ACELA 6X6 WITH SLRV EXPEDITION BOX NEW BUILD

[poohbearusvi]

Here she is just coming out of the paint shop and heading back to SLRV to get all her jewelry attached to the outside. Then it's on to the homestretch for completion! Should have more pics in about ten days with windows, winch, cab cage etc.

 

[poohbearusvi]

Looks great!! Exciting!

I see you’ve got new build going on as well. The toughest part now is being patient and waiting for it!

 

[trailsurfer]

Beautiful vehicle. How long will the vehicle length be? Tip to tail.

Thanks

 

[poohbearusvi]

Beautiful vehicle. How long will the vehicle length be? Tip to tail.

Thanks

We are looking at 30' 4" tip to tip including the winch and front bumper which is not installed yet.

 

[Semiquixotic]

I'm curious about how large the gap between cab and habitat is and what you are planning to use to span it? It seems larger than other builds I have seen (pictures only mind you) on other M107X chassis.

 

[poohbearusvi]

That gap is 450mm or about 17 3/4".

 

[wfv56]

Any update? That truck is terrific

 

[poohbearusvi]

Any update? That truck is terrific

Yes, the Acela truck chassis looks quite awesome. Unfortunately, they've become so busy with a large mining company order that they are booked up for the next 18 months! So, you can't get one for a while. As for progress, well, it can't be fast enough for me. Here are a few pictures from last week. You can see the massive front bumper. Hydraulic winch (20,000 lbs front and back) will be installed over the Christmas week. They've started on the rear lift. Windows are in on the driver side only right now. I've asked them to install a 360 degree infrared camera system on the rig. It'll be nice to keep an eye on things. We finally made a choice on the generator, a WhisperPower W-GV 4 Scalino mobile diesel generator with 4.4 kVA. It was the only size we could squeeze in on the rails as the extra tire on the 6x6 ate up the space. It is billed as the quietest generator in the world. Noise level: 54 dB at 7 meters and 65 dB at 1 meter. Fuel consumption: 0.8 - 1.2 liter/hour (no load - full load) which is quite good. Right now they are finishing up electrical work on the exterior chassis. On the interior, wiring on the main boards are done and they are now installing batteries, inverters etc.

 

[wfv56]

That is ridiculously quiet for a diesel generator. Great progress congratulations

 

[poohbearusvi]

OK, it's Christmas and I asked Santa for more updated photos as they will be closed Dec 24-Jan 3. These interior photos just arrived:

 

[poohbearusvi]

SLRV also sent me this short video entitled "Coming Home Soon!". (Just click on the dropbox link.) Both my wife and I got emotional just thinking about the adventures to come!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ivp36ym5kjizzd4/Coming home soon.MOV?dl=0

 

[SimonBelgium]

On another note, I'm revisiting the electric motorcycle option. We are looking at adding a diesel generator to charge the electric motorcycle. It can of course also be used to charge batteries and as a backup to our solar panels and the engine generator. I've been looking at the ZERO DSR. Once SLRV look at generator options and I talk to the people at ZERO motorcycles, I'll make a final decision.

It seems they draw 1500W, which is indeed quite a bit. If you have enough solar panels, you could do most of it during the day, depending on location, but if your motorcycle would be a daily use item, going the generator route is obviously preferable.

Likely, having a dedicated circuit to charge the motorcycle, which you can switch from generator, to alternator, to solar, depending on your use of the rig (driving = alternator / just topping off = solar / need to free up solar+batteries for the rig = generator), may be something to consider. A big 4-way switch (including "off") would be all that's needed.

I wonder if Zero Motorcycles will come with an option to use solar charging (unclear if their built-in charger works directly with 12/24V from a solar charge controller), because some throw-out panels may "fix" the need to have some more wattage.

Amazing rig, can't wait to see more updates!

 

[poohbearusvi]

It seems they draw 1500W, which is indeed quite a bit. If you have enough solar panels, you could do most of it during the day, depending on location, but if your motorcycle would be a daily use item, going the generator route is obviously preferable.

Likely, having a dedicated circuit to charge the motorcycle, which you can switch from generator, to alternator, to solar, depending on your use of the rig (driving = alternator / just topping off = solar / need to free up solar+batteries for the rig = generator), may be something to consider. A big 4-way switch (including "off") would be all that's needed.

I wonder if Zero Motorcycles will come with an option to use solar charging (unclear if their built-in charger works directly with 12/24V from a solar charge controller), because some throw-out panels may "fix" the need to have some more wattage.

Amazing rig, can't wait to see more updates!

I haven't been able to get good info from Zero bikes. Will wait until the rig gets here before deciding which route to go.

 

[trailsurfer]

I have a new Zero FX and will be using it with my EarthRoamer LTI. I will be playing with the charging and I will let you know how it goes over the next few weeks.

 

[poohbearusvi]

I have a new Zero FX and will be using it with my EarthRoamer LTI. I will be playing with the charging and I will let you know how it goes over the next few weeks.

Much appreciated! Did you get the 3.6 or 7.2 battery?