Trucky McTruckface - Overland Adventure Truck

[NorthwestNorthernOntario]

I am right across the river from you and am considering a TC box build for my Freightliner. Mine will be more of an OTR rig, rather than Expo. I have a Honda 450 for the rough stuff.

Subscribed.

 

[Victorian]

We shared a booth at the North West Overland Rally with the awesome team behind Overland Adventure Truck. They took the truck through the offroad course and proved that all calculations and modifications are spot on. They did an amazing job building this truck!

I got videos and pictures but the upload failed several times... maybe someone else has some pics?

 

[mk216v]

It was a pleasure to meet you (Andreas and) Quade. Love seeing the rig, your fabrication, (and Total Composite's panels)!

Quade, on page1 I see you have a MWAVE SAR magnet on your truck. Hehe, I'm on MWAVE SAR too! MW157

--Jeremy (mhiscox friend)

 

[Victorian]

Here is a clip of Quade taking on the offroad course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dIrAj9wI_U The subframe, all the mounting points and clearances worked out perfect. Well done!

 

[pnwginger]

It was a pleasure to meet you (Andreas and) Quade. Love seeing the rig, your fabrication, (and Total Composite's panels)!

Quade, on page1 I see you have a MWAVE SAR magnet on your truck. Hehe, I'm on MWAVE SAR too! MW157

--Jeremy (mhiscox friend)

.

Thanks so much! It was a pleasure! My brother in law Bryan Jones and K9 Dixie are in MWave! He wanted a photo of "the new SAR Truck!

 

[mk216v]

.

Thanks so much! It was a pleasure! My brother in law Bryan Jones and K9 Dixie are in MWave! He wanted a photo of "the new SAR Truck!

Haha, no way!! I know Bryan well; was on PNWSAR with him too.
Let Mike/I know when the cabin raising will happen, we're in!

 

[pnwginger]

I am right across the river from you and am considering a TC box build for my Freightliner. Mine will be more of an OTR rig, rather than Expo. I have a Honda 450 for the rough stuff.

Subscribed.

Sounds awesome! Let me know if you want to hit some trails soon! Always looking for good riding buddies! I'll have my panels in just a few weeks. You'll have to come and check them out and see for yourself, this system is perfect.

 

[KE7JFF]

So, I'm curious, how is the reliability of this LMTV platform? I've heard various things across the board.

 

[Somecallmetimm]

Sub'd! Excellent work, I'm excited to see where this goes.

 

[Ovrlnd Rd]

So, I'm curious, how is the reliability of this LMTV platform? I've heard various things across the board.

Unfortunately that's about as difficult as answering "how long is a piece of string?" It depends. Depends on how rough it was treated by the troops. Depends on how well it was serviced and maintained while active. Depends on how long it sat unused before being auctioned. Depends on how it was brought back to standards (or if it was) after it was auctioned.

I've had mine for over a year and drive it frequently. It's had issues that popped up that were easy to fix, issues that popped up intermittently that I had difficulty diagnosing the cause of, issues that popped up that left me stranded in the middle of nowhere requiring a tow and probably issues that I'm not yet aware of. However, for a former military vehicle, it's the best one I've ever owned and I've owned about 15 total.

 

[pnwginger]

So, I'm curious, how is the reliability of this LMTV platform? I've heard various things across the board.

Unfortunately that's about as difficult as answering "how long is a piece of string?" It depends. Depends on how rough it was treated by the troops. Depends on how well it was serviced and maintained while active. Depends on how long it sat unused before being auctioned. Depends on how it was brought back to standards (or if it was) after it was auctioned.

I've had mine for over a year and drive it frequently. It's had issues that popped up that were easy to fix, issues that popped up intermittently that I had difficulty diagnosing the cause of, issues that popped up that left me stranded in the middle of nowhere requiring a tow and probably issues that I'm not yet aware of. However, for a former military vehicle, it's the best one I've ever owned and I've owned about 15 total.

I've personally put 3000 miles on mine, changed all fluids, replaced the barometric pressure sensor and it runs great. have some friends who have put over 30k on their expedition truck with minimal issues. one time was a clogged injector. the C7 engine is generally considered a PITA by cat mechanics due to the integration of electronics, so go for the 3126, a rock solid motor that if maintained properly ( more frequently that CAT recommendations), should just keep going.

if you acquire one, expect that you will need to put up the money to get it in good running order and have it gone through.

 

[Ovrlnd Rd]

I've personally put 3000 miles on mine, changed all fluids, replaced the barometric pressure sensor and it runs great. have some friends who have put over 30k on their expedition truck with minimal issues. one time was a clogged injector. the C7 engine is generally considered a PITA by cat mechanics due to the integration of electronics, so go for the 3126, a rock solid motor that if maintained properly ( more frequently that CAT recommendations), should just keep going.

if you acquire one, expect that you will need to put up the money to get it in good running order and have it gone through.

The M1078A1s (with either the C7 or 3126) are rarer and quite a bit more expensive then the 1st gen M1078 with the 3116. While less power, the advantage is the 3116 is all mechanical so no computer issues to worry about. Speaking with Army mechanics they said one of the biggest issues with the A1s were the engine and transmission computers didn't get along and had a tendency to bicker quite a bit leaving trucks stranded. With the 1st gen trucks you just have to worry about the transmission controller working properly (actually the reason I got mine cheap was due to a bad selector pad).

I'll be driving mine 10 hours 1 way in Oct for a Big Bend NP trip and am confident it will make it with no issues.

 

[KE7JFF]

M1078 and PNWGinger:

That's actual the kind of input I was looking for! I've been trying to read between the lines from service members who have driven them, current surplus owners, and mechanics and I can't tell if the issues are from S&S, CAT or from well...improper operation from the operator. It sounds like its the classic issue of the wrong Cat engine in the wrong application, which my diesel shop friends tell me is why there's only a handful of good engines from Caterpillar that work well in road vehicles.

I'm considering the platform for my "Next Big Thing" as I'm more interested in the cab over design, which I like much better for maintenance purposes.

 

[Ovrlnd Rd]

KE7JFF

If you get the chance try and drive one before you buy it. Check Steel Soldiers to see if there's someone (I'm sure there is) in the Portland area that'd give you a quick tour and test drive. Make sure to take it on some road hills to see how it handles. I can drive 55mph comfortably on flat ground but lose a lot of speed any time you hit an incline. The A1 trucks are better in that regard but both are limited speed wise unless you want to spend the extra money getting the axles upgraded to MRAP gears.

 

[Coachgeo]

Im potentially going with a mechanical 8.3 cummins in place of the 3116. One from a Motorhome or School bus. Some have said that should give you potentially better fuel milage suprisingly..... and better road speeds. Overall cost..... may not be much more than putting in the higher speed 3rd members. I need more facts to verify this information before I make that change though. In mean time will turn up the 3116 some.