We just cleaned it, painted it in our colors, and attached it to the truck. Above: Camping At Nog Harder in the Netherlands. After that, we just put the saw on the box and shortened it. Demountables For Sale: Apollo Motorhomes are the leading UK manufacturers of demountable motorhomes, including: Demountables For Sale Click on any question below or click here to show all answers or to hide all answers. The rest was done in a truck paint shop. Gea: Our camper is attached to the truck with twist-locks on the back of both sides of the camper. Among European demountables the legs are more commonly designed to be removed for travel (and stored inside the camper) or to be folded up out of the way. A DIY truck bed camper is the best option for those travelers who don’t want to pitch a tent or drive a huge trailer. In due course if the list gets long enough I will sort and categorise them.In the meantime, click on any question to see the answer or, if you prefer simply to browse, click on 'show all answers' at the top of the page and scroll down. We call it the spiegelbak, or Mum’s attic. Before we begin, is your camper truly demountable? Abstract: An assembly of demountable elements, each of which can be handled by one person, can be combined to convert a pickup truck body into either a camper or to provide a ladder, or boat, carrier or both. We have traveled to almost every country in Europe. In our mobile home, we went to Greece, Albania, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, France, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, Poland, Servia, Kroatia, and Montenegro. We knew it needed to be well made because we didn’t want any leaks. Wherever you look though you are not going to be spoiled for choice. It varies, of course, depending upon the jacking system (electric jacks are quicker than manual jacks), the number of legs (some units have three, some four), the complexity of the demountable's tie-down system, the lie of the land, your experience, and luck (sometimes you just don't get it right). Latest: Camper Nose Rebuild and Crossword Puzzle. Above: Nog Harder Truck Event Netherlands. We said, “By the time we are 50 years old we are going to build our own.”. Wow! You can find an inexpensive, used demountable camper for sale on … Numerous trips to the USA had introduced me to demountables – campers on retractable legs that sit in the bed of a pick-up truck, and that can be loaded on and off with relative ease. Mark is quite handy with all kinds of things and I try to help. Beyond that there are several other dimensions and considerations which have to be taken into account to be sure of a safe and secure fit of one to the other. These bodies (usually a box body) are used to enable the truck to do more work during the permitted driving hours for the driver. When we made it home, the work on the Scania began. Nog Harder is also near water, so it is a kind of a short holiday for us. Gea: We found a truck box at a truck store in Heteren. One Mega Mod will... Just for fun, here’s a crossword puzzle on truck campers. It’s a big bike. United States Patent 4215894 . With the truck’s air suspension system, we can lift the truck and lower the truck to load and unload the camper. //-->, guide to demountables ... common questions. It's worth regularly checking the stocklist of motorcaravan/caravan dealers (they may have taken one in in part-exchange). Above: The camper being loaded on the truck; the camper doesn’t move, the truck’s suspension lowers and then raises. All of the profits for the event go to charity. It sounds like you designed a lot of your camper while building it. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended. Welcome to the second entry in January’s Mega Mod Contest. A demountable unit that is properly fitted and secured will not be able to move about in the pickup bed. All the trucks are parked on a race track and they have barbecues, swimming pools, bars, and everything they can think of. Please tell us more about the Lift ’n Load. It’s a manual 10-speed with 280 horsepower and has a top speed of 128 kilometers per hour (80 mph). Mark: Before we built this camper, we had a nice mobile home for eight years and traveled a lot of kilometers with it. Next to the entry door, we put the kitchen on the right. We want to travel in all seasons, including winter, so this was a strong base to begin with. We took our time to pick the colors and striping. eBay See price. We were hoping the Scania would last because it hadn’t been started for over five years! Do you have a background in construction? Careful packing, as low and as far forward as possible, can help to minimise the effect. google_ad_width = 468; As you can see in the photo above, the demountable camper unit has 4 legs which jack up and down, leaving the camper free-standing when not on the vehicle. That is a meeting for truck drivers, their families, and their trucks. For travel they are simply wound up as far as possible but are left in place. They are a lot of fun. The truck literally airs down to deposit the camper on its metal legs. Demountable Camper Body Legs. We bought the flat body separate from the truck, so we had to make that fit. Mark designed the way it would work. Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway PRV Wildmoor Demountable camper, this is a unique vehicle built by Profab Recreational Vehicles. But, we’re both tall and we didn’t really fit in the mobile home. Only a few moments if you believe the manufacturers - a little longer in the real world! So, if something happens we can restore it without problems. We  explained to them how we wanted it. It was built with thick walls, a thick floor, and a thick roof, so the weather would have no effect on the clothes. Apollo 4 Berth Camper - Demountable (09 ) : I am the second owner and it had a few " battle scars " when I bought it - I've added a few more ! That’s a very clever and very versatile approach. The Demountable. The first consideration has to be weight - the weight of the demountable unit (plus an allowance for people, water, gas, clothing, equipment, etc.) Above: The toilet is across from the kitchen and the shower is behind the mirror. There are very few companies in Europe that hire out demountable campers and pickups. Above: The slide in bar that works like a kingpin. What’s next for you guys? There were metal legs on the corners, but they could not raise and lower the camper to load and unload. From their website, it looks like nothing we have in the United States. We shortened it to 6 meters long, which was a lot of work. Opposite the kitchen we installed the toilet. Squaretubing and a hand winch.Callen Camper converted for a flatbed. Then we tried to make and/or buy things that would fit our ideas. Coventry. A dream of mine was to someday have our own truck and to build our own camper exactly the way we wanted it to be. These versatile and stylish campers are fully equipped and furnished and provide lots of comfort for any type of travels you undertake. Gea and Mark’s design concepts are inspirational, as is their sheer grit and gumption. They make a campsite area and we stay from the beginning to the end. Now that’s some serious out of the box thinking. #YourHashtag (unclaimed) The camper unit can be used/slept in without it being on the truck. Normally 'Yes', but the extent of the modification can vary enormously. So how did they do it? You try to keep in mind how you want things to work and where you want it, or need it. It is not a major problem but you won't get too much choice and, as always with insurance, it's a matter of shopping around, reading the small print and asking lots of questions until you're happy. Scania is a common brand all over the world and is our favorite brand of truck. These are bolted on with four easily removed brackets. Why did you decide to make a demountable camper? The toilet is not plastic, but a real porcelain toilet with a macerator underneath it. And we did! The flat body is on the truck so we can use the truck for loads of wood. The tank always stays on the truck. We are self-supporting, so we can go an stay everywhere we like. That’s quite a project. Right now we are building a new house. • Happijac - another US-based manufacturer specialising exclusively in products for truck campers. In particular, the Norg Harder looks like a must-attend at least once in our lifetime. Cars constructed before 1970 are in attendance. At the time of writing the stock list includes 20 different models of varying ages and types. We call that dry camping. The next obvious consideration is length - pickups come with cargo beds of different lengths and there are demountables on the market designed to fit all of them. 67 photos. Not sure if original manufacturer, but was modified by me to fit my ford ranger. They normally make stables for horses, but they agreed to make the door, lower the back-end, and make a side door there as well. And just wait until you see the incredible truck events they attend in Europe with their rig. Gea: We first shortened the box. The camper is still not finished. - A Fiberglass Utility Box (for his camping gears). Gea: We were recently at a Lift ‘n Load in Gorinchem, Holland. On the back we have a bicycle rack and the back door splits in two like a stable door which is a super cute touch! Demountables are designed to be used on or off their base vehicle with all of their facilities and services being fully functional in either situation. For travel they are simply wound up as far as possible but are left in place. It's not essential but it certainly makes the job a whole lot easier if it is, particularly when it comes to re-mounting it. The slide-in bar was my husband’s fabulous idea, and it works like a charm. Slide On campers are demountable campers designed to turn your everyday ute into a recreational vehicle. My own demountable has very slow manual jacks on four legs, and four tie-downs to do up or undo - demounting usually takes about 30 minutes, mounting perhaps more than twice that. Demountable campers are not just camper shells laid over the bed of your truck. The pickup can be covered by regular motor insurance and the camper and contents can be covered by regular caravan insurance BUT you do need to make sure that the insurance company is aware that the camper is carried, not towed, and that the cover of both parts is unaffected by that. Above: The Scania truck with its flat body attached. The telescopic legs, as supplied with the Suntrekker, were designed to just clear the P100's bed - when extended to their wobbly maximum! Of these, a number only offer the camper unit for hire so it is necessary that you already have a suitable pickup equipped with appropriate tie-down fixtures and towing electrics. One of our favorite truck events is called Nog Harder in Lopik. The 9 liter, 6 cylinder diesel engine uses about 20 liters of fuel for 100 kilometers. We wanted an older truck that was not too big, and is very reliable. How did you go about designing the plumbing and electrical systems? The truck box was a bit of a gamble, but we thought we could make it fit on our Scania. Above: Their 1992 Scania 93M before the flatbed was attached. If we take off the camper it has to be disconnected. 