5 Things (or more) you would change after traveling in your truck?

[Geo.Lander]

I suppose this is more for the gravel road hardened truckers that have finished and have experience traveling in their self build/designed rigs. What are some things you would change, planning to change in your design, layout, systems, anything really. Things you would do differently if you had a do-over switch?

 

[Iain_U1250]

It is a great question, I've made a few changes to mine since completing the build. Some of the things were 10-12 year old technology, which were good and proven when I started the build, but now are almost obsolete.

1. Bigger fuel tanks, I added swapped out my 130l secondary tank for a 190lt tank, and added the capability of carry another 100lt in jerry cans below the camper. I would have fitted 200lt tanks both sides ( might upgrade the 160lt tank some time in the future still) The extra range is needed here in Australia, where fuel can be in short supply in the Outback, and sometime over 500km between fuel stations and very expensive in remote areas.
2. Lead Acid batteries - I also replaced my lead acid batteries with LiFePo4 batteries, saving about 160kg and doubling the usable capacity
3. Leather seats, we swapped them out for Alcantara seats - leather was great in theory, but pretty uncomfortable when wearing shorts ( or less )
4. Awnings - we would have made the awning we now have a long time ago, it would have made long term camping so much better.


My wife and I did talk about the U1250 as the platform, and if we had started with a U1700 the camper would have been substantially bigger, but the downside is it would not fit in our shed, and we could not have taken it on some of the narrower places we have taken the U1250 as easily. Whilst having the interior space would be good, the downsides of having a much bigger and heavier truck far outweight 1.2m of extra space for our needs. Our new awning gives us about 3 times the usable space outside than inside the truck, if only takes about 15 minutes to set up, and 30 minutes to pack away. No something you would do on the side of the road, but when staying more than just overnight, it is easy enough.

Here are a few photos of the changes we have made.


1. 190 lt Fuel tank



Extra jerry can holder



160 lt fuel tank and compartment for extra fuel storage - we can move the tools etc to other compartments or even inside the truck is necessary.


2. New 480AH batteries - about 380AH usable

Old New 450AH battery setup, about 220AH max usable and 160kg heavier.



3. New BMW seats - covered in alcantara


Old Range Rover leather seats which look nicer, but are nowhere near as comfortable in hot weather.




Old awning system - just shade cloth or a tarp attached to the roof bars.



New complete room

 

[blacklbzbeauty]

Sorry
Lost my interest in seats and fuel capacity after seeing the awning picture ?

 

[billiebob]

Range is the big one.

No Jerry Cans, but double the fuel capacity is #1.
Comms, an over the windshield bar to mount all the comms I have yet to buy #2.
Inside, leather, fabric wears way too fast and is impossible to clean without a steamer #3.... or HD Vinyl.

An interior I can clean with a hose so removable rugs like the old YJs had. Or vinyl flooring. And a simple dash like the CJ had #4.
ZERO electronics. ZERO nanny systems. ZERO multiplex wiring. Wiring I can track, repair, replace in the field. #5.


So I guess I'm saying give me a 1960 F250 with the diesel..... or gas.
For $35K you can buy a better than new restored or original low mile 1960s truck.
Never worry about emissions or safety legislation, They were built long before that happened.



To think in 1960 an F250 came with a 170 cubic inch engine.
And the diesel was only 220 cubic inch, naturally aspirated. In 30 years it would be a turbo charged 445 cubic inch engine.
I was born 50 years too late.

 

[Geo.Lander]

It is a great question, I've made a few changes to mine since completing the build. Some of the things were 10-12 year old technology, which were good and proven when I started the build, but now are almost obsolete.

1. Bigger fuel tanks, I added swapped out my 130l secondary tank for a 190lt tank, and added the capability of carry another 100lt in jerry cans below the camper. I would have fitted 200lt tanks both sides ( might upgrade the 160lt tank some time in the future still) The extra range is needed here in Australia, where fuel can be in short supply in the Outback, and sometime over 500km between fuel stations and very expensive in remote areas.
2. Lead Acid batteries - I also replaced my lead acid batteries with LiFePo4 batteries, saving about 160kg and doubling the usable capacity
3. Leather seats, we swapped them out for Alcantara seats - leather was great in theory, but pretty uncomfortable when wearing shorts ( or less )
4. Awnings - we would have made the awning we now have a long time ago, it would have made long term camping so much better.


