Eco-Roamer - F650 based Expedition Vehicle
- Thread starter jayshapiro
- Start date
Jay thank you so much for the outstanding job of detailing the steps of this monster build!
I'm about a year away from starting on my much smaller undertaking, but this thread has got my wheels spinning.
Was sad to see that you suffered a major part failure. Glad you were in the US when it happened!
Hope all is well in your travels and look forward to the next update!
Thanks again,
Bill
I'm about a year away from starting on my much smaller undertaking, but this thread has got my wheels spinning.
Was sad to see that you suffered a major part failure. Glad you were in the US when it happened!
Hope all is well in your travels and look forward to the next update!
Thanks again,
Bill
jayshapiro
Adventurer
Responding...
Hi Guys,
My apologies for this very late response. I've been working three jobs for months, and spent the first part of the year overseas, so I haven't exactly had a lot of time for ExPo'ing.
Upon returning to this thread I feel a bit like pulling up the driveway to my house after a long trip, only to discover that a bunch of friends are still hanging out there waiting for us (very cool), but some of the guests went around and starting trashing the house. (not cool)
When I started this thread (70 pages ago! Yikes!) my intention was for it to be an open discourse and a resource for other people to get inspired and educated for their own fantasy/real/planned projects. To steal a line from another section of this forum, I wanted to create an online fireside chat, without the flames.
While I'm delighted to see that people are interested enough in our build to still be reading / talking about, I'm a little saddened by the harshness and name calling that has crept in. I really see ExPo as a second home, which I share with good friends. For those who would like to turn this forum into a place for insults, sarcasm and flaming, I would invite you to check out iH8mud, or Pirate4x4, which might be more to your liking.
OK, all that being said, I do agree with a lot of what has been put forward over the past few months. Except for a few points:
1) I don't think i'm an Eco-topian Visionary, in any way. We were going to build an expedition vehicle anyhow, and we were/are going to drive it around the planet. I set myself the goal of doing that with as little impact as possible, recognizing that this would never be zero impact. I don't go around chastizing people for their lack of eco-ness, and I don't lecture people on why they should be more eco-friendly.
However, I do standby the fact that I believe, for a vehicle of it's size and stature the EcoRoamer is pretty eco friendly compared to what it could have been. I'm proud of that, and if it has inspired others to do something similar, fantastic.
2) The EcoRoamer is overweight. I don't deny that, I never have. We've discussed it at great length from time to time in this thread. The best approach always is to go lighter. When you think you are as light as you can get, then you make sure the truck is matched to the load you need to carry. We have done that in several ways:
- uprated the engine to 350 HP
- added a low-range daughter box to the tranny
- sleeved the entire chassis frame rails to massively increase rigidity
- replaced & uprated the leaf springs both front and rear
- designed the water tanks to reduce sloshing (triangular & multiple small ones, rather than a big one with baffles)
There is one area that we had not uprated at the time of the videos circulating in this thread (both the AZ one, and the Vancouver one) - both of which were shot a year ago.
At the time of the video's the truck still had the stock rear shock absorbers / dampers. These were way under rated for what was needed and basically blew themselves up. That means that the rear airbags were essentially undampened. So, when the truck started rocking it was like a pendulum, and just kept going back and forth inflating/deflating each bag rapidly.
At first I thought it was the camper dynamic mount loosening up, but as I watched it from outside it became obvious what it was.
Duncan Barbour was the first to really catch it and put his finger on how to fix it.
So, when we got to Anchorage in late August, we put a pair of King Shocks on the rear and it took care of the entire problem. No more swaying. Had nothing to do with "that truck being way overloaded" - it was simply that it was sprung with no shocks.
You will be happy to note that since the accident, we have now put on even larger king shocks with external reservoirs, so I'm hoping that will really make a difference.
Speaking of the accident. All the kings horses and all the kings men at Ross Equipment in San Jose, CA did an amazing job putting the EcoRoamer back together again. I am flying out there on Sunday to see it for the first time, and I promise all of you that I will take lots of pictures.
Anyhow, thank you all for your interest & patience.
Thank you also to the Mods who felt that this thread was worth saving, and put the time/effort in to cleaning it up but preserving it so that others might learn some more...
