Laharview Farm Camper Build

[Doug Moench]

Thanks KMG. I like keeping the top smooth after this weekend at Bumping Lake. Going to copy you. Here is a shot at the top of Chinook Pass. Bike rack worked fine. Going to install Gray LV plank flooring on the interior now that I have the fan issue solved.

IMG_20151004_151303047.jpg

Suzuki DR? What type of bike rack did you use? I'm looking around, thinking about a DIY van conversion myself, to use as a toy hauler & a camper for travel to rallies, ride events, & sight seeing. I've always thought that I'd put the bike in the RV, then roll it out, for the campsite. Does your bike ride well on rougher roads?

[laharview]

Hi Doug,

Sorry for the delay, don't check in much.  The rack I used is a Cycle Country Wedge-Lok 50-0500.  It flexed more than I liked so I added two 2" x 2" angle supports from the front to the center tube and a couple of eyes.  Two of the tie down straps I use are attached to the chain holes in the hitch.  Made it a very robust rack for gravel roads. Will have to post a photo next time I put it on. I ride the Suzuki 350 DR.  Tried the 650 way back but too tall and too heavy.  I dropped the front sprocket one tooth and worked out great.

 

Today my Fiamma F45s awning and mounts arrived!  Will be mounting it in a couple of weeks and will post photos of the install.

 

Also finished up a cabinet and couple of other small items.  Almost done!

 

Best Regards,

Mike

[KMG]

Hi Doug,

Sorry for the delay, don't check in much.  The rack I used is a Cycle Country Wedge-Lok 50-0500.  It flexed more than I liked so I added two 2" x 2" angle supports from the front to the center tube and a couple of eyes.  Two of the tie down straps I use are attached to the chain holes in the hitch.  Made it a very robust rack for gravel roads. Will have to post a photo next time I put it on. I ride the Suzuki 350 DR.  Tried the 650 way back but too tall and too heavy.  I dropped the front sprocket one tooth and worked out great.

 

Today my Fiamma F45s awning and mounts arrived!  Will be mounting it in a couple of weeks and will post photos of the install.

 

Also finished up a cabinet and couple of other small items.  Almost done!

 

Best Regards,

Mike

I haven't installed an awning yet.  I'm trying to decide between the Fiamma F45s and a bat wing style awning.  Looking forward to photos.  Thanks, Kevin

[laharview]

I will be using the Ford Transit High Roof Kit #98655-741.  These only showed up on the European site but after calling Fiamma USA found out they have them in stock just not listed on their site.  Ordered direct, very nice folks to work with!  The rear mount I can thru bolt and the front mount I plan on using Riv-Nuts.  Lots of photos with measurements to follow.

[laharview]

Upper cabinet is in. Just have to hang the doors. Also installing the Fiamma awning this weekend.

[radin2son]

Nice fit. Since you have lots of wall space, are you planning to add more on both sides?

[laharview]

Going to add one on the other side and possibly a short one above the window.

[laharview]

 

Got the awning mounted.  Bought the F45S 2.6m and used Ford Transit mounts 986955-741.  The awning came with wall mounts so I shimmed one and used in in the middle.  Maybe a bit overkill but turned out very solid.  The photos show the shim thickness needed and the location on the side.  I used 1/4" Riv Nuts on the top holes and the supplied screws on the bottom holes.  I placed the order directly with Fiamma USA.  The Ford mounts do not show up on their web site but they are a stocked item.  Lots of rain here so am working under the tarp again!

Edited January 23, 2016 by laharview

[laharview]

And the cabinet doors are hung. Time for a road trip!

[wollip]

Thanks for sharing the installation details and size of the awning. It looks great and should be very sturdy.

I'd like to do something similar but always figured I would utilize the mounting points built into the roof.

What are your thoughts - pros and cons - of top mounted vs side mounted for the awning brackets?

