School Me on Heavy Trucks

[JCliftonB]

So I am looking for a platform to build a camper on the back of and am entertaining the idea of building on a Japanese heavy truck platform.

I do not know where to start this search for information so I figured I would employ my friends at ExPo for info.

I am needing a 4-5 seater truck that has 4WD and is ideally a gas-burner but that's not a must-have. Diesel would suffice if need be.

Does this truck exist and how are they for parts, reliability, turning a wrench to fix, etc? What makes/models do I even need to be searching for here in the USA?

In the attached picture from a build down under, I would like to know how to lift similar to this and what tires/sizes this may be.

Thank you in advance for any info!

 

[SkiFreak]

Move to Australia, then the task would be considerably easier!
The truck above is a 3 seater, short wheelbase, so does not come close to what you are looking for. These are also considered to be light trucks, not heavy trucks.

Japanese light truck 4x4 Dual/Crew cabs are, as far as I know, are not imported into the US, so unless you are able to get hold of a 2 wheel drive and convert it, I don't like you chances of getting what you are after.

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

Maybe your best alternative would be to construct the camper section to include legal seating (with seat belts) while travelling and a walk through (although that may not be necessary, depending on local regulations).
Ours (in the avatar) is like this (in Oz). 2 seats (plus a child seat) in the cab, plus 2 more seats in the rear.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[Abitibi]

I had similar needs so on my current build I converted an ambulance to 4x4 and added legal seating at the back. So it currently sits 4 legally and 2 extra without seat belts (could be added) and also sleeps 4 to 6.
I will be selling it this summer as I now have your 2nd option...

I imported from Japan a larger Hino crew cab 4x4. Being over 25yrs its legal to import and legally sits 7. The back box will come off in 2 weeks.
They also have a more reasonably sized 4x4 crewcab that will still sit 4 to 6 but it will limit your camper size to around 10', which was too small for me. This smaller tan one belongs to a friend of mine, used to be a fire truck in Japan, similar to mine.

So here's a few pictures of options for you.




Cheers
David

 

[carleton]

EarthCruiser CORE was initially offered to the market as a Single Cab or Crew Cab
EarthCruiser Announces Their CORE DIY and Commercial Offerings - Expedition Portal

If you want a cabover crewcab with 4wd, they are basically they only one in the US.

However, their website no longer has any photos of the CrewCab........maybe it was a casuality of the Mitsubishi to Isuzu transition.

 

[Joe917]

The Mitz and Izu are both light trucks.
Have a look at Mercedes Benz 917 and up Medium trucks. They will all be deisel.

https://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/search.html?fe=FOUR_WHEEL_DRIVE&fr=%3A1997&isSearchRequest=true&ms=17200%3B%3B%3B%3B&ref=dsp&s=Motorhome&vc=Motorhome

 

[carleton]

However, their website no longer has any photos of the CrewCab........maybe it was a casuality of the Mitsubishi to Isuzu transition.

An update, apparently, on the CORE CrewCab
CORE Dual Cab Chassis: In the Driver's Seat - Vehicle Research - Work Truck Online

 

[baipin]

OP; can you clarify what you mean by "heavy trucks?" Like others have said, what you want may be closer to the light truck side of things (though that isn't true either, as a lot of these are legally, "medium duty" class 4 or 5 trucks, not "light duty" trucks with the exception of some Japanese cabovers being class 3 in their lightest GVWR varieties).

The Japanese trucks that you seem to like - such as the Isuzu NPR-HD, NPR-XD, NRR, are rated at 14,500, 16,000 and even 17,950 lbs - the latter of which is more than some MB 917 chassis I've seen, which come in around 16,500lbs (though many are rated for more). Finding one in 4WD may be difficult, but there is merit to your own 4WD conversion that uses more commonly-available parts in North America (e.g. ubiquitous Super Dana 60 axles).

 

[Ultimark]

If you are looking at second hand Japanese based older Isuzu trucks and can live with the steering wheel on the right side; then the clue you need in your searches is in the three letter Isuzu description of their trucks.

In Isuzu speak the three letters of each vehicle denote various things. With the NPS the first letter denotes the model which is N. The second letter denotes weight rating (and as far as I know the cabin configuration) P = wide cabin. The third letter denotes the drive-train layout. R = rear wheel drive, S = four wheel drive.

This effectively means that you need to look at any Isuzu truck three letter designation and ensure it has S as the third letter.

Isuzu N series cover between 3.1 tonne through to about 10 tonne, however all of their models that are 4x4 run conservative gross vehicle figures. The NPS in Australia is capped at 7.5 Tonne (7500kg) and it has two GVM (GVW in the USA?), one for off road and one for paved road.

Older models were lower capacity, the Japanese model which we know as the N series around the world is called Elf in Japan.

