Build Thread - Mules Fiberglass Gladiator Camper DIY

[Mules]

Your craftsmanship is truly over the top ... I do have one question ... how did you address the flex between the `bed and cab?

I get more questions about this than anything else. My long thread goes into this in more detail. Bottom line is Gladiators have a more rigid frame and increased articulation of suspension, resulting in much less flex than typical pickups. The camper floats on rubber connection points.

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[Fast Eddie]

My goodness, the build is nothing short of SUPERB. You are one skilled machine. Congrats and best of luck with the new toy. Cheers!!!

 

[SquirrelNuts]

This build makes me really want Jeep to build a Wrangler XL with 3rd row seating! (I know there's a concept vehicle out there with a 3rd row... but hate the safari hard top/tiered seating.)

 

[Readyt]

Wow! Awesome Job! You should build them and sell them!.

 

[AmishMike]

I missed something, when did you say they would be available for purchase?
Great work!!

 

[Mules]

I missed something, when did you say they would be available for purchase?
Great work!!

Thanks! First comes my exhaustive product testing program, at least a year of road testing (4 wheeling, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, skiing, cold beverages, good food and camping). For some reason my wife doesn't understand the amount of testing required to bring a product to market these days

 

[Dave-G]

This build makes me really want Jeep to build a Wrangler XL with 3rd row seating! (I know there's a concept vehicle out there with a 3rd row... but hate the safari hard top/tiered seating.)

I had a 3rd row jeep in 2000- got a lot of looks- was built by TCV so sorry I sold it.

But this camper build is beautiful. You have a crazy skill set and a lot of time to build.

 

[JTPatriot]

That! Is very impressive! Awesome job!

 

[Escape.idiocracy]

I get more questions about this than anything else. My long thread goes into this in more detail. Bottom line is Gladiators have a more rigid frame and increased articulation of suspension, resulting in much less flex than typical pickups. The camper floats on rubber connection points.

Once our snow clears I will take a photo of why so many folks are asking about this. I have a rubi. Diesel and the gap grows about 1/2”+ when flexed corner to corner…..

 

[Mules]

Once our snow clears I will take a photo of why so many folks are asking about this. I have a rubi. Diesel and the gap grows about 1/2”+ when flexed corner to corner…..

Before I built the camper I did a flex test. I disconnected my sway bars and maxed out my suspension. I then measured the distance from the back window to the bed rail (see picture)

. There was 3/8" flex between the cab and bed. In my design I allowed for 1/2" flex between the cab and bed.

The flex is difficult to measure now since the camper is on, but I'm pretty sure I'm getting less than 1/4" of flex when suspension is maxed out. How is this possible? Well the camper adds more strength than you think and stiffens the entire structure.

If she flexes more than 1/2", I have (2) shear points that should give way. Instead of cracking the entire shell, these shear points should break, which I could easily repair. We (engineers) use shear pins, shear bolts, or break away tabs in design quite often. It's a whole lot cheaper to replace/repair a shear point, than break your entire project. So far, they haven't cracked or broken.

 

[Mules]

Merry Christmas! Here's a pic of a favorite location, near Winter Park CO.

 

[RavensEyeOffroad]

absolutely crazy good work. you are a wizard.

 

[Imbuere]

As an owner of a JL J30, I’m impressed!

 

[Mules]

As an owner of a JL J30, I’m impressed!

The Ursa Minor looks very well thought out. How do you like it?

 

[Imbuere]

The Ursa Minor looks very well thought out. How do you like it?

I’ve got a lot of thoughts about the product and platform. Happy to go into specifics if you have questions.

Long story short: the product itself is great. I find it really high quality and some people have given them TONS of use. That said, the 2” (and very recently available 3” upgrade) mattress is shit for a princess like me. I’ve had to toss it for a self inflating pad that sleeps like a dream and doesn’t add too much setup time. It would be ice if it were designed to accommodate modern electrics a bit better. Wiring Solar is not easy and the factory wiring is so small that it seems like a cheap cost saving step on an extremely expensive product. it would have cost like $10 more to use 10awg instead of the 16-18 (not sure, it’s just super tiny)awg.

Community: what community? It would be so simple to bring people together and add community support and events… instead we just have a Facebook group. The owners are all great, but it’d be so little effort to really create a user community that would add real value to the product.

Platform: My home is on my insanely capable vehicle. Sure there are sacrifices compared to a van, but also a lot of benefits. My favourite trips I’ve done in the J30 would not be possible in a van.

For 1 person it’s luxurious, for 2 people it gets cramped. Not a fault of the J30, but really the size of the jeep. Again, it’s a trade off that I’m happy with because it can go just about anywhere I’d want to go.

All this and I still get 19-21 mpg on the highway at 65mph (about as fast as I like to take the jeep).

I’m about to start a 4-5 month solo road trip with it and can’t really think of a better platform for how I like to travel.

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