Tramper build: The Phantom

[VortecJeep]

We’ve been wanting a camper for quite awhile. I would also like to get back to wheeling. Maybe this will fix both.

Back in June I ordered a 8.5x24 v-nose from Kaufman. So the trail rig would fit, I order extra height (7’6” interior height). I also ordered it with rv style door, 5.2k axles, extended tongue, a rooftop AC, insulated walls and ceiling, two windows, 50 amp electrical hookup, and bogey wheels on the back (we have a steep driveway).

While I waited the 8 weeks or so to get it, I replaced the stock F150 mirrors with tow mirrors.

while I waited, I worked on a layout that would give us a shower, toilet, sink, and fold up beds (me, wife, 2 kids).

And here it is when I brought it home. I named the truck The Ghost, so the Tramper (trailer camper) is The Phantom.

 

[rodney eppes]

It even Looks, long! Wow!

 

[CasterTroy]

Can it fit 2 rigs inside? (For harlan purposes only)

 

[benXJ]

That F150 is gonna have to give it's all!

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

[VortecJeep]

Can it fit 2 rigs inside? (For harlan purposes only)

Funny you should ask, because today was the first day I loaded the Jeep just to see where it would ride. I had already framed out the bathroom in the front, but wanted to validate my assumptions on where a sink and counter can go. Turns out I plenty of room, just not for a second rig.

Here is how the truck and trailer sits with the Jeep in it. There isn’t a flat spot in our entire neighborhood, so I did the best I could. I measured the height at the front and rear fenders of the truck before and after. Came out pretty close.

 

[VortecJeep]

 

[VortecJeep]

My original plan was to not permanently mount a waste tank, just have a portable waste tank. But then I decided it would be nice to have a small permanent waste tank in case I need to drop a deuce during travel. For that reason, and my desire to not have a lot of plumbing hanging underneath, I elevated the bathroom. There is a 9 gallon black tank directly under the toilet. The outlet of the tank goes thru the floor and to an rv waste valve. The drain for the shower and the sink (sink not installed yet) joins the blank tank outlet u dear the trailer. I ended up with more pipe under the trailer than I hoped for, but it was unavoidable based on where everything was.
I still have a portable waste tank too.

the black pipe Going up the wall is the vent pipe. The blue and white pex pipe near the vent pipe will be the inlet and outlet of a tankless water heater that will likely mount to the wall. I haven’t picked one out yet though.
The piping coming out from under the bathroom will be the drain for a sink and the supply for the sink and shower.

 

[WARRIORWELDING]

Are you gonna use a weight distribution hitch?


I personally wouldn't hitch up without one with what I see in the thread.

EDIT: Never mind I zoomed in on my phone. Good call.

 

[VortecJeep]

Are you gonna use a weight distribution hitch?


I personally wouldn't hitch up without one with what I see in the thread.

EDIT: Never mind I zoomed in on my phone. Good call.

Yep, I never used one when I had my Ram 2500. But with the F150, I bought one and bought a set of extra brackets for the trailer so I can use the same WDH on both the Tramper and my open trailer.

Today I hooked up water and checked for leaks. Didn’t find any. Toilet flushed multiple times. Poured several gallons down the shower drain. Also routed the cold and hot lines for the shower and the sink, with cut-off valves on each.

Decided to put metal corrugated roofing in the bathroom ceiling.

 

[BigSouth]

My original plan was to not permanently mount a waste tank, just have a portable waste tank. But then I decided it would be nice to have a small permanent waste tank in case I need to drop a deuce during travel. For that reason, and my desire to not have a lot of plumbing hanging underneath, I elevated the bathroom. There is a 9 gallon black tank directly under the toilet. The outlet of the tank goes thru the floor and to an rv waste valve. The drain for the shower and the sink (sink not installed yet) joins the blank tank outlet u dear the trailer. I ended up with more pipe under the trailer than I hoped for, but it was unavoidable based on where everything was.
I still have a portable waste tank too.

