Modifications

I purchased our Active Camper in June 2008. I was going to make a camper but the Active Camper was exactly what I needed..........maybe not as fancy as some of the American units but more functional with good storage for long trips .........and it meant I would be on the road much earlier!

I was happy with the unit as it came, but couldn't resist making some changes especially as we often did remote outback trips over difficult country!

Many of the changes noted here are no longer necessary on later model Campers as Active Campers continually make improvements on their models.

1. First change was to add a radio, well it is mainly used for audio to watch movies from the laptop. The radio needed an input for MP3 or laptop sound. This fitted nicely under the lip of the bed. I added a small drawer alongside the radio for odds & ends.

Update I realized that the area under the bed lip was basically wasted space for our requirements so the whole area was redesigned. See Modifications 3

2. I wanted to be able to empty the water tank easily so I rigged up some plastic piping to a skin fitting on the outside and use a syphon hose to empty the tank. I have added a 'drain plug' (from BCF) to the top of the tank. This has allowed me to:-

• Siphon the water from the tank when necessary

• Check the water level using a dowel rod.............pretty cheap water meter and quite accurate! This has proved a more efficient method of emptying the tank as you can get to the bottom of the tank. ( The view below is looking down on the top of the tank with the pump to the right hand side.)

3. I have moved the poles that hold the roof up to sit along the aluminium railing. I found this more convenient than under the bed lip and on rough tracks we no longer find the poles scattered on the floor.

4. Lighting was a problem, especially over the table at night. I purchased a Piranha caravan light fitting ($65). These give excellent light but draw only a little current. It was wired into the existing light circuit.

Next task will be some LED lighting!

5. Heavy Duty outlet. We don't stay in a caravan parks often, preferring national parks or bush camps. I found that the outside accessory outlet wouldn't run my inverter to power my computer so I have added two heavy duty outlets through an additional fuse box for power using 4mm wire. I have now rewired the external outlet with heavier gauge wire to reduce voltage drop.

6. Extra shelves have been added plus the knife section of the drawer was lengthened to take bread knives etc.

7.Storage Tubs. I found that the 'tubs' you can purchase from Bunnings fit nicely under seats to hold cloths, food etc and others fit nicely into the outside hatch.

I've lined the floor of the hatch with vinyl and added a LED light inside for finding gear in the dark.

8. To make it easier to free the ladder I changed the fittings to lynch pins.

10. I've added some drawers to the camper. We had difficulty with 'pots and pans' and weren't really using the space under the seat effectively, so a drawer seemed the answer and would still allow the storage of some items on either side while protecting the wiring hub.

11. While I was making the main drawer I installed an additional drawer under the stove inside the cupboard for our cereals etc. This makes it easy to reach into the drawer rather than unpack the cupboard.

This has been a big hit with my wife and certainly makes the space more accessible.

12. We often like to have a fire and as you can't collect wood in a national park and not having a roof rack posed a problem. I've added an extra shelf sitting on the tow bar to carry timber.......plus we use the tubs in the outside storage compartment as well.

13. When we went for a walk and parked the van in an isolated spot we would put little padlocks on the ladder. However I needed a slightly more secure method of tying the ladder and roof together. The 'eye' on the roof has a metal plate behind it to spread the load and the bottom part of the hinge is riveted to the steps. Easy to put a padlock on. The pins in the hinges have been altered with a screw thread and locktited round 'nuts' put on the end. Of course nothing will stop someone if they really want to get in.......but maybe it will deter them or send them elsewhere.

14. I've since hardwired a sine wave inverter into the system for running laptops etc. This meant relocating the fire extinguisher next to the doorway which is a convenient spot if you need it in a hurry.

15. Fridge Cooling

We did have a problem with the fridge not cooling properly at one stage and still don't know what that was as the fridge checked out OK. Since then I have run a set of 6mm wire, through a fuse, straight to the fridge inputs to ensure there are as few a connections as possible and voltage drop is not a factor. I rewired the small voltmeter directly to the fridge inputs so that I can check that the fridge is always receiving full voltage. I also added a vent near the fan to help ventilation. Seems to be OK so far.

