Bison Overland Flatbed Shell Build on 2010 Ram 2500 CTD

[Totemo_Hayai]

Sharing details of my Bison Overland build. We had been considering a camper purchase for about a year then COVID hit and a camper looked like the only way to carry out some previously made plans. The original idea was to purchase an FWC Hawk Shell. Build times for FWC at this point would not have allowed me to complete my trip and then Bison arrived in my Google feed. My ideal camper was always a flatbed because of the extra storage, rear dinette, side door, and increased space while keeping the length of the truck at bumper level short. I would have never bit the bullet on a $33k or so camper so the Bison was quite enticing at $20k to start. That turned out to be poor reasoning as I've way over spent my anticipated budget for the camper and the truck which is also new to me. In addition to the anticipated lower cost, what Bison could provide that FWC couldn't was a build time that allowed me to go on the trip I planned and a camper body that is less than 80" wide. It is very important to be under 80" wide so the rig can be parked on the street in front of my house which allows us to avoid storage fees and makes the rig more accessible. I also prefer to have a much larger dinette than what FWC offers in their flatbed.

Our main uses for this truck and camper setup are skiing day lodge, racecar/go-kart hauling, and family vacations. These uses really pushed us to a truck camper because we needed 4wd and something that can tow well. It is also nice to have for soccer practice and its used for mountain biking, but we don't really hang out in it when mountain biking. The goal is to have a setup that can provide ample seating space for at least 6 adults while also having provisions for cooking and excretion.

The build includes two 100ah LiFePo batteries, 340 watts of solar, and propane for a buddy heater and a cook top. At this point I regret bothering with propane and wish I had invested in more battery instead. There is currently plenty of battery for cooking or heating the camper for 4 hours or so.

Floor Plan:

Out Mountain Biking:
[sharedmedia=core:attachments:39087]
Loading Up:

 

[Totemo_Hayai]

Build Day 1 - Right Side Bench
Material Acquisition:

3x 1/2" Plywood and 1x 3/4" Plywood, though 2x of each would have probably been a better mix. 1/2" is used for the vertical pieces and 3/4" is used for horizontal pieces to allow for storage access cut outs. I also routed out 1/4"x1/2" of the bench tops at the edges to help the pieces keep their position.
Layout:

 

[Totemo_Hayai]

Day 1 - Continued
Attachment:

Benches are attached to the floor with 3/16"x1.5" aluminum angle. 1/8"x1.5" would probably have been sufficient and easier to work with. Benches attach to the wall with 3/16"x2" aluminum angle, this seems to be the appropriate size.
Assembly:

 

[Kolockum]

Looks good. Subscribed!

 

[longhorn1]

Looking Good

 

[Totemo_Hayai]

Looks good. Subscribed!

Looking Good

Thanks! Looking at other build threads on here there are some impressive wood working skills. My work is passable, especially considering the tools, space, and time I have. I'm working out of a 10x20 garage that is typically occupied by the racecar, making all my cuts with a 10" Harbor Freight table saw and a 6" cordless Milwaukee circular saw. The table saw is too small to fence for most cuts so it often turns into a saw horse while I cut with the circular saw. For interior cuts and other detail work I borrowed a nice Bosch router. I briefly attempted to use a jigsaw for interior cuts, but it doesn't work as well. For anyone beginning a build, I highly recommend purchasing a new finish blade for your saw before you pickup your camper. I forgot about the importance of a quality blade and have been struggling with a framing blade on the circular saw of unknown age. Also, use router bits with a 1/2" shank if you can.

Build Day 2 - Left Side Bench and Galley Area
Copying the angle from the right side bench


Routing out a hole for the fridge, storage access, grooves for cabinet walls.

 

[Totemo_Hayai]

Day 2 - Continued
Test fit of the vertical left side bench/galley panel:


I call this the dinosaur panel because it slightly resembles a large animal. At this point it has a hole for a yet to arrive Dometic CRX-65 fridge, a notch on the bottom to integrate with the forward bench, an under sink storage cutout and a larger storage cutout under what will be the stove top area. This panel is quite a challenge to fit because it spans the length of the camper, includes the angle in the back and has to fit tightly on both ends. I'm very lucky to have not messed up the forward end when shaving small portions of it off with the circular saw. It is also very flimsy when uninstalled so I was quite worried the front of it would break off as I drug it in and out of the camper.