View attachment 325343 View attachment 325344

the black pipe Going up the wall is the vent pipe. The blue and white pex pipe near the vent pipe will be the inlet and outlet of a tankless water heater that will likely mount to the wall. I haven’t picked one out yet though.
The piping coming out from under the bathroom will be the drain for a sink and the supply for the sink and shower.


View attachment 325345

Have you thought about putting a skid wheel on that corner to protect your piping from dragging? I’m used to seeing that stuff hang just behind a rear wheel (camper or RV) to keep it safe from extreme angles.

 

[rodney eppes]

Funny you should ask, because today was the first day I loaded the Jeep just to see where it would ride. I had already framed out the bathroom in the front, but wanted to validate my assumptions on where a sink and counter can go. Turns out I plenty of room, just not for a second rig.

Here is how the truck and trailer sits with the Jeep in it. There isn’t a flat spot in our entire neighborhood, so I did the best I could. I measured the height at the front and rear fenders of the truck before and after. Came out pretty close.

View attachment 325339

Just need a Big Wing on top of the truck bed shell, to be a Super Trucker!

 

[rodney eppes]

Have you thought about putting a skid wheel on that corner to protect your piping from dragging? I’m used to seeing that stuff hang just behind a rear wheel (camper or RV) to keep it safe from extreme angles.

From what I heard about Kiaros, he never get in the entrance!

 

[77GreenMachine]

From what I heard about Kiaros, he never get in the entrance!

Nah he won’t have no problems getting up the hill. Just put it 4low.

I would however be a little uneasy about towing at speed with that setup though. I don’t down the truck has the power to move it, but I’d be concerned about stopping it and it swaying.

 

[rodney eppes]

Nah he won’t have no problems getting up the hill. Just put it 4low.

I would however be a little uneasy about towing at speed with that setup though. I don’t down the truck has the power to move it, but I’d be concerned about stopping it and it swaying.

I was thinking more of the Sudden incline, several spoke of, where the end of trailers would drag. Or maybe just dovetails. But Tramper, has a long tail, & plumbing, under it. Like someone said, might need to add rear wheelies to it!

 

[BigSouth]

might need to add rear wheelies to it!

I was actually thinking about the front corners of the trailer. If I’m not mistaken, that’s where the plumbing is hanging down at.

 

[NCJeeplover]

Thank you for making a build thread! I have plans to do something similar in the next year or two, just a little bigger (28', 7k axles, 8' to 8.5' interior height, etc).

Where did you source your grey and black holding tanks? Any thoughts on putting them between the crossmembers in the floor instead of elevating the bathroom floor? My plan right now is to elevate the floor like you, but considering only have a permanent black water tank and using the portable for grey.

Lastly, how do you like the build quality of the Kaufman? I have one of their deck over trailers and am pretty happy with it. They are my number one choice right now for the trailer. They seem like the best balance of quality and budget.

 

[VortecJeep]

Thank you for making a build thread! I have plans to do something similar in the next year or two, just a little bigger (28', 7k axles, 8' to 8.5' interior height, etc).

Where did you source your grey and black holding tanks? Any thoughts on putting them between the crossmembers in the floor instead of elevating the bathroom floor? My plan right now is to elevate the floor like you, but considering only have a permanent black water tank and using the portable for grey.

Lastly, how do you like the build quality of the Kaufman? I have one of there deck over trailers and am pretty happy with it. They are my number one choice right now for the trailer. They seem like the best balance of quality and budget.

Amazon and eBay are where the tanks came from. I thought about the tanks between the crossmembers, but then I couldn’t put the toilet in the v-nose because I wanted the toilet directly above the black tank.
I’m happy with Kaufman’s quality. I also have a 16’ Kaufman car hauler that I’ve used for about 9 years and it has been a great one. I also like they build them here in NC.

Work has been so busy I haven’t had a chance to work on it in over a month. Hopefully I’ll get back to it in a couple weeks.

