Earthroamer Factory Visit

[Overland JK]

Everyone faces failures, some large, some small.. The passion to succeed, the passion to build a quality product, you can't top that. Keep moving forward Bill and the best to you and the Earthroamer family. I have seen your vehicles and although I may never be able to afford one, I am allowed to dream.

 

[8850]

Bill, I just wanted to drop a quick note in here that I think its wonderful that you've been taking a more active communications role on Expedition Portal lately. While I'm still a [winning] lottery ticket away from being a prospective customer, it really looks great for your company when the chief takes a hands-on approach to answering customer questions in a public setting such as this. Not only does it effectively share accurate information about your company and products, but it also shows that you are interested in hearing and using customer input to constantly improve your products.

I think I speak for many here when I say, "Don't be a stranger!". We look forward to seeing you around more often in the future.

I completely agree! Thanks for the photos, I only wish there was a way to offer a lower cost ER that would be affordable to a larger market then maybe I could work it into my budget. Until then, or I hit the lottery, I'll continue to dream of living fulltime and traveling the world in an ER!

 

[ujoint]

Now THAT is a sweet rig. Wow. I like the color too

 

[kjp1969]

"It's not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or when the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worth cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."

I like this a lot. And there is no more perfect place for it than an internet message board.

 

[he-hoo]

Factory visit...

Hey gang,
I am glad to see that this post has turned around for the better. As such I would like to put my two cents in. Just reading Bill's posts alone makes me want to go out tomorrow and buy one, as he is being totally honest and basically laying everything out for us to see.

If that doesn't do it, then the visit to the old factory back in May would definitely make me a believer. To anyone who has any negative feelings about the company and what they believe in, I strongly suggest paying them a visit...then see how you feel afterwards.

Myself and two friends showed up in the parking lot, and Mike met us outside and walked us in. Before we even got inside I made it perfectly clear that I couldn't afford a vehicle at that time and didn't want to take up too much time. With that, I think Mike spent even more time with us. We looked at #70 inside and out, up and down. He spent time showing us all of the plumbing fittings they had in stock, tires, air ride components, nav. systems, how the solar system worked, I mean everything. Then after all was said and done, we talked for another half hour about local wheeling spots and places like Moab, etc... We even got to see the miniature Oscar Mayer Hot Dog looking electric vehicles that were going to be made in the old ER building.

After that one visit, before we even left the property I knew that I would be buying an ER at some point. Their customer service was out of this world and we weren't even customers yet. Now given that I am the type of person that hates to do things more than once and always buys the best so that it will last, I could see an ER being a vehicle that would last a lifetime. That fact alone is enough for me. I would rather not buy anything at all if I can't just do it right the first time.

This is a good all around American Owned business, creating jobs for Americans, selling a product Made In USA.

Anyhow, I hope the ER staff are reading this. Keep on looking forward, never look back.

Sincerely, George Lightfoot.

 

[Bill@EarthRoamer.com]

Expo Forum Participation

Bill, I just wanted to drop a quick note in here that I think its wonderful that you've been taking a more active communications role on Expedition Portal lately. While I'm still a [winning] lottery ticket away from being a prospective customer, it really looks great for your company when the chief takes a hands-on approach to answering customer questions in a public setting such as this. Not only does it effectively share accurate information about your company and products, but it also shows that you are interested in hearing and using customer input to constantly improve your products.

I think I speak for many here when I say, "Don't be a stranger!". We look forward to seeing you around more often in the future.

Bill,

I was just about to say the exact same thing. I think your broad experience is really valuable for all of us.
Thanks for being more active on the forum - I think we all appreciate.

ER's are cool vehicles, no doubt. I would love one sitting next to my house ready for the next adventure. I have been in a few. I have sat with Bill in one after traveling several hundred extra miles just to speak and talk to the designer himself.

Instead, I have a HD and LD pickup with a camper and several 00k logged of adventures over the last decade+ I dream often of having something more heavy duty and am in the camp of how could I build up a new 3500, 4500, 5500 truck to replace the current that is beefier, will take me further and feel safer and more confident to get out on my own (I rarely travel with others). I will upgrade and probably soon. ...

Let us not forget the original adventures of B.S. in his Dodge and popup. He wanted more... Something better... He wasn't a traveling doctor, media mogul, husband of a porn star, elite adventurist, etc., etc., etc. choosing between a Prevost or $400-500k coach or a super cool offroadie thing to park in his driveway or next to his new G650. He was a normal guy trying to get further into adventures without freezing his ***** off to take some good pictures and help others do the same. What happened to that??? Many on here and abound can relate to this. When did this turn elite??? "How could I do something similar, maybe not as extreme, for $50-$100k less" "Could I do this on my own?" "What would it take?" "My stock / stock options etc. are 50% what they were in the heyday, so the goal/dream is a bit further away now." ...

Bill, I like the renewed external facing jump into the forum and has great potential of eliminating a lot of the crap flying in the air. It also lowers the elite mantra to many out there who do dream of having or making an equivalent of what you have done and certainly helps the future customer factor.

...

Give me some knowledge all knowing ones. I seek to learn...

