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I did install the pump included with the D5 per the instructions, but I also installed a secondary 12 vdc coolant pump inside my camper space before the two interior heat exchangers that is switched on with the stainless ball valve that also opens the interior heating loop with the switch. This extra pump may have been unnecessary, but I wasn't sure if the added loop and heat exchangers would add too much resistance to the factory pump. They probably didn't and the system likely would had worked fine without it but it did work very well with it.

Thanks! Sounds like you have a similar set up as I did for my bed in my camper van, yet I did that with four non-track linear actuators (PA-04) and controller. That worked out great with the pivot points at top and bottom of each actuator. I had the wiring at the stationary point except for underbed lighting, which I just had the wire extend out to the length needed when in full up position. Worked great. Good luck with you solution.

The frame and tracks are 1" 8020 profiles, and the sliders some 8020 slides with the included UMHW low-friction pads. I think I have another video of this solution with some more details.

@@vantripping awesome, thank you so much for the quick reply. I’ll search for that other video and if I have any other questions I’ll reach out.

@@youcanthide004 Happy to help if I can, just reach out. Those other videos I've created provide many more details.

Not all. The adhesive that is made for the vinyl sticks incredibly well to the factory floor. Just clean it up, trim the vinyl, apply the adhesive and roll out the floor.

@@vantripping Nice! What adhesive did you use not sure I caught that in the video? And are you using 2tech2 for the top of the floor? Or something similar with a felt backing?

@@wordpress_pro I used the one that was recommended by the manufacturer of the vinyl flooring. It comes in. large pail and you just pour and smooth it out. No felt backing. Nothing on top of the floor. I put down two layers of 3/8" firm foam under the factory subfloor, but that wasn't enough insulation in cold weather but compromise for having head room as well.

There are many options. a 12 volt motorized DC ball valve, stainless or brass. Motorized so that the switch opens it and when the switch is off and this power is off it auto closes. Like this one: www.amazon.com/sspa/click?ie=UTF8&spc=MTozNzcxMTQ0MDIyMTM4NzQ2OjE3MjY2NzQ2NTM6c3BfYXRmOjIwMDAwMjg4NDc3OTAzMTo6MDo6&url=%2FMotorized-Valve-Stainless-U-S-Solid%2Fdp%2FB06WWPZWGZ%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1_sspa%3Fcrid%3DJQQPSIAF5028%26dib%3DeyJ2IjoiMSJ9.yfGY3xP8J6ktcPeYXCjjT27D-c6Km_MeF1CntznMwUWwdLFlfICSmmdRjLNJBJu_OYlVRaUsuh_s6N-aNX2TOp_86UFLY_k6oxD9f1ywvnFxDvhAMbMEnp_K-sTZidSF5xY4NrsGXu2A_d2A-qNq7z2NrpA5VZTY8e7LMoiaz0QgOsjK-bkEu4gPmmXcQu75ThoPwmeTMC8eJYKWkkV4ldqZC_IvkhbkImdxJBXB2RY.Q7CRnwmFjhHOPEgy8o1TW1POlvLm8HM1q73fLO3vCrQ%26dib_tag%3Dse%26keywords%3D12%2Bvolt%2Bdc%2Bmotorized%2Bstainless%2B1%252F2%2522%2Bball%2Bvalve%26qid%3D1726674653%26sprefix%3D12%2Bvolt%2Bdc%2Bmotorized%2Bstainless%2B1%252F2%2Bball%2Bvalv%252Caps%252C171%26sr%3D8-1-spons%26sp_csd%3Dd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY%26psc%3D1

@@vantripping thank you, very helpful.

The composite panels are gel-coated. All I did was clean each surface well with rubbing alcohol. For this installation just adhering to cleaned surfaces should be sufficient but if extra strength is needed, each surface could be lightly scuffed before cleaning.

Yeah, designed to accommodate 4-5 people inside, as most social activities should be outside in nature.

