Bigboom338
Active Member
The master plan is to have boxes down both sides.
But.... I like hearing any and all ideas.
But.... I like hearing any and all ideas.
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4500 Camper/Jeep Hauler Build
- Thread starter gprguy
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- 4500 camper chassis cab jeep
gprguy
Well-Known Member
I am currently leaning towards mounting one (or two) spares on the rear passenger corner, above where the tailpipe was.. They are too wide by a few inches to mount entirely vertically, but if I tilt it/them at an angle I may be able to fit one or two there. I'd lose a storage box on that back corner, but it's gotta go somewhere.
You're right about the measuring, it never ends...
You're right about the measuring, it never ends...
You could do mostly boxes, and then maybe someone could customize one so the spare slots into it, so it all looks cohesive.
Sort of like the spare on this EarthRoamer is recessed.
Bigboom338
Active Member
gprguy
Well-Known Member
That's kind of what I am thinking, but the opposite rear corner. Good idea on the boat winch.
Bigboom338
Active Member
Gprguy, what are your plans for boxes? Are you going all custom built?
gprguy
Well-Known Member
At this point yes, depending on how the backpack box turns out. While I appreciate the quality of boxes from places like Highway Products, even with that quality they are vastly overpriced for what goes into making them. Plus I want the side boxes to match what I end up with the backpack box.
My slide for the e-bikes has arrived at the local terminal, should be able to pick it up by the end of the week and then start on the backpack.
My slide for the e-bikes has arrived at the local terminal, should be able to pick it up by the end of the week and then start on the backpack.
Bigboom338
Active Member
I measured the distance between front bumper and the ground. The truck went up 1/4" when I raised the camper off the bed, which means that I have a positive COG. I still haven't decided if in front of the camper is the place for the bikes or not. There is not enough room for me to do the sliding tray up there without raising the camper up higher.
The flatbed wasn't even a thought when we bought bikes, otherwise I may have possibly bought a different model bike. I am glad that I am not in a hurry so I can see how yours goes. My only immediate plans are to get some under boxes this fall/winter.
The flatbed wasn't even a thought when we bought bikes, otherwise I may have possibly bought a different model bike. I am glad that I am not in a hurry so I can see how yours goes. My only immediate plans are to get some under boxes this fall/winter.
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Great White North Eh
Squish Cat - And So
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Mount them bikes up on the front of the truck? …good old 80’s style 
. As they say necessity is a Mother…… or sumthin like that.
. As they say necessity is a Mother…… or sumthin like that.
gprguy
Well-Known Member
We used to do exactly that on the old truck. Totally destroyed the bikes unfortunately..
Bigboom338
Active Member
Great White North Eh
Squish Cat - And So
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They actually improved the look of that truck! 
Bigboom338
Active Member
That's my old 2001 that I couldn't afford not to own. Bought it in Jan of 2021, it had 74000 actual miles. 8.1 v8 with a 6 speed manual 4x4.
I got to see if I liked dual wheels, hauling a TC. Needless to say that I did.
She's a good old girl, but she ain't a Ram.
I got to see if I liked dual wheels, hauling a TC. Needless to say that I did.
She's a good old girl, but she ain't a Ram.
gprguy
Well-Known Member
The next piece of the puzzle has arrived - a custom dual direction slide from Slide-Master. I'm very impressed with the quality in my initial look over the unit, very beefy aluminum extrusions and high quality hardware. Supports up to 1000 lbs which is around 5x the load it will actually carry.
It extends 70% which is plenty for my purposes - two folded e-bikes will go on this, and the idea will be to pull it out one side to load/unload one, and then pull it out the other side for the second.
While this is technically something I could have built myself, getting my hands on the proper extrusions (or faking that) plus some of the specialty hardware would have been a pain. Easier to just buy a properly engineered product.
Pull the red handle and it slides out to a lock, and then push the handle and it goes back in. I had them build locks at 50% and full extension.
Originally I was going to start on the cabinet structure next, but having given it further thought I will build the mounts/supports for the bikes on the slide first. I want to be sure they will fit through the cabinet doors before I build them.
It extends 70% which is plenty for my purposes - two folded e-bikes will go on this, and the idea will be to pull it out one side to load/unload one, and then pull it out the other side for the second.
While this is technically something I could have built myself, getting my hands on the proper extrusions (or faking that) plus some of the specialty hardware would have been a pain. Easier to just buy a properly engineered product.
Pull the red handle and it slides out to a lock, and then push the handle and it goes back in. I had them build locks at 50% and full extension.
Originally I was going to start on the cabinet structure next, but having given it further thought I will build the mounts/supports for the bikes on the slide first. I want to be sure they will fit through the cabinet doors before I build them.
Bigboom338
Active Member
What?......if you build it that way, you might not have to redo anything. That's almost like measure twice and cut once
That is a damn fine sliding tray.
That is a damn fine sliding tray.
gprguy
Well-Known Member
Whoa whoa whoa, let's not set the expectations too high here.
I am very impressed. I put one of the bikes on it last night and granted, that's probably less than 80 lbs, but it still glides like a cloud.
Currently waiting on a few parts for my welder and also to clamp the bikes in place, and also trying to decide what to use for the flooring of the slide.
gprguy
Well-Known Member
Progress has been slower than I'd like, just been busy with various things and also waiting on some parts. But progress has been made.
When I ordered the slider I could have specified a wooden or aluminum floor, but I was still unsure how I was going to mount the bikes so I opted to skip the floor to give me flexibility. Since then I've decided I want an aluminum floor, so it would have been better to just order it that way. Oh well, time to build a quick floor.
A couple pieces of 1/8" aluminum dropped into place:
Some holes drilled into the crossbars and some cleco fasteners in place to hold the floor temporarily:
Flip the whole thing over and weld it in from below. This was my first time MIG welding aluminum. It took a while to dial in the settings, it is fickle to say the least. I am really looking forward to picking up my own TIG welder. These are a couple of the better ones. Given that it's to hold a floor in, they're good enough.
Flip it back over again, remove the clecos, fill the holes with some weld and grind smooth.
The plan is to add some rubber flooring when it's finished so it doesn't need to be perfect.
Next up will be getting the bikes on there and building some sort of supports/mounts.
When I ordered the slider I could have specified a wooden or aluminum floor, but I was still unsure how I was going to mount the bikes so I opted to skip the floor to give me flexibility. Since then I've decided I want an aluminum floor, so it would have been better to just order it that way. Oh well, time to build a quick floor.
A couple pieces of 1/8" aluminum dropped into place:
Some holes drilled into the crossbars and some cleco fasteners in place to hold the floor temporarily:
Flip the whole thing over and weld it in from below. This was my first time MIG welding aluminum. It took a while to dial in the settings, it is fickle to say the least. I am really looking forward to picking up my own TIG welder. These are a couple of the better ones. Given that it's to hold a floor in, they're good enough.
Flip it back over again, remove the clecos, fill the holes with some weld and grind smooth.
The plan is to add some rubber flooring when it's finished so it doesn't need to be perfect.
Next up will be getting the bikes on there and building some sort of supports/mounts.
Bigboom338
Active Member
Nice job. I look forward to your support/mount design.
Bigboom338
Active Member
Front Runner Pro bike carrier. I like the concept, but not the price.