Spudboy's super-sized camper replacement for a 130 - and no it's not a Unimog!

[spudboy]

I know it's not a Land Rover project, but seeing the interest in the Iveco 4x4 Daily build that "GoingBush" posted, I thought some might be interested to see a build up of something a bit different.

We started out a few years ago building up an ex-Telstra 130 Defender, and got a fair way along with it, but when we started fitting out the canopy it was obvious we were short on size for a couple of basic things we really wanted, being a shower and a toilet, and general head-room. It was a good 'live beside' proposition, but we wanted something we could 'live inside' for longer periods of travelling.

That started a search for a bigger platform to build a camper on. I went through a Unimog phase. Then an Iveco 4x4 phase. Then an ex-utilities 4x4 truck phase. I also got my Heavy-Rigid license so I could actually drive one of these things.

After a lot of deliberation and head scratching we finally decided that a MAN 4x4 truck would be the go, mainly for the following reasons:
- Used by many European camper builders (UniCat, ActionMobile, BiMobile)
- Low range 4WD box
- Centre/Front/Rear diff locks
- 4 wheel disc brakes + ABS
- Air-conditioned
- Air suspension on the rear + parabolics on the front
- Air suspension seats
- Available in a dual cab
- Twin-Turbochargers for 290 HP and 1100Nm of torque
- No Ad-Blu or complicated DPF to meet emissions (it uses an EGR)
- Faster than a Unimog! The MAN is not the ultimate offroad machine, but for general touring it has a lot of benefits over the Mercedes.

We got a good deal on a 15 tonne 290HP 4x4 Dual Cab and decided to go for it, so this is what we started with:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/345.jpg

At this stage we haven't come much further than this. We've replaced the dual rear wheels with super singles, and made a start on the framing for the floor. I'll post up a few more bits and pieces as it progresses, and I'll put up a few photos of the progress so far in the next few posts.

The 130 is still sitting in the shed partially finished, and I reckon I'll get back to it at some stage (retirement?), but for now the main focus is the MAN.

Cheers
David

[spudboy]

This is the sort of thing we are aiming for:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/340.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/341.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/342.jpg

[spudboy]

The first thing that got organised was replacing the skinny standard wheels with super singles. Super singles are a lot better off road, but the physical size of them is a bit daunting.

I'll let some photos do the talking:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/336.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/337.jpg

The trailer is an 8 x 5 with Nissan Patrol rims/tyres, so they are not exactly small themselves, but they are dwarfed by the super singles!

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/338.jpg

Once we got the offset sorted out (took a few goes) and got the rims painted, she looks like this:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/339.jpg

[spudboy]

This week, we got the flooring framework finished. It sits directly on top of the MAN chassis and is held in place with large springs that look like valve springs. This allows the chassis to flex underneath the canopy without cracking the fibreglass walls. The walls and roof are going to be single sheets of fibreglass panel with 50mm of insulation in the middle.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/334.jpg

We've built some custom steps to get in and out:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/335.jpg

They slide back into the frame and you can't really see them when they're put away.

The next step is to pull it off the chassis and turn it upside down to insert insulation between the voids.

[Hoges]

Spectacular!!!:twisted:
I've been following the trials and tribulations online of a bloke named Rob Gray for the past several years who built a motorhome on the chassis of an old ACCO truck... Rob Gray :: graynomad :: wothahellizat (http://www.robgray.com/graynomad/wothahellizat/index.php) there's heaps of practical info on how he did it, including bespoke mountings which took account of chassis twisting in rough country... a great read...
good luck with it!
cheers

[d@rk51d3]

So, you're giving away the 130? :angel:

[spudboy]

Also - if you want more details on the build and how we decided on a MAN and so on, I've got a blog up and running:

MAN Truck Build & Travels (http://daviddeere.net.au)

Go to the Blog section (or the Timeline section to get a chronological view of the posts).

[frantic]

Looks good:D I think there was an article in 4X4 Oz about a MAN set up like you want that was in either this month or last month.

[spudboy]

Spectacular!!!:twisted:
I've been following the trials and tribulations online of a bloke named Rob Gray for the past several years who built a motorhome on the chassis of an old ACCO truck... Rob Gray :: graynomad :: wothahellizat (http://www.robgray.com/graynomad/wothahellizat/index.php) there's heaps of practical info on how he did it, including bespoke mountings which took account of chassis twisting in rough country... a great read...
good luck with it!
cheers

Yeah - I chat to Rob a bit on line. He's given me a heap of good advice, seeing that he's done it twice before, and is now building his third.

