Sportsmobile Fuso

J

Jonny

Observer
Thank you for the feedback! It is always essential to get opinions from the community. The internationally supported Fuso chassis is something that many overlanders have brought to the attention of Sportsmobile West during factory visits and other correspondence. We enjoyed talking with many of you and getting feedback at the Overland Expo as well.

While Sportsmobile has always specialized in more of a classic class B motorhome style, it never hurts to explore other platforms and ideas out there. The goal was to have an internationally supported chassis with an efficient diesel motor, hard sided walls for security, factory 4x4, and the ability to fit in a container. With some help from Scott at Trail Manor, a division of Sportsmobile West put together a concept vehicle using the Fuso chassis. It was a fun and challenging endeavor since the targeted completion date was only five weeks out...wanting to have something to play with at the Overland Expo.

The big question is where will this project go from here??? Is a hard sided pop up the way to go? Is the only viable option to have a pass through from the cab? Will Sportsmobile begin to offer a conversion on the Fuso chassis? Did anyone see any logos on the vehicle Sportsmobile or otherwise? Will the world end in December 2012? Only time will tell.

So don't get your winches all bound up, let some air out of your tires, slow down, and enjoy the ride...you may end up liking what the future has in store.

Jonny
Sportsmobile West

FUSOgrandcanyon1.JPG

FUSOgrandcanyon.JPG
 
Haf-E

Haf-E

Expedition Leader
I actually don't think it looks bad - there is a lot of potential there. Compared to a typical lifting roof design you get a lot of additional room with the rear overhang. Some small changes would allow the front to be better used - it would be really sweet if it was possible to keep a bike on that front deck area when going down the highway - much better protected and weight distribution than hanging one off the back.

I would think that its possible to do a lot with this approach - its great to see new ideas and approaches.

Thanks for the response and the photos of the unit closed up.
 
dwh

dwh

Tail-End Charlie
Personally, I like it a lot. But then again, it's VERY similar to a back of the napkin design I did after seeing dzzz's Alaskan on a Mog:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/46740-Alaskan?p=874878#post874878


I thought to myself, "What if you turn the camper around so the door is in the front?"

Then you have a gangway, and can also hang stuff off the rear of the truck. You could box in the sides, put a sliding door in the back of the cab and have a...not a crawlthrough, but a walkthrough. It would be awkward with dzzz's crane rig, but that's just a minor engineering excersize.

Also, with the sides boxed in by raised and locked gangplanks, the camper is secure.

Then I added a roof rack to the camper (for the solar array), which extends across the gangway to the rear of the cab. With the camper top down, the entire gangway is securely boxed in (crawlthrough), and with the top up, it's an awning over the gangway/mudroom that would laugh off even the highest winds.

Interesting how great minds think alike...one of the very first things I added to the design was a row of storage boxes between the camper and the bed. :D


If you used a lifting roof design ala Unicat or GXV [EDIT: Or westyss!], which hides the windows when the roof is down, then the door wouldn't be visible with the gangplanks up, and the thing would be totally stealthed to look like any work truck when it's buttoned up and underway. (Though, the SMB concept looks pretty stealthy with the top down.)

Also, it could be setup so that even with the top down, it would be 4.5' - 5' tall inside; which is just about the same as a full-size van. So the interior could be arranged so that it could be used even with the top down [EDIT: Like westyss!]. Even more stealth for those odd nights in the Walmart parking lot or highway rest areas.



The only things that bother me right off about the Trailmanor is that sliding bed and the thickness of the walls. Both of these bother me mainly because of the insulation issues. I mean...that sliding bed looks like an air leak waiting to happen, and I bet it can get pretty cold in that bunk area.

Still, I really like the way the top covers the gangway. Perfect place to store some camp chairs and other odds and ends. [EDIT: Or an extra fridge or freezer ala Engel or ARB.]
 
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H

haven

Expedition Leader
Sportsmobile / Trail Manor Fuso project

closed
SportsmobileFusoClosed.jpg


open
SportsmobileFusoOpen.jpg


Looks like the top pivots forward and down, guided by the side struts.
 
dwh

dwh

Tail-End Charlie
haven said:
Sportsmobile / Trail Manor Fuso project


Looks like the top pivots forward and down, guided by the side struts.
Click to expand...


Before you collapse it, you fold in the bed supports, slide the bed forward and fold down the corners of the gangway railing.

EDIT: And don't forget to crank in the gangway awning. Like I just did. :D
 
H

haven

Expedition Leader
The models most similar to the Sportsmobile unit are the Trailmanor Sportdeck 16 and 19 foot models.
http://www.trailmanor.com/WebDocs/sport-deck/sportdeckhome.html

Here's the floorplan of the 19 foot model. Remember, that's 19 feet including the trailer tongue. I think the length of the camper without the tongue is about 15.5 feet.

TrailManorSportDeck19RD.jpg


Here's a video that shows the SportDeck top being raised by one person with a big tug. The top must be counterbalanced somehow.



One wonderful feature of the Sportsmobile/Trail Manor setup is all the storage space in the service body mounted on the truck chassis. The more I think about this design, the more I like it.
 
HMR

HMR

Rendezvous Conspiracy
I saw this at OVX and and was scratching my head trying to figure out what the designers were thinking? A nice big truck with a big camper that is unusable while driving? How about pulling over for a quick lunch break while on the trail? How do you access anything in the camper with the top down?

Like other SMB's I've toured: it's a very cool looking chassis with a run of the mill RV interior.
 
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