This is the method that Total Composites provides for their camper shells used by many individuals and companies for the their expedition campers, and the same method used by other notable expedition manufacturers around the globe, and my camper has survived 70 mph winds. A single bolt of this size has over 150,000 psi of tensile strength, and I installed over 60% more than a notable expedition camper builder uses, so I think it should work just fine. The only other method I can think of is bolting thru with a nut and large washer on the inside of the camper, which will actually be weaker as doesn't leverage the 2"x78" 1/4" bar and rest of structure imbedded into the camper floor. Plus a bolt thru will transfer heat from inside to outside and cause a condensation point. What other method would you suggest?

@@vantripping Honestly you answered very specific and you are good. We get these 70mph winds on Hwy10 and when I engineered mine, I have 18 attachment bolts, using a more complicated and a bit overkill method. Better be safe than sorry. Mine is 5700mm long, with 3700mm on subframe length. Total truck length 24ft. I have a Isuzu cab over crewcab.

@@gator701 Cool. That's a big camper, and overkill is typically my approach too. I also questioned the strength of this approach but Total Composites said this is what has been used for years by nearly every composite camper builder including them without issue. It's pretty simple but the steel plates crossing the floor at each attachment location are heavy so using fewer would save weight. I did decide to not attach my under camper storage boxes to the bottom of the camper, even though that would be cleaner, more aero and allow for larger boxes and/or more ground clearance to the bottom of them. But I thought the weight of those and their contents on the edge of the camper would be too much, so I attached these to the chassis frame. But I also have a slide and swing up entry deck, so that adds a lot of force. Will be putting our a video on that soon.

@@vantripping I'm 36" inch's longer than yours, seats 7, sleeps 4, with full size n-s queen bed. A 14,400 lb capacity. Vortec V8 and GM 6sp trans.

@@gator701 Very cool. Is it all built and how is your total weight?

Thank you and you're welcome!

Thanks. I hadn't thought that the word olympics may be copyrighted with limited use. We'll see.

I've heard that some have. When I priced out a wrap vs self-painting, it was far less costly to paint, and should be far more durable and longer lasting than a wrap, but we'll see with use and time.

@@vantripping great job, you're a highly intelligent human. I'm currently selling the house to convert fulltime camper. Yet my experience is rooftop tent camping off a truck, boon docking around two weeks until resupply. So upgrading for longer stents is the goal. How is vehicle maintenance on your rig?

@@itsreallyhairy so far vehicle maintenance is typical. Oil and filter changes. I don't expect there to be much more other than tires.

@@vantripping nice, vehicle maintenance goes a long way. Learned those lessons in the army. Larger rigs are intimidating but has to be fun to learn.

@@itsreallyhairy Yes, I've kept a focus on low maintenance throughout this build from the chassis selection. And always like to stay ahead of maintenance items to keep rolling.

You're welcome.

I mounted the rooftop junction box just rear of the slider door opening and between center of roof and passenger side of the roof between the roof ribs. This was a location just above an interior cabinet that was a good place to have all of the wires come in, connect to fuse panels, and also route down to the floor at the rear inside of this interior cabinet. This made wire distribution easy and also changes easy since I could access wires to/from the roof and down to the floor which also had cross overs under the floor to the other side and along the interior roof wall to the headliner for the front switches. The roof mounted box was located underneath my single large solar panel making it fully covered for better weather protection and wind resistance even through every wire entrance was very well sealed.

Thank you for watching and for sharing your constructive feedback. I appreciate that. I agree with your suggestion and have been working to show more of the build process and narrate it and less talking, but it both takes time to make these changes but am working on making them as I make the videos. I'll keep working on it.

@@vantripping I’ve only made a few videos and working on some more and I find myself talking too much and recording relevant content too little. Figured I’d pass along the tip. Cheers to a beautiful build and looking forward to future videos🙌🏻👏🏻

Thank you much!

