2020 EarthCruiser?

[gregmchugh]

I’d heard similar but don’t believe I was asking about diesel Fuso availability, perhaps you mean the Omega is now sold? That wouldn’t surprise me. You appear to know a lot about these rigs. Any chance you could answer any of my questions about the new gas models? Much appreciated:
I think my questions rel to your 2020 Earthcruiser post above keep getting lost in the shuffle:
Is fuel tank capacity likely to stay at 60 gallons or will/could there be a need for an auxiliary tank to increase range?
What are the front/rear GAWR's and what sort of actual front and rear axle weights have you seen on a "loaded" (fuel, water, passengers) ?
Any idea what your avg mpg was at 78mph?

I'm intrigued by the "Omega" Model on your website (and question the logic of discontinuing the diesel motor option) but looking forward to learning more about this gas model, esp. with crew cab. I have never been in a loaded petrol-powered truck that performed particularly well at high-altitude/mountains vs turbodiesels or got good mileage in any sense, particularly when climbing passes, but am hopeful the new EC motor is different and from your account it sounds like this rig has potential. Thank you.

I have no inside knowledge, simply getting all the info from Earthcruiser postings. My response on the end of diesel Fuso models was in reply to your comment

“(and question the logic of discontinuing the diesel motor option)”

since they can’t get any new Fusos with diesel engines, Earthcruiser didn’t discontinue the diesel option, Fuso made that decision...

 

[lucilius]

Per the Fuso website, it looks like GAWR front and rear is 6390 lbs. It would be interesting to hear what owners are seeing on the scales when the travel fully loaded.

 

[gregmchugh]

Per the Fuso website, it looks like GAWR front and rear is 6390 lbs. It would be interesting to hear what owners are seeing on the scales when the travel fully loaded.

The 4wd conversion for the new 2020 gasoline models replaces the Fuso supplied front and rear axles with Dynatrac front and rear axles along with suspension and brake changes, not sure the standard GAWR numbers still apply??

 

[lucilius]

The 4wd conversion for the new 2020 gasoline models replaces the Fuso supplied front and rear axles with Dynatrac front and rear axles along with suspension and brake changes, not sure the standard GAWR numbers still apply??

In that case, I imagine the factory Mitsu/Fuso spec doesn’t apply at all. I wonder if that means Earthcruisers have no engine/drivetrain factory warrantit’s or if they’ve done something similar to Earthroamer and kept warranties intact despite all the custom drivetrain/suspension components. That would be great.

 

[gregmchugh]

In that case, I imagine the factory Mitsu/Fuso spec doesn’t apply at all. I wonder if that means Earthcruisers have no engine/drivetrain factory warrantit’s or if they’ve done something similar to Earthroamer and kept warranties intact despite all the custom drivetrain/suspension components. That would be great.

They will have to confirm it is but my understanding is that they are a approved by Fuso for the 4wd modifications and the warranties for all the standard Fuso components are still in place. The new components added by EC may only be warrantied by the manufacturers (Dynatrac, etc.).

 

[lucilius]

They will have to confirm it is but my understanding is that they are a approved by Fuso for the 4wd modifications and the warranties for all the standard Fuso components are still in place. The new components added by EC may only be warrantied by the manufacturers (Dynatrac, etc.).

I just looked at dynatrac website. I couldn’t find any ref to GAWR but may have missed it. If this EC axle is some variant of the “prorock 80” they build for extreme jeeps, I wonder how they stretched out the axle to fit the Fuso and deal with possible offset change from original design. What I’ve seen elsewhere are spacers and extensions, which work to varying degrees. ((Additionally, do you know if the Method wheels spec’d on the EXP are made in China like the rest of their wheels?)
Still very curious to see some real world, fully loaded EXP mpg at highway speed (75-80mph) with this new gas engine. I would expect to see something between 5-10mpg, more towards 5mpg in the hills, esp at higher altitudes, and 10mpg in the flats.

 

[gregmchugh]

I just looked at dynatrac website. I couldn’t find any ref to GAWR but may have missed it. If this EC axle is some variant of the “prorock 80” they build for extreme jeeps, I wonder how they stretched out the axle to fit the Fuso and deal with possible offset change from original design. What I’ve seen elsewhere are spacers and extensions, which work to varying degrees. ((Additionally, do you know if the Method wheels spec’d on the EXP are made in China like the rest of their wheels?)
Still very curious to see some real world, fully loaded EXP mpg at highway speed (75-80mph) with this new gas engine. I would expect to see something between 5-10mpg, more towards 5mpg in the hills, esp at higher altitudes, and 10mpg in the flats.

I don’t know about the Method wheels...

There are pictures on their Facebook and Instagram feeds of the front and rear Dynatrac axles which may show you what you want in terms of their configuration...

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

I don’t know about the Method wheels...

They are very highly overrated and overhyped, and I personally know 3 folks that have broken method wheels, with setups well under their weight rating.

One of them broke 2 on the dempster, which is basically a long fire road

 

[gregmchugh]

They are very highly overrated and overhyped, and I personally know 3 folks that have broken method wheels, with setups well under their weight rating.

One of them broke 2 on the dempster, which is basically a long fire road

Took the Dempster last year and then on up to Tuk and back. The road has some bad spots in the Yukon but gets better in the NWT. New road from Inuvik to Tuk is fine when dry but pretty slick when wet. Didn’t find any sections that were especially bad just some potholes, washboard, and rocks. If you don’t slow down when you need to I suppose you could break something. The Dalton to Deadhorse was much worse when it had just gotten some significant rain. Big potholes and very slow going between Atigun pass and Deadhorse.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Took the Dempster last year and then on up to Tuk and back. The road has some bad spots in the Yukon but gets better in the NWT. New road from Inuvik to Tuk is fine when dry but pretty slick when wet. Didn’t find any sections that were especially bad just some potholes, washboard, and rocks. If you don’t slow down when you need to I suppose you could break something. The Dalton to Deadhorse was much worse when it had just gotten some significant rain. Big potholes and very slow going between Atigun pass and Deadhorse.

