Kenworth K370 6X6 with BoxManufaktur Habitat & Torsion Free Subframe

[Saperlipopette]

Nice truck and thanks for the sharing. What is the reason for you to not choose Acela truck? Recently I am thinking about buying Acela Monterra 4X4 and Bliss Mobil to create my expedition vehicle. I didn’t find any problem on Acela except the 8.5 MPG.

I was thinking along the same lines...but I am now extremely intrigued by a new 4x4 converted Isuzu FTR chassis option. I am looking at other habitat options, but just keep coming back to the Bliss Mobil. Very impressive builds.

 

[DzlToy]

Who is converting FTRs to 4WD?

 

[Eizenjin91]

Who is converting FTRs to 4WD?

I know someone is doing it, not sure who. How does the FTR compare to the Kenworth as a chassis?

 

[Eizenjin91]

I was thinking along the same lines...but I am now extremely intrigued by a new 4x4 converted Isuzu FTR chassis option. I am looking at other habitat options, but just keep coming back to the Bliss Mobil. Very impressive builds.

We are doing a Bliss Mobil box as well. We looked at the Acela but did not choose it for a couple reasons. Mainly it was driver fatigue/comfort and loud noise. Someone else with a Bliss box and Acela said they use ear plugs on the Highway that sounds horrible. It also significantly raises the overall height with 46” tires. We want a small package. We are either going to go with a MAN TGM 13.290 (will have to purchase it through a European corporation if we go that way because we are US citizens) or with the FTR. One issue with the FTR is Ad Blue. Euro V MAN trucks don’t require Ad Blue which is a big deal for international travel.

 

[DzlToy]

^^^^ I can indeed echo those sentiments. They are awful vehicles for traveling. I have ridden in and driven deuce and a half trucks, Unimogs, Fuso/NPR, Pinzgauers, old Land Rovers and an LMTV and not one is comparable to a 10 year old SUV or pickup in the ride, handling and comfort category.

I cannot compare the USDM FTR and KW directly, but I can tell you that the FTR here is a city delivery truck. It has the same engine as the NPR/NQR, heavier springs, longer frame rails and a cab similar to what the ROTW gets. FVR/FXR (6x4) models are gone, as is the venerable 6 cylinder engine. There isn't an FTS 800/900 here either, like there is in Oz. PACCAR makes use of the Cummins 6.7L inline 6, which I would much rather have than the Isuzu four-cylinder lump. So, as far as I know, there is nothing available here that competes directly with a K370 6x6, short of a very special order truck or a custom conversion of some kind.

 

[Eizenjin91]

^^^^ I can indeed echo those sentiments. They are awful vehicles for traveling. I have ridden in and driven deuce and a half trucks, Unimogs, Fuso/NPR, Pinzgauers, old Land Rovers and an LMTV and not one is comparable to a 10 year old SUV or pickup in the ride, handling and comfort category.

I cannot compare the USDM FTR and KW directly, but I can tell you that the FTR here is a city delivery truck. It has the same engine as the NPR/NQR, heavier springs, longer frame rails and a cab similar to what the ROTW gets. FVR/FXR (6x4) models are gone, as is the venerable 6 cylinder engine. There isn't an FTS 800/900 here either, like there is in Oz. PACCAR makes use of the Cummins 6.7L inline 6, which I would much rather have than the Isuzu four-cylinder lump. So, as far as I know, there is nothing available here that competes directly with a K370 6x6, short of a very special order truck or a custom conversion of some kind.

The 2022 Isuzu FTR is actually using a Cummins B6.7L not the four cylinder with an Allison 2550. I believe the power rating is almost identical to the Paccar in the KW. Can’t compare cabs though don’t have experience with the new FTR. Agreed nothing compares to the KW 6x6 without significant customization in the USDM.

 

[DzlToy]

Well, I'll be damn. That is news to me, sir, and quite surprising, honestly, when you consider Isuzu's history of partnering with GM and using their own 4H and 6H diesel engines for decades now. Maybe there is a new contender on the horizon for larger camper builds.

 

[Simonroadtrip]

We are doing a Bliss Mobil box as well. We looked at the Acela but did not choose it for a couple reasons. Mainly it was driver fatigue/comfort and loud noise. Someone else with a Bliss box and Acela said they use ear plugs on the Highway that sounds horrible. It also significantly raises the overall height with 46” tires. We want a small package. We are either going to go with a MAN TGM 13.290 (will have to purchase it through a European corporation if we go that way because we are US citizens) or with the FTR. One issue with the FTR is Ad Blue. Euro V MAN trucks don’t require Ad Blue which is a big deal for international travel.

How about Acela Stray 4X4 which just launch a few days ago? FTR Ad Blue. Euro will be big problem when you are traveling in South America.

 

[Eizenjin91]

How about Acela Stray 4X4 which just launch a few days ago? FTR Ad Blue. Euro will be big problem when you are traveling in South America.

