My Fuso FM260 is converging...

[JRhetts]

... on completion [tho I am sure it will never get there!]

update 12-27-12 at end of post #1

For those of you not familiar with this project, at the bottom are a few pics of the exterior and interior. But most recently, I think I have finally arranged a good working cab, vis-a-vis navigation and monitoring devices. I frequently drive solo, with my wife joining me for highlight parts of a journey. So I need good navigation and entertainment to keep me on the 'straight and narrow.' But it can't be too complicated or it becomes more of a danger than an assistance.

I have used what seems like a zillion GPSs over the years, beginning with a Magellan the size of a brick in ~1992, all the way to my new iPad3 today. The pic below shows my current arrangement with which I am [currently] very pleased.




In the center is my iPad on a RAM double-suction-cup-mount with 1.5" [type C] ball mounts. This is really solid on rough roads. I run several programs, depending on my situation. TomTom for road nav; ScenicMap for situational awareness of what's ahead and around me — i.e., where I might want to deviate to go to; iHikeGPS to archive a tracklog of my actual route each day; and iHikeGPS, TopoMaps and/or MotionX for truly off-pavement/off-road nav by topo level information. The big iPad screen really makes the display of maps, etc., easy to see and easy to switch among programs [just a swipe.]

Immediately above the iPad is my backup camera. My camera is not quite right for use as a rear-view mirror, but it does help with backing and very close objects in general [incl. blind spots in my mirrors].

To the left of the iPad are a voltmeter on my truck batteries and a turbo boost gauge.

Between the gauges and the steering wheel is my phone in another RAM suction-cup mount [1" type B ball mount]. In addition to phone, which I use VERY RARELY when driving alone, this gives me a WiFi hotspot for the iPad; since I got grandfathered in with an unlimited data plan I can be streaming maps, radio, music, whatever; and when I want to query google or something else re: "what's hereabouts" I have immediate web access.

Furthermore, I like to listen to my own music, podcasts and audiobooks while driving on pavement. So even tho it's an Android phone [I really dislike the Android OS; its logic does not match mine well at all], I use it as an mp3 player and stream my entertainment via bluetooth to a pair of on-ear, headbanded Sony headphones plugged into a Samsung HS3000 bluetooth receiver [$35.00 at Amazon]. I can still hear ambient noise like police sirens and wives trying to get my attention, but the headphones deliver the sound right to my ears and therefore very effectively overcome the ambient noise of my truck and tires in favor of the music or whatever. Given my age- and lifestyle-related hearing loss, THIS IS TERRIFIC.

Above the steering wheel and phone is a Garmin 276c or 478 GPS; this is hardwired in because after changing tire size and diff ratios, my OE speedo is useless. The tach is fine and very useful, but the speedo just takes up space. So I have the hardwired GPS there to give me MPH, trip odometer, average driving speed, and backup for other GPS functions.

Well, that's the cab. Thanks for looking. Rest of the rig is pictured below.













UPDATE 12-27-12 Just completed 10 days of off-pavement travel in the Arizona desert. I can post more about this another day, but the navigation system has performed flawlessly: TomTom has displayed all the 4x4 trails we wanted to drive, and ScenicMapsWest has added valuably to our situational awareness and has kept flawless track logs for our daily travels. The machine has handled very rough, off camber trails and very steep and sharp transitions through hundreds of washes — all in 4x2; no need yet for 4x4 or a locked rear diff. SUPER!!

 

[alan]

Very nice setup! very similar to what i hope to have when completed, i even have the tw200 for the back!

 

[blackduck]

VERY NICE !!
and its not beige

 

[LukeH]

Very nice indeed.
I would be interested to read how you get on with the portabote. Can you load it up onto the side alone or does it require two people? Where's your outboard stored if you have one?

 

[mog]

WOW, outstanding! Big changes (for the better) in the interior from it's RUF-INC beginnings.
Plus it is nice to know the Tablet aps you are using. I'm using my tablet (Android) more for the 'road' so that is interesting.

BTW I stole your idea of the die-cut "Recreational Vehicle - Not for Hire" placards on the side of my truck and the lady at DMV did not even check inside for HC 'compliance'.
I guess if it is label as such, it must be :ylsmoke:

 

[JRhetts]

Very nice indeed.
I would be interested to read how you get on with the portabote. Can you load it up onto the side alone or does it require two people? Where's your outboard stored if you have one?

LukeH
The 8-foot PortaBote I have has turned out to be great!! [I wasn't really sure when I bought it, but I used it for 3 months in the Yukon this summer, so I do now have use-experience to reply to your questions.]

