mhiscox
Expedition Leader
Whatever gets produced, I'm very enthusiastic about All Terrain Warrior's work being available over here. I've admired John's work for a long time and thinks it's great that it may be coming to the U.S.
All Terrain Warriors campers
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Ford Prefect
Expedition Leader
So now we know the real reason John spent the time and money to fly out here for the Expo. Little meet and greet in person eah?
I think the E450 is a more sound choice, but the fact that the 4x4 is a pricey upgrade is not too cool to me. At least the F450 is already set up and easy, plus every ford dealer in the world has seen an F450 4x4.
Ah well, just seeing better variety on the USA market is a big thing for me, and it makes me happy...
I think the E450 is a more sound choice, but the fact that the 4x4 is a pricey upgrade is not too cool to me. At least the F450 is already set up and easy, plus every ford dealer in the world has seen an F450 4x4.
Ah well, just seeing better variety on the USA market is a big thing for me, and it makes me happy...
whatcharterboat
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Gee Mike, don't give me a big head. It is a team effort here. We all throw in our 10 cents worth however our boss is the one with the real vision and at the end of the day he is the one that takes the risks............but as always Mike, (even going right back to your reply to my first ever post) , thank you sincerely for your comments.
Re Chip, Kerry, Nathanel , etc posts on the Sportsmobile West / All Terrain Warriors USA venture.
Thank you. Yes. Overland Expo was a meet'n'greet and a chance to show the concept of our new expedition-style camper. We had always talked about exporting into other markets and that is now very close to becoming a reality. You could say the timing is right......well almost. We still have a little way to go with the Australian prototype yet but it has been a HUGE investment with over 1500 hours of CAD logged up alone and more than 40 new CNC-tooled plugs/moulds to date, so we are VERY committed to the success of this project.
The development will obviously be ongoing with many different versions planned including the North American LHD models, firstly to suit the Fuso and then the E450 Cutaway.
The step from Right-hand Drive to Wrong-hand Drive is relativly simple...once you see the design it will be come clear but there is a door on both sides of the camper module. One door opens to reveal the entry which converts to shower/toilet and the other door opens to a locker for a stack of Maxtrax, shovel, recovery bag, outside shower, water inlets, etc. and they are fitted to the appropiate side during production. Apart from that, we only have to redo a couple of moulds to make the swap for the LHD market.
It's been driving me crazy ...not being able to post anything about this but please be patient .....Chip, I think I said to you once before in an earlier post that the ExPo members would get first peak....well that is still the plan. We should have something worth looking at in about 4 weeks and OvEx next year is the target date for the USA version. At this point, I believe that we will probably only be selling the LHD bodies as a flat packed kit to be assembled by Sportsmobile West using mainly American components in order to make the package more affordable in light of the current high Aussie dollar.
As far as Sportsmobile West go ..... they are now officially our North American agent and any enquiries for that region should be directed to them. There are still plenty of details to finalize but we are very confident with the partnership and are expecting big things to follow over the next few years. Personally, I do not think we could not have found a more reputable company and I thank those ExPo members that helped bring us together.
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"When I talked to SMB West on Friday, they said it will be the Canter or an E450 ..."
I stand corrected. We'll have to get that mistake corrected in the announcement.
The E450 is a less interesting chassis. When Ford changed to the 6.4L diesel, there wasn't enough room for it in the E-Series van. So the engine choices are the 5.4L V8 and 6.8L V10 gas motors. No factory 4x4, either, but Sportsmobile does a 4x4 conversion in-house that seems to work OK.
Ford is transitioning from the E-Series to the T-Series based on the European Transit van. The E-Series vans stopped production in 2012, but production of the cutaway chassis will continue for at least two more years. At first, the new T-Series will be powered by the EcoBoost 3.5L turbo V6 gas engine. The Ecoboost produces power similar to the 5.4L gas V8 and offers the promise of better fuel economy if you can keep your foot off the accelerator. The Transit uses diesel engines in Europe, but Ford has not said which diesel will be coming to USA.
I think I like the F450 idea better ! Roomy cab, crew cab available, diesel and factory 4x4, low range, F550 available if you want a stronger rear axle...what's not to like about the F450?
Another surprise is that the F450 has a turning radius several feet tighter than the E-Series chassis. The F450 has a wider track, which permits the front wheels to turn more sharply. The Fuso chassis is much better than either Ford in this regard.
Maybe Ford's T-Series will be available with diesel and 4x4 in a couple of years, when the E-Series cutaway production ends.
I stand corrected. We'll have to get that mistake corrected in the announcement.
The E450 is a less interesting chassis. When Ford changed to the 6.4L diesel, there wasn't enough room for it in the E-Series van. So the engine choices are the 5.4L V8 and 6.8L V10 gas motors. No factory 4x4, either, but Sportsmobile does a 4x4 conversion in-house that seems to work OK.
Ford is transitioning from the E-Series to the T-Series based on the European Transit van. The E-Series vans stopped production in 2012, but production of the cutaway chassis will continue for at least two more years. At first, the new T-Series will be powered by the EcoBoost 3.5L turbo V6 gas engine. The Ecoboost produces power similar to the 5.4L gas V8 and offers the promise of better fuel economy if you can keep your foot off the accelerator. The Transit uses diesel engines in Europe, but Ford has not said which diesel will be coming to USA.
I think I like the F450 idea better ! Roomy cab, crew cab available, diesel and factory 4x4, low range, F550 available if you want a stronger rear axle...what's not to like about the F450?