Thank you. Yes, I have removed a small section and it was fairly easy. I sliced the adhesive with a razor blade as deep as possible on both sides of the 8020 and then used a slicing blade on an oscillating multi-tool to slice between the 8020 and composite wall. It worked well.

@@vantripping Very reassuring to know, thank you.

@@drewdowns3618 Just start by cutting with a sharp blade as it's very rubbery.

The dealer replaced the radiator and coolant under warranty and the temps didn't change, and they said it was within normal operating condition, which could be up to 235F. I was concerned about this higher coolant operating temp, and the quick rise it should when only gently climbing a modest hill for a few minutes, but nothing has changed, all works fine, and I could not find any information that should it was bad to have these higher operating temps so assumed it was acceptable.

Thank you! I wish it was finished! Certainly getting very close, but still much to do and many videos to share.

Sure, great suggestion, although the side seals and the tracks are slippery, so they don't need any lubrication. However, the top seal has to slide along the wall in order to seal the door at the top, and that one does create some friction, so I may try some lubricant on that one. Thanks for the suggestion.

Thank you! Great to sharing more of this project.

Yes, certainly possible yet needs to be very closely managed, as the actuators are powerful and can wreck your bed frame if the height difference between corners gets too much for it. A better way may be to have two front actuators on one switch and the two for the rear on another. Hold them together to raise or lower to desired height, then just push one of the two to lower or raise it to get the bed level front to rear. This would take care of one direction but not side to side. You can have four switches--one for each corner--and do the same process, but holding four switches at one would be a finger stretch. So yes, it's possible, but also risky as you could break your bed if too much difference in height.

Yee haw!

Appreciate your critique. All of your points are things I thought about and considered, and my approach was not to be a toy yet to provide the function I wanted for everyday use. These is redundancy of two doors and an emergency access door, and the actuators only take up an inch more in the width of these 48" wide doors than spring lifts yet are less in the way of bike handlebars and pedal as spring lift struts. They also don't have the latch mechanism that protrudes into the space, an issues I'm dealing with on my storage boxes. Of course, even a manual close door can hit something inside, but the benefit of the electric actuators is that I have both hands free while closing and can watch while it closes much easier than if pulling a large door down, which these are two high off the ground of even me to easily reach and certainly most others can't reach, so then I have to manage a strap to pull it down and keep out of the way if manual vs electric. There are many benefits to these electric doors for me and my use, and certainly not right for everyone. My electric lifting and lowering bed that I installed on my camper van 7 years ago was also new to people at that time but has become a standard and desired bed option in many camper vans, and just maybe these electric doors will at some time too, just like in StarTrek.

Thank you so much! It's good to be back.

Thank you, and yes, lots still to share, some very cool innovations, and just a nice cabin space...soon!

I'll share some photos once complete as hard to explain, and I moved away from a boot since as a cab-over, it would require some buckles and sub-frame for just the accordion to connect it to the other side, and I wanted to make it easy and quick to lift the cab so doing maintenance wasn't prolonged.

Agree! I came here via the Loch campaign but discovered an amazing build project! Now I need to watch from the start, lol.

Thanks. Yes, those cable ends are finally well covered, and also air-gapped with the floor frame. I was waiting for the proper size insulation piece that would fit.

Yes, I installed a regular queen, 60"x80". Just a mattress from Ikea that worked great as it was light, thin and comfortable. Fitting regular sheets was important to me. The base is 1/4" high-strength perforated PVC so the mattress breathes, stays cool and lets the heat rise up thru it in the winter, and never a worry about condensation building up, plus light and thin as well. Plenty strong with the frame.

@vantripping awesome, thanks heaps for the info, ill be coming back to these vids for sure

@@6footsideways you're welcome and good luck with your installation. Reach out if I can help.