Yes, I can take the 8' boat on and off the sides of my rig by myself quite easily. Carrying it [still folded, retained by nylon boat straps at bow and stern] is not too awkward at all. [I'm 70 and am not a young buck any more; I have to be careful about loads and leverages.]

It held two full-sized adult fishermen with an ample amount of gear [multiple rods and more lures than I want to admit], an anchor and a can of gas on many days including in at least moderate chop. i would rate it as very stable and extremely comfortable given its small size. [Everything is a compromise.]

I carry a 2 hp motor horizontally in the large [rear] exterior locker on the stbd side [passenger] just forward of the stairs. The 2 hp is very light, but pushes the boat with one or two adults along at 4 mph max — just right for trolling. But this is a bit slow if you want to do longer-range recon or drive against a strong current, so I am looking to find a 4 or 5 hp motor as well.

The oars are ok for maneuvering close to a dock or shore, but they are fixed into the oar locks and therefore are not [in this config] a long-distance propulsion system. I may get and try some free oarlocks at some point just to test them.

I also got the aux rotating seat with a tall back — esp. when out alone I find this extremely comfortable and well-worth the cost and addit bulk to carry.

As you can see in my pics, I carry the boat on the port side; the oars [in a red nylon bag above the spare tires] in the rear. The really awkward parts are the seats and transom — I made a bag to hold them and it rides either behind the front seats in the cab or on the floor in the house — the first thing I set outdoors or into the cab once parked. Not an elegant solution, but certainly doable.

I think a 10' model might be a bit ungainly for one person, but I do not know as I shied away from that size due to its greater weight.

 

[fg4oz]

Really neat set up

 

[alan]

VERY NICE !!
and its not beige

I'm sure he plans on painting it desert storm!!

 

[JRhetts]

I'm sure he plans on painting it desert storm!!

Don't count on it! I really appreciate how the white color does not absorb heat from the sun. And based on my experience this summer in the Yukon, I have rigged up a very quick and easy portable wash system that gets us back to white really quickly. I could wash inches of mud off the vehicle using a rain-water puddle in a matter of minutes. [If you are interested, I could post the set up.]

 

[Scott Brady]

Nice work John

Where do you plan to take it?

 

[JRhetts]

Nice work John
Where do you plan to take it?

Well... since our trip together through Central America in the Jeep, after building out the Fuso [tentatively named Kizungu, in Swahili meaning "of or belonging to the travelers"]:

• We've been all over the US Southwest for the past couple of years, including sailing our dirt-boat in Oregon, Nevada, and California.
• I spent 3 months solo in the Yukon this summer, including the North Canol Rd to the end at the Northwest Territories border.
• I am about to head off to Death Valley for a month or more — last time we were there was 2006; a month then barely scratched the surface — and from there I have no specific idea, tho I will have both my bike and my boat with me so I 'should' be able to find some entertainment.
• I am contemplating shipping to SoAm to spend some significant time exploring there, esp. in Argentina and Chile where we have a number of contacts.
• If I could find a confederate, I'd drive up thru Vietnam and into China, thru Mongolia and into Russia to Europe. But at my age I am reluctant to do this solo.

Hope you and Steph are having fun and good adventures.
John

 

[Overland Hadley]

Fantastic Fuso!

 

[Overland Hadley]

And based on my experience this summer in the Yukon, I have rigged up a very quick and easy portable wash system that gets us back to white really quickly. I could wash inches of mud off the vehicle using a rain-water puddle in a matter of minutes. [If you are interested, I could post the set up.]

Yes, please.

 

[jhrodd]

Very nice rig. What range of fuel mileage are you experiencing? What is your loaded weight?

 

[JRhetts]

Mileage, Weight, and Design Criteria

Very nice rig. What range of fuel mileage are you experiencing? What is your loaded weight?

Jeffrey

I get between 7.5 mpg to sometimes right around 9mpg. The lower end of the range is more typical, unless the roads are pretty flat. Hills are killers.

My max loaded weight to date was 23,300# — with 105 gal H2O, 100 gal diesel, both iceboxes full, motorcycle and boat, major spare parts cache for a long remote trip [e.g., Yukon], and two souls on board. Something closer to 22,000# is more typical. Chassis/frame rated at 26,000 lbs due to auto tranny; actual chassis rating nearer 40,000 lbs ++ [I forget]

More meaningfully, at 23,300#, I am running at 73% of my front axel weight rating, and 66% of my rear axel weight rating. This margin, along with having ~68,000# of air-over-hydraulic stopping power gives me a remarkable sense of peace of mind compared to other rigs I have owned and driven!!

I am attaching a set of criteria/specifications I pulled together re: my rig a while back: