Big custom camper sightings

[IdaSHO]

Saw this ER at truck tire place in Anchorage, I was just having them swap spare and weather-checked L rear on my U500.
It looked awfully humongous but was nevertheless the F550 chassis. New in Feb this year. Owner told me they switched up to 365/80R20 Goodyears because of “tire overheating” with the 335s. He said his (Dana 60) front weight is 6K, rear 12k. The (flipped) rear Hutchinsons (on adapters) have a lot of negative offset. I suppose we’ll find out about wheel bearing longevity sooner or later with the 365s.
He thought my policy of having a second unmounted spare was a good idea.
He was there for balance issues - tramping of various wheels. I think the adapters from F550 to Hutchinson could be a balance issue.

12k on rear axle....

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

He was there for balance issues - tramping of various wheels. I think the adapters from F550 to Hutchinson could be a balance issue.

Probably an "out of round" issue with the goodyears

Lots of reports of them being hit or miss and many coming brand new out of round and unable to balance, even Buckstop themselves have mentioned this, and they sell them.

 

[danneskjold]

Saw this ER at truck tire place in Anchorage, I was just having them swap spare and weather-checked L rear on my U500.
It looked awfully humongous but was nevertheless the F550 chassis. New in Feb this year. Owner told me they switched up to 365/80R20 Goodyears because of “tire overheating” with the 335s. He said his (Dana 60) front weight is 6K, rear 12k. The (flipped) rear Hutchinsons (on adapters) have a lot of negative offset. I suppose we’ll find out about wheel bearing longevity sooner or later with the 365s.
He thought my policy of having a second unmounted spare was a good idea.
He was there for balance issues - tramping of various wheels. I think the adapters from F550 to Hutchinson could be a balance issue.

I'm doubting that thing only weighing 18k. I would be shocked if it was under 20k.

Echoing what @RAM5500 CAMPERTHING said, likely a tire problem. Those Goodyears are *notorious* for being out of round - Buckstop even acknowledged that in a recent Instagram post. The solution is to either switch to Continentals (or Michelins if you have access) or find a shop that can shave them.

The overheating with the 335s is probably a result of them being driven too fast (over 68mph) for extended periods of time. The Continental MPT81s have more payload than the Goodyears so that's probably why ER jumped up to the 365s.

BTW - that truck should have the "Super 60" front axle - not a Dana 60. Very similar, but the Super 60 has thicker axle shafts and bigger ring gears.

 

[charlieaarons]

Yes, you’re correct, Super 60. But why not a “Super 80” (probably doesn’t exist) on that application, with the stresses of much larger than stock tires and much lower offset than original wheels?

 

[IdaSHO]

With all the weight he has south of the rear axle, that 7k rated S60 front axle is likely just fine

The issues are related to the trendy supersingle rear, with 12,000lbs (reported) on it, and tires not being up to the task.
The 355/80R20 Goodyears are rated for less than 6500 per tire...

 

[waveslider]

I have never understood the bright color obsession. I swear to god, we would have paid double for our truck to make it invisible.

 

[danneskjold]

Yes, you’re correct, Super 60. But why not a “Super 80” (probably doesn’t exist) on that application, with the stresses of much larger than stock tires and much lower offset than original wheels?

I know DBL installs a “pro 80” in their trucks but I think most smart people don’t let DBL touch their trucks…

 

[charlieaarons]

The 355/80R20 Goodyears are rated for less than 6500 per tire...

The 365s were rated at 8270 lb (3750kg) each, I looked. Did you mean 335s?
Entirely agree re DBL.
I would guess that many super single ER owners have “forgotten” about the low speed ratings of MPT tires. What’s top overdrive ratio on the F550 these days? 0.632:1? Times 4.875, times 512 rev/mile for 335s, means 99 mph at rated 2600 rpm. I suspect there’s a lot of 75-80mph cruising.
105mph with 365s is possible as far as gearing at least.

