MAN 4x4 Truck camper build
- Thread starter SpudBoy
- Start date
Iain_U1250
Explorer
Looks like you had fun, great to get out in the truck. Fuel consumption is not too bad, for something that bi. You 1000km range is about the minimum though, not sure where you intend heading, but we have about 1000km range in our Land Rover, which is OK, but have need at least 1500km in a few areas and quite often would have been usefull in order not to have to pay $3 per litre for fuel.
Did you change tyre pressures at all on the corrugations or the rocky track, how did it go?
Did you change tyre pressures at all on the corrugations or the rocky track, how did it go?
Hi Iain,
I have thought about an extra fuel tank, maybe just another 150L, but really there is nowhere convenient to locate it. I do have a 'utility' cupboard which can take 4 jerry cans, so I am thinking that will have to do. That will give me 380 litres, so about 1300 or 1400km. If I didn't have the big water tank on the other side, I could have used that space for extra fuel.
I didn't think to change the pressures on the dirt, as it was going so well! I was distracted by the nasty vibrating noise from the front axle at about 80 Km/h on corrugations. Am pretty sure it is the backing plate on the front disks, which is a thin piece of tin and it resonates when you tap it with a screwdriver. I'm taking it in to MAN tomorrow to see what can be done to stop it vibrating.
How long before you are out and about in you Unimog?
I have thought about an extra fuel tank, maybe just another 150L, but really there is nowhere convenient to locate it. I do have a 'utility' cupboard which can take 4 jerry cans, so I am thinking that will have to do. That will give me 380 litres, so about 1300 or 1400km. If I didn't have the big water tank on the other side, I could have used that space for extra fuel.
I didn't think to change the pressures on the dirt, as it was going so well! I was distracted by the nasty vibrating noise from the front axle at about 80 Km/h on corrugations. Am pretty sure it is the backing plate on the front disks, which is a thin piece of tin and it resonates when you tap it with a screwdriver. I'm taking it in to MAN tomorrow to see what can be done to stop it vibrating.
How long before you are out and about in you Unimog?
Iain_U1250
Explorer
Almost finished the cab wiring, and hope to have the modification to the dash/instrument panel finished next weekend if I get some time. There is now a lot of wires in my mog, strange when the truck itself can be roll started and then doesn't need any electrics for it to run. So far I have bought and almost used up 700m of wire in wiring up the cab and all the various sensors, switches, a/c mirrors, windows, door locks, seats, lights, cameras, screens, speakers and amps etc. I have used 300 crimp on brass terminals for the terminal blocks, there are 14 terminal blocks on the firewall, 24 switches with an average of 6 terminals on each switch, more than 200 spade/ring/ connectors. there are 6 separate fuse boxes with 47 fuses, 12 relays, and a whole load of sleeving and split tubing. That is just for the truck itself, there is another 300m of wire in the camper :0
I have decided to label each circuit using these
I have a book in which I have written down and sketched each connector, route of the wire, the fusebox and fuse number, the switch, and each terminal and the colour of each wire on each connector, but there are a massive amount of wires and I only had 17 colours to play with hence the need for labels. I will eventually draw out each circuit single line diagram, but so far I have it all documented in the book. Wiring is one thing I enjoy luckily, as each new circuit brings something back to life again. Most important was the sound systems, great to have something to listen to whilst I'm working. I'm hoping to get it on the road early next year, but that depends on work - right now I am lucky to get two or three days a month to actually do some work on the truck, so progress is really slow and even less time to update blogs and build threads. I'm writing this from the airport whilst waiting for a plane
Hopefully this contract will finish by Christmas, and then after a bit of a holiday, it will be full time on the mog, until the next contract turns up
I have decided to label each circuit using these
I have a book in which I have written down and sketched each connector, route of the wire, the fusebox and fuse number, the switch, and each terminal and the colour of each wire on each connector, but there are a massive amount of wires and I only had 17 colours to play with hence the need for labels. I will eventually draw out each circuit single line diagram, but so far I have it all documented in the book. Wiring is one thing I enjoy luckily, as each new circuit brings something back to life again. Most important was the sound systems, great to have something to listen to whilst I'm working. I'm hoping to get it on the road early next year, but that depends on work - right now I am lucky to get two or three days a month to actually do some work on the truck, so progress is really slow and even less time to update blogs and build threads. I'm writing this from the airport whilst waiting for a plane
Hopefully this contract will finish by Christmas, and then after a bit of a holiday, it will be full time on the mog, until the next contract turns up
Iain_U1250
Explorer
They look great, but very expensive.
Progress for the last fortnight mainly revolves around ablutions.
The toilet is in, and we now have a hand-basin in the bathroom with running hot and cold water.
I can't remember if I have posted anything about the toilet before, but it is a composting toilet, with no chemicals. It is really a yachting toilet, but I thought it would work well in a camping situation too.