Cheers Guys!
Jay.
Hi Guys,
My apologies for this very late response. I've been working three jobs for months, and spent the first part of the year overseas, so I haven't exactly had a lot of time for ExPo'ing.
Upon returning to this thread I feel a bit like pulling up the driveway to my house after a long trip, only to discover that a bunch of friends are still hanging out there waiting for us (very cool), but some of the guests went around and starting trashing the house. (not cool)
When I started this thread (70 pages ago! Yikes!) my intention was for it to be an open discourse and a resource for other people to get inspired and educated for their own fantasy/real/planned projects. To steal a line from another section of this forum, I wanted to create an online fireside chat, without the flames.
While I'm delighted to see that people are interested enough in our build to still be reading / talking about, I'm a little saddened by the harshness and name calling that has crept in. I really see ExPo as a second home, which I share with good friends. For those who would like to turn this forum into a place for insults, sarcasm and flaming, I would invite you to check out iH8mud, or Pirate4x4, which might be more to your liking.
OK, all that being said, I do agree with a lot of what has been put forward over the past few months. Except for a few points:
1) I don't think i'm an Eco-topian Visionary, in any way. We were going to build an expedition vehicle anyhow, and we were/are going to drive it around the planet. I set myself the goal of doing that with as little impact as possible, recognizing that this would never be zero impact. I don't go around chastizing people for their lack of eco-ness, and I don't lecture people on why they should be more eco-friendly.
However, I do standby the fact that I believe, for a vehicle of it's size and stature the EcoRoamer is pretty eco friendly compared to what it could have been. I'm proud of that, and if it has inspired others to do something similar, fantastic.
2) The EcoRoamer is overweight. I don't deny that, I never have. We've discussed it at great length from time to time in this thread. The best approach always is to go lighter. When you think you are as light as you can get, then you make sure the truck is matched to the load you need to carry. We have done that in several ways:
- uprated the engine to 350 HP
- added a low-range daughter box to the tranny
- sleeved the entire chassis frame rails to massively increase rigidity
- replaced & uprated the leaf springs both front and rear
- designed the water tanks to reduce sloshing (triangular & multiple small ones, rather than a big one with baffles)
There is one area that we had not uprated at the time of the videos circulating in this thread (both the AZ one, and the Vancouver one) - both of which were shot a year ago.
At the time of the video's the truck still had the stock rear shock absorbers / dampers. These were way under rated for what was needed and basically blew themselves up. That means that the rear airbags were essentially undampened. So, when the truck started rocking it was like a pendulum, and just kept going back and forth inflating/deflating each bag rapidly.
At first I thought it was the camper dynamic mount loosening up, but as I watched it from outside it became obvious what it was.
Duncan Barbour was the first to really catch it and put his finger on how to fix it.
So, when we got to Anchorage in late August, we put a pair of King Shocks on the rear and it took care of the entire problem. No more swaying. Had nothing to do with "that truck being way overloaded" - it was simply that it was sprung with no shocks.
You will be happy to note that since the accident, we have now put on even larger king shocks with external reservoirs, so I'm hoping that will really make a difference.
Speaking of the accident. All the kings horses and all the kings men at Ross Equipment in San Jose, CA did an amazing job putting the EcoRoamer back together again. I am flying out there on Sunday to see it for the first time, and I promise all of you that I will take lots of pictures.
Anyhow, thank you all for your interest & patience.
Thank you also to the Mods who felt that this thread was worth saving, and put the time/effort in to cleaning it up but preserving it so that others might learn some more...
Cheers Guys!
Jay.
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jayshapiro
Adventurer
Wrapped!
I thought you guys might get a kick out of this...
I am launching my new start-up "Infinite Monkeys" next week at the AppNation conference in San Francisco.
The company has a platform that lets anybody create free mobile apps for a local community that they are a part of / passionate about. (eg: Your school parent association, a small business, your church, a sports team, etc...) We have 700 apps already and are looking forward to growing it over the next year+
To make a big splash for the launch, we wrapped the EcoRoamer and it is going to be feature inside the Moscone Center at AppNation on April 27/28.