I have a great deal of respect for individuals who make the choice to build their own expedition vehicle. People like Bob Lynch, Jay Shapiro and Doug Hackney (and others in this forum far too numerous to mention) don't just read about building an expedition vehicle, they go out and do it! In 1998, I bought a brand new Dodge Ram 2500 with a Cummins engine with the intention of building my own “around the world” capable rig. At that time, I lived in a small condo in Littleton Colorado where the community bylaws were pretty clear that they didn't want me working on my own vehicle on the premises. Even though I probably wasn't supposed to even check my own tire pressure or change my own oil, I Somehow managed to build version one of the ER2K ( http://www.earthroamer.com/tab_aboutus/truck_dodge.html ), mostly in my driveway since it wouldn't fit in my one-car garage!

The origins of the first "EarthRoamer." Dave Fritz on the left and me on the right.

When I first started on the ER2K, the “world wide web” was a relatively new thing but there were a few forums (http://www.turbodieselregister.com/ ) where people were beginning to talk about “Off Road Camping” and companies were beginning to promote their products and services on the web. Even back then, the web was a huge resource, and I can unequivocally state that without the internet and information learned and shared on the TDR forums, EarthRoamer would not exist. EarthRoamer would also not exist without the help of, and sharing of information with people like Gary and Monica Wescott of The Turtle Expedition (http://dodgeram.org/bill_s/Turtle.htm), and Dave Fritz creator of dodgeram.org (http://dodgeram.org/ki4cy/4camper/camper_pair.htm). In fact, articles by Monica and Gary in Four Wheeler Magazine were a huge inspiration for me wanting to travel around the world in the first place. Anybody with an ounce of wanderlust in their blood couldn't help but want to pack up and head out to explore exotic places after reading about the Turtle Expedition's travels in Central and South America.

I had been trading emails with Gary and Monika Wescott of the Turtle Expedition, and had offered them a place to stay
if they ever passed through Denver. A couple of months later, I received a call from Gary, the Turtle Expedition was
headed for their home base in California after traveling for over 3 years around the world (including Siberia in the winter)
and wanted to know if the offer of a place to stay was still good. Of course it was! They stopped by the next evening and we
talked about preparing expedition trucks and world travel late into the night.

Fast forward a dozen years and that little thing called the Internet has grown beyond most people's wildest imagination and has impacted every aspect of our lives. Online forums are a dime a dozen (although good ones like the Expo still seem to be somewhat rare), and Overlanding is on the verge of becoming mainstream. This is big deal and we should all be thankful to have such a great resource for sharing information about the vehicles and lifestyle we love.

In 2002 I started a little company to manufacture EarthRoamer Xpedition Vehicles and I quickly became so busy building vehicles and growing the company that I simply didn't have time to participate in online forums anymore. I also felt like we had a pretty good design with our EarthRoamer Xpedition Vehicles and was hesitant to share information for fear of being “knocked off” by potential competitors. Knowing what I know now about how difficult it is to design and build world class expedition vehicles, I'm much more secure sharing my knowledge and experience than I was in the past. Competitors will try to copy us and that's fine - I'm confident we can stay a step or two ahead. Free enterprise is the fuel that makes this country great. Competetion is good.

So, after that long winded intro, here's the deal: I'm encouraged by recent threads and postings in the Expo - there are definitely a lot of smart, well informed people reading and posting in these threads. I would like to become more active in this forum and I'm willing to give routine participation a try. My only requirement is that we keep it civil and constructive. No personal attacks and don't be a troll.

TROLL noun \ˈtrōl\ - someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into a desired emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion

Challenging questions and constructive criticism are fine. Trying to start a fight isn't. Basically play by the same rules that you were (or should have been) taught in grade school and we'll be fine. Play nice.

Following are a few topics off the top of my head that I think I have something to say about. If one interests you, send me a PM and let me know. If I get some interest, I'll post my two cents worth and open the topic for discussion, comments and questions. I'll do my best to share my thought process, decision logic and actual experiences and keep things general and relevant to as many readers as possible.

1. Tires/Wheel Choice
2. Camper Body Construction
3. Diesel vs. Propane Appliances
4. What is the “right size” for an Expedition Vehicle?
5. Base Vehicle Choice
6. Buying vs. Building your own Expedition Vehicle
7. “Waste Management” (This would be about what to do with poo, not the trash company)
8. Power Management

Bill Swails
President and CEO
EarthRoamer

 

[OTR]

I have a great deal of respect for individuals who make the choice to build their own expedition vehicle. People like Bob Lynch, Jay Shapiro and Doug Hackney (and others in this forum far too numerous to mention) don’t just read about building an expedition vehicle, they go out and do it! In 1998, I bought a brand new Dodge Ram 2500 with a Cummins engine with the intention of building my own “around the world” capable rig. At that time, I lived in a small condo in Littleton Colorado where the community bylaws were pretty clear that they didn’t want me working on my own vehicle on the premises. Even though I probably wasn’t supposed to even check my own tire pressure or change my own oil, I Somehow managed to build version one of the ER2K ( http://www.earthroamer.com/tab_aboutus/truck_dodge.html ), mostly in my driveway since it wouldn’t fit in my one-car garage!