More details on the toilet here: Composting_Toilet
The basin sits in a stainless steel bench, which incorporates a bin. Because the bathroom door is by default open unless you are using it, it was a good place to locate the foodscraps & etc bin. It's easy to reach from the kitchen bench and because the toilet has a permanent ventilation fan sucking air out of the bathroom, any bin smells will go the same route.
This is how it got fitted to the wall:
And the finished product, with a little boating sink, and a bin from Ikea:
More details in this blog post: Bathroom-basin-shelf-bin
I also fiddled around with the rear mudguards, as I felt they were too close to the tyres when articulating. Turns out I probably should have left things well alone, as my estimate of 2 or 3 hours per side to do the mods turned into about 8 hours per side. Funny how a simple looking job can turn to poop! In the end it was a good thing to do, as I now have much better clearance, but at the time I wondered why I bothered.
Blog post here if you want more details: Improving-rear-wheel-guard-clearance
The toilet is in, and we now have a hand-basin in the bathroom with running hot and cold water.
I can't remember if I have posted anything about the toilet before, but it is a composting toilet, with no chemicals. It is really a yachting toilet, but I thought it would work well in a camping situation too.
More details on the toilet here: Composting_Toilet
The basin sits in a stainless steel bench, which incorporates a bin. Because the bathroom door is by default open unless you are using it, it was a good place to locate the foodscraps & etc bin. It's easy to reach from the kitchen bench and because the toilet has a permanent ventilation fan sucking air out of the bathroom, any bin smells will go the same route.
This is how it got fitted to the wall:
And the finished product, with a little boating sink, and a bin from Ikea:
More details in this blog post: Bathroom-basin-shelf-bin
I also fiddled around with the rear mudguards, as I felt they were too close to the tyres when articulating. Turns out I probably should have left things well alone, as my estimate of 2 or 3 hours per side to do the mods turned into about 8 hours per side. Funny how a simple looking job can turn to poop! In the end it was a good thing to do, as I now have much better clearance, but at the time I wondered why I bothered.
Blog post here if you want more details: Improving-rear-wheel-guard-clearance
Iain_U1250
Explorer
Its coming one great. let me know how the toilet goes, as that's what we have. Ours is in, but we have not tried it out yet Good idea about the bin, our is planned to be out the back of the truck, with a small bin bag holder next to the door in our shower recess. Might put it into our toilet cabinet as well.
Good idea about the bin, our is planned to be out the back of the truck, with a small bin bag holder next to the door in our shower recess. Might put it into our toilet cabinet as well.
DiploStrat
Expedition Leader
Let's Talk Poop
We have a Nature's Head in Ndeke Luka. Wouldn't change it for a cassette, but we have learned:
-- You need the right moisture level to make sure that it is actually composting. Too wet and you can have a mild odor.
-- To this end, a positive air flow is a very good thing. Ours is vented to a long soil stack so I am looking at this: http://360productsinc.com/site/ The factory fan is not that powerful.
-- Adding a bit of bulk to the peat moss helps; we have gotten good results with wood chips, sold as pet bedding.
We have a Nature's Head in Ndeke Luka. Wouldn't change it for a cassette, but we have learned:
-- You need the right moisture level to make sure that it is actually composting. Too wet and you can have a mild odor.
-- To this end, a positive air flow is a very good thing. Ours is vented to a long soil stack so I am looking at this: http://360productsinc.com/site/ The factory fan is not that powerful.
-- Adding a bit of bulk to the peat moss helps; we have gotten good results with wood chips, sold as pet bedding.
DiploStrat
Expedition Leader
Yes, they work.
Easily fixed:
-- Invite her to dump a black tank. (Cassette is not so bad, but with either, you are dealing with a slurry of urine and feces and that does have an aroma.)
-- Read an article to two about the joys of opening a conventional black tank when: a) driving, b) exhaust vent is on.
I used to demo the composting toilet by opening the flap and turning on the exhaust fan.
That said, you can have a malfunction, usually caused by some combination of:
-- Not enough media, or,
-- Too much liquid. (Usually caused by too much washing.)
The cure is actually easy; simply add more media or, in the worst case, dump early.
And, for the record, we use our Nature's Head every day. We much prefer it to campground or other public facilities.
Easily fixed:
-- Invite her to dump a black tank. (Cassette is not so bad, but with either, you are dealing with a slurry of urine and feces and that does have an aroma.)
-- Read an article to two about the joys of opening a conventional black tank when: a) driving, b) exhaust vent is on.
I used to demo the composting toilet by opening the flap and turning on the exhaust fan.
That said, you can have a malfunction, usually caused by some combination of:
-- Not enough media, or,
-- Too much liquid. (Usually caused by too much washing.)
The cure is actually easy; simply add more media or, in the worst case, dump early.