I have half priced tickets, if anybody wants to go...
Check this out!
Cheers,
Jay.
I thought you guys might get a kick out of this...
I am launching my new start-up "Infinite Monkeys" next week at the AppNation conference in San Francisco.
The company has a platform that lets anybody create free mobile apps for a local community that they are a part of / passionate about. (eg: Your school parent association, a small business, your church, a sports team, etc...) We have 700 apps already and are looking forward to growing it over the next year+
To make a big splash for the launch, we wrapped the EcoRoamer and it is going to be feature inside the Moscone Center at AppNation on April 27/28.
I have half priced tickets, if anybody wants to go...
Check this out!
Cheers,
Jay.
jayshapiro
Adventurer
More Pics
And Lastly...
Since so many people have been asking me to post up "new pics" of the truck, but since I haven't been in the truck in four months, here's some old pics that never made it onto the portal...
Enjoy!
Jay.
with Maya in the Grand Tetons.
Next to Columbia Ice Fields in Alberta.
Maya providing scale.
Alice at home in the drivers seat. She loves mountain roads when there aren't YouTubers chasing us... ;-)
I will take more pics this week when I'm out in CA. The truck will have big monkeys all over it, but that should make stops at the gas station even more interesting...
Cheers!
Jay
And Lastly...
Since so many people have been asking me to post up "new pics" of the truck, but since I haven't been in the truck in four months, here's some old pics that never made it onto the portal...
Enjoy!
Jay.
with Maya in the Grand Tetons.
Next to Columbia Ice Fields in Alberta.
Maya providing scale.
Alice at home in the drivers seat. She loves mountain roads when there aren't YouTubers chasing us... ;-)
I will take more pics this week when I'm out in CA. The truck will have big monkeys all over it, but that should make stops at the gas station even more interesting...
Cheers!
Jay
1leglance
2007 Expedition Trophy Champion, Overland Certifie
Jay I give you credit for being more of a gentleman in your response than I could be....if someone trashed my thread like yours was I would have said much harsher things.
The wrap looks great also.
Good news on the shocks and this is why people should get all the facts before making statements and judgments.
The wrap looks great also.
Good news on the shocks and this is why people should get all the facts before making statements and judgments.
jayshapiro
Adventurer
Internet in Motion
DiscoverSharInspire asked...
Yes, I still recommend the Internet in Motion, but would say you have to get the external long range antenna to make a difference. The couple of times that I have called them for service, they've been fantastic, and even sent me a free set of antennae when there was a problem with mine. They also sell a satellite version now, but I haven't looked into it, or know what network it's using.
Also, for the USA where AT&T is really quite patchy, we picked up a Verizon MiFi with no contract for $250, which gets us a second network, pretty much ensuring that 85% we always had some network.
There is still that other 15%, so if you are counting on this for emergency communications, don't. But if it is for staying in touch, planning travels, and working/blogging, then the two combined work great.
My experience has been that the USA has some of the worst cell service in the world, so once you get to the "less developed" countries, you'll actually have better service.
We had no issues changing the SIM card in the Internet in Motion when crossing borders. You need to spend about 10 minutes reconfiguring the hardware to match the new network carrier with the details you can get from their call center.
btw - we also carry an Iomega 2TB NAS, for storing our photos/videos, and it is great for backing up laptops while on the move. We ripped all our DVD's onto the NAS before leaving as well, so we can have movie nights without filling the truck with DVD's flying around everywhere.
Hope that helps! I also hope you don't mind, but I'm going to post this answer up on the main thread so others can see.
Cheers,
Jay.
DiscoverSharInspire asked...
DiscoverShareInspire said:
Yes, I still recommend the Internet in Motion, but would say you have to get the external long range antenna to make a difference. The couple of times that I have called them for service, they've been fantastic, and even sent me a free set of antennae when there was a problem with mine. They also sell a satellite version now, but I haven't looked into it, or know what network it's using.
Also, for the USA where AT&T is really quite patchy, we picked up a Verizon MiFi with no contract for $250, which gets us a second network, pretty much ensuring that 85% we always had some network.
There is still that other 15%, so if you are counting on this for emergency communications, don't. But if it is for staying in touch, planning travels, and working/blogging, then the two combined work great.
