Possible platform for a LARGE Expo Rig

[shachagra]

Thanks for everyones feedback. All the points make very good sense.
I'm researching a build for a family of 5 to travel and live-in for 14 months.
The trip is not for another 4+ years, but I'd like to own and use the camper for at least 1 year in USA before we leave for Europe and ???
I think this would be a better platform - Let me know what you think. http://www.racingjunk.com/Tow-vehicles/2403780/2007-International-7500-4X4-Sporthauler.html
I'm challenged with size vs. offroad use vs. comfort etc.
I might be better off to live and travel in a traditional RV and use a different vehicle for offroad use - But that's not as fun.

Agee with everyone, that is a beautiful truck but not much room for accommodations. You could extend the rails and add another axle, but it might not be worth the trouble, I don't know how hard that would be. We lived in ours for 16 months and the only off-roading we had to do to at my in-laws ranch in Montana. We did appreciate having the 4X6 and locking differentials when we stayed on some beaches in Turkey. How old are the children? The younger they are the less space they need. Teens need more space, but I feel they get so much more out of the trip. My son could teach his 10th grade European History class, seeing 130 museums in a year, most located right where history happened is a great way to learn. I looked hard for someone to build for me but couldn't find anyone, nor could we find anything to modify that would carry what we wanted, so we were forced to build. Best of luck to you, some people will think you crazy, but it was never as hard as I thought it would be.

 

[RoosterBooster]

as shachagra pointed out IMHO 4x4 (or 6x6) is overrated for general expo use.
if 95% of your driving will be on improved roads i bet you will hate that driven front axle rather quickly.
a non-driven forget beam front axle is a lot lighter then a driven axle
so (in my opinion) on a basic imperfect and rough backroad (paved or not) this lower un-suspended mass allows you to drive faster and in more comfort.
remember that depending on truck front axle configuration (conventional or setback) you are sitting rather close to the front axle.
i personally would spend the money towards a excellent (for offroad use approved) rear suspension as well as locking differential(s)... on all 3 diffs if it is a tandem.

the bigrig 4x4/6x6 market is very small ... selection of cabs and engines is usually on the "utility grade" side ...
but if you base your rig on a non-driven front axle the selection of possible used trucks gets huge.

i personally see no need for a 2 speed transfer case if you select your base truck transmission wisely
i would prefer a Eaton 13 speed manual... but even a basic straight 10 has a very short first gear that allows you to crawl extremely slow
(my 1st gear of the "super10" in my Pete is almost useless short... especially combined with the torque of the big cummins N14 engine)

yes, frames can be fishplated/spliced ... but i personally would prefer "virgin" one piece solid frame rails ... at least between the suspension mounting points ... especially on a rig that will see a lot of frame flex/off road.

 

[apexcamper]

Yeah, that rig is pretty sweet. Looks like someone built-up their dream tow rig for local deserts. And it's Pre ULSD!!!
I know of the top Expo Camper companies in USA (Unicat, Earthroamer, GXV) But what other choices are out there for a Camper Conversion that are not as expensive???
I've followed the DIY guys that have built their own, but are there any known companies that are middle of the road on price and quality?
thanks

Truthfully have no clue state side, but there are a lot of companies in Germany that sell "stages" of the large expo campers (just walls, Walls windows and doors, interior wood work but no hardware...that type of stuff). Maybe contact GXV or Unicat and see if they will build you a "you finish it" model. Basically just the box on your truck with no interior or hardware inside. There are also several companies in Europe that mainly build up cargo trucks and panal vans, but on a limited basis will build empty boxes mounted on expo trucks that people can finish. It is easy enough to take an empty box and, if you don't want or don't have the time to do it your self, act as a general contractor and get craftsmen to help finish the interior the way you want.

Just some options to maybe pursue

 

[grizzlyj]

My 2p/2c

If I had 3 kids I would really try to travel light. If you google "opensens" they had a doka Unimog with a really quite small camper on the rear. They left home with two kids and came back with 3 , three years travelling, I think. That is roughly what I'd like to aim at (without the kids en route perhaps though! ). Enough space and stuff to live inside when the weather or anything else made that a good thing, but only enough.

shachagra has a really lovely truck, and his build is in every way amazing, but that to me is way too big, no disrespect intended! And I don't even have one kid yet, and fully take on board teens need space. But I would still aim for relatively small and light. No way would I even consider three axles. And how is saving on an undriven front axle a good way to go if you end up with 4x6 and the extra fuel, HP required, drag on soft surfaces, and unmanouevrabilty that goes with (compared to a 4x4)?

