Gladiator Expedition Rigs

[Mules]

Did you really say 8 feet tall…inside? That’s a foot taller than my basement ceiling height! Whoa ?

Yep, 8ft tall inside. Good thing my basement is 9 ft.

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[Mules]

“Might put a front deck on top out front”, anyone else saying that I would chuckle….you, I can only imagine it, with perhaps a fire pit.
Staying at 300 pounds for the camper shell is impressive. Really starting to come together, but that SpaceCap comment has me concerned, Ha!…..Jack

Roof top deck here I come! Anyone have a spare firepit?

 

[FitfulGoat]

I think I'm still shy of 200 lb. I'll weigh it again soon. The upper bed platform will be 30-40lb. I still haven't decided on materials for lower layout but it should be less than 70lb. All in, I'll try to keep it under 300lb. (without battery and water).

That’s not bad considering the additional amenities. Any concerns with egress at the corners? From the photos it looks like the seam stops a little short.

 

[Mules]

That’s not bad considering the additional amenities. Any concerns with egress at the corners? From the photos it looks like the seam stops a little short.

If I do want egress out the front, I'll probably sew in a smaller door panel, than remove the whole front. Looks like I need a small patch or snap to join the rain skirts on front. It will probably leak, if I don't seal that area.

 

[FitfulGoat]

If I do want egress out the front, I'll probably sew in a smaller door panel, than remove the whole front. Looks like I need a small patch or snap to join the rain skirts on front. It will probably leak, if I don't seal that area.

After reading that I should have stated water ingress.

Amazing build so far! Certainly inspirational

 

[Mules]

Well, here comes one of the more difficult items to build, the rear hatch. I'm making it from 1/4" Acrylic sheet and will be cutting and using part of the shell as the lower frame. It is a bit complicated as I'll be using Jeep hinges, compression latches on both sides, a couple small pneumatic struts, and it needs to be weather tight. I would have preferred glass, but there is a slight curve to the rear hatch, I have to deal with. I will keep the protective plastic coating on it as long as possible. Stay tuned, this might get ugly...

 

[AmishMike]

Roof top deck here I come! Anyone have a spare firepit?

You need a Solo Stove, you can place them on 'any' surface. Their 'Campfire' is the perfect size for that!

 

[Mules]

The Jeep hinges and compression locks for the hatch have arrived. They’re heavy duty cast metal.

 

[Mules]

Some paper and double sided tape to trace the back glass. Shorten it a bit to match my narrowed shell and it looks good to cut the acrylic.

 

[Mules]

Almost lost the window. I cracked it while cutting. Luckily I flipped the pattern and had just enough to make it work. Cut with jig saw (be careful!). Fine tuned the edges with sander. Then mounted the Jeep Hinges. I'll black out the window border later, like the OEM window. Now off to the hardware store for longer bolts.

 

[Christoferweld]

Hit those cut edges on the acrylic with a quick pass of a propane or mapp torch; it’ll smooth all the roughness and look like clear glass when done ?

Love watching your progress, looking great, so satisfying building it yourself if’n you have the patience! Just doing final fit up of my tent, somehow it shrunk while sewing - making extensions for the lower keder cord now… sometimes it’s one step up, and two steps back!

 

[Mules]

Hit those cut edges on the acrylic with a quick pass of a propane or mapp torch; it’ll smooth all the roughness and look like clear glass when done ?

Love watching your progress, looking great, so satisfying building it yourself if’n you have the patience! Just doing final fit up of my tent, somehow it shrunk while sewing - making extensions for the lower keder cord now… sometimes it’s one step up, and two steps back!

Your build looks incredible, and I love the colors!! Great tip about torching the edges.

What did you make your bed platform from?

 

[Christoferweld]

Thank you! The camper base is made from mild steel, side doors and trays are made of 1/8 5052 aluminum, I had the sheets sheared at 100”, and the long edges of each bent up 3”. Overall platform is 54” x 100”. I used the drop to cut and weld the end caps, then 1” z flashing welded around the perimeter of the lower tray, and 3/4” angle welded around the top- that way there’s an overlap so any rain that may get past the gasket would still have to travel up 7/8” to get inside (I tend to way overbuild!). For the finish I sprayed the inside with bedliner and put 1” foam on upper lid, then covered with 1/8 project board.

The light wiring and the solar wires run in the void of upper lid, then route down to camper area. Here’s a picture with the panels removed for context, and one of both halves during fabrication

 

[Mules]

Thank you! The camper base is made from mild steel, side doors and trays are made of 1/8 5052 aluminum, I had the sheets sheared at 100”, and the long edges of each bent up 3”. Overall platform is 54” x 100”. I used the drop to cut and weld the end caps, then 1” z flashing welded around the perimeter of the lower tray, and 3/4” angle welded around the top- that way there’s an overlap so any rain that may get past the gasket would still have to travel up 7/8” to get inside (I tend to way overbuild!). For the finish I sprayed the inside with bedliner and put 1” foam on upper lid, then covered with 1/8 project board.

The light wiring and the solar wires run in the void of upper lid, then route down to camper area. Here’s a picture with the panels removed for context, and one of both halves during fabrication

Very impressive! Mine will be pile of glass fiber if bump a tree, but yours is built for real 4 wheeling.

Can I have the source of those grab handles on the back of the roof top tent? I've been looking for some like that.

 

[Mules]

It took me a while to align the hinges, but it works well, even with the curve. I still plan on cutting the lower part of the shell for a lower window frame, but it's Miller time.

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