My experience has been that the USA has some of the worst cell service in the world, so once you get to the "less developed" countries, you'll actually have better service.
We had no issues changing the SIM card in the Internet in Motion when crossing borders. You need to spend about 10 minutes reconfiguring the hardware to match the new network carrier with the details you can get from their call center.
btw - we also carry an Iomega 2TB NAS, for storing our photos/videos, and it is great for backing up laptops while on the move. We ripped all our DVD's onto the NAS before leaving as well, so we can have movie nights without filling the truck with DVD's flying around everywhere.
Hope that helps! I also hope you don't mind, but I'm going to post this answer up on the main thread so others can see.
Cheers,
Jay.
Spur
Adventurer
Thanks for the update Jay! Glad to see that the truck is back in shape and the thread is moving on to greener pastures. 
I too love this forum and hope that it remains a supportive and encouraging place to hang out.
A while back you made a comment about having troubles with your espar hydronic. Would you mind elaborating on that? It's been on my wishlist, but for the price, I want to make sure it's a good product. Thanks.
I too love this forum and hope that it remains a supportive and encouraging place to hang out.A while back you made a comment about having troubles with your espar hydronic. Would you mind elaborating on that? It's been on my wishlist, but for the price, I want to make sure it's a good product. Thanks.
Ray Hyland
Expedition Leader
Good to see you back Jay.
Did you get the dusky leaf monkeys to do the wrap? It looks pretty cool. Amazing what those little guys can do in a couple of days.
Did you get the dusky leaf monkeys to do the wrap? It looks pretty cool. Amazing what those little guys can do in a couple of days.
Jay,
It's good to have you and the family back. You are a first class gentleman. It's too bad that so many people do not know how to express differing points of view without being downright unkind and rude. You set an outstanding example in many facets of life. Best Wishes and hope you and the family will soon be full time on the road again.
Tom
It's good to have you and the family back. You are a first class gentleman. It's too bad that so many people do not know how to express differing points of view without being downright unkind and rude. You set an outstanding example in many facets of life. Best Wishes and hope you and the family will soon be full time on the road again.
Tom
Cards81fan
Osage Hilltopper
+1 on all of this - so very true. This rig is not really my style... I'm more a "the more stripped down, the better" kinda guy. But this monster of a vehicle is still an amazing feat of engineering. I like to lurk here just to see what goes into a vehicle of this size and scope, because I can learn from and enjoy it even if it is not something I personally like, aesthetically.
Cheers
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McZippie
Walmart Adventure Camper
"Monkey Business Tour" ... that's funny!Check this out!
.
The Visionary Eco Roamer is now being use as a Test Bed to prove the "Infinite Monkey Theorem" by attempting to type the complete works of William Shakespeare.
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Hi Jay,
I think its great you are so open with all the trials and tribulations you have had with your build. Its stellar! Might not be everone's cup of tea, so what. We should start a thread for angry, hermit, chevy volt campers. Anyway great job on building your dream and don't sweat the video's. Look, when you build a one off you will need to make changes and adaptations as you go along. No one died or even was in a accident.
My suggestion to quiet the nay sayers is let the Stig do a lap on top gear with it!
Good luck and would love to see more interior pics.
Bob
I think its great you are so open with all the trials and tribulations you have had with your build. Its stellar! Might not be everone's cup of tea, so what. We should start a thread for angry, hermit, chevy volt campers. Anyway great job on building your dream and don't sweat the video's. Look, when you build a one off you will need to make changes and adaptations as you go along. No one died or even was in a accident.
My suggestion to quiet the nay sayers is let the Stig do a lap on top gear with it!
Good luck and would love to see more interior pics.
Bob
Ford Prefect
Expedition Leader
That is hilarious! I love the idea, and second it!
Jay,
I like the wrap, it looks pretty cool.
Thanks for posting up what is new these days.
Brian
Phew, have spent all morning and half of the afternoon reading about this project (well, I skimmed through the jealous accusatory posts). Fantastic project, well done, you've gotten me inspired. I'm still a corporate slave but I have plans, and now I also have a ton of inspiration. THANKS!!!