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A was for Austin, but now B is for Bedford

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2 years 7 months ago #224759 by cobbadog
Congratulations on a successful lift, well done. Now you can set up the truck near a van park and service all the camper trailers as they arrive, you are now an expert.
Glad Ernie likes the positive feed back as we all do. It is just good to see mates helping mates and enjoying it too.

Cheers Cobba & Cobbarette
Coopernook, The Centre of our Universe
Working on more play time.

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2 years 7 months ago #224802 by PDU
Thanks for your comments Zuffen and cobbadog, they are, as always, so much appreciated, and leave me pondering the next move from here.
Definitely not as a camper trailer service man - particularly as the roof did not come down as smoothly as I would have liked once everything was held tight with the G- clamps. :unsure: :oops:
Various ideas have been floating through my mind about the sides up top . . . I want it waterproof, solid, and warm, but also airy if the weather is hot, maybe with windows, and not overly heavy - or perhaps I need the weight to help the downward movement? Dilemma. :huh:
Simple answer is to swing across onto those rear wheel arches. The welds are all ground back and they've been de-rusted, anti-rust painted, and sealed around the inside - now all I need to do is get 'em back in! Piccies of them tomorrow, plus another area that has also made a little more progress in the background. ;)

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2 years 7 months ago #224830 by Zuffen
PDU,

Do you need the roof to go straight up?

If you could hinge it one end and tilt the roof it would be much easier to engineer.

The other option is tilt it sideways, like an old Dormbile Kombi.

My Father started the pop-top scene in Australia after a 9 month trip around Europe in a Kombi he built here in Sydney with a lift up roof made from two Commer Cob turrets.

He had some interesting ways of tilting and holding up the different roofs plus wall cladding.

Happy to PM you photos I have of what he produced so you can see some of his mechanisms..

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2 years 7 months ago #224867 by cobbadog
Sounds like it needs a little bit of weight to allow it to wind down smoothly. Might also helpif someone helps you by doing the winding as you watch the cables and the flexi bits move. Maybe one of them is a bit sticky.

Is canvas an option for ou for the sides. These can have windows for fresh air just like the camper trailers do yet be weather proof when needed. There is or was an old caravan in Taree that the top half of the van raised up. It has the normal alluminium cladding and it is on the outside of the lower section of the van so it would be weather proof from rain but would need a seal to stop the drafts.

Cheers Cobba & Cobbarette
Coopernook, The Centre of our Universe
Working on more play time.

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2 years 7 months ago - 2 years 7 months ago #224871 by PDU
I looked at various hinging systems and was not wrapped in them Zuffen; the straight up and down is fine, and once the down is sorted will be ticketyboo. :blink:

Really it is just a case of figuring out what is the best material to use up above on the sides. I am not overly fussed at this point as what I have now is all I need, other than some curved sections on either side of the roof, before I start on the cladding, The upper sides can wait, along with the interior fit out, until the truck is mobile. Basically this is definitely in the "not needed until later" category. :unsure: :unsure:

I'm reasonably certain weight is the answer cobba, so with the three cross beams, plus some heavy gauge metal on the lift up roof it will probably push itself down. ;) The Taree van may have been a Prattline caravan, made in Elizabeth South Australia, by Dick Pratt.


The second one is similar to what I was envisaging earlier on, but decided to leave the sides fixed and just lift the flat section in the middle. In fact I could still lift everything above the waistline as it is not welded there (angle iron brackets screwed to lower framework) but I will probably stick with the KISS approach I now have,.

I spent three hours attaching the RHR inner wheel arcjh mounting today. and would have gone further if it hadn't been for a one way trip to the vet for one of our grandchildren's dog. :( We had one very sad 12 year old to console who is going to miss his dog deeply.

No piccies as intended due to this also. Maybe tomorrow?
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Last edit: 2 years 7 months ago by PDU.
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2 years 7 months ago #224884 by Morris
PDUno comments on the roof but I sympathise with you and Grandson. It is impossible to explain to children (and many adults) that most domestic pets have a short lifespan. Maybe you can take him to the Lost Dogs Home, RSPCA or whatever you have in SA to choose a puppy that will take over in his affections.

There were tears in three households when our Budgie died several years after flying in to a gathering at Niece's engagement party. Cruddy (he/she had the run of the house and left crud everywhere) We think she may have been owned by Italians because the only way we could stop her landing on the dinner table and stealing food was to give her some on a saucer. She loved anything with cooked tomatoes or pasta and also sipped white wine but shook her head the one or two times she tried red wine.

I have my shoulder to the wheel,
my nose to the grindstone,
I've put my best foot forward,
I've put my back into it,
I'm gritting my teeth,

Now I find I can't do any work in this position!
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2 years 7 months ago #224888 by PDU
As you get older and have buried several dogs, cats and whatever along the way it becomes a lot easier, but for a 12 year old, his 16 year old sister, and even his parents it was a major catastrophe of epic proportions.

Ho hum just another day, and wife has already said to me, "I bet they have a another dog within a week or two." :blink:

Will I get back to my truck today? The morning was spent at the Heritage Centre and now I'm looking at delivering two wardrobes for the Men's Shed to an 80 kilometre distant location - provided I can find an off-sider capable of assisting with lifting them!? :oops:
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2 years 7 months ago #224904 by cobbadog
Yes you do have to feel for anyone who loses a pet. This is one reason that we now no longer have any.
Yes PDU that was the exact style of van in Taree only that one appeared to be a lot longer than the one in your pic.

Cheers Cobba & Cobbarette
Coopernook, The Centre of our Universe
Working on more play time.

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2 years 7 months ago #224906 by Pierre
PDU, your just one very busy fella. :)
Keep up the great work, the family stuff is difficult sometimes & chews up a lot of truck project time but we have to please everyone (don't we)!
cheers
Pierre

Pierre

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2 years 7 months ago #224932 by PDU
They came in all sizes, including tandem axles cobba

How's that clutch going Pierre?
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