 

[VortecJeep]

It’s been awhile since I’ve worked on it due to my paying job; the refueling outage at the neutron factory had me working all the time. But I did get to use it to haul the trail rig to the Carolina Trailblazers Fun Caravan last weekend. The truck had plenty of power for it, but I’m sure that when we eventually want to haul it up a mountain it will suck. I figured as much, but at the time I bought the F150, I had no plans of building this. So a diesel will be in my future, but in the mean time, I’ll continue to build on the Tramper.

Today I almost finished up the shower. I still need to caulk it, but it’s rainy and I think I’ll wait for a dry day to caulk.

The wife scored several table tops for a few dollars, so I’m going to use one for the countertop. I haven’t decided on a stain/sealer yet, but this is the general idea. It will go outside the bathroom behind the shower. The sink is a little 15” bar sink.

 

[CasterTroy]

Totally forgot to check this out at the fun caravan

 

[VortecJeep]

test fitting some cabinets. Floor cabinets are deeper than I wanted. So I got 2 wall cabinets, they are 12” deep, One is 12” wide, the other is 36” wide, but they are not tall enough. So I built a base for them to sit on, which will put the countertop about 42-43” tall. I still need to cut the cabinets out so the sink fits and cut out for plumbing. I may put a hinged table top on the right side that can add more counter space when we need it.

 

[rodney eppes]

test fitting some cabinets. Floor cabinets are deeper than I wanted. So I got 2 wall cabinets, they are 12” deep, One is 12” wide, the other is 36” wide, but they are not tall enough. So I built a base for them to sit on, which will put the countertop about 42-43” tall. I still need to cut the cabinets out so the sink fits and cut out for plumbing. I may put a hinged table top on the right side that can add more counter space when we need it.


View attachment 329431

You still got room under it. Maybe another draw or something!

 

[VortecJeep]

Got a friend to weld 5 heavy duty door hinges to steel to make a long hinge for a fold-up twin-size bed. Having one long hinge like this allowed me to tie in to multiple studs and put a piece of steel behind the wall board to bolt to in between studs.

I built the bed to be 10” deep to hold two 5” thick memory foam mattresses for storage; when we camp, one of the mattresses will come out and go on a portable bed that our 15 year old will sleep on. Our 12 year old will sleep on this fold up bed. If those 5” mattresses aren’t enough for them, they can add an air mattress.

To secure it in the upright position, I put an anchor in the wall on each side and one on each side of the bed, then connect with a turnbuckle. this allows me to turn the turnbuckle to snug it up against the wall.

The portable bed frame folds in half, and will be hung under this one when traveling.

I ordered a propane tankless water heater and it arrived today. I’m still trying to decide what to do with it. I originally planned to install in the bathroom, but I’m not sure if I want to cut a hole for the exhaust vent. I may make it portable and set it up outside the Tramper when we need hot water. Still debating on that.

 

[VortecJeep]

Fold down bunk bed and portable bed for the kids. Haven’t started on the queen bed for me and the wife yet.

painted the cabinets and countertop and installed the sink. Still need to connect the drain for the sink. 3 coats of poly on the countertop, which is a table top I cut down. The wall behind it is a vinyl wall covering.

 

[VortecJeep]

Time for an update...
Back in January I traded my 2018 F150 on this 2017 F250. I miss the fuel mileage, but everything else is great.

This weekend I finally made some progress. Plumbing is complete, now we can poop and take a hot shower in the Tramper! I also put down the floor in the bathroom today. I still lack some trim pieces, but it’s mostly done.

Last time I loaded the Jeep, the tires were wet and slid all over the ramp. Today I put a coat of porch paint with grip in it.

 

[VortecJeep]

Every time the Tramper goes in or out of our steep driveway, it drags on the bogey wheels on the rear. I ordered the lift kit for it, and the first kit they sent was the wrong one, the bolt holes didn’t line up. Second set was perfect. Here is the axle mount pre-lift:

And here is the axle mount with the lift. Easier job than I first xpected.

Maybe some larger tires down the road. And the test drive confirmed, no ass-dragging in or out of the driveway!

Test pull did great.