Another surprise is that the F450 has a turning radius several feet tighter than the E-Series chassis. The F450 has a wider track, which permits the front wheels to turn more sharply. The Fuso chassis is much better than either Ford in this regard.
Maybe Ford's T-Series will be available with diesel and 4x4 in a couple of years, when the E-Series cutaway production ends.
Ford Prefect
Expedition Leader
If you do that in a new thread, would you PLEASE KINDLY mention the link to said thread in here. I am subscribed to this thread, and would hate to miss the first peak at what I am sure will be a brilliant vehicle!
Regards,
Brian,
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whatcharterboat
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Hi Brian....no worries. Will post pics of the new camper model up in this section in a few weeks.
Hey Dave...long time!!
Here's an interesting job we are almost finished .... Allison 2500 conversion into FG84....the Allison techheads are arriving this week to test drive and hopefully sign off on it as an approved conversion. This pick was taken a couple of weeks back but it's all ready for the first drive.
Hey Dave...long time!!
Here's an interesting job we are almost finished .... Allison 2500 conversion into FG84....the Allison techheads are arriving this week to test drive and hopefully sign off on it as an approved conversion. This pick was taken a couple of weeks back but it's all ready for the first drive.
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dhackney
Expedition Leader
whatcharterboat
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Hi Doug,
Yes...we retain the Fuso transfercase....2 speed in the case of the FG84 and single speed in the case of the current FGB71. An auto should go a long way to overcoming the lack of low range in the new 71. As you may know, we don't get offered the Duonic 6 speed here in Oz.
PS. Still have to reply to your email......soon. Say hi to Steph for me. And if you see Lance B, he has a book to pass on to you.
Kind regards John
Yes...we retain the Fuso transfercase....2 speed in the case of the FG84 and single speed in the case of the current FGB71. An auto should go a long way to overcoming the lack of low range in the new 71. As you may know, we don't get offered the Duonic 6 speed here in Oz.
PS. Still have to reply to your email......soon. Say hi to Steph for me. And if you see Lance B, he has a book to pass on to you.
Kind regards John
whatcharterboat
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Hi Chocko
Yeah...that's what we reckon too. Drove it today....still grinning. Our guys here at work have done a great job designing all the conversion parts and then fitting them up and although we still have some more fine tuning to do to make it right for the customer, it is quite incredible to drive. Acceleration, highway cruising , overtaking, hauling uphill,etc are out of all proportion to what you would expect from a Canter...... Even engine braking is good and I didn't expect that. It will be a killer vehicle on the beach. Chocko, like I said....still grinning.
How's things up in FNQ?....regards John.
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dhackney
Expedition Leader
Steph says hi and sends her absolute best your way to you and the family. She's also talking some type of trash regarding Oz breaks versus her SoCal breaks, but I don't understand that surfer girl talk... 8^)
I will keep my eyes open for Lance.
Will this Allison conversion for FG84s be offered by Sportsmobile West via ATW?
Billygoround
New member
Could you bolt a Duramax 6.6L up to that tramsmission?
dhackney
Expedition Leader
You're not the only one!
Based on the CAD work, I think this will be worth the wait.
The ATW team has combined their decades of experience building Fuso Expedition Campers with their customers' decades of experience utilizing those campers with innovative new ideas about improvements in design, materials, manufacture and assembly.
Nobody on the planet is within a light year of the amount of experience the ATW team has with this size trucks and expedition campers.
I am anxiously awaiting the opportunity to see what they bring to the table with this new generation of camper.
So, hey, Paul, John and team, no pressure...
Best wishes for a long, fruitful and mutually profitable relationship for ATW and Sportsmobile West.
We need more information about this ATW camper, shown at SEMA this year!!! I like the hard side popup design. Is this the result of the ATW/Sportsmobile partnership? Or maybe a model ATW plans to export?
Beautiful original photos here, by forum member GTABurnout
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...ck-For-Frequent-Updates?p=1215819#post1215819
Beautiful original photos here, by forum member GTABurnout
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...ck-For-Frequent-Updates?p=1215819#post1215819
whatcharterboat
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Hi Chip.
This is not our new camper but is the same or a similar unit as Sportsmobile showed at OvEx and is now fitted with ATW single wheels, parabolic suspension and possibly our ATB front diff (not confirmed) .
An Australian RHD version of the our new 2013 camper will be released soon with a LHD version later next year under the ATW USA brand.
I can see how there could be confusion as a result of Sportsmobile's display at SEMA but we are glad that at least some product finally made it to your shores and look forward to growing the product line and the brand over the next year or so.
I must say that this vehicle now looks incredibly capable as a result of the additions compared to when I saw it at Overland Expo earlier. One of the Sportsmobile guys told me that they had a great show and plenty interest in the Fuso.
Kind regards
John
This is not our new camper but is the same or a similar unit as Sportsmobile showed at OvEx and is now fitted with ATW single wheels, parabolic suspension and possibly our ATB front diff (not confirmed) .
An Australian RHD version of the our new 2013 camper will be released soon with a LHD version later next year under the ATW USA brand.
I can see how there could be confusion as a result of Sportsmobile's display at SEMA but we are glad that at least some product finally made it to your shores and look forward to growing the product line and the brand over the next year or so.
I must say that this vehicle now looks incredibly capable as a result of the additions compared to when I saw it at Overland Expo earlier. One of the Sportsmobile guys told me that they had a great show and plenty interest in the Fuso.
Kind regards
John
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