"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730 RV Hauler Build

[bmzero]

If you intend to drive up - even with 16' ramps - you are going to want a chock in the front. You may want the chock(s) anyway....since it provides a redundant system for tie-down.

 

Jack, I'm sure you're right about having something there to keep me from pulling an Evel Knievel off of the side of the truck. I will probably build a piece using the two stud hook and have it clip right into the VersaTie track. That would be a quick and easy project. Thanks.

[RickS]

Hey bmzero. I know you are involved in the bed design but did you get your seat belts in the cab yet? I am interested in your install.

 

SS,

We discussed the seat belts earlier in this thread and I posted a few links to what I used in my truck. Britt used a little different belts the link is there as well. The nice thing about this setup is you can unclip them and store them until needed.

[SuiteSuccess]

SS,

We discussed the seat belts earlier in this thread and I posted a few links to what I used in my truck. Britt used a little different belts the link is there as well. The nice thing about this setup is you can unclip them and store them until needed.

Rick,

Thanks. I see that I responded to both of you in the thread. This being old and forgetful is a bummer.

My bad, sorry.

[bmzero]

 

SS,

We discussed the seat belts earlier in this thread and I posted a few links to what I used in my truck. Britt used a little different belts the link is there as well. The nice thing about this setup is you can unclip them and store them until needed.

 

I also like that you can go from four seat "mode" (all passengers facing inside) to two seat mode (passengers facing forward). When my kids ride back there, they love sitting where they can see out, but we have also taken four passengers a few times. It was tight, but at least they had seat belts.

[MrSeas]

In your cad drawing of your bed it appears that you are looking at "squaring" off the rear corners instead of the more traditional slanting dovetail / beaver tail type arrangement is this your plan or just the way the drawing is?

[bmzero]

In your cad drawing of your bed it appears that you are looking at "squaring" off the rear corners instead of the more traditional slanting dovetail / beaver tail type arrangement is this your plan or just the way the drawing is?

Everything on the sides is simply a placeholder at this point, but I haven't ruled out squaring the corners. If you take a look at the rear-most section, you can see that I already started the slant, but haven't carried it through to the side or the top yet. I will have a transfer tank and a generator on either side of the truck, behind the rear tire, so I'm not sold on shrinking those compartments for the slant just yet. Still thinking through that decision.

[bmzero]

Hi bmzero - nice design - you have prolly thought to provide drainage to daylight in your tie-down track recesses . Ice or frozen mud is a royal pain

 

Water drain holes added. Thanks again for the suggestion.

 

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[noteven]

Your welcome. I'm with Jack on the Evel Knievel preventers suggestion. Also suggest you cover your drive tires even with some temporary black plywood or plastic fenders - truck tires can propel a stone with .22 caliber velocity seems like - specially if there is a mirror to get, or back of the bunk or plastic anywhere on your trailer ...

[bmzero]

Here is the mostly-final design that I sent off to laser tonight. This is what I hope to have on the truck for the rally, but there's a huge amount of work to happen between now and then to make that happen.

 

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Underside of bed w/o chassis in the way.

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All holes in the main joists are slotted for easy assembly.

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[bmzero]

Your welcome. I'm with Jack on the Evel Knievel preventers suggestion. Also suggest you cover your drive tires even with some temporary black plywood or plastic fenders - truck tires can propel a stone with .22 caliber velocity seems like - specially if there is a mirror to get, or back of the bunk or plastic anywhere on your trailer ...

 

I completely agree about the fenders. I'm parking the truck until the bed is on it. I'll pull the trailer with the F450 for the next few trips.

[bmzero]

I'm considering splitting the bed components up into sub-8' pieces. Doing so would allow me to ship the entire bed via UPS and easily re-assembled. Do you guys think anyone out there would be interested in something like this?

[forxlr8n]

This was a nice find this morning. Good job on your truck build. You are correct in that we install the bunk board before installing the side walls. Here's the last special truck we built. This is for our factory and local town. Yes it's a 4 door

 

 

[bmzero]

This was a nice find this morning. Good job on your truck build. You are correct in that we install the bunk board before installing the side walls. Here's the last special truck we built. This is for our factory and local town. Yes it's a 4 door

 

 

 

Wow, that's an amazing truck. So, I'll be the first to ask, how do I get a four door????