[laharview]

Hi Wollip,

 

The last thing I wanted to do was drill holes in the truck so I spent a lot of time trying to make any Fiamma mounts work on top.  At this time they do not offer mounts for the NV.  In talking with them I got the impression that a lot more interest was needed before the factory would make mounts for the NV.

 

FiammaUSA sent me photos of an installation using the top mounts but the installer still had to drill several holes in the roof so that was out.  The problem I kept running into was the mount placement in relationship with the end of the awning.  The Fiamma mounts must go close to the ends and the spacing of the factory NV mounts did not line up very well..  So the plan was to fabricate a full length aluminum mount (plate) that I could bolt to the NV mounts and then bolt/weld on Fiamma mounts.  After I mocked this up I was not happy at how much height was added.  And it did not look nice at all.  With the side mount I need a step stool to reach the legs (I'm 5'-11" tall) so a small ladder may be in order to deploy.

 

If a full roof rack was going to be installed then the awning could be mounted to it with minimal issues.  That would be best.  I found one done this way but noticed that they cannot open the slider door to the full open/lock position.  It appears the awning is too far forward.

 

I am not going to install a roof rack so the side option won out in the end.  Just use a high quality sealer like Lexel and give it a check in every Fall.

 

Best Regards,

Mike

[radin2son]

The Zodiak high top conversion mounted the awning on a rack, which I thought made it too high and perhaps cut down on the shade/shelter of the awning.

 

On a low top, or in our case a pop top, I would mount it on a rack. But... This would make it too heavy to manually put up the top, particularly as I get older.

 

We are considering, down the road so to speak, having the top modified to electric. I expect our NV to be "major" problem free, so the cost might be worth it if it extended our use.

[laharview]

Was loading up all the camping appurtenances last weekend and realized a built-in table would be handy for the stove when we are at sites with no tables or want to cook under the awning.  Also to stage beverages.

 

Used 3/4" plywood and made slides under the bed platform.  Legs are from a Big Leaf Maple from the back 40 and slip into a hole used to slide out the table.  Not needed if the tables are out 2' or so.

 

Also installed LED bulbs in the factory interior lights.  Still need to add some under the cabinets but these made a huge difference.  Bulbs are from JDM ASTER (evil bay) and I bought the DE3175 with 6 LED's.  Fits nice without hitting the light fixture.

 

Edited February 5, 2016 by laharview

[radin2son]

You must be cooking inside, unless you very, very tall.

 

We have a table that stores under the couch/bed with the tripod leg stored in the storage in back. Both are very difficult to get to when the van is packed, or maybe that is just an excuse not to use it.

 

Good use of temporary space space. Like the paper towel holder.

[laharview]

A bit tall from the outside but I use the old school Coleman white gas stove that is low profile.

[radin2son]

We have a 12v cooler in the same spot. When 1 of our 2 dogs is no lounging on it, we can use it as a table/staging area...seldom.

 

The back 1/2 of your van looks full. What are your plans for the front?

 

Had we had the option, we would have increased the length of the counter (under the driver's side window. This would mean no hanging closet at the rear, which I think is a waste of space, or poorly used space. Lower storage would not be affected.

 

This is not yet an option, and may never be, but we think camper NVs are 2' short of being full time. This would offer a little more room for propane, furnace, toilet/shower for those who need/want this.

 

It will be interesting to see what Mahu builds and how they deal with the phenomenon of shrinking space after 30+ days of camping.

[laharview]

Good question. I have maximized the back space wanting to leave the middle clear for our GSD Tank (below), his bed, and room for a couple lawn chairs to lounge about when the weather is bad.

 

At this point the build is meant as a weekend warrior (+) that will pull the tractors and toys. And with the idea of finding a hotel every so often that has a shower and pool for the longer trips.

 

I agree that an additional 2' would be great.

 

 

 

Edited February 6, 2016 by laharview

[radin2son]

Tank does need his comforts... Our 2 are medium size and have taken over the couch/bed. The cooler has become the "loft or balcony." We get the penthouse.