Left side bench:

 

[Vic Harder]

Thanks! Looking at other build threads on here there are some impressive wood working skills. My work is passable, especially considering the tools, space, and time I have. I'm working out of a 10x20 garage that is typically occupied by the racecar, making all my cuts with a 10" Harbor Freight table saw and a 6" cordless Milwaukee circular saw. The table saw is too small to fence for most cuts so it often turns into a saw horse while I cut with the circular saw. For interior cuts and other detail work I borrowed a nice Bosch router. I briefly attempted to use a jigsaw for interior cuts, but it doesn't work as well. For anyone beginning a build, I highly recommend purchasing a new finish blade for your saw before you pickup your camper. I forgot about the importance of a quality blade and have been struggling with a framing blade on the circular saw of unknown age. Also, use router bits with a 1/2" shank if you can.

Build Day 2 - Left Side Bench and Galley Area
Copying the angle from the right side bench

Dinosaur Panel Layout.jpg

Routing out a hole for the fridge, storage access, grooves for cabinet walls.

Dinosaur Panel Routing.jpg

Doh, never thought of using my router to make those holes! That would be way cleaner than using my jigsaw. That said, I would still have to clean up the corners to make them square. How are you doing that?

 

[Totemo_Hayai]

Doh, never thought of using my router to make those holes! That would be way cleaner than using my jigsaw. That said, I would still have to clean up the corners to make them square. How are you doing that?

Funny, it was the woodwork in your build I was admiring last night. Nice work! I ran across your build thread while contemplating heaters. The short answer is that I'm not cleaning up the corners to make them square. I noticed that the new Scout campers have cabinets with open shelves instead of cabinets with doors and drawers. They use radiused corners, so I figured I would give it a try as an initial go. Later on I may add doors to the two storage areas. It will be a challenge to match the radius of the holes, but I think it can be achieved using the router and a template. I do like the radiused look and if anything I'd try to cut a larger radius at the corners. I think I used a 5/8" bit, but a 3/16" bit would probably leave a sharp enough corner to visually appear square enough to match a sanded edge on a drawer or cabinet door.

 

[Vic Harder]

You mentioned heaters. FYI, I am in the process of changing my heater setup to draw the re-circulated "cold air" from outside of the camper instead of inside, so as to made for drier camping. Something to keep in mind as a "possible" to do with Propex or Diesel heaters.

 

[Totemo_Hayai]

You mentioned heaters. FYI, I am in the process of changing my heater setup to draw the re-circulated "cold air" from outside of the camper instead of inside, so as to made for drier camping. Something to keep in mind as a "possible" to do with Propex or Diesel heaters.

I do like the idea of drier camping. If the to be heated air is drawn from outside the camper, would that possibly create too much positive pressure inside and make it difficult for the blower to circulate air? My camper seems to be fairly air-tight and I want to be able to keep the vents closed when heating.

 

[Kolockum]

I do like the idea of drier camping. If the to be heated air is drawn from outside the camper, would that possibly create too much positive pressure inside and make it difficult for the blower to circulate air? My camper seems to be fairly air-tight and I want to be able to keep the vents closed when heating.

That reminds me of my Jeep wrangler with a ragtop. Whenever I had my heater on high, the sides and roof would be bulging out like a balloon. I can just picture our campers doing the same.

The idea of an outside intake is a new one to me.

 

[Vic Harder]

I would still want to keep a vent or window open a crack, which we do now anyway.

 

[Totemo_Hayai]

I want to be able to heat to 68F in 20F weather and I don't think that will be possible heating outside air with a vent open. The ability to dry out the camper with outside air is really appealing. I think I could setup to have both options with the Y Flap found here: https://expeditionupfitter.com/collections/heat-hot-water/products/60mm-connectors-for-high-temperature-ducting

 

[Totemo_Hayai]

Fridge Install and Early Electrical

This was my third weekend with the rig. The previous weekend was spent making the left portion of the forward bench and applying a finish to the left side cabinet. I used DEFT Satin Clear, it seems to be OK. I didn't sand between coats so it actually feels rougher than before I applied the finish. The important part was getting it coated with something because I would also be using the camper during its build. I figured I could sand later.

I should also point out that the truck was having a number of issues at this point. This might just be how things go when you purchase a vehicle with nearly 200k miles sight unseen. The truck barely made it home from Tulsa. From the first turn and then every turn thereafter the power steering pump made horrible noises. I spent the 2,000 mile trip home trying to assure myself that the noise was the power steering pump because the noise would also occur when not turning. After some research on the second night I learned that the brakes are also powered by the power steering pump. The next day I called a repair shop near home to setup an appointment to replace the power steering pump and replace fluids. On the final stretch, about 70 miles from home I stopped for a final pit stop. When I was returning to the cab I noticed a small puddle forming under the truck. Thinking that the leak only occurs when the engine is shutoff and manageable, I continued on towards home. I drove a bit slower to keep temps and pressures low while monitoring the engine temp. I was pretty confident that if I kept the temp under 205F or so I wouldn't lose coolant or damage the engine if I was wrong. This worked and I was able to make it home, thankfully without getting stuck in traffic or running out of fuel. The shop also addressed the leak the next week, it turned out to be the water pump.