Yeah, I’ve done both. Dalton on a bike (3 years ago) and Dempster in a truck (this past Sept). Didn’t find any of it “abusive” if you drive sanely.

 

[lucilius]

I don’t know about the Method wheels...

There are pictures on their Facebook and Instagram feeds of the front and rear Dynatrac axles which may show you what you want in terms of their configuration...

Thanks, I will look for axle pics. The EXP looks pretty fantastic but my main concerns with the 2020 gas Earthcruiser are mileage (range) and the suspension-wheel-tire setup. Based on available info, I’d expect to see a max range of 300-500 miles between fill-ups (leaving 10gallons in the 60 gallon tank) but maybe this new gas engine really is a sipper....gas is a good option in some cases but I’ve never seen gas perform well / achieve decent mileage with heavy loads in a 4x4 configuration. The wheels would be an easy fix if these are in fact Chinese-made and poor quality. I wouldn’t worry about anything made by Dynatrac but there is just not a lot of info out there on this particular axle and I am curious if it uses extensions or spacers.

 

[lucilius]

They are very highly overrated and overhyped, and I personally know 3 folks that have broken method wheels, with setups well under their weight rating.

One of them broke 2 on the dempster, which is basically a long fire road

+1 I’ve done the Dalton a few times and the difference between the new mostly paved road and the old nightmare is striking. It is rather remote and not the sort of place you want to have a breakdown or run out of gas (400miles north of Fairbanks) though there’s plenty of dead horse commercial trucking going 24/7 and Coldfoot provides a better margin of safety fuel-wise. Once you get north of the tree line it’s pretty striking, though bleak. I’ve got no experience with the Dempster, looks like a long haul through wilderness as well.

 

[akhummer]

Took the Dempster last year and then on up to Tuk and back. The road has some bad spots in the Yukon but gets better in the NWT. New road from Inuvik to Tuk is fine when dry but pretty slick when wet. Didn’t find any sections that were especially bad just some potholes, washboard, and rocks. If you don’t slow down when you need to I suppose you could break something. The Dalton to Deadhorse was much worse when it had just gotten some significant rain. Big potholes and very slow going between Atigun pass and Deadhorse.
[/QUOTE

Off the Dalton Hwy., south of Deadhorse Alaska.

 

[Don@EarthCruiserSales]

I’d heard similar but don’t believe I was asking about diesel Fuso availability, perhaps you mean the Omega is now sold? That wouldn’t surprise me. You appear to know a lot about these rigs. Any chance you could answer any of my questions about the new gas models? Much appreciated:
I think my questions rel to your 2020 Earthcruiser post above keep getting lost in the shuffle:
Is fuel tank capacity likely to stay at 60 gallons or will/could there be a need for an auxiliary tank to increase range?
What are the front/rear GAWR's and what sort of actual front and rear axle weights have you seen on a "loaded" (fuel, water, passengers) ?
Any idea what your avg mpg was at 78mph?

I'm intrigued by the "Omega" Model on your website (and question the logic of discontinuing the diesel motor option) but looking forward to learning more about this gas model, esp. with crew cab. I have never been in a loaded petrol-powered truck that performed particularly well at high-altitude/mountains vs turbodiesels or got good mileage in any sense, particularly when climbing passes, but am hopeful the new EC motor is different and from your account it sounds like this rig has potential. Thank you.

It is true that FUSO has discontinued the production of their diesel platform and replaced it with the V8 currently in use. Omega would be the last traditional EC built on a FUSO diesel chassis. Omega is not yet assembled and is simply waiting on a buyer to fill out the option list. I will try to answer some of the other questions in this tread.

No, there is no plan to increase the fuel capacity from it's already increased 60 gallon size. 60 gallons should consistantly get around the 500 mile range that we have provided for years in the diesel models and has served our customers well in the past.

The front GAWR is 6500lbs with an actual weight of 5600lbs....the rear is GAWR of 8600lbs and an actual weight of 6680...both loaded.

Since the factory MPG calculator hasn't been re calibrated to reflect the new tire size, I wouldn't be able to tell you what the MPH at a particular speed would be. I can only tell you overall based on usage.

The new Crew Cab option really is a game changer for us, we are playing with a few different seating options that will give you guys some options from seating for 4 to up to 6 in the cab, potentially.

 

[lucilius]

It is true that FUSO has discontinued the production of their diesel platform and replaced it with the V8 currently in use. Omega would be the last traditional EC built on a FUSO diesel chassis. Omega is not yet assembled and is simply waiting on a buyer to fill out the option list. I will try to answer some of the other questions in this tread.

No, there is no plan to increase the fuel capacity from it's already increased 60 gallon size. 60 gallons should consistantly get around the 500 mile range that we have provided for years in the diesel models and has served our customers well in the past.

The front GAWR is 6500lbs with an actual weight of 5600lbs....the rear is GAWR of 8600lbs and an actual weight of 6680...both loaded.

Since the factory MPG calculator hasn't been re calibrated to reflect the new tire size, I wouldn't be able to tell you what the MPH at a particular speed would be. I can only tell you overall based on usage.

The new Crew Cab option really is a game changer for us, we are playing with a few different seating options that will give you guys some options from seating for 4 to up to 6 in the cab, potentially.

Thanks, It will be great to see some updated MPG and max range data with this new engine. Also, do you know if the axles require an extension or spacers (as near as I can tell the Dynatrac 80’s are primarily used for jeeps/narrower vehicles than a Fuso)?