Our 2004 Bigfoot 25C10.5E Camper & 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 4X4 Dually

  • Travel Photos
    Some photos of our camper around North America
  • Amateur Radio
    Installation of HF & VHF/UHF Antennas and Transceiver
  • Stairs
    Permanent mounting of the folding stairs
  • Stability
    Optimizing the stability of our truck and camper
  • Electrical System
    The addition of a 2KW Inverter and battery combiner/isolator
  --- Click thumbnails for a larger view ---

Travel Photos

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Amateur Radio Installation

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The ICOM IC-706MKIIG main unit is mounted under the driver's seat. The mounting bracket is attached to a piece of 1/4 inch plywood. The mounted assembly just clears all of the seat adjustment hardware and is secured in place with a single thin wood screw driven through the plywood into the carpet -- just enough to keep the assembly from moving around. The power leads are connnected directly to the battery terminals. photo001 photo001 The Hi-Q antenna is securely mounted on a 1/2 inch thick aluminum bar which is clamped to one of the tow hooks. A CWS ByteMark Unun matching transformer is bolted directly to the mounting bar which results in a very short and direct connection to the antenna. The mounting bar and major sheet metal parts are bonded directly to the truck frame using #10 stranded copper cable. Diesels are wonderful, as there is very little noise from the engine electrical system present at the transceiver. The system with the 102 inch whip can operate on 75 to 17 meters. I use an adjustable 48-60 inch whip for 15 meters and up.
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Permanent Mounting of Folding Stairs

The 'scissor' folding step is a common type of step, particularly with basement style truck campers. Our steps are a six step heavy-duty model #5025 manufactured by Billis R.V.E. The steps are designed to be removed and stored away when not in use. We did not like to remove and reinstall the steps everytime we needed access to the camper, to say nothing of the fact that we needed to find a place to store them when not in use. Scissor steps take some getting used to since they do flex a bit, and more so in our case when using the two-piece OEM attachment bracket. The bracket -- even when tightened -- allowed some movement which tended to add to the instability. photo001 photo001 We decided to permanantly mount the steps to the camper. We removed the camper side of the OEM bracket. Two new holes were drilled in the step side of the OEM bracket. The bracket was then bolted directly to the camper in the same location as the original bracket. Stability of the steps was significantly improved once this was done. To finish the installation, and to prevent damage to the camper, two self-adhesive rubber bumpers were placed on the camper (see photo). A large eye-bolt was installed into the camper. When the steps are folded and placed in the travel position the bottom step and the lower rung fit around the eye which supports the steps and also provides a place to padlock the steps. We normally just secure the steps with a bungee cord.
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Stability Optimization

Stability seems to be a relative entity based on our individual experience and objectives. Furthermore, there are many components/systems that will have an effect on overall 'stability' (such as truck GVWR, slide-in weight, slide-in cg, etc.). On top of all these variables and choices you can include cost. The end result usually means compromise.

Objectives:

