The Prototype EarthRoamer is !!SOLD!! 10-23-17 Cummins, 15mpg, 20' long, 10' tall

Mattersnots

Adventurer
THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN SOLD AS OF 10-17

Lets try this again.

Not sure I was really ready to sell the first time around. I tried to edit the original for sale post but somehow deleted it. Note, chromium web browser is not very compatible with this site.

I originally asked 65k for the truck and apparently that was way too much. Maybe you know how it is when you put your sweat, tears and $ into something. It just makes you think it's worth more. 5 RV's now rebuilt and I always lose money. And yet here I go wanting to do it again.

I have a more realistic number in mind now for the sale. I'm going to ask $54,000 or best offer. No, not a fire sale, I'm happy to keep the truck for another year if necessary. The excitement of building another is really gnawing at me though. So make your offer and lets see if we can meet somewhere.

Now onto the truck:
This is the truck Bill Swails (CEO of EarthRoamer) made as a proof of concept vehicle for the EarthRoamers you see today. Although not as fancy as the newer ones it does have the same systems. The finish is not as luxurious which is why you don't see a 1 in front of the 54 above. There are two bucket seats up front (recaro) and a bench in the back. There is a pass through about 2 feet wide by 3 feet tall so the rear seat has the middle back cut out. It was professionally done and looks good. Point is there are three belted seats in back but one has no back. The truck is 20 feet and inches long, a smidge under 10 feet tall, and 7 feet wide. It weighs just over 11,000 lbs when loaded to the gills with full water, food, dogs, fuel, and toys. The cummins engine is strong, reliable, and has gotten 15.21 mpg average over the last 20,000 miles I've been tracking it. This is both on and off road, city and highway. The camper is comfortable and complete with all of the major attributes newer campers offer. It has a large bed, refrigerator, heater, water system, sink, counter, table, toilet, shower, lights, music, TV, ceiling fan, windows with shades and bug screens, couch, storage, inverter, power ports, grey tank, etc, etc, etc. The solar system allows for unlimited off grid camping. The large water capacity (50 gallons) will keep you from coming back to civilization. The camper has been used extensively by myself. I have made many improvements that make day to day living more pleasant. A few of my favorites are. The heater control by the bed so the camper can be toasted up before crawling out. A sliding/folding table for the couch. It flips up along the wall when not used and slides for and aft when down. Rear stereo with blue tooth. 22" TV with local antenna. Good for checking the weather conditions before heading out. Also good for but not recommended, watching shows like green acres, mission impossible, the A team, and any other 70's or 80's hit series. I have to admit, I do watch the old westerns from time to time. I hook up my portable hard drive to the TV and watch digital movies.

The hot water is heated by the engine while driving. Every time you stop there will be two days of hot water ready. If the truck doesn't move for a couple of days no problem. Flip a switch and heat it with diesel power. This system can also be used to preheat the engine block on really cold days. Plugging in will charge the house batteries and with the flip of a switch keep the water hot electrically. There is a separate diesel tank which holds 18 gallons. The water heater, air heater, and stove top all run on diesel from this tank. The diesel appliances are incredibly efficient. I doubt I use more than 15 gallons in a year. The rear fuel can also be transferred to the main tank for a total capacity of over 50 gallons.

This truck is very capable off road. The gearing has been changed to 4.56. The tires are 35" tall. The suspension is all custom with 2 bilstein shocks per wheel. You can blast down washboard roads at speed if desired. Or lower the air pressure, engage the lockers and crawl into the nasties. There is a 100% duty cycle compressor with tank for reinflating too.

When I bought the truck it had been sitting in Toronto for 5 years. I did a remodel and had to replace many of the systems. When I did this most of them were upgraded and improved in some way. A good example is the steering. Dodge trucks are known for their less than precise steering. I wasn't happy with any kind of vague handling on the road so spent $2900 dollars to replace the whole system.

The truck has 140,000 miles on it now. I have had one major issue which was the fuel injector pump going out. This is an "expected" issue with this model truck. The mechanic was surprised it lasted that long. The truck now has a better injector pump and a fuel supply pump in the tank to prevent this from happening again. Other than that I've had the alternator go out and the exhaust brake solenoid replaced. I went back to a stock alternator (easier to source) and now carry a spare solenoid. The truck is solid, strong, and ready for an extended trip. It doesn't burn oil or leak any fluids.

Now that I read back on this I realize that most of it should only go to a prospective buyer. Oh well, it took some time so I'm leaving it. Most of us like reading this stuff anyway.

Oh yeah, why am I selling? The simple answer is that we will soon be going full time on the road. We need more space to carry our gear. A fuso or similar purchase/build will replace this. With this in mind I would be interested in a trade or partial trade for a fuso or the like whether finished or not.


Much more information on my website www.firstroamer.com
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The truck is a 1998.5, 24v Cummins turbo diesel, 2500, quad cab, short box, 4x4, automatic Dodge Ram. The camper is custom built with nida-core by Safari Vehicle Campers (out of business).

