Big custom camper sightings

[Bill@EarthRoamer.com]

Substantially larger than stock...

Thise tires are OVERSIZED..?? I would have thought maybe they were smaller than stock.. Regardless, the axles under a F450 are PLENTY strong enough to hold up to what they are being used for.. Beyond use they should even be able to hold up to a good bit of ABUSE..

Actually, our tires/wheels are substantially larger than stock. Also, we build on Ford F-550's with a GVWR of 19,500 pounds. The front axle is a Dana 60 and the rear is a massive Dana 135.

 

[Bill@EarthRoamer.com]

We do Real-world "testing"

Bill.. Curious.. Have yall done any studies on what the agility and balance limits on the rigs..??

I'm by no means in the income market for one of these beasts, but the one thing that would worry me would be how far it can lean before everything starts going sky ground sky ground on ya.. Maybe a tilt alarm or something installed in the cab to warn folks they are pushing the limits..

We do real-world "testing" all the time...

Heavy batteries, water tanks, fuel, winches, bumpers and air compressor are mounted at or below frame level and heavy axles, transfer case, engine & transmission are all low. Combine that weight with our lightweight molded composite body and the center of gravity is very low on our rigs. We find that the drivers "pucker alarm" goes off plenty soon enough to prevent any problems.

 

[Token]

I felt certain that everything was as low as possible.. Just makes sense.. I've got an H3 that's rated to a 40% side slope by the factory (which is most certainly on the side of caution).. 40% is about 36 degrees if my math serves me right.. The little Lev-O-Gauge on the dash tells me I've pushe it beyond that more than a few times.. Enough that the factory 40% rarely trips the pucker alarm.. Pretty certain I don't want to find what the breaking point is..

Was doing a bit of snooping.. Looks like Ford may have an option to have a tilt-o-meter available before long.. Already an option on the F150 looks like..

 

[Token]

37".. I would have never guessed.. The entire package is so blasted big I guess it makes even a 37 look small..

Have you heard of anyone blowing the Ring and Pinion up on the 135..?? I'm just getting a kick out of the fact the ring gear is nearly twice the size of the Ring in the front of my H3.. (which was just replaced again today)..

 

[SRUPike]

Was doing a bit of snooping.. Looks like Ford may have an option to have a tilt-o-meter available before long.. Already an option on the F150 looks like..

Yep they been standard in the lariats in the Super Dutys for 2 years. They are pretty dang cool...

"Instrument Cluster - 4.2-inch LCD Productivity Screen
The instrument cluster in the high-end Lariat model features a driver-configurable LCD productivity screen where you’ll see more than you might have expected. Fuel economy. Towing information. Off-road data. Plus plenty of additional vehicle information. And it’s all easy to navigate on the screen or with steering wheel switches that help you keep your eyes on the road while toggling through the content on the screen."

1. Gauge mode: Checking direction and temperature
•Graphical compass display can be configured to rotate directions
•Actual temperature of the oil and transmission (gas engine); turbo boost gauge for diesels

2. Trip computer: Counting the miles
•Information on two trips available
•Trip time and mileage
•Gallons of fuel used and miles per gallon

3. Fuel economy: Up-to-the-second information
•Fuel history can be broken down to three time periods
•Five resets are available to track fuel history
•Fuel economy displays miles to empty, as well as average and instantaneous mpg
4. Truck applications: Engaging off-road mode; towing functionality

•Off-road screen allows customers to see the lateral, vertical and turning radius of their maneuvers
•Customers can access information about various features, depending on the model, such as Electronic Locking Differential, Hill Descent Control™, 4x4 system and traction control to help make informed decisions on what technologies might be of use in a given situation
•Trailer tow customers can:
•Name and change a trailer, allowing customers to track mileage and store gain settings via the Trailer Brake Controller on the instrument panel
•Delete trailers
•Access information on features such as Trailer Brake Controller or Tow Haul
•Choose the type of trailer connected and go through a connection checklist – conventional, fifth wheel and gooseneck options are supported


:coffeedrink: This newspaper break is over now back to our sightings thread. :safari-rig:

 

[Bradley]

Anchorage

Saw one in Anchorage last week. Anybody know the owner? I'd love to take a look up close.:elkgrin:

 

[STREGA]

Just saw 3 ER's going through Cedaredge Co. on their way to Grand Mesa, sad thing is I'am probably the only one in town who know what they are.

 

[Dgurley2000]

..through Iceland, Europe, Russia, Mongolia, Japan, Australia, Mexico and Central America..."

What about Africa? Curious how these would be suited for a trans-Africa drive?

 

[Dgurley2000]

The truck was driveable and undamaged after this unplanned "off road" excursion.

Just curious if they tried self-recovery before needing the semi to pull them out? Looks like it's equipped with a winch and probably some other recovery equipment.

 

[2 E L O]

I was in Colorado for the weekend visiting family. My sister lives just north of the ER shop in Frederick, CO. We drove by the ER shop a couple times on I-25 at Dacono but I never had time to stop and check it out. Bummer...they look like awesome rigs.

 

[turbopilot]

For a 17,000 lb rig the EarthRoamer handles the hills amazingly well. Here is ER#64 working the hills west of Blanding, Utah.

[video=vimeo;25332142]http://vimeo.com/25332142[/video]

 

[turbopilot]

And here is the EarthRoamer coming up the same hill shown in the last post.

[video=vimeo;25255876]http://vimeo.com/25255876[/video]

In both videos you can see Bill Burke directing traffic.

 

[Bill@EarthRoamer.com]

2011 EarthRoamer Owner's Rally

Just saw 3 ER's going through Cedaredge Co. on their way to Grand Mesa...

There were 20 EarthRoamer XV-LT's camping and exploring Grand Mesa this past week at the 7th Annual EarthRoamer Owner's Rally. We had the pleasure this year of welcoming Bill Burke from 4-Wheeling America as our trail guide and recovery trainer (and campfire entertainer!) and all participants had a fantastic time exploring Grand Mesa, Colorado - the largest flat top mountain in the world.

One XV-LT had to leave early and one arrived late so two rigs were missing from the group photo. This was the largest gather of EarthRoamers to date!

 

[Bill@EarthRoamer.com]

2011 EarthRoamer Owner's Rally

A lot of it was pretty...

and some of it was dirty...

and we all gathered around the fire at the end of the day to share stories with friends of our adventures and fun!

(Jim Pearson - second from right - from Global Road Trekker chatting with Bill Burke of 4-Wheeling America)

 

[gearnut]

sighting

Just driving around colorado and wow!.....roamers in the forest!