And, for the record, we use our Nature's Head every day. We much prefer it to campground or other public facilities.
For two people, how long does it take before it needs to be emptied?
We used ours for the first time last week on a trip away to the beach. Seems to work a treat! No smells at all.
How do you know when it needs emptying?
Also - the truck is parked up now for 3 or 4 weeks. Do we need to do anything with the toilet? Leave the fan running?
Tks
David
We used ours for the first time last week on a trip away to the beach. Seems to work a treat! No smells at all.
How do you know when it needs emptying?
Also - the truck is parked up now for 3 or 4 weeks. Do we need to do anything with the toilet? Leave the fan running?
Tks
David
DiploStrat
Expedition Leader
Don't be in Hurry.
Empty when it becomes physically full (about 3/4 of the container) or begins to smell. N.B. if it is not too damp, the smell will be earthy, not the sharp smell of sewage. Stir immediately after use, but then give it time for things to dry out.
Leave the fan on at all times and let it sit. The longer it sits, the more pleasant the dump/reload. (Exactly the reverse of a conventional toilet.) Do dump the urine and rinse the bottle if it is not going to be used.
I am looking into using one of these, as my Nature's Head is vented into a long grey water tank vent. http://360productsnorthamerica.com/site/
Empty when it becomes physically full (about 3/4 of the container) or begins to smell. N.B. if it is not too damp, the smell will be earthy, not the sharp smell of sewage. Stir immediately after use, but then give it time for things to dry out.
Leave the fan on at all times and let it sit. The longer it sits, the more pleasant the dump/reload. (Exactly the reverse of a conventional toilet.) Do dump the urine and rinse the bottle if it is not going to be used.
I am looking into using one of these, as my Nature's Head is vented into a long grey water tank vent. http://360productsnorthamerica.com/site/
Four days at the Beach
We took the truck for a 'long weeked' down to the beach. It was 4 days of doing pretty much nothing at all.
The truck went well. It was the first time I've driven it in sand, and it did that very well. Initially I got partially bogged because the tyres were at road pressures and I was in rear wheel drive only (with no diffs locked). It was fine on the flat stuff, but as soon as I pointed it up to a sandhill, it went no further.
So - Lock the center diff; Lock the rear diff; drop the pressures from 65PSI down to 25PSI; out she climbed, no dramas. I left it like that for the next 4 days, and it laughed at everything we threw at it. I didn't lock the front diff as we never needed it.
This was our camp:
The view out the window in the morning:
More details and fuel stats and so on here : Four-days-on-the-beach
The shower and toilet were great successes. The shower has a strong flow and when it cools down a little, as time goes by, you just top it up with a bit more hot water and off you go for another 4 or 5 minutes. Brilliant! The composting toilet was excellent. Easy to use and zero smells.
I also took a new toy with me - a little Phantom Vision 2+ drone. It was a lot of fun! See some of the footage we took here:
Yorke Peninsula Camping in MAN 4x4 Truck/Camper - YouTube
Hmmm - OK... I can't work out how to embed the video. See it on the blog or watch it direct on YouTube to see it in a bigger size (or try full screen mode). It was filmed in 1080p, but when uploaded to YouTube it seems to be very low resolution, so it's a bit blocky, but you'll get the idea. Still working on getting my head around video stuff.....
We took the truck for a 'long weeked' down to the beach. It was 4 days of doing pretty much nothing at all.
The truck went well. It was the first time I've driven it in sand, and it did that very well. Initially I got partially bogged because the tyres were at road pressures and I was in rear wheel drive only (with no diffs locked). It was fine on the flat stuff, but as soon as I pointed it up to a sandhill, it went no further.
So - Lock the center diff; Lock the rear diff; drop the pressures from 65PSI down to 25PSI; out she climbed, no dramas. I left it like that for the next 4 days, and it laughed at everything we threw at it. I didn't lock the front diff as we never needed it.
This was our camp:
The view out the window in the morning:
More details and fuel stats and so on here : Four-days-on-the-beach
The shower and toilet were great successes. The shower has a strong flow and when it cools down a little, as time goes by, you just top it up with a bit more hot water and off you go for another 4 or 5 minutes. Brilliant! The composting toilet was excellent. Easy to use and zero smells.
I also took a new toy with me - a little Phantom Vision 2+ drone. It was a lot of fun! See some of the footage we took here:
Yorke Peninsula Camping in MAN 4x4 Truck/Camper - YouTube
Hmmm - OK... I can't work out how to embed the video. See it on the blog or watch it direct on YouTube to see it in a bigger size (or try full screen mode). It was filmed in 1080p, but when uploaded to YouTube it seems to be very low resolution, so it's a bit blocky, but you'll get the idea. Still working on getting my head around video stuff.....
DiploStrat
Expedition Leader
Congrats!
Looks like fun! (And love the hound.)
Looks like fun! (And love the hound.)