The week after that the truck threw a check engine light code for a crank case ventilation (CCV) filter. So back to the shop it went to change the CCV filter and a valve adjustment for good measure. When I got the truck back it had about 10 check engine codes. I think they leave the key in the on position when working on the truck and the codes on newer cars apparently can't clear through the use of a code scanner. Fortunately, the codes disappeared after a day or so of driving.

Back to the third weekend and camper build... I selected a Dometic CRX-65 fridge, but didn't have it on hand to verify that what I had in mind would actually workout in real life. The tricky part was knowing where the front feet of the fridge would end up because that dimension is not defined in the installation manual. As a result of this, my fridge platform is a little longer than it needs to be, but it is still covered by the fridge.

Routing out the fridge vents:


The fridge instructions imply through various pictograms that there should be 2" of space under the fridge platform, behind the fridge, and above the fridge. This space should also be vented to the rest of the room.

Fridge Platform:


The fridge platform is a 3/4" piece of plywood supported by more 3/4" plywood on the edges.

 

[Totemo_Hayai]

Fridge Install and Early Electrical - Continued

Fridge Installed:


Batteries:


At this point only one battery is hooked up at a time. I had to remove them to charge with the included charger because the rig is parked on the street and I can't have an extension cord running across the sidewalk. Wiring for the fridge runs through a switched breaker panel next to the left bench. In retrospect, the fridge could have been wired directly to the fuse block installed by Bison because it has a power button on the inside. The area next to the batteries will be the home of the Redarc BMS30 battery management system. The BMS30 is pretty cool, it handles DC-DC charging, solar, and shore power while isolating the house batteries from the starting batteries. The downside is that it's really long and requires space around it for cooling.

 

[Vic Harder]

That is one well ventilated fridge. Nice work.

 

[Totemo_Hayai]

That is one well ventilated fridge. Nice work.

Thanks! Hopefully the venting will keep the fridge happy for a long time. It's remarkable how little energy it uses, only 2-4 amps when it's running.

More Electrical and Table -

For the last weekend before my big trip I decided that the best preparation I could do was to shakedown the truck a bit more so we took our sun to go race go-karts in the Tri-Cities. This was an appealing shakedown run because the drive involved mountain passes and other hills. Before I could even start that trip the alternator went out while I was driving kids to soccer practice Friday evening. This was a pretty frightening event as the cabin began to smell like smoke and the alternator would not stop smoking for 20 minutes after I shut the truck off. I called AAA to have the truck towed to my parents' house and lined up an alternator from O'reilly's. One nice thing about being stuck waiting for a tow truck with a camper is that there is cold beer and you aren't driving anywhere. The next morning I headed to the store at opening, picked up the alternator, and replaced it in my parents' driveway before heading out to the Tri-Cities, albeit a bit later than anticipated. Towing with the truck is a real delight, it has power to tow up mountain passes in excess of 60mph and doesn't get pushed around by the trailer. The previous tow vehicle was a 100 Series Land Cruiser, it got the job done, though slower and with a lot of sawing at the wheel. In my spare time at the track I installed a power port into the bottom of the camper.

Power Port:

The power port has two receptacles on the other side. One is planned for the battery charger while the other powers a desk receptacle with USB ports. A very quick way to setup and finish the 110V wiring inside the camper.

Table Bracket:

The table bracket is made from 1.5"x1/8" flat bar that was welded and ground flat. This was a bad idea because it is not stiff enough. The table bracket will later be replaced with a piece of 1/4" aluminum sheet.

 

[Totemo_Hayai]

Table - Continued

Routing the underside of the table top, a rather unfortunate use of time:


I used bamboo IKEA table tops to make the table and the counter top. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a laminate type product instead of solid bamboo. I was hoping it would be solid bamboo because I previously installed an IKEA bathroom countertop that was solid. Being a laminate product the cut edges have to be hidden and it is way too heavy for the Lagun table mount. The product I should have bought is bamboo plywood, but I didn't have time to determine that and obtain it within the time constraints I had. Bamboo plywood should weigh a lot less than the IKEA table top. I routed out the bottom to reduce weight, but it is still too heavy and will need to be replaced at some point.

Installed Table:


The table bracket I made bolts into the L-Track attached to the bench side. This allows the table to be pretty much anywhere in the camper. The L-Track also serves as the support for the table when it is used as a bed. I have to drive with the table in the bed position because I think the table would swing while driving. The table is quite large at 33"x30".