His was a MONSTER 6x6, so ours will look like a tiddler compared to his.

[spudboy]

So, you're giving away the 130? :angel:

No - I think that's a keeper, unless I get an insane offer for it. I'll get back to it when I have more time on my hands. Have had a thought that it'd be a good "tow-car" to pull along behind the MAN, but Mrs Spud thinks that is a ridiculous idea! Maybe a little Suzuki would be a better idea....

[Vern]

My folks used to use 50mm fibre glass/foam walls when they had they're caravan business, the new owners have kept using them (Google karakampa) . Fiberglass outside, foam middle, ply veneer inside.
Man that truck will be awsome:D

[spudboy]

Sounds rather like the stuff we are using, except ours is fibreglass on both sides. It got manufactured up in QLD:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/331.jpg

The thinner stuff is for the internal walls, table and bed base etc

[Homestar]

Very nice, great project.:)

[weeds]

Firefoxgc has just built his third caravan using insulated fibreglass, I dropped a link into goingbush's thread......might be worth dropping him a PM

[goingbush]

Mate ....

fantastic , .
We considered an Amesz Man 4x4 4WD Off Road Motorhomes (http://www.amesz.com.au/view/4wd-motorhomes) and could still be on the cards in the future.

First bought to our attention on the Tanami Track whilst driving our 80 series Landcruiser & Jayco 'outback camper' settled down to a speed somwhere about 70kmh on the huge irregular corrugations and a Man 4x4 sailed past us like we were standing still with the suspension hardly moving and the corrugations all but completely dissolved by the huge super singles . a beutiful thing.

will watch with much intrest (end envy)

I'm heading off to Braybrook tomorrow to load the trailer up with 50mm EPS panels aka Coolroom sandwich panels, will see what I'm like at building a house of cards. not going to be fun outside in this gusty weather Melbourne has been inflicted with the last few weeks !!.

[spudboy]

... and a Man 4x4 sailed past us like we were standing still with the suspension hardly moving and the corrugations all but completely dissolved by the huge super singles . a beautiful thing.

will watch with much interest (and envy)

Well I've being watching your Iveco build with much interest, as we started to head down that track. It's a size in between a 130 and a full size truck, so I think you'll get more places than us.

If there is enough cash left over at the end of the build, I'd like to get central tyre inflation fitted. There is an Australian company that fits aftermarket CTIS to all sorts of things but mainly trucks:
AIR CTI (http://www.aircti.com/1_cti_fertiliser.html)

http://www.aircti.com/Images/1%20AIR%20CTI/Truck/AIR-CTI-Duals-Rotator-PRO-Gold.jpg

[Pedro_The_Swift]

yes, you will need a big compressor to make those SS's go up and down:p:D

[Judo]

You obviously have a bigger backyard than I do! ha! Yet another thread I will watch with interest. :)

[loanrangie]

Super sized alright, can i get that with a boat and dirtbike to go- hold the fluffy dice.

[rangieman]

Good stuff mate :D
Hope it,s not like the M.A.N trucks of years gone by where M.A.N stood for Many Alterations Needed which they did to keep going:eek:

[spudboy]

Well I'm very much hoping it is a reliable thing. I haven't heard too many horror stories about them breaking down.

It comes with a 3 year, 300,000Km warranty with full roadside assist. For sure, the 3 years will come up before the 300,000Kms comes up!

New trucks are not anything like the old ones I remember. There are a lot more electricals these days. This is the dashboard:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/288.jpg

Even the steering wheel has about 10 buttons on it!

[DoubleChevron]

This might be a dumb question ... but if you manage to bog something that big ..........How on earth are you going to recover it! You'd need bulldozer to get the traction/pulling power to move it :wasntme:

[Judo]

^ I'd also like to see where that truck with triple diff locks will get stuck... Trying to cross a lake?

[Yorkie]

great project and very envious. :cool:

[spudboy]

No it's definitely not a dumb question, and something I have pondered.

If I get the Central Tyre Inflation System, that will help, but if it gets seriously bogged I think you are stuffed. Am considering a 20,000 lb winch on the rear to pull out backwards.

You can also buy 50 tonne snatch straps specially for trucks, but you'd need another truck to do the snatching.

It does happen!
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/265.jpg

Worse if you bog a tank:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/275.jpg

[PTC]

You will still need someone big to pull you out once you get stuck. Though if it does happen. I would prefer to have one of these rather than a snatch strap. The rope has a lot more kinetic energy stored.

I do a few mud buggy recovery events each year and use a rope similar to this. It makes recoveries a whole lot easier.

