Welcome to the seventh 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.
Harald Greser, Summerland, British Columbia
Protective Wood Roof Cover
2010 Dodge Ram 2500
2003 Bigfoot 15C8.2FR
Every spring we had the same story with our truck camper’s cover. Not anymore.
Due to the features on our camper’s roof, the melting snow has to be removed before taking the cover off. Sometimes the snow starts to melt and then refreezes into a solid block of ice. Now you have a problem!
This happened almost every spring. We would free the camper by turning on the camper furnace and burning a ton of propane to melt the ice on the roof. Even then, the roof racks, solar panels and other roof-mounted items often damaged the cover anyway.
Here is my solution:
I built a frame using 2×4, 2×2 and plywood along the middle of my camper. In my case I had to build it in two connecting parts. The height depends on your roof features. My highest point is the kayak rack.
Make sure you will have a good slope to help the water or snow to glide down. When you make the cover from 3/8-inch plywood make sure to cut them in 4-foot sections because it will be easier to lay them in place. Eight-foot sections are too heavy to get up to the roof and mount.
To secure the plywood to the frame, I drilled 3/4-inch holes in the frame. I glued the 3/4-inch wood dowels onto the plywood and stuck the dowels into the frame. This will keep the plywood in place.
The 2×4 that held up the plywood cover is also glued onto the sheet. There are no other security measures to make.
The wood structure is stable. I tested the wood roof without the tarp on an extremely windy day and nothing moved. Before pulling the cover over make sure the corners of the plywood are sanded and smooth.
We bought a camper cover made by Classic Accessories. We folded the fabric in to make it a nice fit. Our sewing machine was strong enough to stitch up the material. Now it is customized for our 2003 Bigfoot 15C8.2FR.
Due to the cut-outs on the frame we are able to crank our roof’s vent open to let the air circulate. The two zippers on the end of the cover allow us to access the camper anytime.
The money for the cover is well spent. With my wooden roof, we never have to hassle with melting or frozen show. No more solid ice blocks on the roof. When the snow melts, it slides down due to the slope of the wood roof structure. We hope our report inspires other owners with the same cover issues.
It took me 4 hours to complete this modification and cost me $80 Canadian. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is hard.
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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