 

Big Agnes makes or markets backpack, basecamp chairs that fold up and fit into a case about 20"+x5". The swivel chairs are the best. Pricey but save on storage space. No cup holders...

 

Are you going to put any carpet in the front 1/2? Our's came with a removable carpet that is more comfortable and warmer than the subfloor and pebble marine coating. After every trip, I remove it to vacuum and hose it off. With dogs there is little point in trying to keep them from tracking things in. Did I mention wet dogs? The downside is once it gets wet, as it did in your part of the country, it never dries until we get back to the desert.

 

What you have done is made a great weekender that can be modified further as needed.

[wollip]

 

I agree that an extra 2 to 3 feet would be nice but that defeats our mandate of being able to use a standard parking space. So, we continue to refine, streamline, and utilize our space to the fullest.

We're 64 years old and just finished a 21 day / 2700 mile trip and every night was spent in our high roof conversion. Our previous best was 10 days. Our next trip will likely be 30 days and we are looking forward to it. We went to Disneyworld last year like a couple of kids. But we stayed in one of their economy rooms - much cheaper than their campground - we like to think we're not total idiots. :-)

Discussing needs and suitability reminds me of the back and forth about mpg - entirely too many variables. For example, we have no pets and also do not cook in our conversion. While this works for us, we know that many enjoy traveling with their pets and that cooking while on the road is part of the experience for many others.

We wouldn't boondock unless forced into the situation (mainly because we need the restroom/showers that a campground provides) but sometimes envy the stories of those that stretch a piece of plastic and solar heat some shower water.

Would we ever go "full-time" in an NV conversion? No way - no how! Not even with 2 or 3 extra feet of length. But one person could probably make it work.

As for Mahu, they seem young enough to make it work for the long haul and will do well. As the saying goes, what doesn't kill them will make them stronger.

[radin2son]

That's the best part of "camperized" NVs. There is no right or wrong way to convert or use them.

 

I agree that the 20' length is perfect for parking, but it also is under most ferry, campground or road restrictions. We based our purchase on our old VW and were unaware of most restrictions until we started using our NV. It would have been a costly mistake had an extended version been available. At 20', we ignore the No RVs sign and continue on in our camper van.

 

What is painful to see is the barely used SMB camper vans for sale on their site. But, the second buyer gets the best deal... You just have to make sure you want to do this.

[laharview]

Excellent points.  An extra couple of feet would bring along issues that I wanted to avoid with this build.

 

I am using throw rugs in the front over the factory rubber floor.  Easy to shake out/dry and not a big deal to replace when needed.  I also have a 5 gallon hanging Sun Shower in one of the totes.  Works great when Campgrounds are not available.

[rodjava]

laharview,

What was the CRL model number for the window slider?

Rod

[rodjava]

Disregard that question about the part number. It's the FW805R. The reason I questioned it, was because the inside of the window looks different from the outside from your pictures. But it's the same window.

[radin2son]

This falls under you can measure CRL window instalation 3+ times, and it still won't look right if you install a counter or cabinet with space to be able to operate the driver's side louvered window.

 

After getting in and out of our van via the slider uncountable times, I noticed either the counter or window were not level, Poor workmanship?

 

Nope. Nissan side panel styling. It is strickly a visual issue.

Edited February 15, 2016 by radin2son

[laharview]

She didn't look quite right with the white panel behind the CRL windows so I copied the idea from another NV'r to add wrap.

 

First step was to outline the area with 1/8" (3.5 mm) Knifeless Finish Line Tape.  Then used 3M 1080 Gloss Black wrap.  I found it best to start in the middle and use a felt edged squeegee to smooth it out.  Don't rush it.  Also the tape worked great.

 

Added a 5' gear hammock (like we use on the ship) to the right side for bulky stuff like coats.  Did not want a cabinet here as it might be a head knocker.

 

Edited February 20, 2016 by laharview