Another Chassis Conundrum????

[charlieaarons]

Re “70-75mph”:
In all of Europe, for example, the speed limit for all vehicles (RVs also) over 3.5 tonnes (7700 lb) gvw is 80 kph (50 mph); slower off big highways. Australia has very few divided highways and many outback main roads are 1.5 lanes of dirt/gravel, one pulls to the left and slows down when another vehicle approaches, like a 150 tonne road train. I recall RSA (South Africa) has a small number of freeways, not sure but I recall the speed limit for trucks was 100kph.
Even the trans Canada highway is single carriageway for much of the way.
So unless one intends to spend one’s travel career in the USA pretty exclusively, 70-75 mph is irrelevant.
I’ve done 55000 of my 100,000 Unimog miles outside the lower 48.

 

[simple]

Weight adds up real fast for a full time overland truck, especially if you want to carry plenty of water and fuel.
$150k US for the hard wall camper? I see a major flaw in their business model!

I'm with you on the price and think a combination of Total Composites and DIY of a similar design could be done for a lot less. I will also point out that Overland Explorer has been making campers for a few years now and appear to sell everything they make.

Regarding the size and weight. I don't have any international overland experience and am basing my thoughts on observations of what others have done. Thinking if it can be done in an SUV size truck it must all be relative to individual needs. My personal experience of camping and RVing in the US is that less is more. Granted I've never done it full time. I like to think of it more like back packing in a vehicle where more time is spent outside than inside and things like microwaves, AC and TV screens ETC are not needed. Builds could be more like aircraft. Internal walls, cabinets and panels could be constructed of thin skin sandwiches with honeycomb core. I see a lot plywood, tile etc. going into builds which works great but isn't lite weight.

 

[gregmchugh]

I'm curious why the build needs to be so heavy it requires a mega truck for the platform. What if you spec a single rear wheel one ton and build a smaller lighter cab over box? I'm excited to see the release of this build (Supposedly tomorrow). It has an over cab bed and a dinette bed and a fold down bunk.

BASE CAMP HARD WALL – Overland Explorer Vehicles

overlandex.com

Different people take different amounts of stuff, just the way it is...

 

[Joe917]

I'm with you on the price and think a combination of Total Composites and DIY of a similar design could be done for a lot less. I will also point out that Overland Explorer has been making campers for a few years now and appear to sell everything they make.

Regarding the size and weight. I don't have any international overland experience and am basing my thoughts on observations of what others have done. Thinking if it can be done in an SUV size truck it must all be relative to individual needs. My personal experience of camping and RVing in the US is that less is more. Granted I've never done it full time. I like to think of it more like back packing in a vehicle where more time is spent outside than inside and things like microwaves, AC and TV screens ETC are not needed. Builds could be more like aircraft. Internal walls, cabinets and panels could be constructed of thin skin sandwiches with honeycomb core. I see a lot plywood, tile etc. going into builds which works great but isn't lite weight.

It can and is being done on bicycles, but that is a level of comfort few people are happy with. When its well below freezing and you have been hiking all day in the middle of nowhere its nice to come back to a warm truck with the cat asleep on the bed, heat up supper in the microwave, have a hot shower in an indoor bathroom with heated towel bar and sit back and watch a movie. My days of sleeping in a tent or the back of an SUV for weeks at a time are long gone.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

These discussions always amuse me.

Guy wants a camper shell on his Ford ranger and it makes him happy.. cool

Guy wants a 25000lb unimog and it makes him happy... cool

No 2 people have the same needs, wants, comfort level... simple..

I personally cannot grasp the latest craze of the ginormous huge LMTV like truck with the little tiny habitat on the back that would work on a truck 1/3 the size, but that seems to be all the rage now, if it makes them happy, have at it ??‍♂️

 

[waveslider]

It's been about 6 months......3 months overdo by my calculation.

 

[simple]

It can and is being done on bicycles, but that is a level of comfort few people are happy with. When its well below freezing and you have been hiking all day in the middle of nowhere its nice to come back to a warm truck with the cat asleep on the bed, heat up supper in the microwave, have a hot shower in an indoor bathroom with heated towel bar and sit back and watch a movie. My days of sleeping in a tent or the back of an SUV for weeks at a time are long gone.

heated towel bar does sound nice!

 

[Big Rudy]

George C. , thanks, no one could have said it better!

 

[CappyJax]

I'd like to hear the reason you want to go with gas. I am on the fence between gas and diesel. Mainly because if I do go to Central and South America, diesel is easier to come by. But I am not thrilled about the increase in complexity with the turbo, DEF, injectors, etc. I also saw a video of a 6.7 Powerstroke vs 7.3 gas, and the 6.7 looked like a nightmare to work on. The 7.3 has a ton of room in the engine compartment and looked far easier to work on. Also, the diesel is over $9,000 more. I just love the torque of a diesel. I hope that when I am ready to buy, they have a gas engine hybrid with some great torque from electric motors. But I still think that is years away.

