Here's the one I did quoted from my build thread. (I hope the pics still work)
SEJ GLX-R wrote:
From early on, I wanted to build a canvas canopy frame for Surgeio and with a Simpson Desert trip coming up, I finally got around to it.
I always seem to make things hard for myself by not drawing up plans and just building from my imagination. I never really know what lengths of steel to buy and what length to get them cut at to minimise waste. This usally results in many trips to the steel supplier rather than just one.
The good side to this is changing things as you go and no-one ever knows.
The idea was to have a solid front panel and roof with the sides and rear in canvas. It had to carry my swags on top and carry 3 jerry cans up against the rear window to get the weight above the rear wheels. We all know what happens to MNs when they're not loaded properly.
Another idea I came up with as I was building it was to suspend the camp chairs inside the canopy so that they could be taken out and put in without disturbing anything else, I called it the 'chair hammock'.
My aim was to be around the 50kg mark all up but I went 15kg over my goal, not too bad I guess but it is a challenge to fit with just Mrs Sej and myself. I used gal tubing in 50x50x2 SHS, 50x25x2 RHS, 25x25x2 SHS, 20x20x1.6 SHS for the bracing and 0.9mm gal sheet for the roof and front panel.
I fitted 2 ARB canopy vents to keep the dust out and they worked a treat, in the 2 weeks of our trip, we only spent 3 days on bitumen all the rest was on dirt roads, some of which had the most bull dust I've ever seen.
Anyway, if your like me you just want pics not a huge story about it so, here you go.
Basic frame welded up and test fittedRoof bearers and tub mounts fittedJerry can holder mounted and some extra bracingAll painted and the final test fitRoof and front sheeted and tiedown tracks mountedCanopy all finished and ready to leaveI have to say, I am alot happier with it than I thought I would be. I'm not a fan of canopies, especially on MNs. It was so much easier to access all of our gear on the trip and it kept all but a small amount of dust out where the normal tarp would fill up.