 

[IdaSHO]

The 365s were rated at 8270 lb (3750kg) each, I looked. Did you mean 335s?
Entirely agree re DBL.
I would guess that many super single ER owners have “forgotten” about the low speed ratings of MPT tires. What’s top overdrive ratio on the F550 these days? 0.632:1? Times 4.875, times 512 rev/mile for 335s, means 99 mph at rated 2600 rpm. I suspect there’s a lot of 75-80mph cruising.
105mph with 365s is possible as far as gearing at least.

No.

Above was mentioned he was switching to 365’s from 355’s due to overheating them. And no surprise, with the massive amount if weight on that thing behind the rear axle.

355/80R20 Goodyears
Specs…

335/80R20 12PR F 145M Goodyear G275 MSA TL | OTRUSA.COM

FeaturesHardworking wraparound treadTread pattern and depthWide footprintHigh tensile steel beltsBenefitsEnhanced sidewall traction in deep mud, sand, and r ...

www.otrusa.com

 

[charlieaarons]

I believe I wrote 335, not 355 (that size doesn’t exist AFAIK in MPT). When I said that “they” switched, I meant ER, not the customer. Below is all I can find on 355 in 20”.

 

[IdaSHO]

I believe I wrote 335, not 355 (that size doesn’t exist AFAIK in MPT). When I said that “they” switched, I meant ER, not the customer.

Ah, gotcha. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

I have never understood the bright color obsession. I swear to god, we would have paid double for our truck to make it invisible.

Its simple, some people crave and desperately need attention and social media likes.

Hence, half the reason Overland Expo exists

 

[charlieaarons]

Its simple, some people crave and desperately need attention and social media

Really all I was trying to point out was that ER had switched from 335/80R20 to 365, evidently from load/speed/temperature issues. Which is intrinsically interesting to gearhead nerds such as myself.

 

[aafd]

Saw one parked in Travers City Mi on a side street. German plates on it.

 

[lucilius]

Really all I was trying to point out was that ER had switched from 335/80R20 to 365, evidently from load/speed/temperature issues. Which is intrinsically interesting to gearhead nerds such as myself.

Yes. IMO and having seen it a few times, the 335/80 MPT81/beadlock/Kelderman setup works pretty well but it requires more maintenance and supervision than some folks (new owners?) are accustomed to when they roll out for a weekend+ of adventure. This is where I think we see the tires overheating (maybe someone going fast on the highway at low PSI) or bearings overheating (not regularly checking diff fluid, etc.) which is perhaps the outcome of pushing the F550 chassis/suspension/tires to perform near/at design limits of the individual components let alone having them all working together as a system when someone is either loaded too heavily or not keeping an eye on tire pressure/not doing basic maintenance. The 365/80r20 is apparently an option available on the Lti model, no idea if the XV-LT/LTS crowd can use them. I would be interested to see how they perform on snow and ice with even fewer pounds per [non-siped?] square inch of rubber making contact than the 335/80. I haven't seen ER advertise anything specific re rear or front axle weight loaded or unloaded on the new carbon fiber design. I'm sure the company has it all worked out and the new system is well-tested with documentation new owners get, but were I advertising the new carbon rig I would want to provide those weights/specs along with how they deal with the larger tire size/different offset and any other changes to the chassis & suspension (new ball joints, radius/control arms, etc. and maybe some frame reinforcement to deal with the concentration of various forces where the airbag mount is drilled through the frame designed to work with a 5-6' long leaf spring, etc.). All of these components (though the 335/80 MPT81 seems like an odd choice for a vehicle this heavy doing both high speed/hot highway plus low PSI offroad... as it looks and is spec'd like a military/forestry/Ag tire designed for maximum traction in summer dirt and mud to me) individually seem to be adequate for the estimated weights involved but how well they work as a system is something else altogether. Usually this gets worked out with extensive real world testing over time, ideally by the mfr, but more often by the things that don't work so well that owners discover on their own trips. It will be interesting to see where ER design goes next and if they, like Toyota did with the Landcruiser, ever contemplate doing a reset and getting back to their roots and original intent.
“I can’t remember, but I think our first truck sold for $145,000,” Bill Swails re the first (2003) Earthroamer.
.......and if my randomly found interwebs inflation calculator is correct, that is about $250k in 2023 dollars.