Family Friendly 4x4
Adventurer
I don't honestly think the wheeltrack is going to be that different. The bigger differences lie only in the weight class and the size of your wallet hehe!
NPS 300 4x4 SWA Crew cab in South Africa
- Thread starter Jim Beam
- Start date
I don't honestly think the wheeltrack is going to be that different. The bigger differences lie only in the weight class and the size of your wallet hehe!
I think you'll find it'll be quite a lot wider- canter or nps with singles is just over 2000 overall, the eurocargo is around 2400 from memory. The cab is not much wider than a small truck though.
And I'd have thought the 43L/100 would be while on the Simpson, crossing dunes etc. My guess for normal driving (from what I've seen on similar trucks) is you'll get around 25-28/100.
And I'd have thought the 43L/100 would be while on the Simpson, crossing dunes etc. My guess for normal driving (from what I've seen on similar trucks) is you'll get around 25-28/100.
C p weinberger
Active member
Jim
I have lived in Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania for 15 yrs. I can’t wrap my head around your travel plan idea with seven people in one vehicle for extended periods. Would not be my first suggestion. I’ve traveled extensively with local African colleagues of all levels and would suggest you use two vehicles. An Isuzu truck 4x4 with camper and a second 4x4 double cab pick-up. One of your guys doubles as a driver for pickup. I am guessing that you will find a pickup very convenient to assistant your adventure.
Typically, If you continually find significant roadblocks at the very beginning of your camper plans you need to change the criteria
Good luck
Chris
I have lived in Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania for 15 yrs. I can’t wrap my head around your travel plan idea with seven people in one vehicle for extended periods. Would not be my first suggestion. I’ve traveled extensively with local African colleagues of all levels and would suggest you use two vehicles. An Isuzu truck 4x4 with camper and a second 4x4 double cab pick-up. One of your guys doubles as a driver for pickup. I am guessing that you will find a pickup very convenient to assistant your adventure.
Typically, If you continually find significant roadblocks at the very beginning of your camper plans you need to change the criteria
Good luck
Chris
Cuddy
Observer
That is what I would be doing, two vehicles would have a heap of bonuses especially if you are going to be very remote.
Family Friendly 4x4
Adventurer
I read the article also. That fuel consumption average was taken from a 1,000km accross a desert running in Low Range most of the way. That is always going to drink your fuel. I agree the truck will do much better when just traveling. You only use 4x4 when required.
As for the width the point I was trying to make is that an extra 40cm wheel track width is not going to stop you from going places
.
Hi C p,
Its easy to come up with the numbers of people. Me and the wife. I'd like to ditch the wife but she insists on coming along. So thats 2.
5 guys?? Really?? Not that hard to arrive at. Given your experience in Zam, Moz and Tanz then you will know how it works. A guy is needed to keep security at the camp - even while we are there. We need a watchman at night and during the day. Granted a watchman is not going to stop bandits - if they come in to hit us with AK's nothing is going to stop them. But that type of thing is relatively rare. Maybe in the Mountains of the Moon in Eastern Uganda that happens now and then. Along the border with Congo DR that can happen. In TZ, Moz, Zam, Bots, South West it does happen but its not common. What IS very very very very common is the causal thief of opportunity. This is what the watchman is for. Day and night - 2 shifts required. We do this now at our home in town and by the lake up north. I dont know about Moz and TZ as I dont live there but here thats the way it is.
Given our plan is to take 2 quads to get around on when camp is setup, we need a man to sit with the quads when we dismount and go further in on foot. If we dont do this there wont be any quads when we get back to where we left them. Or if the quad itself is not gone there will be no tires or parts left on it. Not joking. You lived here so you get this. Africa just really spins your head around with things like that. So thats 2 guys.(1 guarding camp, 1 guarding the quads) Then I have a serious amount of camera gear to hump into the bush. We will be in the bush for extended hours on foot. So food and water needs to go in with us. Thats 1 guy to carry some food and water. I know you guys outside Africa would not get this, but you try getting an African to go too long without his Nshima (Pap in South, Sudza in Zim - dont know what its called in Moz, Tanz). Honestly, they are not happy chappies unless they get thier mealie meal that Nshima is made from. That leaves 2 guys to carry gear along with me. Not so hard to get to the numbers at all.
I get if you are just sight seeing on holidays passing thru then you dont need what I do. But I am doing this specifically to capture images. An example - my 800mm lens is 17Kg alone ! (Pentax 6x7 f4 800mm - its the f4 part that takes it over the top in size and weight). I have some pretty hard core camera gear to move in and out of the field - Mamiya RZ 67 system, Fuji GX 680 System, Hassleblad FE203 system, Alpa FPS 12 system, Rollei 6008AF system - all with thier own lenses and systems. I am also looking at getting a Sinar 4x5 view camera - so it all adds up. Then we get into digital backs to go on these Medium format cameras - some of these backs cost 20K+ each! so not going to cram them into an overloaded camera bag. I need to spread the load over at least 2 guys + me. Of course not all cameras go out on a day trip - gear is selected for the job that day, but its still a lot of gear to carry.
