And so, with a fine new white stallion to carry the Kul Kamper, the time came to properly mount the house to the truck. Yet, as with all other portions of the entire construction process, this took about three times longer than originally anticipated! The photo mosaic of the endeavor is below.
The first issue to overcome was actually affixing the mechanical jacks to the Kamper in a way that the Ram could back underneath. This was accomplished with some spacers that I asked the Eugene to weld up for me to span the extra 12 inches each side of the dual rear wheels. Now, had I started with the Ram in the beginning of the construction process, the Kul Kamper would have been 6 inches wider each side and flush to the edge of a standard flatbed. But, as I’ve said before, no problem is insurmountable. However, let me tell you, the problem of actually drilling 9/16th inch diameter holes drilling through ¼ inch steel was nearly insurmountable- even with a good bit, powerful drill, and oil.
Due to the 12 inches of leverage now waged against the jacks, I had to make darn sure that each of the jacks were raised at nearly the same rate, otherwise a moment arm would be created so great that a jack would likely bow or slip out. So that meant, a few turns at a time until the entire travel of the jack was reached. Thus, a new custom tool came in handy that was forged from a lowly socket and fitted to my trusty Makita.
Due to a small amount of pre-planning and proper use of a tape measure, the second major dilemma was realized: that there was not nearly enough travel in the jacks to raise the Kamper a whopping 46 inches off the ground! Essentially no jacks commercially available have this amount of travel, which is why you often see truck campers sitting on concrete blocks a foot off the ground when not attached to a truck. Thus, I had to have a second plate welded to the jacks so initially the jacks could raise the kul kamper off the ground.
Once the first stage of lifting was complete, 6×6 wooden posts were used to crib up each corner of the kamper, such that the second mounting plate of the jacks could be used to raise the remaining height. Let me tell you, once the kamper was more that 12 inches of the ground, I was a bit nervous. Had this been done on uneven ground, I’d bet something would have failed and everything would have been ruined! Yet, at last, the 46 inches, turned into 52 inches to actually clear the gooseneck hitch, which was the main attachment point and the Ram was ready to very accurately back under the kamper.
With precise and very slow reversing of the Ram and some masking tape to keep things centered, I was able to guide the house over the truck. Suddenly, the 46 inches didn’t seem so bad and the house was lowered down and secured with the gooseneck. I did measure the spring packs and distance to the helper springs and stoppers. The Ram squatted a few inches but still did not rest on the helper springs!
Overall, while this may not seem like a major task, I must say it was, and definitely the most stressful of the entire build. Before taking things for a test drive, I did one last fairly stressful thing: cut a hole in a perfectly good roof.
I wanted to install the Fantastic Fan prior to getting the roof dirty and running into problems of the sika flex not sticking. I’ve spoke with a few friends who have cut holes in their sprinter van roof, and let me tell you, it was just as scary as you may imagine. Luckily, my roof trusses were still square and with the help of the most useful tool of the entire build, my Grandpa’s sabre saw from the 60’s, the square hole was zipped through no problem. With some sikaflex and screws, I can say I’ve still experienced no leaks two years later.
The day after the fan was installed and the shell was mounted and fully watertight, I rolled into work on the moto, October 1st 2014, and quit my job cold turkey. I knew at this point that no matter what, I was going westward, and I wheelied all the way home.
To begin the final chapter of the Kul Kamper construction, I had to load up my wheelie machine, all my tools, and hitch up my trailer to depart the ever so helpful Lin’s and their hospitality, to continue the process at my grandparents’ house and visit family before departing. This would be a full time endeavor, which still, took three times longer than expected. And yes, the bike still fits in the house.
Cheers,
Kul Whip
Kul Kamper 