  • Optimize the controllability and driveability of our truck/camper
  • Keep the project within our means
For our purposes we have chosen 'stability' to mean 'control'; our truck/camper combination must be able to respond quickly and positively in an emergency situation as well as everyday driving.
We were not satisfied with any of the available tiedown systems. After studying the wealth of information available on what a tiedown should or should not do we decided to design and build our own. Our design has the major load-carrying component (tiedown link) in tension to keep the mass to a minimum. This approach also made locating suitable materials much easier. The front tiedown link is a 1 1/4 x 1/4 inch steel bar that ties directly to the frame. The tiedown link is bolted to the frame rail using an existing frame hole and a length of angle iron. The tiedown link angles upward and exits in the gap between the cab and box about 2 feet down from the top of the box. The tiedown link is stabilized in a fore and aft direction/position through the use of an 1/8 inch steel plate and a length of 1 1/2 inch angle iron (stabilization bar). The steel plate is bolted to one of the bed attachment points and the stabilization bar is bolted to the plate. The stabilization bar extends horizontilly out of the cab/box gap and for clearance, the horizontal flange of the stabilization bar is tapered where it extends and passes through the cab/box gap. A 1/2 inch diameter hole was drilled in the outer ends of the stabilization bar and tiedown link. These holes serve as the attachment point for the Happijac spring-loaded turnbuckle. (Since all of the major loading of the tiedown link is in tension it could very well have been a length of chain or aircraft cable). The rear tiedown was easy as the Dodge rear bumper mounting is quite stout. We used two garage door spring anchor brackets bolted to the top of the bumper using existing mounting holes.
The Dodge dually has rather long fender flares that can interfere with other tiedown systems. The position of the fuel door may also be partially blocked by the tiedown system. Both of these issues were resolved by designing a means to move the camper tiedown points about 18 inches further apart, the front forward by approximately 9 inches and the rear back by approximately 9 inches. photo001 An extension bar was fabricated using 1 1/2 inch square steel tubing. A pair of tabs with 1/2 inch diameter holes was welded to the bar at the ends. The bar was drilled and bolted to the camper tiedown points using 1/2 inch diameter bolts.
This was the way our camper was secured to the truck for the first couple of months. The truck, with the camper loaded, was level front to back with stock suspension components and the overload springs were just barely engaged. The 'stability' of this setup was quite acceptable; it was quite responsive to abrubt maneuvers without any unexpected lurching or swaying. (For reference: with full tanks and fully provisioned the camper weighs in at about 4,000 lbs.)
We would have probably left it at that except for two annoyances. 1) There was an unacceptable rattling/thumping that occurred when driving on unusually rough roads or washboard dirt roads, and 2) a tendency to resonate with certain types of road conditions, mainly concrete freeway gaps and uneven road surfaces typically found in northern frost-prone areas.
photo001 The solution to number 1 turned out to be no more than changing the stock overload spring bump stops to a set of Energy Suspension 9.9109 bump stops. These polyurethane bump stops are about two inches taller than stock and allow the overload springs to engage sooner eliminating all the rattling and thumping.
Problem number 2, as it turns out, was a bit more complicated and in all likelihood cannot be resolved for all road conditions. What we did, however, was improve how our rig responds to varying road conditions.
Think of the truck and camper as two coupled masses, being subjected to the same road disturbance. The truck will respond first and transfer its reaction to the camper; the camper in turn will react and transfer something back to the truck. Now think of a loosly-coupled truck and camper -- something like rubberband tiedowns. It would seem that for a given initial disturbance the truck and camper would 'bounce' back and forth quite a bit; in fact, under certain road conditions this phenomena could be amplified or resonate in a manner that is often described in many online postings. Conversely, if the truck and camper were firmly bolted together then the only response would be the truck's initial reaction to the disturbance. Bolting the camper to the truck did not seem to us a plausible solution. Next best thing: eliminate all the 'rubber bands' in the truck-to-camper interface.
How many of us fuss over getting the camper centered side to side in the truck? How many of us have noticed that the camper moves about side to side or shifts from the time we loaded it? Our solution for both of these issues was to build a two-by-four (2x4) centering device that 1) helps load the camper in the center, 2) keeps the camper centered at all times, and 3) limits the forward movement of the camper.
Our centering device consists of two bed-width 2x4's placed on edge, one behind the other. photo001 These two 2x4's establish the forward-most position and eliminate any forward motion of the camper. Next, on the left and right ends of the two forward 2x4's, extending all the way to the edge of the bed, we placed photo001 two additional shorter lengths of 2x4. The distance between these 2x4 pairs match the outer dimensions of our camper. All four 2x4's on both ends were joined together with 1/4 inch diameter bolts. All 2x4's were cut and contoured to fit tightly in the truck bed. The pair of 2x4's that contact the camper side were cut at an angle (greater width at the top) to allow some degree of self-centering when loading the camper. A piece of polyethylene (cutting board material) was placed on each face contacting the camper to minimize chafing and ease loading.
One of the first times we unloaded the camper we noticed depression patterns in the rubber bed mat that seemed to indicate that contact pressures were greater in some areas as opposed to others, highest around the periphery, down the center, and at the very back edge of the bed. The pickup bed floor is a series of fore-and-aft ribs stamped into the steel to add rigidity to the structure. These ribs are about 3/8 inch tall and the main pressure point from the camper was centered at the edge of these ribs when the camper is centered. As it was, this condition actually made it easier for the camper to shift (to the lower level) once loaded. We eliminated this potential movement by placing strips of 3/8 inch wood between the bed floor ribs as well as along the rear edge of the bed floor. The camper now loads in the center each time, sits perfectly flat, and does not shift at all.
Now that we have optimized the way the camper mates with the truck (and within our means), we went to work optimizing the truck. Other than the overload slap the stock suspension appeared to do its job quite well. However, it is a compromise between empty and maximum GVWR. Our goal is to optimize for GVWR. Simply stated the function of a vehicle suspension is two-fold. First, isolate road imperfections from the vehicle and occupants. Second, assure that the wheels are in contact with the road surface at all times. A typical suspension system is composed of two major components, an energy storage device (springs, torsion bars) and an energy release/dissipation component (shock absorbers). The stock springs seemed to be doing their job; there was little or no bottoming and no excessive sag so it would appear that we do not need new springs or other 'helper' devices such as air bags. There was no excessive roll so we don't need a sway bar. What about shocks? Most vehicles we've owned almost always got a shock upgrade sooner or later. We have always favored Bilstein shocks because of our good experience using them and their ability to keep the tires in contact with the road surface under widely varying conditions without compromising ride quality. So when we heard about a Bilstein shock system designed specifically for the Dodge truck we went for it. We installed a KORE/Bilstein shock system and have been extremely pleased with the results, on and off-road. We recently completed a trip to Alaska including the Alcan, Top of the World, and the Denali Highways which consisted of pavement, gravel, and dirt. The suspension performance was fantastic as was the overall stability of our rig.
This has been an overview of how we met our objectives noted above. The intent of this discussion is to pass along our experience and process by which we were able to improve the stability of our truck/camper.
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Electrical Enhancements