2 Vehicles ? Pros and cons to that. Nice to have another car if we have a break down. But then again we are not on an around the world trip by ourselves. We live in the middle of Africa. We are pretty central to everywhere from where we are. If we have a break down we will simply sit tight and camp while we wait for mechs to arrive to fix the problem - you would be amazed but breakdowns are always fixed on the side of the road - they even rebuild engines on the side of the road - seriously ! We just need to be patched up to limp home.
Taking a second vehicle over the border ? Ouch!!! what a nightmare. Its bad enough we are taking one vehicle much less two. Then comes the cost. Its expensive to cross borders and take vehicles into neighboring countries. Then I need a guy who can drive it - not as easy as you think if you dont want your nice twin cab ruined.
No - its one truck and a trailer. I cant cut corners on the camera gear - I need the gear i have for quality - I'm shooting large formats. I need security - so cant cut corners there. The wife insists on coming - so stuck there. How do I trim this down? I have given this much thought i can assure you as I sense I need to dumb this down - but how?
T
The Iveco is full time 4x4 - running in a higher range 4x4 when on road. Thats gotta eat fuel right there. Nice feature though - its as sure footed as a mountain goat!
I read the article also. That fuel consumption average was taken from a 1,000km accross a desert running in Low Range most of the way. That is always going to drink your fuel. I agree the truck will do much better when just traveling. You only use 4x4 when required.
As for the width the point I was trying to make is that an extra 40cm wheel track width is not going to stop you from going places
.
The Iveco is full time 4x4 - running in a higher range 4x4 when on road. Thats gotta eat fuel right there. Nice feature though - its as sure footed as a mountain goat!
Cuddy
Observer
Wow, you certainly do live in a wild place over there! Make you realise how lucky we are in oz.
I was just reading your last post on family friendly 4x4 s thread.
Maybe you are getting a bit ahead of yourself....I would not write off the nps. As you now know the weight can creep up quickly, this just means you need to be mindful of what you are adding. Will you be adding a bull bar? Winch? Rear winch?Super singles?- how many spares will you carry? Extra fuel tank? How much water? How heavy is that camera gear? Solar and aux batteries? Will you need extra toolboxes, roof racks??? . Obviously all this adds up, but perhaps you don’t really need all of it, especially if you aren’t going to be going down full blown 4x4 tracks.
Make a list of what you might like to have and start adding up the weights and see where your at. As you will see if you read through all the info on this forum it’s all about compromise!
By the way, I don’t think it will matter if your in the Iveco or the Isuzu you will stick out like dogs balls! Ha ha, every where we go we get stared at, and then asked, “oh how much was that!”.
- Brent
I was just reading your last post on family friendly 4x4 s thread.
Maybe you are getting a bit ahead of yourself....I would not write off the nps. As you now know the weight can creep up quickly, this just means you need to be mindful of what you are adding. Will you be adding a bull bar? Winch? Rear winch?Super singles?- how many spares will you carry? Extra fuel tank? How much water? How heavy is that camera gear? Solar and aux batteries? Will you need extra toolboxes, roof racks??? . Obviously all this adds up, but perhaps you don’t really need all of it, especially if you aren’t going to be going down full blown 4x4 tracks.
Make a list of what you might like to have and start adding up the weights and see where your at. As you will see if you read through all the info on this forum it’s all about compromise!
By the way, I don’t think it will matter if your in the Iveco or the Isuzu you will stick out like dogs balls! Ha ha, every where we go we get stared at, and then asked, “oh how much was that!”.
- Brent
Yep might be getting ahead of myself on this. Its early days yet. I would really prefer to stick with the NPS if possible but i am getting a feeling that the NPS300 is not going to do it. I feel it has the power required - 404NM of torque should be sufficient to plod around Africa. One other issue re carrying gear - better to pull it then carry it. So the trailer needs to be a serious affair. The more weight I can offload to the trailer the better. I would like to build a really nice trailer that has to be 4x4 capable - no use that the truck can go there but the trailer cant.
Things like a fuel reserve can be carried in tanks built into the trailer. Fresh water reserves can be on-board the trailer (with a smaller fresh water tank on the truck). The genset can be on the trailer.
I do have some idea of towing a trailer here in Africa. For my work i towed a 6m flatbed trailer for a bit over 500,000 Klms around parts of Africa, so well versed in trailers and Africa. I killed my 1st Cruiser on those 500,000 Klms (it already had 300,000 on it when i got it - the 1HZ is a legend of an engine!) On my LC79 that i bought new in 2011, i have 240,000 Klms logged up so far. On my Isuzu bought new in 2014, i am up to 120,000 Klms - so a fair bit of experience on African roads and goat tracks !
Things like a fuel reserve can be carried in tanks built into the trailer. Fresh water reserves can be on-board the trailer (with a smaller fresh water tank on the truck). The genset can be on the trailer.
I do have some idea of towing a trailer here in Africa. For my work i towed a 6m flatbed trailer for a bit over 500,000 Klms around parts of Africa, so well versed in trailers and Africa. I killed my 1st Cruiser on those 500,000 Klms (it already had 300,000 on it when i got it - the 1HZ is a legend of an engine!) On my LC79 that i bought new in 2011, i have 240,000 Klms logged up so far. On my Isuzu bought new in 2014, i am up to 120,000 Klms - so a fair bit of experience on African roads and goat tracks !
@Cuddy
Yes need the bull bar - and LOTS of big bright lights - these big heavy trucks here are a problem. Talk about cowboys. In Africa, might is right. Its only if you have brighter lights then them will they dip thier lights. I know this sounds like bull, but trust me, its very true. I need a winch on front at least. Given my mission is to tow a trailer just about everywhere I go - do I need a winch on the back? Sounds nice to have though. Super Singles sound like a good idea to me, so yes on those. Spares - none. Dont need them. If we break down we will wait for spares to be delivered. Its only a few days away by bus to get whatever we need. We can camp while waiting.
Some water needs to go on the truck for sure but the main reserve can be on the trailer. Same for fuel. I can rig up some nice fuel tanks built into the trailer and use a fuel transfer pump to decant fuel from the back trailer tanks to the truck main tank. Rather leave the truck fuel tank well alone. The truck fuel tank comes nicely setup from the factory - no one can do it better then they can. So better to simply have the setup in place to transfer fuel from the trailer tanks to the truck tank.
Camera gear is not OTT - I dont know exactly how much but my guess is maybe around 100Kg total. Tool boxes on the sides of the truck to carry stuff - cooking gear Braii stuff etc. Cast iron cookware and stuff like that. I want a pretty extensive canvas tent setup to go around the camper on the truck so that will add up I guess.
But overall, as much as possible will be offloaded to the trailer. I would build the trailer to take as much weight as the GCM will allow - even if we dont use it.
Is there any thread on this forum with approx costs of building backs? I've been a way back through old threads but not seen one like that so far. This place is a goldmine for those of us possessed to do this sort of thing !
P.S - forgot something crucial.... batteries ! I plan on a really big bank of LiFePo4 batteries. So thats going to weigh some. Really need the batteries for less genset run time. Dont want the noise.
Yes need the bull bar - and LOTS of big bright lights - these big heavy trucks here are a problem. Talk about cowboys. In Africa, might is right. Its only if you have brighter lights then them will they dip thier lights. I know this sounds like bull, but trust me, its very true. I need a winch on front at least. Given my mission is to tow a trailer just about everywhere I go - do I need a winch on the back? Sounds nice to have though. Super Singles sound like a good idea to me, so yes on those. Spares - none. Dont need them. If we break down we will wait for spares to be delivered. Its only a few days away by bus to get whatever we need. We can camp while waiting.
Some water needs to go on the truck for sure but the main reserve can be on the trailer. Same for fuel. I can rig up some nice fuel tanks built into the trailer and use a fuel transfer pump to decant fuel from the back trailer tanks to the truck main tank. Rather leave the truck fuel tank well alone. The truck fuel tank comes nicely setup from the factory - no one can do it better then they can. So better to simply have the setup in place to transfer fuel from the trailer tanks to the truck tank.
Camera gear is not OTT - I dont know exactly how much but my guess is maybe around 100Kg total. Tool boxes on the sides of the truck to carry stuff - cooking gear Braii stuff etc. Cast iron cookware and stuff like that. I want a pretty extensive canvas tent setup to go around the camper on the truck so that will add up I guess.
But overall, as much as possible will be offloaded to the trailer. I would build the trailer to take as much weight as the GCM will allow - even if we dont use it.
Is there any thread on this forum with approx costs of building backs? I've been a way back through old threads but not seen one like that so far. This place is a goldmine for those of us possessed to do this sort of thing !
P.S - forgot something crucial.... batteries ! I plan on a really big bank of LiFePo4 batteries. So thats going to weigh some. Really need the batteries for less genset run time. Dont want the noise.
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SkiFreak
Crazy Person
I fully expect that build costs in one country would not be reflective in another, so I don't know how much use that information would be.
Sure and that is fair comment. But some sort of idea would be nice. Mu gut feel on this is nothing is going to be as cost effective as a Big Foot from Nth America. The freight in a container is not really a problem because I can get quite a bit of other stuff I am after from the US at the same time in the same 40 footer HC.