 

[senorparker]

I'm curious why the build needs to be so heavy it requires a mega truck for the platform. What if you spec a single rear wheel one ton and build a smaller lighter cab over box? I'm excited to see the release of this build (Supposedly tomorrow). It has an over cab bed and a dinette bed and a fold down bunk.

BASE CAMP HARD WALL – Overland Explorer Vehicles

overlandex.com

Sweet little campers for sure.

We just committed to a TC box, with Hunter RMV doing the build. The rig will get heavy, real fast. Going with a 15’ floor length, as opposed to 8’ like the base camp. We’ve got four travelers and our kids are not getting any smaller.

 

[senorparker]

I'd like to hear the reason you want to go with gas. I am on the fence between gas and diesel. Mainly because if I do go to Central and South America, diesel is easier to come by. But I am not thrilled about the increase in complexity with the turbo, DEF, injectors, etc. I also saw a video of a 6.7 Powerstroke vs 7.3 gas, and the 6.7 looked like a nightmare to work on. The 7.3 has a ton of room in the engine compartment and looked far easier to work on. Also, the diesel is over $9,000 more. I just love the torque of a diesel. I hope that when I am ready to buy, they have a gas engine hybrid with some great torque from electric motors. But I still think that is years away.

Primarily less complexity with gas. Plus, it doesn’t sound like ULSD and Def are readily available in SA. $9k is a big up charge to diesel when trying to keep this build from not going absolutely crazy. The 7.3 will have plenty of power.

 

[CappyJax]

Primarily less complexity with gas. Plus, it doesn’t sound like ULSD and Def are readily available in SA. $9k is a big up charge to diesel when trying to keep this build from not going absolutely crazy. The 7.3 will have plenty of power.

Oh, I never though about the ULSD availability. I guess that makes it even harder than gasoline. That pushes me way back towards the 7.3. I saw a video showing both engine compartments, and the 7.3 looks like a dream to work on. I guess I really have no more reasons to consider the diesel. Espar has a gas powered hydronic heater, so no issue there.

As I understand it, the 7.3L comes with only a single 40 gallon tank. Do you know why? I would like a midship tank as well, and I have seen them as big as 60 gallons for the F250 & F350. Not sure why they don't make it available for the F550.

 

[senorparker]

Oh, I never though about the ULSD availability. I guess that makes it even harder than gasoline. That pushes me way back towards the 7.3. I saw a video showing both engine compartments, and the 7.3 looks like a dream to work on. I guess I really have no more reasons to consider the diesel. Espar has a gas powered hydronic heater, so no issue there.

As I understand it, the 7.3L comes with only a single 40 gallon tank. Do you know why? I would like a midship tank as well, and I have seen them as big as 60 gallons for the F250 & F350. Not sure why they don't make it available for the F550.

The 40 gallon tank is certainly a negative. Ford probably figures that most people would opt for the diesel engine if extra fuel is a concern.

Does anybody know where to source an additional tank to sit within the frame rails? My preliminary search turned up nothing.

 

[senorparker]

Oh, I never though about the ULSD availability. I guess that makes it even harder than gasoline. That pushes me way back towards the 7.3. I saw a video showing both engine compartments, and the 7.3 looks like a dream to work on. I guess I really have no more reasons to consider the diesel. Espar has a gas powered hydronic heater, so no issue there.

As I understand it, the 7.3L comes with only a single 40 gallon tank. Do you know why? I would like a midship tank as well, and I have seen them as big as 60 gallons for the F250 & F350. Not sure why they don't make it available for the F550.

The 40 gallon tank is certainly a negative. Ford probably figures that most people would opt for the diesel engine if extra fuel is a concern.

Does anybody know where to source an additional tank to sit within the frame rails? My preliminary search turned up nothing.

 

[CappyJax]

The 40 gallon tank is certainly a negative. Ford probably figures that most people would opt for the diesel engine if extra fuel is a concern.

Does anybody know where to source an additional tank to sit within the frame rails? My preliminary search turned up nothing.

This is the closest I found. Probably doesn’t list the 550 because it doesn’t replace anything and would need lines installed. I’d probably just install something like this with a pump, and when the 40 gallon tank gets low, just turn the pump on for a few minutes.

2017-24 Ford F-250/F-350/F-450 Crew Cab (Long Bed) Replacement Fuel Tank - 65 Gallon

65 Gallon, extra capacity, extra heavy duty mid-ship replacement fuel tank for 2017-2024 FORD F-250, F-350, and F-450 pickups with Crew Cabs, 8 ft beds and Power Stroke engines. Tank comes complete...

www.tankandbarrel.com