16. Air Bags Air Bags. Before getting the Ford Ranger extended I needed air bags to support the large overhang behind the wheels. As the vehicle is used without the camper attached I didn't want to go to a heavier spring so after talking to a number of organizations, especially the Railways I installed air bags to level the vehicle. These worked fine however since the chassis extension I don't seem to needed them any more and run them with only 20lb bags at the most. Tyres are usually around 40psi on the highway and I drop this to 28-34 on rough tracks and 20-22 on sand.

It is also important to get a wheel alignment done when the camper is loaded otherwise there will be uneven wear on the front tyres.

17. Carrying Fuel. A small 4x4 usually has a fuel capacity of 70 litres so sometimes it is necessary to carry extra fuel. A replacement fuel tank can do this but will add extra weight to the vehicle. I found that I could get the extra 50 litres that a larger fuel tank would give me by placing 5x10 litre containers in the hatch and this weight sits right over the wheel. The plastic PROQUIP 10 litre jerry can fits in the hatch perfectly. I got mine from TJM. They are light to carry and you only need to fill them when necessary.

18. The cupboard under the drawers was awkward to hold open with one hand and retrieve stuff with the other. A barrel bolt holds the door open via a hole drilled in the side of the seat.

19. The rear lights on the truck are set back under the tray. In order to improve the visibility of my stop lights and turn lights I have installed an additional set on the back of the camper. They are connected via a 7 pin flat plug to the trailer connection plug.

20. Washing line attachments. I have installed cleat hooks on all corners of the camper. This allows us to tie washing lines off the camper, or with the means of a notched rod, from one end of the camper to the other.

21. Mattress.

We found that condensation was building up under the mattress leaving a wet patch under the bed...especially camping in cold conditions. There is an underlay product, made in Germany I think, called ACS Underlay. It is a guaze mesh that goes under the mattress and allows it to breath. It is available from Clark Rubber on order but isn't cheap. A double bed is around $150.

22. Fridge Screws

Travelling over rough tracks we found the screws holding the fridge would unwind. I initially tried silicone to hold the screw in place until we got home. I then screwed a washer adjacent to the fridge screw, just overlapping the screw, preventing it from unscrewing. However, on the latest trip through outback Queensland.......mostly dirt roads, the screws actually turned and undid on the fridge side, pushing the fridge away from the timber surround. I called in at AC's factory on the way home and they use a bracket at the top now to hold the fridge in place. So when I got home the fridge came out and a bracket has been screwed to the top and through the sides of the timber surround. Hopefully, this will do the trick!

23. Pump Noise

The pump is attached to the outer wall of the camper. Even though the pump's mounting feet are rubber it vibrates the side of the camper like a drum and is very noisy. It is not feasible to totally remove the noise from the pump due to it's construction. There have been a number of solutions to the issue but this once seems to work for us. The aim was to reduce the noise from the pump but still have a robust fitting to support the pump when we are on the rough outback roads. The main issue was to remove the pump from the wall, then mount it on rubber, with no screws going through the rubber (thus only the rubber connects the pump to the bracket), and keep the pump in approximately the same position so hoses etc didn't have to be moved. Being familiar with timber I made a 'bracket' with a dovetail joint for strength, glued some rubber strips I had left over from an air conditioner installation to the wood & installed 't' nuts to take the bolts. This bracket was mounted to the underside of the seat, spaced by an old mouse mat, with the bracket spaced about 10mm away from the outside wall. The rubber was fairly dense and I think a lighter rubber may have worked better, however the noise is now only just audible outside the camper so a great improvement over the 'drum'.

The first picture shows the parts. The dovetail, with a couple of screws was so strong I didn't need the right angle elbow pieces.

The second picture shows the assembled parts. The pump is held by the pan head screws & the counter sunk screws go through the seat.

The third picture shows the rear of the bracket. The last picture shows the pump in it's new position.

It is in front of the old bracket but removed from the wall by about 10mm.

The screws all have threadlock to help prevent them from unwinding.

Update: There was still some noise transmitted to the structure of the Camper and I think the culprit was the screws holding the unit in place under the seat. Not having access to shock absorbing fixing I have used rubber strips to isolate the screws holding the unit bracket from the seat. I added some extra rubber between the bracket and the underneath of the seat as well. Now, the only sound heard is the pump itself. The pump is securely held in place and the vibrations are no longer transmitted to the frame of the camper. Peace at last!

24.Pump light. LED to show when the pump has been left on at night.