The Isuzu F series is a big move up the food chain from the N series, starting with the FSS at 10 tonne and the FTS at 13 tonne.

Their C series of trucks, often marketed as Giga, have two model types of interest to you. CVS = 4x4 and the bigger units CXW or CYW which are both 6x6 but different weight capacities. However these are really large trucks.

I have an NPS which is not small, but it is not huge either. Ready for the road, it is approximately 6250mm long by 2200m wide and almost 3250mm high it is manageable in tight situations and has a very good turning circle.

With regard to turning circles, in Australia, all NPS trucks run with the medium wheelbase, whereas the Fuso had different wheelbases available. Not sure about those in the USA.

This week I was in an Isuzu FSS which a friend is thinking of buying. Compared to the NPS the FSS is in another league and within reason it is an NPS on steroids! It was roughly 7900mm long by 2490mm wide and around 3400mm high with the wheel tyre combination as test driven and it was running around 9.5 tonne as presented. Permanent 4WD is a bonus. This was a crew cab model with seating for 6, four in the back and two in the front. If you think you require seating for 4 or more as well as a decent rear area for a camping box of around 4500/5000mm in length, this would fit the bill; but it is largish.

In general the Fuso is the lightest and smallest of the three major trucks we are looking at, the Isuzu is the next size up, with the Hino being marginally larger and probably slightly heavier than the Isuzu.

 

[CORE_vehicles]

So I am looking for a platform to build a camper on the back of and am entertaining the idea of building on a Japanese heavy truck platform.

I do not know where to start this search for information so I figured I would employ my friends at ExPo for info.

I am needing a 4-5 seater truck that has 4WD and is ideally a gas-burner but that's not a must-have. Diesel would suffice if need be.

Does this truck exist and how are they for parts, reliability, turning a wrench to fix, etc? What makes/models do I even need to be searching for here in the USA?

In the attached picture from a build down under, I would like to know how to lift similar to this and what tires/sizes this may be.

Thank you in advance for any info!

View attachment 760250

We build a crew cab gas 6.6l Isuzu chassis.

 

[CORE_vehicles]

An update, apparently, on the CORE CrewCab
CORE Dual Cab Chassis: In the Driver's Seat - Vehicle Research - Work Truck Online

Thank you for the link. We do indeed build a Crew Cab and single cab based on the Isuzu chassis. Give Us a call 541-408-6717

 

[CORE_vehicles]

EarthCruiser CORE was initially offered to the market as a Single Cab or Crew Cab
EarthCruiser Announces Their CORE DIY and Commercial Offerings - Expedition Portal

If you want a cabover crewcab with 4wd, they are basically they only one in the US.

However, their website no longer has any photos of the CrewCab........maybe it was a casuality of the Mitsubishi to Isuzu transition.

We build on both the Crew and the single cab. Let us know what you are looking for. I have several 150" wb Crew cabs in inventory ready for your next build.

 

[Korey H]

We have four kids and had similar needs / wants. I’d like a cab over but couldn’t yet do an EC Core build. I found a quad cab c5500 former mobile command unit. (Build thread here in for forum), you can see what I came up with also on our IG @wehartstravel. He’s been reliable and comfortable so far with many miles to Baja, Guatemala and the northeast. Happy to answer questions!

 

[DzlToy]

This topic has been covered here ad nauseum. There are no crew-cab 4x4 cabover trucks available new in the US. Previously, only Mitsubishi's FG was available and IMO, it is a poor choice for "overlanding". As noted above, there are several companies taking new regular or crew cab trucks from 2wd to 4wd. Most, if not all, are gas powered trucks, as the diesel rigs come with their own share of issues. Anyone can import a 25 year old car or truck that was not originally sold here. The same rule is true in Canada, but a 15 year old car can be imported there. If the car is newer than this, it must be exported within 2 years, federalized or comply under one of the other exemptions. This is not easily done for the average person and thus isn't really an option for most people.

Minimum GVWR for an NPR is 12,000 pounds and max is 19,500. A US FTR has a 6.7L Cummins L6 and an Allison transmission. This truck is only available in 2wd, but can be had in GVWR up to 30,000, IIRC. It would be quite easy to convert this truck to 4x4 as there are many transfer cases available to fit the back of the Allison. Sorting the front axle and suspension is going to be your biggest challenge.

 

[SkiFreak]

Previously, only Mitsubishi's FG was available and IMO, it is a poor choice for "overlanding".

I am not sure what brings you to that conclusion, but here in Australia there are many people using these Fuso 4x4 trucks, some in very extreme conditions.
Personally, I am not a fan of the current model, with the 3.0L engine, but all previous FG models have proven themselves to be pretty much bulletproof mechanically.
I realize that in the US the FG is not common, but here they are everywhere and are used extensively for overland travel.