Dodge Platform

Engine
BD 4 inch Exhaust
BD High Flow Injectors
BD Plug-n-Power fuel timing programmer
Horton fan clutch
Dynamat Hoodliner
Giant air Filter

Transmission
BD Engine Brake TorqLoc Transmission Computer
BD Engine Brake PressureLoc Kit
BD Engine Brake Auxiliary Transmission Cooler
BD low stall speed torque converter
Transgo Shift Kit
Heavy duty rebuild kit with Kevlar bands
Auto Meter Ultra-Lite automatic transmission fluid temperature gauge
Mag-Hytec tranny pan

Axles
Dana 60 front
Dana 70 rear
Switched from 3.73 to 4.56 gears
Moser 35 spline axles
ARB air lockers front and rear
Mag-Hytec front and rear differential covers


Braking
EGR High Performance Brake Kit includes slotted front rotors, carbon/kevelar pads and shoes, larger rear wheel cylinders and high performance Motul synthetic brake fluid
Rear brakes and bearings rebuilt 2016
BD Diesel Performance exhaust brake

Suspension
Superlift 5 inch lift
Bilstein shocks, two per wheel
Air Lift rear air springs

Misc
Borgeson steering shaft
Steering box stiffener
New steering box by Benchworks in Phoenix
Heim joint steering installed
Fox Nitrogen filled steering stabilizer
158 amp alternator
Battery isolator
Auto Meter Ultra-Lite exhaust gas temperature, turbo boost pressure, voltmeter, automatic transmission fluid temperature, engine oil temperature, engine oil pressure, engine coolant temperature, air tank pressure, rear axle temperature, and auxiliary fuel tank level gauges.
Warn 12,000 lb. front winch, Warn XD 9,000 lb rear winch
Recaro Sport Seats heated and cooling fans
RCi 5 point racing harness
Xenon fender flares
Custom heavy duty aluminum front and rear bumpers
Custom aluminum fold down rear step
Storage in rear bumper
Nerf bars
DaimlerChrysler "Mickey Mouse" extending towing mirrors (heated)
Thomas TA-4101-DC Air Compressor, 1/3 HP, .95 CFM @ 100psi, continuous duty
2.5 gal air tank with air pressure gauge in cab
Hella 10" HID spot lights
Hella HID flood lights
Hella fog lights
Balmar smart regulator for front batteries
Independent Balmar regulator for rear batteries

Fuel System
18 gallon auxiliary diesel fuel tank
DaimlerChrysler electric fuel transfer pump (to transfer fuel from the auxiliary tank to the main 34 gallon factory tank)

Tires
Toyo AT Tires size 35 x 12.50 x 16

Wheels
Alcoa forged 16x8 wheels

Audio System
Alpine CDE-HD149BT advanced bluetooth cd receiver with ipod integration
MB Quart 6 1/2" component front speakers and 5 1/4" rear speakers
Precision Power PC600 6 channel 600 watt amplifier
10 inch sub in sealed box


Camper

Body
Laminate Structure, Three Point Mounting System, Aluminum Floor Pan and Aluminum Framework
Extruded polypropylene honeycomb panels
Dual pane acrylic windows with integrated sun shade and bug screen
Locking cam door
Low profile sailboat hatch/moonroof
Thin Line LED marker lights with aluminum light guards
Pro-tech Aluminum storage boxes
Locking fuel fillers

Electrical
300 watts of solar panels
Blue Sky Solar charge controller
Battery computer to monitor amps in and out
Circuit breaker/switch panel
2 x 6v 205 amp hour gel batterys
12 volt inverter wired to outlets
Shore power charging and water heating

Interior
Maple veneered plywood cabinets
Flexible bunk reading lights
Halogen galley lights
Led light strip along ceiling for main lighting (needs replacement)
Espar 7,500 BTU/HR diesel-fired air heater
Natures head composting toilet
Corian counter top
Pass through from cab to camper
Queen sized bed up front
Couch can sleep one

Appliances
3.5 cubic foot 12 volt refrigerator danfoss compressor
Ceramic diesel cook top

All about Water
50 gallons fresh water (2 tanks)
4 level monitor system
On demand variable speed water pump with strainer
6 gallon marine hot water heater heated with engine coolant and
Eberspacher Hydronic D5WSC water heater when stopped for more than two days
Shower/mixer faucet combination
Shower pan
Deep set undermount composite sink
12 gallon grey water tank with electric dump valve
Holding tank full alert system
Two stage water filtration system
 
Last edited:

Mattersnots

Adventurer
Always forget something. I'm currently in White Salmon, WA. About an hour East of Portland, OR. This summer's travels will be Washington state, Oregon, Reno area, Colorado, and Idaho. I'm happy to show it anywhere along the way.
 

Mattersnots

Adventurer
That's funny, I just read that right after I replied to you. I've never been, will be looking for the quiet section.
 

Racingdad

Adventurer
Always forget something. I'm currently in White Salmon, WA. About an hour East of Portland, OR. This summer's travels will be Washington state, Oregon, Reno area, Colorado, and Idaho. I'm happy to show it anywhere along the way.

I am going to be in White Salmon after the Fourth right prior to my Weekender Cycle Oregon ride. As we firm up plans maybe I can arrange to see the rig. When it went up for sale in Canada it was a bit too far away for me to take a look. I read all of Bill's and your's write ups.

Tad
 

Mattersnots

Adventurer
Toronto was too far for me too but a wild hair made me go anyway. Glad I did. I went directly from Baja and literally had to wear 3 pairs of pants and 4 shirts to keep from freezing.

Sounds good Tad. We will be headed out around the first of July but plan to ride bikes locally for a few days. I'm sure we could meet up somewhere.
 

SWAT

New member
When will you be in Colorado? What area will you be visiting? I would love to check out this rig and see if it's something that would work for the wife too.

We will also be traveling through North Idaho, WA and OR. We will be in ID first, and arriving June 16th.
 

Mattersnots

Adventurer
More specific travel plans.
We are in northern Washington now. Will be in the Leavenworth area until after the northwest overland rally. The second half of June will find us back in White Salmon. Early July we will start in Bend, then work towards McCall and Victor, ID. We also want to get to Durango, CO by the end of July. None of these destinations are set in stone.
 

Victorian

Approved Vendor : Total Composites
Would love to see you rig at the Overland Rally! Please come and say hi, I'm most likely at our booth ...
 

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