Alu-Cab Canopy Camper

[teamblkdog]

Dialing in my setup has been a constant evolution over the past 10 months of owning my Canopy Camper, but I'm really happy with my recent suspension mods and re-gearing to 4.88 (a game changer). Here's what I've done:

Mopar 2" lift
Dobinsons rear 2" heavy duty coil springs (C29-245V) 880-1210 lb. load
Hellwig rear sway bar (7779)
Yeti Steer Smarts XD adjustable front track bar (75040002)
Yukon 4.88 gears (from stock 3.73)

On stock Sport S suspension I had major body roll doing something as simple as pulling into an elevated driveway at an angle. Driving over railroad tracks or any minor bump was bone-jarring. Now the suspension absorbs the same bumps and body roll is way less noticeable. Very happy with the Mopar lift and combination of Dobinsons springs and Hellwig sway bar.

Biggest game changer by far has been re-gearing to 4.88. I haven't seen 7th or 8th gear since I had the camper installed. Now I'm easily shifting to 8th and running 2100 RPM at 65 MPH. Super happy with the throttle response in lower gears.

Also installed Warn Epic Jackhammer wheels with BFG All Terrain T/A KO2s (LT285/70 R17 121R Load Range E).

Inside the camper is still a work in progress. I have the full Bedrug, ARB twin compressor mounted to the trail rails with an 813 Fabrication & Designs mount and a home-built birch box that holds a Battleborn 100AH LiFePO4 battery and hides all my wiring. I also carry an ARB 50 Qt. fridge and I'm planning to install a slide. On the roof I have 2 100W rigid solar panels. All of my electrical components are detailed in my wiring diagram. Interior pics to follow this spring.

I cannot say enough how much I love my setup. The Canopy Camper is amazing.

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[813 Fabrication & Design]

Dialing in my setup has been a constant evolution over the past 10 months of owning my Canopy Camper, but I'm really happy with my recent suspension mods and re-gearing to 4.88 (a game changer). Here's what I've done:

Mopar 2" lift
Dobinsons rear 2" heavy duty coil springs (C29-245V) 880-1210 lb. load
Hellwig rear sway bar (7779)
Yeti Steer Smarts XD adjustable front track bar (75040002)
Yukon 4.88 gears (from stock 3.73)

On stock Sport S suspension I had major body roll doing something as simple as pulling into an elevated driveway at an angle. Driving over railroad tracks or any minor bump was bone-jarring. Now the suspension absorbs the same bumps and body roll is way less noticeable. Very happy with the Mopar lift and combination of Dobinsons springs and Hellwig sway bar.

Biggest game changer by far has been re-gearing to 4.88. I haven't seen 7th or 8th gear since I had the camper installed. Now I'm easily shifting to 8th and running 2100 RPM at 65 MPH. Super happy with the throttle response in lower gears.

Also installed Warn Epic Jackhammer wheels with BFG All Terrain T/A KO2s (LT285/70 R17 121R Load Range E).

Inside the camper is still a work in progress. I have the full Bedrug, ARB twin compressor mounted to the trail rails with an 813 Fabrication & Designs mount and a home-built birch box that holds a Battleborn 100AH LiFePO4 battery and hides all my wiring. I also carry an ARB 50 Qt. fridge and I'm planning to install a slide. On the roof I have 2 100W rigid solar panels. All of my electrical components are detailed in my wiring diagram. Interior pics to follow this spring.

I cannot say enough how much I love my setup. The Canopy Camper is amazing.

It looking awesome!

 

[813 Fabrication & Design]

What tire pressure is everyone running? I saw one of the latest Trail Recon videos and he mentioned running (if I remember correctly) upwards of 60+ PSI in his 37s due to the weight of his camper on the Power RAM he has. I have BFG KM3 35s and have been running approx 35PSI for daily driving.

 

[813 Fabrication & Design]

Woo! I received 17 boxes of Alu-Cab specific parts from production on Friday and am currently going through them all for inspection. I am excited to show everyone and see what you think! I will then start putting together installation instructions and hardware packs.

