Fuso + Airstream: Why not?

[mjfreshyfresh]

I've seen a lot of Bigfoot and other types of trailers put on a Fuso but other than a photoshopped picture I've never seen an Airstream on a Fuso.

They make a 16' "Bambi" model that seems to be a good candidate. Is there some technical reason why it would be a bad idea to mount an Airstream on the back of a Fuso?

Thanks-
MJ

 

[mog]

No. Maybe cost has been a reason
..... or that no one wants to polish all of that aluminum ? :sombrero:

 

[kerry]

There's one in the pictures section somewhere with an aluminum bodied truck camper (not an Airstream but the other manufacturer whose name I can't remember) It's an older model Fuso and it's just mounted on a flatbed. It was that particular truck which convinced me that a person could get a Fuso camper without a heck of a lot of custom work.

 

[mhiscox]

Should be easy enough if you don't try to connect the cab to the trailer.That would be hard, especially with a tilt cab.

Using a front engined chassis with a big back wall would make it easier.

http://rvinterest.com/pin/airstream-bambi-on-sprinter-chassis/

 

[kerry]

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/9299-Mitsu-Fuso-Camper-examples?p=164437#post164437

 

[dlh62c]

Is there some technical reason why it would be a bad idea to mount an Airstream on the back of a Fuso?

With torsion free mounts anything is possible.

 

[kerry]

The Avion seems devoid of torsion free mounts.

 

[unkamonkey]

Never seen one on a Fuso but I saw about a 20' Airstream mounted on a Kenworth.

 

[haven]

It would look something like this

Bruce Hersey mounted a 17 foot Casita trailer as a camper body. The camper can be easily removed so the Fuso can be used for other purposes.

 

[mhiscox]

Bruce Hersey mounted a 17 foot Casita trailer as a camper body. The camper can be easily removed so the Fuso can be used for other purposes.

Or Haven could have alternately posted the arguably-more-famous Bigfoot trailer/Fuso rig that he placed first on his FG Camper example thread.

In the prehistory of overlanding as a mass market thing (circa 2002), a gentleman named Carl Hunter from BC created a this rig by mounting a Bigfoot fiberglass trailer onto a Mitsubishi (not yet Fusos at the time) FG,and proceeded to spend six months travelling the Silk Road route in it. Carl's FG and Stephan Stewart's Unimog were the two rigs on the trip to hold up well on the route. http://www.xor.org.uk/travel/china2002/index.html

Regardless of what you think of the aesthetics of this approach, the fact is that only three months elapsed between Carl commiting to go and having his rig ready for shipment. That's about an order of magnitude quicker than most custom-cabin expedition campers could be built from scratch.

 

[haven]

I thought the Casita trailer has more of the Airstream "rounded ends" shape. Carl Hunter's Bigfoot (since sold to new owners, and still on the road) is a great example of how successful a modified trailer can be as a camper. Bigfoot continues to build 17 foot trailers (more like 13 feet long with the trailer hitch removed). Www.bigfootrv.com

 

[mhiscox]

Carl Hunter's Bigfoot (since sold to new owners, and still on the road) . . .

That's great news. Anyone we know?

 

[pugslyyy]

I would be very wary of denting an all-aluminum shell like an Airstream - though they sure are pretty, especially when polished. Based on the scrapes, divots, etc on my Bigfoot I would have already destroyed an Airstream.