spencyg said:
Doug,
Do you expect to run into any issues with the height of the vehicle when encountering ferry travel? How are you going to ship overseas? My expedition van is going to be over 9' tall when complete, and I'm concerned about the limitations imposed by the dimension...
Spencer Garrett
Maine
Spencer,
Based on our research, reading overlander's journals, and talking with people who've done it, I'd agree with Rob. We have no direct experience with expedition vehicles overseas yet, so I'm sure we will learn plenty as we go.
Our rig is 12.04' / 3.67 meters high and 8.58' / 2.62 meters wide.
Based on our international travels by motorcycle I think our primary limitation will be width. We are pretty wide for the developing countries we prefer to travel in.
Another limitation we've got is departure angle. In Steven Stewart's excellent design requirements overview of expedition vehicles he rates departure angle as more limiting than ground clearance. I put drag caster wheels back there for when we touch down, but they haven't made contact yet, even during testing off-road.
From what people have told us, it looks like low hanging wires will be our primary challenge related to height. I put a "nerf bar" on the leading edge of the camper roof to provide some protection for the solar panels, A/C, etc.
For shipping, we are using RoRo whenever possible and flat rack when required. As Rob mentioned the primary risks there are security on the docks and exposure to seawater / sea spray during transit.
To mitigate security/theft concerns while on the docks and in transit we had a sunbrella cover made for the front winch and to cover everything behind the cab. We also installed burglar bars over the skylights and a lock bar over the camper door. I will remove all the antennas, driving lights and all cab electronics prior to shipping. (Fill any open electrical connectors with dialectric grease to protect them from corrosion during shipping.)
If you are building on the Sprinter platform there are commercially available locking bulkheads to seperate your cab area from the rear of the vehicle. That could provide some security for you if you are forced to ship RoRo or flat rack. (Sprinter resoruces are on this page, scroll down:
http://www.hackneys.com/mitsu/index-resources.htm )
We've shipped by container and air freight with our bike and have never any trouble with those methods. If there was any way we could have met our requirements with a vehicle that fit into a container I would have much preferred that shipping method.
If you are close on height for fitting into a container, beyond what you can do by letting some air out of the tires, have some wheel blanks machined and put them on instead of wheels/tires. All you need is enough ground clerance to clear the differential and front suspension. I was planning to use high strength aluminum and cut cross hatches in the circumference for a little traction.
Doug
