Tiger Build up

[chromisdesigns]

Good news on the cassette as that represents a change. You did see the link on Nature's Head above, no?

Yep, saw the Nature's Head link. They are evidently evaluating it at the Tiger factory. The thing with the cassette, though, is it would be really hard to retrofit it, at least on a Chevy chassis. On the chevy, you'd have to not only remove the holding tank, but also reroute the fuel filler and some other stuff. Might be true on the other makes as well, but I was looking at a Chevy Tiger yesterday down in Fremont and retrofit would be tough.

He said it was no problem to do it during the early-stage coach build, though. I'm planning to find out if the deleted tank space can be used for additional fresh water, as the cassette toilet does not extend below the floor surface.

 

[chromisdesigns]

ed;

since picking up our bengal i have had a chance to really look it over
and comparing this one to the few older ones i have looked at it seems to me
that the new owner of provan is upgrading the built to a much higher level
than older ones.

as with any semi massed produced camper there will always be areas that
will be weak and will need to be corrected.

as the unit is delivered it will be 95% fine for most owners.

I'd agree with that. The cabinet, counter, etc. finishes are very nice now. There are still a few loose ends, though. The gasser Chevy Bengal we looked at yesterday didn't have too much mileage on it, but some of the headliner in the non-molded areas was peeling, and I'd definitely want to secure the under-sofa access panels better; they were coming loose when we saw the vehicle at the Mercury News outdoor living show in San Jose, and again yesterday. They seem to be held in only by a magnetic catch, and when you inevitably kick them, out they come. Some barrel bolts or the nicer marine equivalent and an hour's time would fix that, though.

My wife said she saw a few cabinet-coach seams that could have been fitted better. Stuff like that. And the extended cab Chevy we saw had a strange little "box" mounted between the front seats to hold the inner armrests that would have to go if you were ever going to want to get from the cab to the coach without damaging vital parts...

That feature is probably easily removed -- I saw some pics of another Chevy Tiger (2008) for sale in Colorado that didn't have it, and there is just a small cover over the driveshaft tunnel that wouldn't cause any problems. Much rather give up an armrest and have the ability to move between the coach and cab.

Other stuff we noted yesterday -- the extended cab version with the drop-in platform has enough space for a camping chair or other small, portable chair to sit on the platform and provide additional sitting space when camping (not for travel, obviously). I'm 5-8, and the headroom under the partition was adequate for that. Also, if you are petite, you can probably sleep on the sofa without opening it up. She tried it and said she thought it would be fine. I found the overhead bunk headroom fine for me (5-8, 205 lbs) but don't think I could live with the lower space in a CX -- those few extra inches would make a lot of difference in how easy it is to move around in the bunk, get in and out, change clothes, etc. Oh BTW, you can get the CX-style sliding windows on the sides of the overhead on a Bengal, by request.

I am told by the factory that they will have the order and availability dates for the 2013 Ram trucks "any day now". Also the next delivery dates available for custom orders are early August. However, they are building up 3 Chevy diesel extended cabs on 2012 trucks, none sold yet, with late June-early July availability.

Finally, Mark and someone else from the factory are going to be at Flagstaff this month with a Siberian and probably the Chevy gasser Bengal we saw, at Overland Expo.

 

[DiploStrat]

In re., Nature's Head: You asked about the practicality of using a composting toilet in a 4x4 camper. The link I provided was to a thread by an Expo member who has used one for eight months in a camper. He specifically contrasted it to the cassette that he had before.

The box between the seats contains Chevrolet parts that were moved to the console since the older model years that you saw. Sadly, it is not going anywhere unless you are willing to do some really serious work. (Sorry, I don't know exactly what parts they are; sound system, engine computer, or other.)

Similarly, Provan had to stop making the seat mounted swing up arm rests and go to stalk mounted arm rests due to factory changes in the seat. Dodge and Ford may be different. I will order ours without arm rests.

The really good news is that the current owner of Provan is very willing to work with customers. Was definitely not the case in the past.

