Hiya gurus,
I'm curious as to the best material for making a ute camper body/boxes?
I've noticed a few use either steel or aluminium or fibreglass. Which one is best? Using steel seems to be a very heavy option so I thought alli or fibreglass would be a lighter option.
Other then cost is there a reason not to use alli strengthwise? What about fibreglass, or even a honeycomb sandwich material used in caravans?
I guess fibreglass be a better insulator then steel or alli?
What about a steel tube frame with alli cladding?
The top of the box would only need to support a roof top tent so doesn't need to support too much weight.
Companies like http://trayon.com/main.php or http://www.jackoff.com.au/CampingBrisbane.php
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Steel/alli/fibreglass for ute camper bodies
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Re: Steel/alli/fibreglass for ute camper bodies
Could use anything you wanted really.
It's just the pro's and con's, you'd need to think about.
For example.
Stainless.
Pros
Strong
cheaper than ally
Easier to weld and cheaper setup.
Cons
Limited shape wise
can be heavy
Ally
Pros
Lite
non-rusting
Con's
Limited shape wise
Dearer welder setup could be harder to weld up
might be weaker but if you pick right thickness can be strong too
Costly
Fibre Glass
Pros
any shape you want
can be lite but could get too heavy if you go over board
non rusting
Cons
Could be costly
Got to factor molds in as well.
Need to know what your doing as stuffing it up could stuff up everything as in mold and product won't pull apart etc.
Could crack
If the gelcoat is cracked and it's raining fibreglass will suck up the water and can lead to the fibreglass rotting.
There'd be other pros and cons that I havn't come up with as well but that'd be an example.
The caravan stuff can be screwed with self tapping wall screws so you could use sheets with angle to screw it to how strong it'd be don't know.
I take it your after something to take 500kg to 1 ton at least, that's weight of tent plus weight of people and extra.
It's just the pro's and con's, you'd need to think about.
For example.
Stainless.
Pros
Strong
cheaper than ally
Easier to weld and cheaper setup.
Cons
Limited shape wise
can be heavy
Ally
Pros
Lite
non-rusting
Con's
Limited shape wise
Dearer welder setup could be harder to weld up
might be weaker but if you pick right thickness can be strong too
Costly
Fibre Glass
Pros
any shape you want
can be lite but could get too heavy if you go over board
non rusting
Cons
Could be costly
Got to factor molds in as well.
Need to know what your doing as stuffing it up could stuff up everything as in mold and product won't pull apart etc.
Could crack
If the gelcoat is cracked and it's raining fibreglass will suck up the water and can lead to the fibreglass rotting.
There'd be other pros and cons that I havn't come up with as well but that'd be an example.
The caravan stuff can be screwed with self tapping wall screws so you could use sheets with angle to screw it to how strong it'd be don't know.
I take it your after something to take 500kg to 1 ton at least, that's weight of tent plus weight of people and extra.
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