Welcome to the first entry in April’s Mega Mod Contest. One Mega Mod will be published in every Email Alert in April. At the end of the month we’ll hold a reader vote to determine April’s winner. Click here for information about the 2020 Mod Squad Contest, including how to enter.
Nelson Dion, Cromwell, Connecticut
Aluminum Deck Fabrication Project
2008 Ram 4500
2015 Palomino HS-2910
The Palomino HS-2910 truck camper is sits high because we have a Ram 4500 dump truck. Before my modification, the camper was tough to get in and out of. I had to come up with something.
I saw other camper decks online. That’s where we started our design. The design was not my idea. I give all the fabricating people out there the credit. All I did was add onto the great designs out there, like my folding stairs and a fold-in railing.
We decided to use all aluminum for the deck to keep it light weight. On Craigslist I saw two aluminum stairs for small decks; one smooth and one rough corrugation.
I dismantled the stairs with a plasma cutter. I had to buy the frame pieces; 2-inches by 2-inches by 1/4-inch. I drew up the entire mod in CAD. It made the folding deck and stair movement a lot easier. Then, I cleaned pieces of old weld and TIG welded all the pieces together.
This project is experimental, so we are still adding and tweaking, but it works well.
One person can fold it, but two is better.
It is so easy to get in the camper on the wide stairs. The deck is great. We can sit two people and we can cook on it. I made the rack to fit a Weber Baby Q grill. It attaches to the railing.
It took me 25 to 35 hours to complete this modification and cost me $600. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is hard due to the required welding.
Disclaimer: The modifications above are submitted by Truck Camper Magazine readers. It is your responsibility to make sure that any do-it-yourself modification project you undertake is safe, effective, and legal for your situation.
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