Euro V doesn’t require AdBlue. Definitely an issue in Africa or South America to have a vehicle that requires adblue. Basically unworkable. I still have a question about LSD vs ULSD with Euro V but they seem to function great from the people I’ve talked to traveling with them and haven’t had any issues -yet? Yeah I’ve been deep diving in to the Acela Straya. Seems like a solid platform. Still the issue of emissions but it’s a much newer and more comfortable platform than the Acela Monterra.

 

[gdaut]

What is the emissions issue with the Straya? The tech specs sheet says it has a Chevy Vortec V8.

 

[charlieaarons]

No emissions issue. Unless you do something bizarre like my suggestion to replace GM 6.0L petrol with Cummins Euro 3 ISF3.8.

 

[DeAusten]

Nice truck and thanks for the sharing. What is the reason for you to not choose Acela truck? Recently I am thinking about buying Acela Monterra 4X4 and Bliss Mobil to create my expedition vehicle. I didn’t find any problem on Acela except the 8.5 MPG.

If 8.5 MPG was a sticking point for you on the Acela, you definitely won't like the KW ?, getting 7-9MPG.

I went KW over Acela for a couple of reasons but noise was a big concern. Another driver for me was looks. I just prefer the look of the KW more than the ex military vehicle look. I wanted to build a unique vehicle and with the price points being similar, I went for the KW. Definitely understand that second reason won't matter much to others.

 

[wfv56]

If 8.5 MPG was a sticking point for you on the Acela, you definitely won't like the KW ?, getting 7-9MPG.

I went KW over Acela for a couple of reasons but noise was a big concern. Another driver for me was looks. I just prefer the look of the KW more than the ex military vehicle look. I wanted to build a unique vehicle and with the price points being similar, I went for the KW. Definitely understand that second reason won't matter much to others.

Any updates on you truck/camper?

 

[DeAusten]

I've not been great about keeping this thread up to date but I'm excited to write up some of the updates that have taken place over the past year. I've been working with the team at Boxmanufaktur, specifically Hajo and Andreas to make most of these changes come to life. My experience has been positive, and while it's taken longer than I'd like.. I've had quite a bit of fun in the process.

Anyways.. over the past year the truck has received the following updates:

• Cab extension added to K370 day cab: mentioned previously but I had a tough time finding anyone in the US who was willing to extend the cab of the K370. I spoke with Kenworth about this as well as GXV about doing an extension. Ultimately I found a company in the UK who manufactures fiberglass extensions for the DAF LF and the team at Boxmanufaktur coordinated to have the extension shipped to Germany and installed. The extension has a day bed with storage underneath and I'm really happy with the result. The cost was a fraction of what I was quoted in the US and the quality feels high.
• Habitat mounted to subframe: this was the day I'd been thinking about for quite some time. I'm really pleased with the placement of the box on the truck chassis and it was fun seeing the truck go through some torsion testing with the box on the frame.
• Storage boxes installed under habitat: I was surprised by the high cost of storage boxes from US companies and so I opted to have them built overseas by a vendor suggested by Boxmanufaktur. The boxes are high quality and the process of designing them was relatively painless. They took months to arrive but once they did they were powder coated black and bolted to the bottom of the habitat. I'm happy with how they turned out, especially the angled boxes for the wheel wells and the 45 degree angle of the rear boxes that aligns with the 45 degree angle of the habitat.
• Paint job for the truck: I didn't plan to have the truck painted overseas but again the cost of the quotes I was receiving back from companies in the US were so high that it just made sense to have the truck painted overseas. I went for a light grey color in a matte finish. Originally I wanted a darker grey color but was worried about the amount of heat a dark grey color would attract. We'll see how long the paint job lasts though. Perhaps the next version will be darker grey. I already snagged a few pinstripes on the journey back from Galveston to Seattle.
• Truck shipped from Bremerhaven to Galveston: this ended up being quite a bit more expensive than the trip from Galveston to Bremerhaven by roughly a factor of 3. I took my time shopping around for quotes but it seems to return trip home from Europe to the US is generally more expensive. At least that's what I was told by a number of different vendors. Curious if anyone else can confirm this and if they know why? Anyways, the truck landed in Galveston and I flew down to pick it up and I have to say... so exciting. I had a blast driving it back to Seattle. It took a couple of days to get used to the size with the box on the back but it drives nicely.
• Overland Adventure Truck: the truck is currently sitting at Overland Adventure Truck in WA. Quade (the owner of OAT) and I are working together to add a hydraulic lift to the rear of the truck to help with the oversized spare tires, motorcycles, and some additional storage. We're also looking at adding a cab to habitat pass-through.

I'm currently living in Seattle on a lease. My job is fully remote and my plan is to take the truck down somewhere warmer to work on once my lease ends here in a few months. I work as a Product Manager / Engineer in a SaaS company and so I don't have any formal experience doing builds like this but my plan is to document the interior build out of the box as I go. I'm hoping I can learn a bit along the way, and honestly save a bit of money as I've run through most of my budget for this build. Once the truck is complete I'm hoping to take it back overseas for extended travel.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Congrats! Looks amazing