 

Thanks for the compliment.

[bmzero]

You are correct in that we install the bunk board before installing the side walls.

 

It's funny you bring that back up. I have had the bunk board out a couple of times since then for cleaning/wiring/etc. That one simple cut to separate the bunk board into two pieces makes all the difference in the world. It comes out in about five minutes w/o removing any other major parts. I would love to see future trucks have the bunk board separated into two pieces from the factory. Cutting it was not a simple task due to how tight it was up against the walls.

 

For anyone unsure of what I'm referring to here, you can see the cut in the black plastic board directly behind and between the cup holders in the photo below.

 

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Once the bunk board comes out, you have full access to the area underneath. I will eventually have all of my camera components, wiring and fuse panels under there, accessible from the side door.

[forxlr8n]

 

 

It's funny you bring that back up. I have had the bunk board out a couple of times since then for cleaning/wiring/etc. That one simple cut to separate the bunk board into two pieces makes all the difference in the world. It comes out in about five minutes w/o removing any other major parts. I would love to see future trucks have the bunk board separated into two pieces from the factory. Cutting it was not a simple task due to how tight it was up against the walls.

 

For anyone unsure of what I'm referring to here, you can see the cut in the black plastic board directly behind and between the cup holders in the photo below.

 

View High Resolution Photo

Once the bunk board comes out, you have full access to the area underneath. I will eventually have all of my camera components, wiring and fuse panels under there, accessible from the side door.

 

 

I brought it up because an L5 is a pain in the butt to install the trim in 6 mins.

[forxlr8n]

 

Wow, that's an amazing truck. So, I'll be the first to ask, how do I get a four door????

 

Thanks for the compliment.

 

 

You won't it was the second 4 door the other in on Our Jacob II and it is a L4 H2 or a short roof 670 (I think). We use L1, L3, L4 H2, L4H4, L5 H4 and yours L5H2

[forxlr8n]

Our first new 2017 cab is in prototype now. I won't see it for a month and even then mum's the word.

[forxlr8n]

[JC and Angie]

I completely agree about the fenders. I'm parking the truck until the bed is on it. I'll pull the trailer with the F450 for the next few trips.

Well crap, I have two fenders sitting at my shop I would have given you had I thought about it. Sorry.

JC

[Refuzn-To-Grow-Up]

I'm considering splitting the bed components up into sub-8' pieces. Doing so would allow me to ship the entire bed via UPS and easily re-assembled. Do you guys think anyone out there would be interested in something like this?

BMZERO:

 

I think that you have a GREAT IDEA.

 

I am guessing that most people, who own an HDT, would like a bed rather than frame rails. But, some may not be able and/or willing to spend $25,000 to have one custom built. And, many of these same people have extraordinary "gear head" skills such that they could easily assemble your bed on their HDT.

 

The last time I checked, a custom bed would cost me about $25,000, painted and installed. I do not know what the price is now. So, I am guessing you better price it a bit under $25,000

 

I, too, decided to build my bed out of "assemblies" for the following reasons..

 

1. I do NOT have the equipment to lift a 10,000 pound bed. I can lift the components on the frame rails and bolt them into an assembly.

2. I did not want to spend $25,000 for a finished bed.

3. I spend most of my RV'ing boon docking in the desert, which can be brutal (sandstorms and desert pin stripping) on pretty paint jobs.

4. I wanted easy access to under the bed for maintenance.

5. I do not like any welding to be done on or around the truck. Sparks can damage hoses and/or wiring and too many computers that can be zapped.

6. I have the skill level and equipment to assemble the components into a bed.

7. I can paint the sub assemblies, prior to installing them.

8. I want to carry my Yamaha Rhino on the bed, on a "rocket launcher."

 

Thanks for the drawings on the e-strips. I will incorporate the idea into my bed (with drain holes). Thanks to Henry Szymt, I am learning to become "one with Solidworks," but I have a long way to go for my drawings to look like yours.