My wife and I did talk about the U1250 as the platform, and if we had started with a U1700 the camper would have been substantially bigger, but the downside is it would not fit in our shed, and we could not have taken it on some of the narrower places we have taken the U1250 as easily. Whilst having the interior space would be good, the downsides of having a much bigger and heavier truck far outweight 1.2m of extra space for our needs. Our new awning gives us about 3 times the usable space outside than inside the truck, if only takes about 15 minutes to set up, and 30 minutes to pack away. No something you would do on the side of the road, but when staying more than just overnight, it is easy enough.

Here are a few photos of the changes we have made.


1. 190 lt Fuel tank

View attachment 672804

Extra jerry can holder
View attachment 672803


160 lt fuel tank and compartment for extra fuel storage - we can move the tools etc to other compartments or even inside the truck is necessary.
View attachment 672800

2. New 480AH batteries - about 380AH usableView attachment 672801

Old New 450AH battery setup, about 220AH max usable and 160kg heavier.

View attachment 672802

3. New BMW seats - covered in alcantara

View attachment 672805
Old Range Rover leather seats which look nicer, but are nowhere near as comfortable in hot weather.

View attachment 672806


Old awning system - just shade cloth or a tarp attached to the roof bars.

View attachment 672807

New complete room


View attachment 672816


View attachment 672817

Thanks Iain! Some great insights there, we will be traveling Norway and within the EU in the first couple of years but would love to do a few months in Aus, been following some of your vids and the terrain looks amazing over there!

We just ordered a 400L aluminium fuel tank for the drivers side, we should get 1800-2000km range from that I suppose if we're being optimistic

We are actually sticking with the original seats for now, Thea is going to reupholster them in leather (although there is nothing wrong with them currently).

Really cool awning(s)! Makes me start reconsidering the Thule one I was going to slap on...

 

[VerMonsterRV]

Hey Dimitri, here it goes

1. Would install a larger LifePO4 battery bank. Ours is 400A at 12v, I would now cram in as much as I could fit. Likely 800A. Great for those days of no sun and opens the options up a bit to run a DC air con while parked.
2. Would not have installed the Tern hatches or entry door. These were both installed for ease and cost, but I would now look at getting something out of Europe. Will probably swap the hatches out.
3.We have planned a second revision of our entry steps. Still will be free standing but will extend another step to make the small step ladder unnecessary. This frees up storage space in the toy locker and reduces the chances of bugs making it into the habitat.

These are it for general stuff but since I sorta know your truck I will offer specifics for it

1. While the habitat is not installed look into the 6 speed with overdrive conversion. Once the habitat is on it gets more difficult. Although our truck cruises comfortably at 55mph (~90kph) in North America that is pretty slow. You can end up pulling over often of having agitated drivers behind you. The other benefit is the engine will be at lower revs when cruising. We have not done this but wish we had.
2. Power bump, sort of the same reason above. Hills are challenging with the 5 speed and 200hp. The jump from 3rd to 4th is large so in order to have any chance of shifting to 4th when climbing is to rev the heck out of 3rd. We will hopefully swap out our turbo for one with a waste
gate.
3. Parabolic springs, they really transformed the ride. Still looking for the perfect shocks though.
4. Install a good high amp alternator, we have fried 2 cheap ones. Unfortunately finding quality ones in the USA is difficult and when an alternator fails you can not remove your ignition key. I am installing another one today (a different one and hopefully better quality) and have a spare on the way to carry with us.
5. If you do a power bump, install an EGT and boost gauge. You will be asking for your old engine to make more power so better to monitor things.

 

[Geo.Lander]

Thanks for all the Advice Jon, I was hoping you would chime in here!

1. Would install a larger LifePO4 battery bank. Ours is 400A at 12v, I would now cram in as much as I could fit. Likely 800A. Great for those days of no sun and opens the options up a bit to run a DC air con while parked.

Thanks, I have already ordered 18*302AH prismatic cells from China for a 8S2P setup (604A@24V). I will prob end up building 2 separate batteries for some redundancy on the BMS side. I am looking for some nicely sized boxes now to make things a little more neat.