Objectives:

  • Reliably supply clean power to run Ham radio equipment, AC & DC.
  • Reliably and quickly maintain battery charge while driving.
  • Reliably and quickly maintain battery charge when AC shore power is available.
  • Reliably run the fridge while on the road without using propane.
To meet these objectives we installed a Xantrex Prosine 2.0 True Sinewave Inverter/Charger and a Hellroaring Technologies BIC-95150B Isolator/Combiner. We chose the Prosine because of its efficient operation, clean AC output, and the smart 100 amp charger. We chose the BIC-95150B for its high current handling capacity, very low 'on' resistance, and very low operating power consumption. Using these components has enabled us to meet all of our objectives: reliable clean power for the Ham radio equipment, AC while boondocking, and plenty of clean DC along with a multi-stage battery charger to maintain optimum battery charge while on shore power. If required, the BIC can provide up to 70 amps of fuse-limited DC from the truck alternator -- more than enough to quickly top off the camper batteries and supply enough current to run the inverter which in turn supplies the fridge with AC while driving down the road.
The installation was rather straightforward. The Prosine was mounted to a sheet of 3/8 inch plywood. photo001 This assembly was then slid up and under the kitchen counter/sink. photo001 The BIC-95150B Isolator/Combiner was mounted on the inside upper surface of the battery compartment. A Blue Sea 30 amp AC circuit breaker and the Prosine control panel were both mounted under the sink in the same panel as the battery disconnect switch.
The physical hook-up began by routing two runs of 10/2 with ground into the stock AC distribution panel, one for the AC input to the Prosine and one for the AC from the Prosine. The original AC input line to the main AC circuit breaker was disconnected from the breaker and spliced to the new run of 10/2 going to the Blue Sea 30 amp AC circuit breaker and on to the Prosine AC input. The other run of 10/2 (Prosine AC output) was connected to the main AC circuit breaker. AC now runs from the 30 amp shore power plug to the Blue Sea 30 amp breaker and on to the Prosine. The Prosine will automatically send the shore power back out to the AC distribution panel and all AC circuits will function as before. If the inverter is enabled and shore power is disconnected, the Prosine will start inverting and continue to supply AC to the distribution panel. The Prosine DC output wiring was the most challenging since it requires the use of some heavy duty cabling to the batteries. Xantrex recommends the use of a minimum of 250 MCM cable for runs up to 6 feet. The cables in our installation are about 5 feet long and we used 4/0 welding cable with the recommended 300 amp Class T fuse.
The Isolator/Combiner DC wiring begins in the engine compartment with the mounting of a 100 amp MEGA fuse holder and fuse. Ours is mounted to the rear of the passenger-side battery box. All wiring for this circuit uses heavy duty #6 cable to minimize voltage drop from the truck back to the camper. Separate cables for the positive and negative sides were run, and the chassis was not used for the negative return. Our run of #6 cable was routed through the left frame rail and out the back. Chafing protection was added to all areas subject to any possible movement; we used polyethylene spiral wrap for our installation. photo001 The rear end of the cables was terminated by soldering on a pair of Anderson Powerpole SB 175 amp contacts and installing an SB 175 housing. The camper-side connector was prepared in a similar manner and mounted to the exterior bottom of the battery compartment. The cables were given the same anti-chafing treatment and routed up into the battery compartment through one of the existing drain holes. The negative lead was bolted directly to the battery buss bar and the positive lead was connected to the appropriate terminal on the BIC-95150B Isolator/Combiner. The other BIC terminal was connected through a 70 amp fuse to the positive battery buss bar.
One final task was necessary before energizing the system: disconnecting the existing Parallax Converter/Charger since it was no longer needed. Both AC input leads were disconnected from the AC distribution panel circuit breaker. Both the positive and negative DC outputs were disconnected from the DC distribution panel. The filtered and unfiltered DC portions of the DC distribution panel were jumpered together. Lastly, the +12 volt DC charge line from the 7-pin camper connector was disconnected and insulated. The DC charge line usually goes through a circuit breaker; ours is mounted in the forward dinette under-seat compartment on the forward bulkhead to the right of the water heater.
This has been a quick overview of how we met the objectives noted above. This setup has its limitations; our battery capacity is limited and therefore would not be able to sustain maximum output for very long, but it is more than enough for our use in the camper. Below are some part numbers and links to sources used in this project.
block diagram
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