The aluminum frame has now been fully assembled. It is bolted to the chassis of the truck with some sort of fancy spacers in between each point of contact. The frame on the truck looks fantastic and it is ready to hold the camper. So we line everything up, and back up carefully. We have to be very cautious, as the frame is just barely narrower than the legs that are currently supporting the camper! With several helpers, we lined it up and began to lower the camper on to the new frame. It is almost in place. And things are lining up well. The cab clearance is perfect as the camper settles into position! Before we raise up the legs, lets take a look at this chassis mounted, aluminum frame from both sides of the Northstar Arrow camper. The camper is now solidly on the new frame and we begin raising the legs/jacks. Working alongside us at ATOverland was a couple of travelers from England. Their trailer was receiving a full suspension rebuild by the design and fabrication team. These guys at ATOverland are amazing! But, just so you know…….. the parts you see in a couple of these photos are from their project, not ours. Sorry for any confusion. That photo shows the camper fully in position. The truck is not impacted by the dry weight of the camper and the frame is holding it just as designed and planned. Holes are drilled in the upright piece of aluminum, and through the sidewall of the lower box of the camper. Now the bolting begins!
A series of bolts are attached into the side of the lower box. The bracket is then welded to the aluminum frame. Additional bolts come up from underneath the floor of the camper at various points in the grid work of the frame. There are 13 bolts holding the camper to the frame. This camper looks awesome in the lineup of campers and units that are parked at the ATOverland shop in Prescott, AZ.
Our camper is parked among the other projects at ATOverland
Ready to drive away as we head off to the desert for a few days of mud, rain and 4×4 fun with the new system. Let’s test those welds and bolts to see how it does!