 

I will be using composite decking to cover my bed. I got the idea from Mr. Seas, who has built a very functional bed on his HDT. About ten years ago, I built a deck out of the composite decking. It has been exposed to the rain, hot sun and has had heavy furniture dragged across it. It is still in great shape. I will be using the grey (same as on our deck) colored boards.

 

BTW - did the shifter work out for you?

 

Jim

[bmzero]

Our first new 2017 cab is in prototype now. I won't see it for a month and even then mum's the word.

 

Just post the photos up here. I won't show anyone. Promise.

[bmzero]

Well crap, I have two fenders sitting at my shop I would have given you had I thought about it. Sorry.

JC

 

Thanks, JC. Hopefully I'll have the bed on soon.

[bmzero]

BMZERO:

 

I think that you have a GREAT IDEA.

 

I am guessing that most people, who own an HDT, would like a bed rather than frame rails. But, some may not be able and/or willing to spend $25,000 to have one custom built. And, many of these same people have extraordinary "gear head" skills such that they could easily assemble your bed on their HDT.

 

The last time I checked, a custom bed would cost me about $25,000, painted and installed. I do not know what the price is now. So, I am guessing you better price it a bit under $25,000

 

I, too, decided to build my bed out of "assemblies" for the following reasons..

 

1. I do NOT have the equipment to lift a 10,000 pound bed. I can lift the components on the frame rails and bolt them into an assembly.

2. I did not want to spend $25,000 for a finished bed.

3. I spend most of my RV'ing boon docking in the desert, which can be brutal (sandstorms and desert pin stripping) on pretty paint jobs.

4. I wanted easy access to under the bed for maintenance.

5. I do not like any welding to be done on or around the truck. Sparks can damage hoses and/or wiring and too many computers that can be zapped.

6. I have the skill level and equipment to assemble the components into a bed.

7. I can paint the sub assemblies, prior to installing them.

8. I want to carry my Yamaha Rhino on the bed, on a "rocket launcher."

 

Thanks for the drawings on the e-strips. I will incorporate the idea into my bed (with drain holes). Thanks to Henry Szymt, I am learning to become "one with Solidworks," but I have a long way to go for my drawings to look like yours.

 

I will be using composite decking to cover my bed. I got the idea from Mr. Seas, who has built a very functional bed on his HDT. About ten years ago, I built a deck out of the composite decking. It has been exposed to the rain, hot sun and has had heavy furniture dragged across it. It is still in great shape. I will be using the grey (same as on our deck) colored boards.

 

BTW - did the shifter work out for you?

 

Jim

 

Thanks, Jim. I agree with all of your reasoning, but another major feature that this design incorporates is the ability for modularity. If you want a generator box, fine. If you want a transfer tank, fine, etc., etc. All of these components would be pre-built and designed to make use of standard mounting holes so they could be swapped out in the future.

 

Another benefit of this bed design is the standard mounting locations of the VersaTie track. Combine the VersaTie track with the threaded studs from Mac's, and you basically have the ability to mount anything you need on the bed surface (wheel chocks, tool boxes, bicycle mounts, etc.).

 

I haven't gotten prices back from laser yet, but I suspect a bed like this could be purchased for less than half of the price you mentioned, depending on features, of course.

 

I like your composite decking idea. You don't know how close I came to using real hardwood for the surface of this bed. I would still like to build one like that one day, but it just didn't fit the personality of this particular truck.

[bmzero]

BTW - did the shifter work out for you?

 

It came in yesterday. It looks brand new, as described on the auction. I'm looking forward to getting the truck reprogrammed and the shifter connected. I appreciate you sending the link.

 

I'm considering going with the gentle shift program. Has anyone here tried that?

[Refuzn-To-Grow-Up]

 

It came in yesterday. It looks brand new, as described on the auction. I'm looking forward to getting the truck reprogrammed and the shifter connected. I appreciate you sending the link.

 

I'm considering going with the gentle shift program. Has anyone here tried that?

 

What is gentle shift?