 

[Steven_B]

What tire pressure is everyone running? I saw one of the latest Trail Recon videos and he mentioned running (if I remember correctly) upwards of 60+ PSI in his 37s due to the weight of his camper on the Power RAM he has. I have BFG KM3 35s and have been running approx 35PSI for daily driving.

If I remember right, AEV calls for 36 psi for 37s in their suspension install instructions. That’s what I am at right now cold. After about an hour of highway driving, they creep up to about 39 psi in the rear (according to the factory TPMS).

 

[Steven_B]

What's everyone doing for camp tables since we can't use the Alu-Cab above cab brackets. I have the Expedition Essentials EXO table but still would like to have a prep table for the campsite.

And took a day trip out to the beach this weekend.

 

[CorvusOver]

What's everyone doing for camp tables since we can't use the Alu-Cab above cab brackets. I have the Expedition Essentials EXO table but still would like to have a prep table for the campsite.

I don't have my ACCC yet but I'm planning to have a small table mounted underneath the bed so it would slide out similar to the mount used by Alu-cab above the cab (which doesn't fit for us). I've seen that Goose Gear has something in the works but honestly it shouldn't be hard to fab a bracket to hold the table if it's light.

It's not described but you can see the GG version in this video.

 

[Steven_B]

I don't have my ACCC yet but I'm planning to have a small table mounted underneath the bed so it would slide out similar to the mount used by Alu-cab above the cab (which doesn't fit for us). I've seen that Goose Gear has something in the works but honestly it shouldn't be hard to fab a bracket to hold the table if it's light.

It's not described but you can see the GG version in this video.

Yeah, the Goose Gear brackets have been under development for awhile now.

 

[813 Fabrication & Design]

Any suggestions on cleaning the water tank? I bought mine used and the hoses look foggy. I was going to replace the hose but need to clean out the tank good.

 

[CorvusOver]

Any suggestions on cleaning the water tank? I bought mine used and the hoses look foggy. I was going to replace the hose but need to clean out the tank good.

what water tank do you have? If you have the Alu-cab version which looks rather challenging to clean I'd be looking at RV style solutions. These are usually some sort of tablet or liquid which kills anything inside and then requires a lot of flushing.

Honestly this is one reason I might stick with jerry cans.

 

[Mac Attack]

Any suggestions on cleaning the water tank? I bought mine used and the hoses look foggy. I was going to replace the hose but need to clean out the tank good.

I have used bleach in the past; but, again, thorough flushing is required. Think the RV solution is probably better and safer.

 

[PsyRN]

How are folks paying for these? Feel like I need to do a lot of OT and also get paper route to do this. Did you have $15G's saved up/sitting around? Anyone get an RV loan? Do these qualify for RV loans?

 

[813 Fabrication & Design]

How are folks paying for these? Feel like I need to do a lot of OT and also get paper route to do this. Did you have $15G's saved up/sitting around? Anyone get an RV loan? Do these qualify for RV loans?

For me, we had a Toy Hauler that we sold and used that for most of the funds. I also lucked out and found a used Alu-Cab. I saved thousands by finding the used one. But, I am using mine for our business, www.813fabrication.com, so it is part of our business expense. It is mostly a mule for designing parts and showcasing them.

Our website is currently down if you try to go to the link. There was a domain issue that is resolved but will take a little time to reconnect

 

[Mtpisgah]

How are folks paying for these? Feel like I need to do a lot of OT and also get paper route to do this. Did you have $15G's saved up/sitting around? Anyone get an RV loan? Do these qualify for RV loans?

I sold 28 bottles of Napa cult cab to pay for the camper and awning. The rest of mods came from out of pocket. I am an engineer in real life and my wife is in education. Good salaries and no kids.

 

[813 Fabrication & Design]

For me, we had a Toy Hauler that we sold and used that for most of the funds. I also lucked out and found a used Alu-Cab. I saved thousands by finding the used one. But, I am using mine for our business, www.813fabrication.com, so it is part of our business expense. It is mostly a mule for designing parts and showcasing them.

Our website is currently down if you try to go to the link. There was a domain issue that is resolved but will take a little time to reconnect

The website is back up now! www.813fabrication.com

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