When I first started on the ER2K, the “world wide web” was a relatively new thing but there were a few forums (http://www.turbodieselregister.com/ ) where people were beginning to talk about “Off Road Camping” and companies were beginning to promote their products and services on the web. Even back then, the web was a huge resource, and I can unequivocally state that without the internet and information learned and shared on the TDR forums, EarthRoamer would not exist. EarthRoamer would also not exist without the help of, and sharing of information with people like Gary and Monica Wescott of The Turtle Expedition (http://dodgeram.org/bill_s/Turtle.htm), and Dave Fritz creator of dodgeram.org (http://dodgeram.org/ki4cy/4camper/camper_pair.htm). In fact, articles by Monica and Gary in Four Wheeler Magazine were a huge inspiration for me wanting to travel around the world in the first place. Anybody with an ounce of wanderlust in their blood couldn’t help but want to pack up and head out to explore exotic places after reading about the Turtle Expedition’s travels in Central and South America.



Fast forward a dozen years and that little thing called the Internet has grown beyond most people’s wildest imagination and has impacted every aspect of our lives. Online forums are a dime a dozen (although good ones like the Expo still seem to be somewhat rare), and Overlanding is on the verge of becoming mainstream. This is big deal and we should all be thankful to have such a great resource for sharing information about the vehicles and lifestyle we love.

In 2002 I started a little company to manufacture EarthRoamer Xpedition Vehicles and I quickly became so busy building vehicles and growing the company that I simply didn’t have time to participate in online forums anymore. I also felt like we had a pretty good design with our EarthRoamer Xpedition Vehicles and was hesitant to share information for fear of being “knocked off” by potential competitors. Knowing what I know now about how difficult it is to design and build world class expedition vehicles, I’m much more secure sharing my knowledge and experience than I was in the past. Competitors will try to copy us and that’s fine - I’m confident we can stay a step or two ahead. Free enterprise is the fuel that makes this country great. Competetion is good.

So, after that long winded intro, here’s the deal: I’m encouraged by recent threads and postings in the Expo - there are definitely a lot of smart, well informed people reading and posting in these threads. I would like to become more active in this forum and I’m willing to give routine participation a try. My only requirement is that we keep it civil and constructive. No personal attacks and don’t be a troll.



Challenging questions and constructive criticism are fine. Trying to start a fight isn’t. Basically play by the same rules that you were (or should have been) taught in grade school and we'll be fine. Play nice.

Following are a few topics off the top of my head that I think I have something to say about. If one interests you, send me a PM and let me know. If I get some interest, I’ll post my two cents worth and open the topic for discussion, comments and questions. I’ll do my best to share my thought process, decision logic and actual experiences and keep things general and relevant to as many readers as possible.

1. Tires/Wheel Choice
2. Camper Body Construction
3. Diesel vs. Propane Appliances
4. What is the “right size” for an Expedition Vehicle?
5. Base Vehicle Choice
6. Buying vs. Building your own Expedition Vehicle
7. “Waste Management” (This would be about what to do with poo, not the trash company)
8. Power Management

Bill Swails
President and CEO
EarthRoamer

Great post Bill!!!

I think by doing this, you'll provide your future clients with a sense of satisfaction knowing how much the owner of the company stands behind his product. Not very many company owners or execs come out and personally defend their idea and/or company anymore. I think this can be very beneficial for you and the success of your company. Maybe one day I will have the pleasure of owning one of your engineering marvels for my future travels. I look forward to all the insights that you can provide to all of us on this forum.

Good Luck,
Jason

 

[fisher205]

Bill,
I don't see your "proof of concept" articles on the Earthroamer site anymore. I always enjoyed that whole article along with Dave Fritz's. I still go back to Dave's site but wish you would post yours again. I feel a lot of people will still enjoy reading it.

Brad

 

[Bill@EarthRoamer.com]

ER2K (EarthRoamer Proof of Concept Vehicle)

Bill,
I don't see your "proof of concept" articles on the Earthroamer site anymore. I always enjoyed that whole article along with Dave Fritz's. I still go back to Dave's site but wish you would post yours again. I feel a lot of people will still enjoy reading it.

Brad

Brad,
It is still there, but it is somewhat buried. I will make it a little more accessible when our web site is redesigned.

Check out the links at the bottom of this page:
http://www.earthroamer.com/tab_aboutus/about_history.html

Bill Swails
President and CEO
EarthRoamer

 

[fisher205]

Thanks Bill, have the link saved again
Brad

 

[ColoradoBill]

I was driving up I-25 to Fort Collins yesterday with some time to kill; I looked to the right and noticed a bunch of EartherRoamers sitting in a lot. I decided this was a perfect place to stop. I just showed up and asked if I could take a look at one of the XV-JBs. Bill was great, he showed me around and answered all the questions I had about the JP and the LT. It is obvious that he cares about his company, customers and potential customers. Thanks Bill for your time and knowledge. With any luck maybe I will be driving away in a JB someday.
Bill