Hope you dont mind an Isuzu question here.

[Turtle59]

Gidday all

I am looking at buying a truck to create a long term home for my family, 2 adults and 3 children, so am looking at a 7-8m cabin on the back. We would like a 4x4 crew cab but it looks to be almost impossible. Any suggestions???

I have looked at a few Isuzu 950's for sale... would this suit?

I would seem very few trucks will accomodate a body size like I am thinking.

Any help???

Cheers

Turtle

 

[whatcharterboat]

Hi Turtle,

Welcome to Expo. This is probably the spot for an Isuzu question anyway.

I don't think Isuzu make a 4x4 950. You're thinking FTS 800 right? BTW Isuzu model numbers all end in "S" if 4x4. Either way, anything can be stretched to suit so you've got a bit of a selection with crewcab....... Hino GT, Isuzu FTS, MAN TGM for starters.

Depending on the construction, you could get away with a 13 ton GVM ...... but why? The wheelbase will need to be ridiculous and probably around 11 metres overall. You'd be lucky to fit down Brisbane suburban streets let alone taking the thing bush. I drove a 5500mm wheelbase 4x4 truck through Brisbane last week..... scarier than any offroad scenario I've ever been in!! ..... and yours would need to be much longer again. IMO Building on a single cab is a better option when you start getting to this size body with decent passenger seating fitted in the rear and the back of the cab cut away. Even then, fitting a 7 metre body on to the back of a large truck will rule out any proper offroading here in Australia. You'd be limited to outback roads and maybe a trip up the beach as long as you didn't head inland.

Why not just go a big 2wd road based motorhome and tow a 4wd car or head down the caravan path?

Sorry to put a downer on it but consider the "why?" and then the cost. If you're just after a heavy duty road based motorhome then that may be a different story. Again >>> "In My Opinion".

Kind regards
John.

 

[Aussie Iron]

What about this :-

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BUS-Motor-Home-7mtr-4WD-AUTO-Power-Steering-ULTIMATE-RIG-/200691342543?pt=AU_Caravans_RVs&hash=item2eba22dccf

Dan

 

[SkiFreak]

Cool bus!
With the camo paint you best not forget where you parked it.

 

[Turtle59]

Thanks for your responses and advice.

John... thanks for the welcome and your comments.
I am sorry I put you a little crook, but I had been looking at so many trucks... the one I look to be settling on at the moment is an Isuzu FTS700 dual cab, of about an '86 vintage.

We are wanting to do an extended lap of our big brown land then possibly ship to Asia and drive from there.
(Does this sound vague enough?)

I am a primary school teacher (with many other skills thrown in) so will school our children and my bride is an excellent navigator, so we could quite easily get lost for a while. Anywhere... I like this part.

Yes... we do want a strong road vehicle.
Yes... we do want 4x4 to get us into and out of some locations.
No... we don't want to tow (we do that now)

In the last few days I have been reworking some cabin designs to incorporate some inventive thinking based on some of the ideas we have seen about the place and believe we could create something that we could live with, that could be squeezed into 5.5 metres. More space for long term living would be better but we need to learn to live with what we can have and can afford.

Another quick question...
With a vehicle like an FTS700 would chassis flex be a major problem???

Ok, this is enough for now.

Cheers

Happy new year and all that jazz.

 

[whatcharterboat]

I am sorry I put you a little crook, but I had been looking at so many trucks... the one I look to be settling on at the moment is an Isuzu FTS700 dual cab, of about an '86 vintage.

Hey ....no worries. Pretty sure that's an old 700 in the "Serious Water Crossing" thread Alan just posted.

I am a primary school teacher (with many other skills thrown in) so will school our children and my bride is an excellent navigator, so we could quite easily get lost for a while. Anywhere... I like this part.

Yeah....awesome. Travelled and home schooled with my kids for a year and a half back when they were all little. We had a blast. Good on ya.

Yes... we do want a strong road vehicle.
Yes... we do want 4x4 to get us into and out of some locations.
No... we don't want to tow (we do that now)

An old FTS should be OK for all that. They were always pretty strong things. Single wheels work well on them if you intend to head up the beach. They also give a softer ride and better on the highway. Maybe stay with road pattern tyres for now. If you want to fit a winch....... has it got any hyraulics fitted already?

In the last few days I have been reworking some cabin designs to incorporate some inventive thinking based on some of the ideas we have seen about the place and believe we could create something that we could live with, that could be squeezed into 5.5 metres. More space for long term living would be better but we need to learn to live with what we can have and can afford.

I reckon with a body of 5.5m, the wheelbase would need to be around 4.8m. Have you bought the truck yet? You may not even need to stretch it or maybe only a little. What is the current wheelbase and the distance from to the back of the crewcab to the centre of the rear axle (on the horizontal plane)?

Another quick question...
With a vehicle like an FTS700 would chassis flex be a major problem???

Not for the truck....but could be for the body. Always better to allow the camper body to move on top of that type of chassis. Otherwise they can tear mounts, snap bolts, crease wall panels, crack internal furniture, etc. BTW all the big Isuzu 4wd trucks had strong chassis. If your's was an ex-CFA truck and there is a very good chance it was, make sure to have a good look for cracks on the chassis where all the tanks, tray, etc were mounted. It's not quite so bad on a crewcab as a single cab. The worst point for movement between body and chassis always seems to be right behind the engine / gearbox. I have seen the cabs of a crewcab occasionally crack in that area though.

Happy new year and all that jazz.

Yeah....you too.

 

[blackduck]

Hey ....no worries. Pretty sure that's an old 700 in the "Serious Water Crossing" thread Alan just posted.

Thanx John

Stu