 

[lqhikers]

regarding bengal upgrades

now that we have our bengal home in the rv garage i have been able to start
some of the mods that i felt were needed to fit our needs.
first thing i did was to add flex couplings to black/grey water lines at valve to give flex so
line would not crack and would pull loose if hit by rocks etc.

because of how low the 2 steps hang at the side door i took it off removed the bottom step
cut the supports,re-welded and was able to shorten the unit by 5" this now takes the worry away about
hitting the steps which if you did would tear part of the body off as they are mounted to the body.

in regards to the center console with arm rests the arms are removable for moving from cab to rear,but
because there is so little storage space in the glove compartment i removed the cup holder arm bracket
unit (in the chevy there is just a small computer unit about 3" tall and 6" square mounted.)the added unit
is removed by loosening seat bolts and 2 screws unit then comes out.
since i like to carry cameras,etc in front i made a new console mounted arm brackets re used brackets
that mount to seats and now have much needed storage and am able to move front to rear with no problems.
(i am 6'1"and old and have no problem going back and forth)

another advantage of the bengal with the added roof line is that now the upper cabinets are larger with much
more space,we have just about fully loaded the inside with every thing we normally travel with and still have
empty cabinets !.

hope this helps tiger dreamers with some insight on this type of build.

drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"

Les,lqhikers

 

[chromisdesigns]

Hi, Les --

Good info. Could you post a pic of what you did with the Chevy center console and arm rests?

With respect to the steps, do you mean in stock form they hang down below the coach when stowed? I didn't notice that. Or were you concerned about making the (inevitable?) mistake of driving off with the steps down? (not that any of us would ever do that, right?)

Keep the good stuff coming. And, by the way, how was your shakedown drive home from the factory?

Regards,

Bob

 

[lqhikers]

bengal info

Bob;

in response to your questions yes the steps hang down when closed below the step for the cab
over 4" lower than anything out side of the frame not a good idea if you do a lot of back country
cow trails out west like we do.

as i am very limited on computer use (knowledge or desire) when i get all my mods done,still have a couple of
major ones to do (rear motorcycle mount with hoist,possible removable front winch mount)
i will take to time to post pictures.

as someone who loves to design and build my own mods what i build will not always work for others,
example center console is built to hold what i want,certain size cup holders,custom water bottle holder,
holder for cats brush,leash,treats,note pads spare batts,etc,etc,so i stress to all that what i do might give you ideas
for your own mods.

It was a great trip back no problems,no rattles,leaks,or surprises,(lots of rain for 2 days) as we drove
back to pick up unit we hd to tow our toyota back,even towing with only 35 miles on the truck
we still averaged 12.75 miles per gal not bag for a 6.0 gasser.

as someone who only counts mpg on all miles put on truck not just one or two trips i will
have a honest mpg to post as the trips go on,i also add in all 4x4 use and off road use to
get a honest figure,no downhill tail wind claims as i have seen posted!

as we will be leaving for a test run to the borrego state park tomorrow or next if anyone sees us
feel free to say high and we would be glad to give a tour of our tiger.

drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"

Les,lqhikers

 

[ed604]

I have figured out what I am going to do about my low hanging tank. I think I am going to try and pick it up with the new fuel tanks' skid plate. on my tiger, the tire carrier is where I am mounting my second long range fuel tank. When I put in the new tank it will need to be impact protected, so I will try to cover both together.

Super excited about this week end coming, going to take the tiger out for it's first little trail run. I am going to go out to sloquet hot springs which are a natural hot springs that I found in a back roads guide book. From what I have read in the book and on line, it seems very nice there. I have high hopes for the new tires and tiger itself.

keep you posted with some nice pics.

Ed

 

[ed604]

Well had a good trip with the family this weekend past. I thought that it was really good to get a feel for how the rig is going to be layed out for us. First off, STORAGE! I really need to get going on the rear bumper because driving around with the spare inside is not the greatest.

I would also like to make the bumper a little wider overall to allow for comfortable footing so you can walk on top of it when getting at the roof racks. Also, I am leaning to less jerry can storage and more misc storage in the form of a box. I have been meaning to do a mock up of all the things I want to hang on this bumper but haven't got to it yet.

First impressions of the dura trac tires is good. They feel diferent, I read before buying them that they were squeemish or in otherwords had more sidewall roll in corners. My feed back is that it is only partly true. It seems to me that the first feedback from steering input is a little roll but, it is easily corected with driving style or method. I found that if you set up for your corner early and loaded the tire in the corner so to speak that the tire held firm and steady through the apex of the corner and out. At first I did feel the slight roll but later, found it easy to drive around. Love how they look and really liked the feel on the road even in very wet windy conditions (sea to sky highway) there is very little road noise for how aggresive the tread pattern is.

