GXV Patagonia on the Kenworth K370 chassis

gregmchugh

Observer
So, is that max speed independent of loading or is it relative to loading rates?

Max speed on highway is 65 mph with tire pressure no lower than tire inflation load charts above but max speed would be lower if you reduce tire pressure off highway as shown in the military brochure above, tires still handle the same load at the lower max speeds.
 

Britboaters

Observer
Just to summarize:
- weigh each axle fully loaded
- Refer to the Goodyear published document I posted - note these are industry standard load / pressure tables for 65 mph.
- Use those recommended pressures for best tire performance, if you like.
There are also instructions in the document on the relationship between speed and pressure requirement.
Bob
 
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So, is that max speed independent of loading or is it relative to loading rates?
Some but not the majority of large tires have a dual rating or “singular point”.
For example 18PR Michelin 395/85R20 XZL/XZL+ have a 168G rating (5600kg at 90kph) and also 161J (4750kg at 100kph).
 

gregmchugh

Observer
Just to summarize:
- weigh each axle fully loaded
- Refer to the Goodyear published document I posted - note these are industry standard load / pressure tables for 65 mph.
- Use those recommended pressures for best tire performance, if you like.
There are also instructions in the document on the relationship between speed and pressure requirement.
Bob

Yes, this has been my plan. Thanks for the info I needed for the Goodyear tire load specs.
 

gregmchugh

Observer
Just noticed that the specified max speed for the G278 is 68 mph, not the 65 mph that I mentioned I used as the max speed.
 

SootyCamper

Active member
I believe our truck with the 18.5 ft body weighed in at right around 21K. Add 1100 lb of water, 1388 lb of diesel and a full stock of recovery equipment, tools and all the things you need I would expect to be around 25-26K max. I've been on some soft sand and on some somewhat rough terrain. Aired down to around 60 psi it did well in moderately loose sand. Keep in mind the tires are designed to operate at 110 psi max. As far as traction goes we had no trouble getting up a fairly loose steep grade in 4wd lo. It has a locking transfer case and I believe it locks front and rear drive axles once engaged. With the locking rear we had plenty of traction. I can see where a front locking diff would be desirable and I'm sure its available but I didn't see the need. I did opt for manual hubs and I think GXV is putting them on all the Kenworth trucks standard now. The first one didn't have them. I'll double check but I really believe the massive divorced transfer case that is going in the Kenworth isn't a "center diff" but a true locking transfer case.


Forgive me if this has already been answered. Any more info on the TC/front drive axel used in this conversion? Make/model would be appreciated.
 

waveslider

Outdoorsman
Not to speak for him - Greg mentioned he might be out of range for a bit but he is a wealth of information and served as a great resource when we were shopping. He also has more miles under his KW platform than many.

Got our kenworth in Feb and its been great.

This weekend.
 

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gregmchugh

Observer
Greg any updates on your truck? I just finished a lengthy visit at GXV and was impressed.

Hi, just got back in cell coverage today. In Palmer AK doing laundry today and heading toward the Yukon and Northwest Territories to do the Dempster Highway up to the Arctic Ocean at Tuktoyaktuk. We were planning to stay in southern Alaska but the smoke from from the wildfire in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is pretty bad from Anchorage south so we are heading northeast. Will return to the Kenai peninsula at the last week on July and hopefully the fire will be over by then. We got to Alaska at the beginning of May and spent some time in Fairbanks and Denali NP and then flew down to FL from Anchorage to do some babysitting for our granddaughter and got back up here this week. We plan to return to Denali in late August and roam around until we head south in Oct. Last year it was clear and 60 deg weather at Denali the first week of Oct so we headed there for a few days and then took the Denali Highway across the state and ran into thousands of caribou migrating to the east for the winter. Only got a little snow on the highway between Whitehorse and Dease Lake on the Cassiar Highway last year in Oct so we will se how it goes this year.

The truck is doing fine, we have 38,000 miles on it and spent last summer in Alaska returning in Oct and doing the same thing this year getting to a few places we haven’t been to yet (Top of the World Highway, Dempster, McCarthy, and Valdez). We went up the Dalton Highway last year to the Arctic Circle and may go all the way up to Deadhorse this year. Recently we did a couple of upgrades to the truck, improved front suspension with airbags and another leaf in the spring set and a roof rack on the cab. No major issues with the Kenworth chassis or with the GXV build.
 
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kcshoots

Active member
Thanks Greg, Waveslider and others with GXV Patagonias on K370s for all of your information and sharing of experiences. All of this thread has been immensely helpful as I have been considering purchasing a Patagonia on a 4x4 K370. I have visited GXV and toured them, as well as have had many calls with the team there discussing my ideal layout but have yet to drive one and would like to understand better just how they drive. Can you share some more about road noise, ride comfort on and off road particularly with washboard roads, and anything that you really feel is a must as far as options? Thank you much. Feel free to reach out directly if you prefer. I am considering a 182" wheelbase, what size wheelbases do you have?

As a reference point, I have owned two Sprinters, each custom builds, second one a 4x4 with modified suspension and also each with a large garage to accommodate bikes and other outdoor gear inside, which is the route I am taking with a Patagonia, a large full height walk thru garage in the rear to accommodate all outdoor gear, as this will become a full-time living, working and traveling platform with the intent of living "off-grid" most or all of the time (i.e. limited campgrounds and shore power time) with ability to grab a piece of gear and go play each day.

Another question is that I am considering foregoing a generator and just using solar and vehicle for recharging. Because I live ands travel in mostly dry and fairly cool western North American environments and don't plan to spend much time in warmer or humid climates, I am going with a smaller non-roof mounted AC unit which should suffice for my intended use and batteries should run that for 1-2 days straight without solar, so hence a generator is likely unnecessary and I can repurpose that space for additional fuel and/or storage. So question is, how much are you actually using/needing your generators?

Thank you for sharing your experiences.
 

kcshoots

Active member
The awning that was installed on our truck is a manual Carefree Freedom Wall Mount which got damaged due to a sudden unexpected wind gust when it wasn’t secured to the ground using the poles. It needs to be replaced and we will be looking for another option that is a little more rugged and resistant to the wind (all awnings are going to be damaged at some level of wind but this was not a strong gust that damaged our awning).
Hey Greg, thanks for your detailed response. On my Sprinter expedition camper I have a Dometic 9500 case awing, fully electric and legless with included wind sensor. I have had a sudden gust of wind come up while camping out at Black Rock and the wind sensor closed the awning before I could respond. While it was flopping some it did fully retract and save itself. Not had any issues with it. Plus comes in black unlike Fiamma's similar F45s.

Just something for you to consider if you haven't already replaced it.
 
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