1. While the habitat is not installed look into the 6 speed with overdrive conversion. Once the habitat is on it gets more difficult. Although our truck cruises comfortably at 55mph (~90kph) in North America that is pretty slow. You can end up pulling over often of having agitated drivers behind you. The other benefit is the engine will be at lower revs when cruising. We have not done this but wish we had.

Right, I have the G4/65 6 speed, is overdrive another feature or something like the split group on the GV box? I have looked into having the axles converted to fast ones but at this point we are way over budget already and the parts alone cost over 4000€. My mechanic says around 25 hours to convert too..

2. Power bump, sort of the same reason above. Hills are challenging with the 5 speed and 200hp. The jump from 3rd to 4th is large so in order to have any chance of shifting to 4th when climbing is to rev the heck out of 3rd. We will hopefully swap out our turbo for one with a waste

On the list, going for a full pump rebuild and bosch benching our injectors.

3. Parabolic springs, they really transformed the ride. Still looking for the perfect shocks though.

Already installed thanks to you contact at DFF, we went for the shocks they supplied too from Marquart (+60mm eye to eye)

4. Install a good high amp alternator, we have fried 2 cheap ones. Unfortunately finding quality ones in the USA is difficult and when an alternator fails you can not remove your ignition key. I am installing another one today (a different one and hopefully better quality) and have a spare on the way to carry with us.

Right, I have only briefly looked into these, currently i think we are running 55A factory ones. Are you doing DCC charging btw? I have seen some alternators listed with the right part number rated at 110A, quite pricey thou. But I am not exactly sure what the latest part number is, when i search for the ones further down the list (A 010 154 90 02 for example) most are 80A...

5. If you do a power bump, install an EGT and boost gauge. You will be asking for your old engine to make more power so better to monitor things.

Noted, thanks again Jon!

 

[VerMonsterRV]

About the 6 speed. From my digging around on the web (mainly the LN2 forum) all the 4wd trucks came without an overdrive. So your 6 speed will likely have closer gear spacing which should help in the hills. Mercedes did though make a version of your gearbox with overdrive for 2wd trucks. From what I read if you start with a 6 speed the conversion is not too difficult. If you start with a 5 speed like mine it is a bit more work as the 6 speed is physically larger than the 5 speed so things need to be moved (really wish we had the 6 speed for this reason).

For the alternator, the thing I have finally learned is that Mercedes used a similar mount style thru out several models and years. I just installed a more modern 100 amp alternator with 2 internal fans. As this alternator uses a 5 pin plug on the back you need to add a couple of wires to your truck along with this plug. Not too difficult and I have the instructions and sources. I just ordered a spare Mahle brand 110amp alternator and if I remember right it was about $180 (similar in Europe). In Europe (haven't found a source in the USA yet) you can get a Bosch 150amp for about 500 euros. The plug was $13 off of eBay. I am hoping this alternator will last us, the last ones failed at just over a year. We do put a bit of a load on them with B2B charging, DC Air Con plus the normal truck stuff.

 

[Iain_U1250]

Talking about alternators, I fitted my truck with two of them, upgrading the standard 55A 12V one with a 90A, and first a 120A one for the house batteries, but replaced that with a 250A one when I upgraded the battery system. More details in my build thread, my charging system is pretty unique with a Lithium starter, that only powers the starter, the other 4x 120A batteries power the house, and the truck systems as well. The 250A alternator powers the main truck/ camper system, and the 90A alternator just charges the starter battery or can run in parallel with the 250A alternator ( or as a back-up) Running this big an alternator and the a/c compressor of a single belt was too much power according to my calculation, so I run a dual belt system.

 

[sAsLEX]

Iain_U1250 - linked to your awning mods, I think your window cover solution was superb and should be on your list, light weight and easy to install, much easier than replacing scratched windows down track, or worse breaking one in the field.

 

[Iain_U1250]

Iain_U1250 - linked to your awning mods, I think your window cover solution was superb and should be on your list, light weight and easy to install, much easier than replacing scratched windows down track, or worse breaking one in the field.

Thanks, they work great and have proven they protect the windows.