I also found the gearing acceptable but I would not go any larger tire than these 33's with the 3.54 gears. I think that 3.73 or 4.10s would be good also. I found that the transmission had to shift out of overdrive frequently on the hills but could still do 90-100 up the steeper hills no problem.

attached for those who would like to see (Esmi) are some pics.

cheers,
Ed

 

[ed604]

here is one more pic of the lake where we stayed.

 

[ed604]

By the way, first trip out I snapped one of those "heavy duty" tank straps while driving over a large obstacle that twisted the camper.

those are on the list of fixes for sure.

Ed

 

[jebers53]

I look forward to seeing what they did to fortify the stock mount for the holding tanks.

 

[ed604]

Hello all,
I did another quick trip out with the tiger this weekend.

While parked I was lying under the truck just staring at details. Ah yes details, there are many things I don't like about the mounts of the black and grey water tanks. The tanks hang to low and the plumbing creates a loop that is susceptible to getting hooked on things. Another thing, the tank level sensor wire hangs ridiculously close to the tire, it seems like it is just waiting to get caught on a stick or branch. I hope I am not biting off more than I can chew but I am going to drop the tanks and look at a redesign of them. I wanted to cut in a fernco coupler anyways so it gives me an excuse. With the tanks down I can also remove the spare tire winch and clean up some odds and sods.

why do vehicle manufacturers hang the spring shackle bolts and shock mounts so low? Is it to help stop the diff from rotating/twisting or something? I would think the best design would be to keep it as flat as possible, I know the ifs is way flatter but I like the solid axles.

I am looking at charging systems in particular solar panels so I will stalk Esmi's tiger as well.

I have now designed my rear bumper I know what I want and why. I did a mock up (didn't take pics sorry)

I have to stop using the tiger and start working on it!

here are some pics of the last trip I completed it was really cool for me there was three generations, me, my dad, and my son!

next set of pics will be ripping things apart!

cheers,
Ed

 

[ed604]

Here are a couple more shots.

 

[DiploStrat]

... While parked I was lying under the truck just staring at details. Ah yes details, there are many things I don't like about the mounts of the black and grey water tanks. The tanks hang to low and the plumbing creates a loop that is susceptible to getting hooked on things. Another thing, the tank level sensor wire hangs ridiculously close to the tire, it seems like it is just waiting to get caught on a stick or branch. I hope I am not biting off more than I can chew but I am going to drop the tanks and look at a redesign of them. I wanted to cut in a fernco coupler anyways so it gives me an excuse. With the tanks down I can also remove the spare tire winch and clean up some odds and sods.

You may want to look at a "composting" toilet as an alternative. I am considering the Nature's Head and I know that the Nature's Head rep recently visited Provan - their product easily fits the current production. Would probably fit yours.

why do vehicle manufacturers hang the spring shackle bolts and shock mounts so low? Is it to help stop the diff from rotating/twisting or something? I would think the best design would be to keep it as flat as possible, I know the ifs is way flatter but I like the solid axles.

Couldn't agree more. My old '77 Blazer was a model of underbody cleanliness; all of the shackle bolts pointed up, shocks mounted mid axle, etc. Modern vehicles are a mess.

 

[ed604]

Hello Gents,

thanks for the encouragement Esmi, I am getting so much closer now to my departure date it starts to make me nervous about being prepared. I have been having so much fun with the tiger, my son had me set it up in our driveway to sleep in during the week, and I have actually been able to drag the wife out camping! She will not tent period, end of story.

Hello Diplo, nice to hear from you, I had a good look at the natures head toilet. I am curious, there is a sales rep down in bellingham maybe I'll make a trip down to take a look first hand. I couldn't agree more about the dingle dangles on the modern trucks. I am going to do something about that on my tiger.

I have researched what appears to be a really good mod for my brakes on the Dodge. I read that you take the wheel cylinder out of a 80's Chevy dually and bolt it straight in to the Dana 70 for greatly improved breaking. They gave the part number and everything. The poster did caution empty pickups on winter roads, but I'll never have to worry about that, I am always loaded so to speak. Drove over the scales again 9200 lbs gear and all.

I'm trying to make my mind up to start demolition this weekend, or do one more trip. ha It'll always be just one more..... I got to start the "build" part of this build thread sometime!

I will post up my drawing of the bumper.

cheers,
Ed