could have been wired directly to the fuse block installed by Bison because it has a power button on the inside. The area next to the batteries will be the home of the Redarc BMS30 battery management system. The BMS30 is pretty cool, it handles DC-DC charging, solar, and shore power while isolating the house batteries from the starting batteries. The downside is that it's really long and requires space around it for cooling.

 


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#17 Vic Harder

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Posted 09 January 2021 - 10:55 PM

That is one well ventilated fridge.  Nice work.


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#18 Totemo_Hayai

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 06:26 AM



That is one well ventilated fridge.  Nice work.


Thanks! Hopefully the venting will keep the fridge happy for a long time. It's remarkable how little energy it uses, only 2-4 amps when it's running.

 

More Electrical and Table -

 

For the last weekend before my big trip I decided that the best preparation I could do was to shakedown the truck a bit more so we took our sun to go race go-karts in the Tri-Cities. This was an appealing shakedown run because the drive involved mountain passes and other hills. Before I could even start that trip the alternator went out while I was driving kids to soccer practice Friday evening. This was a pretty frightening event as the cabin began to smell like smoke and the alternator would not stop smoking for 20 minutes after I shut the truck off. I called AAA to have the truck towed to my parents' house and lined up an alternator from O'reilly's. One nice thing about being stuck waiting for a tow truck with a camper is that there is cold beer and you aren't driving anywhere. The next morning I headed to the store at opening, picked up the alternator, and replaced it in my parents' driveway before heading out to the Tri-Cities, albeit a bit later than anticipated. Towing with the truck is a real delight, it has power to tow up mountain passes in excess of 60mph and doesn't get pushed around by the trailer. The previous tow vehicle was a 100 Series Land Cruiser, it got the job done, though slower and with a lot of sawing at the wheel. In my spare time at the track I installed a power port into the bottom of the camper.

 

Power Port:

Power Port.jpg

The power port has two receptacles on the other side. One is planned for the battery charger while the other powers a desk receptacle with USB ports. A very quick way to setup and finish the 110V wiring inside the camper.

 

Table Bracket:

First Table Bracket.jpg

The table bracket is made from 1.5"x1/8" flat bar that was welded and ground flat. This was a bad idea because it is not stiff enough. The table bracket will later be replaced with a piece of 1/4" aluminum sheet.


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#19 Totemo_Hayai

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 06:39 AM

Table - Continued

 

Routing the underside of the table top, a rather unfortunate use of time:

lightened table top.jpg

 

I used bamboo IKEA table tops to make the table and the counter top. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a laminate type product instead of solid bamboo. I was hoping it would be solid bamboo because I previously installed an IKEA bathroom countertop that was solid. Being a laminate product the cut edges have to be hidden and it is way too heavy for the Lagun table mount. The product I should have bought is bamboo plywood, but I didn't have time to determine that and obtain it within the time constraints I had. Bamboo plywood should weigh a lot less than the IKEA table top. I routed out the bottom to reduce weight, but it is still too heavy and will need to be replaced at some point.

 

Installed Table:

Installed Table.jpg

 

The table bracket I made bolts into the L-Track attached to the bench side. This allows the table to be pretty much anywhere in the camper. The L-Track also serves as the support for the table when it is used as a bed. I have to drive with the table in the bed position because I think the table would swing while driving. The table is quite large at 33"x30".


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