Size question

[GR8ADV]

Hi all. Been ages since I have posted. Currently up in the NWT on our way thru AK. We have a well built FUSO FG, with ATW super singles and parabolic suspension. Well sorted for off grid travel for weeks on end. Chatted with a couple folks in big MB trucks with similar dimensions to ours. Clearly more upscale however, and I expect $100’s of K more. Beautiful.

They are very cool indeed, however they weigh nearly 2x as much. I do realize that EVERY vehicle is a compromise somewhere. I am curious how versatile (or not) these may be compared to what I have and how much better (or not) the suspension is on these high end cab over rigs. I love our truck but maybe an upgrade could be in the conversation…

Thanks

 

[Joe917]

Our MB 917AF had a GVW of 9400kg. The most restrictive thing about the truck was height. White rim was not accessible because of rock overhangs in a few spots. We crossed some pretty dicey wood bridges in south America but only after being assured by locals that heavier vehicles used the same route. We took the truck to some extremely remote locations, and maxed out the elevation at 16000' (that is not a typo). I would be happier keeping the weight under 7500 kg, however at that weight it was a very comfortable, well equipped home. Although underpowered it was a joy to drive.

 

[Fred Skywalker]

I think it really depends on your travel goals. All the truck dimensions can limit your travel and so we all have to make the trade off calculations. Once my Unimog U500 is fully outfitted it will be right around 24,000 pounds (with a GVWR of 33,000 pounds). So that means I'll be routed around some bridges and there will be some mountain fire roads that I'll avoid. But it also means I'll have a very comfortable full-time apartment that will allow me to stay off grid for very long stretches. A Tacoma build with one of those rooftop fold open tents will go place I can't but I wouldn't be comfortable living in it full time. And of course parked next to an 8x8 MAN monster my U500 looks tiny. Well okay, maybe not tiny. All of these truck builds have advantages and disadvantages. I suggest that one would start with the travel goals first. Then build the smallest truck that comfortably satisfies those goals and needs. For me the goals were: full time, stand up straight in the cabin, large tanks, best chance at self recovery or not getting stuck, and not getting close to the trucks maximum design limits (i.e. well under the GVWR). For the places I can't go I can just lower the electric motorcycle to explore... or just move on to the other places I can go.

 

[Iain_U1250]

Everything is a compromise unfortunately. Our truck has a GVM of 8000kg, and is 3.3m high. We find it comfortable for living in, but some people require more space and a separate toilet/bathroom. Our toilet is in a cupboard, and slides out for use, the shower is in the doorway. We can stand up straight - 1.9m and kneel on the bed without hitting our heads, but taller people might not fit ( I'm 1.8m and Trish is 1.65m)

Our truck is small enough to fit a normal carpark space, and narrow enough to fit on the same wheel tracks as the Landcruiser size. Not being a cabover means the box is smaller than most, but we find we have more storage space than we have weight capacity.

We have only turned back because of weight once, and that bridge had a 5 ton limit. Height wise, we have had to cut a few branches with our pole saw, and we did hit one tree at speed, luckliy the barwork did its job and took the hit quite well but we did get a dent on the side of the truck. We have turned around twice on tracks, as there were just too many large low branches.

We have an annex we use for extended stays, which is around 4.5m x 3.6m which is fairly weather proof and takes us 15min so set up and 20min to pack away.

Compare to some of the vehicles on the road, we are little

 

[charlieaarons]

 

[charlieaarons]

Versus

20000kg on 6x6 vs. 12300 on 4x4, tires have similar footprint. And the 6x6 doesn’t contain the mobile shop, parts depot and recovery equipment in the 4x4. But to paraphrase Stalin, “6x6 has a quality all its own”, as far as traction.

 

[Iain_U1250]

Versus
View attachment 782534
20000kg on 6x6 vs. 12300 on 4x4, tires have similar footprint. And the 6x6 doesn’t contain the mobile shop, parts depot and recovery equipment in the 4x4. But to paraphrase Stalin, “6x6 has a quality all its own”, as far as traction.

lol, and needs a postcode to do a u-turn. I know guys who bought the 6x6 Unimogs only to sell them a few months later after try to drive them on a few tracks. I drove similar size 6x6s in the SADF, great for real off-road traction, but difficult even around the roads, let alone a narrow bush track.