8) Legs are designed to carry the weight independantley without effecting the construction of the Demountable 9) Specially designed strapping system no other Demoutable can offer 10) The Demountable can be lowered to one step height (easy to enter without an additional step) 11) Choose your own Interior design and colour of fabric If that is the case, and if you're looking for a specific model, you can cover all of the above and more by typing the model name into Google, or your preferred search engine. - A set of Lift-Off Legs (4 pieces). We also needed tanks that were strong and easy to clean. He has added some Extra Options: - An Awning (2.0m x 2.5m). The truck only had one diesel tank leaving space for another tank for waste-water. Gea: Actually, no. Gea: We ordered a fresh water tank from a company that had the size we wanted. document.writeln("page last updated:" + document.lastModified); Demountable bodies are able to stand independently on integrated legs, this allows for the simple detachment and re-attachment of the body from the chassis of the cab. Every idea can be a good one. It had been previously used for transporting clothing to shops. We painted the wheels and the bumper. Truck drivers, their families, and visitors can park their truck for the weekend and just have fun with friends and colleagues. Copyright © 2007-2020. The lowered garage works perfectly because we can drive our motorcycle in and then chains keep it in place. With each subsequent email and photograph, their truck, camper, and truck camping lifestyle got even more interesting. Gea: We bought the truck in July of 2015, but the idea started earlier. Mounting tends to take longer because you have to get the pickup aligned as perfectly as possible before lowering the camper onto it. Realizing that the camper is unfinished, how long have you been working on the truck and camper project? We want to do whatever we want when we want to do it. To a considerable extent this depends on how well the camper and pickup are matched (See matching the camper to the pickup) but obviously the combination will be heavier and will have a higher centre of gravity than the pickup alone. (Put the name in quotes, e.g. We can fix most things ourselves. You guys have some serious gumption. The most common modifications, for fitting a European-sized demountable, are the removal of the tailgate and the fitting of four eyebolts through reinforced sections of the pickup bed. • iformuk.com - iForm is a UK-based enterprise, currently manufacturing portable lifeguard stations for the RNLI, but about to enter the lightweight demountable camper market. How did they do that? That way, we knew how big everything needed to be. That way it could fit on the truck. collection only. "Island Plastics Suntrekker", to restrict the search to exactly that phrase and avoid irrelevant links.) 30+ days ago. You can find more details on the european demountable hire page of this website. A demountable camper is simply one that can be removed from the vehicle. So we drove to Lyon, looked at it, started it up, bought it, and drove it back home. We are always able to take the bike along where ever we go, so it gives us extra freedom. It looks like your truck camper has a garage in the back. With air suspension, who needs jacks? Was this some kind of European magic? It attaches exactly the same way as loading the camper; twist-locks and a slide-in bar. The pod is only accesable via the rear door. It works like a charm. On many north American campers, particularly the larger models, the jacking legs are permanently fixed in their vertical locations at the sides and rear of the vehicle. Then we took the box to Axxent in Vaassen. Gea: It takes a lot of time and money, even though we have done most of the work ourselves. demountable Camper Body Legs . We are not yet finished as you can see, but it’s already working. We make all kinds of jacks and linear actuators to be used for truck campers and custom applications. You can stay for free at most of the events. It works well. See complete description. We like to travel all over the world and we can find Scania parts everywhere without a lot of trouble. Island Plastics' Suntrekker in the early 1990's, for example, simply required the removal of the tailgate in order to fit it to the contemporary Ford P100. In contrast, fitting the Bimobil Husky 'pickup system' involves a complete rebuild of the rear end of the vehicle. We wanted to do it the right away. Then, we closed the front with extra space on top of that front side. There were the metal legs holding the camper, and the truck driving off separately. For example, we wanted a normal size shower and toilet, so we put them in a corner next to each other. If the ground is very uneven or slopes significantly from one side to the other it becomes extremely difficult to accurately position the pickup and to get the demountable to lower squarely and centrally onto it. the pickup, will have a designated number of seats. What kind of truck do you have, and why did you select that particular make and model? Gea and Mark Slingerland’s Rig Truck: 1992 Scania 93M Camper: Made it ourselves Tie-downs/turnbuckles: Twistlocks and a Kingpin Suspension: Air, Home » Off-Road and Off-The-Grid Campers » Extreme Rigs » Truck Camping Out of the Box. How to Build a Lightweight Truck Camper: Follow the Instructions. They had fun making it because it was so different from what they normally make. Units can be ordered from 'shell only' for those wishing to build their own. John Williams's (w3526602) Recent Uploads. There is also a slide-in bar at the front of the camper that works like a kingpin. The Truck Star Festival looks incredible. At the Truckstar Festival you have to pay because it’s a commercial event. Gea: Yes, most of the time you can camp there. Advertisement Will be posted from Leicester • expeditionportal.com - 'One man camper loading' is a thread from the Expedition Portal, initiated by someone calling themselves Prybry, that describes and illustrates their approach to overcoming the difficulties of loading by fitting casters to the bottom of their camper's jacking legs. How did you go about making the box into the camper you envisioned? Gea: We want to be self-sufficient for seven days or more, so we needed big holding tanks. More Hardware: Legs and Steps.