You are right, the arbor's a ridiculously expensive. I bought some thru one of the tank manufacturers years ago for a more reasonable price, Amazon has some for sale, as do others. Just look around. Some have used a bolt put into their grinder. Either way, a $75 arbor, some $1 fittings, and still cheaper than bulk head fittings, and way more compact and can be installed from just the outside and right up against a side wall of the tank.

Yep, it's a challenge to get everything "level". I measure my base level at the center of the camper, which may be slightly off level, and a digital level meter will read down to 100th's of a degree. I use that as my base level and then adjust the other levels from that. And I always do this at the start of each glueing/leveling process since it can change as parts are added and weight distribution changes.

Yes, I seriously considered this and other Unimogs for my camper. I likely would've bought and imported a Unidan Unimog/camper but COVID lockdowns prevented me from traveling to Australia to walk around and test drive one in person. I was planning to buy this Unimog but it's needed repairs and ability and places to repair them discouraged me from it. Hence why I looked at many other vehicles and did a complete look around and comparison of options; you can view that here: www.vantripping.com/post/how-to-choose-the-perfect-expedition-vehicle-truck-for-your-adventures

It's always best to confirm that the adhesives are compatible and appropriate with the materials you are adhering and for the strength and application of use. I've been using SikaFlex 292i and 252 also is a very good option. There are many other very good adhesives for this application. I've used some from other manufacturers that are very similar in specs. Generally any high-quality poly-urea based adhesive sealant for outdoor use and applicable for the two materials it's adhering should work well.

It was a lot of fun driving it.

Great question. I think these actuators are rated to 10,000+ cycles so it should be 15+ years using them daily before a likely failure. The odds of both failing would be very unlikely, so I'd just open the other door and remove the pins of the failed one if I need to open it. And the wiring goes into the cabin with the controller there, which can be manually controlled, and if it failed, I'd just jumper the actuators from there to power them open or closed.

I prefer spin weld fittings because 1) they cost about $1 each vs about $20 for a bulkhead fitting; 2) they are much smaller in profile and thus easier to place and take up less space away from other things than a bulkhead fitting; and 3) many of tanks do not have access to reach inside to install a bulkhead fitting, and 4) they are much lighter weight and won't leak or fail or ever need replacement if installed correctly. Because spinweld fittings only need access from one side and install easy with one person, they can be easily installed in any size tank, any location, and without an access port. My last batch of these cost $1.23 each.

I've been using SikaFlex 292i and 252 also is a very good option. There are many other very good adhesives for this application. I've used some from other manufacturers that are very similar in specs. Generally any high-quality poly-urea based adhesive sealant for outdoor use and applicable for the two materials it's adhering should work well.

I think the asking price was between $85k-$100k--that was in June 2021. This same Unimog later sold on Bring a Trailer for more but also after some refurbishment.

@@vantripping that sounds about right.

Good suggestion. I am not very familiar with it as we don't have these in North America, and also wanted control of the box dimensions and wanted a fully rectangle box as well, having built out campers in Sprinter vans was tired of working with all of the curves that a van body has, so wasn't an option for me but a really great option for others.

Sportsmobile West in Fresno used to install these, and I think Field Vans in Reno has a similar version that they install. Not sure who else but I am sure there are others. Good luck and let me and others know which pop tops you find and go with.

@@vantripping ill be definitly make a video but i need to study i wanna do it my self

@@DaeliaVanlife It should be pretty easy to cut out the factory roof, but will require some support and more than one person to lift and place the new top, get it aligned. Then should be fairly easy to mount and seal it, should be fairly easy and few hours to a day to do it.

Yes indeed!

Thank you.

Yes, now that I have the camper on it, and nearly built out, it rides decently. Will update on the drive once I get it a little more complete. Bummer about your check engine light. Mine was caused by a leak at the fuel tank vent line to the fuel filler.

You're welcome.

I got super busy with work, and having little time left over for making videos, but I have another in the making right now--hope to have out within a week, and still making progress on the camper, with a lot of cool things finishing up or soon to finish up. Thanks for watching, more videos of my camper build coming soon.

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