The 4x4 truck linked to probably has a more than suitable wheelbase if it didn't have such a huge bonnet! If thats the best available then maybe you'll have to go for that though?

I've been told MAN trucks aren't available in the US, but maybe if I was in the US, and wanted a truck to travel everywhere else, and the camper box even built somewhere else, then why do you need to buy in the USA? I have no knowledge of ownership problems, or build problems if you're across the pond during build etc, but a MAN truck has no bonnet, so straight away you have much more usable wheelbase than an IH. A friend is having a box built by a company called Ormacar in Germany, having spent a long time looking at many options, for a much less £££ than Unicat box but still high quality. He hasn't even bought a truck to go under it yet, but is looking to get a Merc 1017A.

Once you've left home, is having a US reg. plate on it an advantage? I know some Austrian friends who have a weirdly cheap Carnet de Passage, much cheaper than the UK. Unicats are advertised with it being possible to have a German registration that doen't require returning to Germany for annual testing, which officialdom here says I would have to do with a UK registered vehicle.

My camper is 13' tall, about 21' long and is bigger than two people need even to be very comfortable. There have been quite a few places in our fairly tame travels that we've been too big for. The "proper" offroading we did in Morocco and Iceland couldn't have been done without fairly decent 4x4 capability, and that maybe 1-2% of our trip was some of the best bits for us. So as and when we may be lucky enough to have kids, and then hopefully have time and cash enough to truck camp, I would ensure we can still go to those places rather than compromise with big and comfy.

Mogs have fairly low gearing, but even at 9500kg I most certainly needed low range on a few occasions. Not for ups, but for slowing down the downs, with the exhaust brake, to be safe and stable on sections we'd rebuilt by hand.

Good luck with whatever you go with though

Jason

 

[shachagra]

My 2p/2c

If I had 3 kids I would really try to travel light. If you google "opensens" they had a doka Unimog with a really quite small camper on the rear. They left home with two kids and came back with 3 , three years travelling, I think. That is roughly what I'd like to aim at (without the kids en route perhaps though! ). Enough space and stuff to live inside when the weather or anything else made that a good thing, but only enough.

shachagra has a really lovely truck, and his build is in every way amazing, but that to me is way too big, no disrespect intended! And I don't even have one kid yet, and fully take on board teens need space. But I would still aim for relatively small and light. No way would I even consider three axles. And how is saving on an undriven front axle a good way to go if you end up with 4x6 and the extra fuel, HP required, drag on soft surfaces, and unmanouevrabilty that goes with (compared to a 4x4)?

None taken (disrespect) at all Jason, Shachagra is about as big as you can get away with, so she is definitely at an extreme. I really enjoy the website referred http://www.opensens.com/ukitineraire.htm great for the places they were traveling to and the age of the children. Obviously not too crowded inside, they knocked out a third along the way (guarantee that wouldn't have happened in that vehicle with two teens aboard!) I love my kids, but at 13, 16 and 18, (girl, boy, girl) I would use a rig that size for extended periods only if we semi-settled, rented cottages or an apartment periodically. We decided not to do that. Shachagra was built for a specific trip and family, a more "urban expedition" truck vice off road expedition truck. Lodging in Europe was a big factor in traveling in the truck vice "vagabonding." Only once in 16 months did we sleep in a hotel, and that was because we had to show proof of paid lodging in Macedonia to avoid a stiff penalty at the border. We went with two axles because of weight. This crowd understands how dangerous an overloaded vehicle can be. You can certainly go much lighter and keep to one axle but that limits "self-sufficiency" mainly with water and power. I've traveled at both extremes of the weight/off road capability spectrum, the other extreme being a helicopter! In 20 years as helicopter pilot I've done a few expeditions, sleeping out of an HH-60 and can tell you I prefer Shachagra. I love my bath!