 

[charlieaarons]

Roger on the turning circle; my 4x4 U500 “turns on a dime” (relatively).
The white camper 6x6 vehicle that was in my front yard all winter is a MAN.
When we traveled to Morocco with 2 other new Unicats in 2006 for a Unicat sponsored “break-in” trip, a 6x6 like this one had to make a multipoint turn on a hairpin gravel road in the Atlas Mts. Right then I was happy with the U500, it also negotiates U-turns in city streets very well.

 

[Cois]

I would be interested to see some more photos of big truck on rickety bridges. Just as a matter of travel porn

 

[Neil]

Pantanal , Brazil

 

[Victorian]

I think it all depends what your priorities are. For some, a washer/drier and big screen TV are a must. For others, a roof top tent is pure luxury. All of my personal campers are 11' tall. Certainly not ideal in forested areas. But a set of brush guards really help! I would be more concerned about overall length. On a recent trip to California, we visited smaller villages and attractions where anything longer than 21' would have prevented us from visiting. As much as I love seeing and working on the big expedition trucks, for us the 20' length, no set up time, 4 season camper is more important than have something bigger.

 

[GR8ADV]

Great thoughts folks; thanks for the responses. A couple fine tuning questions.

1) we were slogging thru some muck. I wondered how would these 20k trucks might do compared to my 12k Fuso. I don’t hear of issues.

2) how good is the suspension on the trucks. Cab over ruts, pot holes and bumps are not a happy place with the Fuso.

Thanks

 

[charlieaarons]

1) If the mud has a bottom, the ground clearance of about 480mm to the lowest point gets it through mud. It is NOT a tundra buggy. It might handle bottomless wet terrain marginally with the largest tire option for the vehicle, 495/70R24 Michelin XM47. Currently the usual 395/85R20.
2) potholes and corrugated gravel roads are not a big bother, due one of the vehicle’s “secret weapons”: CTIS. When I get on a gravel road that has corrugations (akawashboard), I lower psi from 63/95 to 40/57. The engine and CTIS computers emit a warning buzzer if my speed exceeds ~65kph (40mph). If I don’t slow down, it starts re-inflating, although it can be overridden with a switch. It very palpably reduces the destructive vibrations. The wheels have beadlocks.
That’s a big improvement over even 285/70R19.5s like some SRW Fusos have.

 

[Iain_U1250]

Great thoughts folks; thanks for the responses. A couple fine tuning questions.

1) we were slogging thru some muck. I wondered how would these 20k trucks might do compared to my 12k Fuso. I don’t hear of issues.

2) how good is the suspension on the trucks. Cab over ruts, pot holes and bumps are not a happy place with the Fuso.

Thanks

On mine it is 490mm to the diff, 550mm to the chassis rails and 600mm to the fuel tank brackets. I've been in deep mud and was lucky to be able to back out with ruts around 400mm deep. I have manual tyre inflation system, means taking a break for the corrugations. I run 25psi on the bad roads, but normal corrugations are OK at 50PSI.

 

[where_the_heffalump_roams]

As others have mentioned. It's all about compromise and finding an option that best fits your individual goals. I traveled in a VW West for nearly 10 years and lived in it about 80% of that time. While down in Guatemala years ago, I began wanting something larger.A big thing was living space that was more comfortable for me and having room for my MTB and snowboard gear. That stuff alone consumes a large amount of my space but is a necessity for me. I spent years looking at doing a possible build vs turn key options. At the top of my lists were Sprinters, Fusos, NPRs, and even a FL70. I ended up in Joe917s old MB and I'm not sure if I could be happier. Dimensions/weight: 2.4m X 3.6m X 7.5m , 9400 kg

There are few obstacles in this thing. I'd say the largest is being time and cost of fuel. It's most happy when traveling at 50 mph and often does 25 mph on hills. So destinations have to be worth while, within time constraints, or I have to be able to post there for a bit to make it worth while. The 2nd obstacle is size, height and width def need to be taken into account. But for me, the trade off is way worth it. I live/work in this full time. When working a contract, I'm am often provided with a hotel. But I've become so comfortable in this, that I often just stay in this in a hotel parking lot in cities where parking is challenging.