Fred Skywalker
Member
Almost finished with Phase 1 of the U500 camper project. Phase 1 was getting a U500NA and adding the habitat box, subframe, Outbound doors and windows, new fuel tanks (75+55 gallons), running lights, integrated tail lights, new wheels, new XZL Plus tires, and a hydraulic scissor lift for the spare tire and storage box. The habitat box is made by Total Composites and it was constructed by Overland Adventure Trucks in Olympia, WA.
For those following me in the planning process: the Outbound products took about 6 months to get. XZL Plus tires have the higher speed rating (70mph) but are very difficult to find in the US. I found a set of new ones at militarytires.org in Ontario Canada and took me months to find those.
Many of you will not like 2 design choices I made: extra height at 12'4" to the top of the brush bars; and no pass-through door to the cab. I'm 6'6" without shoes so I made the interior height 6'9" as I plan to live in this little box full time. Being able to stand up straight was a mandatory thing on my list. I looked at the various raising roof designs but I think those designs have trade offs that wouldn't work for me. Similarly, a pass-through was sort of a no go for me because of the 6'6" thing and also all of the controls in the center of the cab in a U500. I worried that a big ox climbing through little opening over delicate and important controls was just asking for breakage of either me or the controls.
So as you can imagine each design choice involves lots of thought and lots of trade off. For example, the dropped stairwell makes it safer to enter and exit but it meant not adding a 3rd fuel tank. Thought about just that one thing for a month - which is more important? I went with not doing a face plant from a 5 foot tall platform.
Another design choice I made was to live with the original 3900cm wheelbase. I thought about having the frame stretched in between the axels. Cost is about $8k if you're ever pondering this choice. A longer wheelbase would have allowed for a longer box. In the end I went with a smaller 13' box and shorter original wheelbase mostly for maneuverability.
The rear lift has a fold down motorcycle carrier and that will likely be filled with an electric motorcycle. I wanted to keep fuel sources to a minimum so I have only diesel and solar/lithium on board. No gas or propane.
Still have to have CTIS hoses made for the newly added Hutchinson wheels. Not sure where to get that done but still searching. And still have to clean up the old tail lights. So phase 1 is almost done after about 18 months of planning, shopping, and building. The broken supply chain really slowed me down.
Then it's on to Phase 2 which involves me doing a DIY interior buildout of the habitat box. I'm doing the framing in 80/20 aluminum, installing all the systems and appliances, and then luckily an old friend of mine has offered to help. He happens to be a master woodworker of 30+ years with the exact skills needed to finish up the cabinetry. So maybe 5 or 6 months and I can start traveling. Loooong project.
For those following me in the planning process: the Outbound products took about 6 months to get. XZL Plus tires have the higher speed rating (70mph) but are very difficult to find in the US. I found a set of new ones at militarytires.org in Ontario Canada and took me months to find those.
Many of you will not like 2 design choices I made: extra height at 12'4" to the top of the brush bars; and no pass-through door to the cab. I'm 6'6" without shoes so I made the interior height 6'9" as I plan to live in this little box full time. Being able to stand up straight was a mandatory thing on my list. I looked at the various raising roof designs but I think those designs have trade offs that wouldn't work for me. Similarly, a pass-through was sort of a no go for me because of the 6'6" thing and also all of the controls in the center of the cab in a U500. I worried that a big ox climbing through little opening over delicate and important controls was just asking for breakage of either me or the controls.
So as you can imagine each design choice involves lots of thought and lots of trade off. For example, the dropped stairwell makes it safer to enter and exit but it meant not adding a 3rd fuel tank. Thought about just that one thing for a month - which is more important? I went with not doing a face plant from a 5 foot tall platform.
Another design choice I made was to live with the original 3900cm wheelbase. I thought about having the frame stretched in between the axels. Cost is about $8k if you're ever pondering this choice. A longer wheelbase would have allowed for a longer box. In the end I went with a smaller 13' box and shorter original wheelbase mostly for maneuverability.
The rear lift has a fold down motorcycle carrier and that will likely be filled with an electric motorcycle. I wanted to keep fuel sources to a minimum so I have only diesel and solar/lithium on board. No gas or propane.
Still have to have CTIS hoses made for the newly added Hutchinson wheels. Not sure where to get that done but still searching. And still have to clean up the old tail lights. So phase 1 is almost done after about 18 months of planning, shopping, and building. The broken supply chain really slowed me down.
Then it's on to Phase 2 which involves me doing a DIY interior buildout of the habitat box. I'm doing the framing in 80/20 aluminum, installing all the systems and appliances, and then luckily an old friend of mine has offered to help. He happens to be a master woodworker of 30+ years with the exact skills needed to finish up the cabinetry. So maybe 5 or 6 months and I can start traveling. Loooong project.
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