Thread: Detachable camp body build for 130....

Originally Posted by Witchdoctor

How do you stop the legs from walking when its standing on its own?

Built my own camper box with robust 50x50 legs but could not stop the thing from moving when off the truck without braces every were. In the end we did not remove it except putting it back in the shed on concrete after camping, never removed it camping!

Cheers
David

I have a similar issue. Not always, but if the ground is slightly uneven it's a real risk. I'm considering some heavy gauge stainless cable, braced diagonally on the top section of the legs. Not sure if this would work, but something I've been thinking about trying. The main reason for this happening on mine is that the legs are only attached to the camper at 1 point. I've seen other campers, and by the looks of it Sitec's are attached at 2 points, to they're much better braced.

Hopefully we can compare notes at the Defender Day Out

My legs were attached to the camper via two points about 250 apart. the receiving points were 50x25 with the legs 250 mm from the body, which gave you loads of room to manoeuvre the ute under(worked great on flat level ground) but the fact that the legs were further from the box made the rocking worse.
We then moved the legs closer to the body and then bent the 50x25 at 45 deg to make the stance wider, but it still did not instil allot of confidence.
The last thing we did was use a 2 ton ratchet strap all the way around just below the camper and that stopped all the issues.
My concerns with this anyone could remove the strap and possibly push the camper box over.

I like the idea of the cross braces from high to low on the jacking legs.

David

I forgot to mention, I have 4 braces (basically about 20mm alloy box with smaller sliding box inside. These fold up under the canopy when not in use, and fold down attach to the bottom of the legs. They tighten using a bolt into a captive nut on the bottom of the outer box.

The problem with this system is two-fold. You can't use the braces until the canopy is off and the truck is out of the way. Also, because they attach to the bottom of the legs, you can't adjust the height without loosening the braces.

Now, this keeps the canopy pretty stable, but the problem I have is when lifting the canopy off - that is when it's most unstable. and tends to want to walk. Wrinkle Arthur and I tried different braces from the outside of the canopy to the upper section of the legs, which worked, except there wasn't enough clearance to put the 130 back under the canopy!

They might suit your needs - have a look next weekend.

Would a possible solution to the walking be to drive some tent pegs through holes drilled in the feet of the lift off legs? It mightn't make it more stable, but it should keep it in one place!

Hi all! I've had no problem with walking or movement, that said we have only spent a week atop the box with the ute 'detached'... I had planned to put three slide in box section cross bars if needed.. One at either side and one at the back. I've kept the outer length of box as long as I can so this might have helped. Re the legs being close, 50mm each side seems enough.
Thanks for the ACME thread tip. Off to find some!!

Originally Posted by Witchdoctor

How do you stop the legs from walking when its standing on its own?

Built my own camper box with robust 50x50 legs but could not stop the thing from moving when off the truck without braces every were. In the end we did not remove it except putting it back in the shed on concrete after camping, never removed it camping!

Cheers
David

Funny you should mention that now, Harry, is at this moment is welding brackets on the legs to stabilize the camper until we can fit the braces when it is removed from the truck. Next weekend will be the test

Mrs hh