Extreme Bubba - The Ultimate Kinetic Energy Recovery Rope : Breaking Strength: 131,500 lbs. : Bubba Rope (http://www.bubbarope.com/extreme-bubba)

[PTC]

You also mentioned having a tow car for it. Though with such a big unit on the back. Why not just get a small car and drive it straight up into there.

There is another link floating around the web with a modified Mini inside a motor home.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/860731_220862778059176_1318873570_o.jpg

[spudboy]

You will still need someone big to pull you out once you get stuck. Though if it does happen. I would prefer to have one of these rather than a snatch strap. The rope has a lot more kinetic energy stored.

I do a few mud buggy recovery events each year and use a rope similar to this. It makes recoveries a whole lot easier.

Extreme Bubba - The Ultimate Kinetic Energy Recovery Rope : Breaking Strength: 131,500 lbs. : Bubba Rope (http://www.bubbarope.com/extreme-bubba)

Thanks for that link PTC. Not sure I need 131,500 lbs, but maybe their 74,000lbs one. The truck will weigh in at around 8.5 to 9 tonnes when built, so that is close enough to 20,000 lbs. Maybe double that to take account of mud suction, and add in a 50% safety margin, and you get to around 60,000 lbs. So, I'd have thought a 74,000 lbs one would do the job. Do you think otherwise?

Cheers
David

Edit to say: I think we'll get by happily without complicating things with another vehicle. I am thinking 2 mountain bikes or something similar would be the go. For places you can't take a truck, park it up and cycle the final bit.

[Graeme]

You can also buy 50 tonne snatch straps specially for trucks, but you'd need another truck to do the snatching.

It does happen!
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/265.jpg


I snatched a lightly bogged but fully loaded spreader truck out of one of my paddocks with my D2 on a fire-break using a long 20T strap but more recently 2 FWA tractors were needed to extract the same truck bogged to the diffs further out in a paddock.

[Dreamer]

Coal mine I used to work at used to require double the load of the towed vehicle. D11 pulling 43 tonne Kenworth needed 100 tonne sling. No shackles, pins through tow points only. Happened often and man the paper work.

[goingbush]

my old Mk4 Inter

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/04/416.jpg

someone wanted to try to snatch me out, but ended up using the winch.
Ive opted not to fit a winch to the Iveco, ( once bogged twice shy) True they are not easy to recover, one needs to be a bit more prudent about where they venture.

That said I did take the Inter on a LROCV day trip , Gembrook area, size of the truck wasn't really an issue.

[Chucaro]

^ I'd also like to see where that truck with triple diff locks will get stuck... Trying to cross a lake?

It does matter how powerful is the machine when pushing the limits it will get bogged :)

[ramblingboy42]

nice music..............

[isuzurover]

You also mentioned having a tow car for it. Though with such a big unit on the back. Why not just get a small car and drive it straight up into there.

There is another link floating around the web with a modified Mini inside a motor home.

Better yet, a small suzuki on the back mounted sideways with a hydraulic lift.
But where do you carry the tinnie???

[Sitec]

This might be a dumb question ... but if you manage to bog something that big ..........How on earth are you going to recover it! You'd need bulldozer to get the traction/pulling power to move it :wasntme:

You dig!!! Sometimes there isn't another truck about.. Dragoman 6x4 Merc stuck in sand.. These were known as the 'Super Trucks'. V6 and V8's, loads of room, but they still get bogged.. Several days spent digging, sand ladders, jacks etc and you can get them out! The black cotton soil in Africa is the stuff to watch out for... Going well one min, chassis deep, stationary with lions looking at you the next!! :D

Awesome truck you have! Very envious. Always wanted to build a body on a Merc 2448 6x6, but would probably loose a wife if I turned up with one of those... She's getting her head around a 101!!! :)

[spudboy]

I've been bogged a few times in a Defender in Black Cotton. Kenya had quite a bit of it. Very very nasty stuff.

[newhue]

Na all you need is a Land Cruiser on Coopers, the combination can snatch a semi out. Seen it in a magazine advertisement.

Well done Spud, do you sell drugs when your not building things?

The truck thing is certainly gaining momentum in Aus. We had a MAN 8ton Dakka special come across us on the Warbution Track. Unfortunately the owners were commenting on how rough the tracks were. They turned around on the french line for the same reason. Of course we could not work out what they were talking about in the Defenders, but we though it may have been because they were cutting there own tracks. Given the tracks are wide enough for 4x4's generally, and not trucks just yet.
It did look comfortable, capable, BIG and heavy. I recall commenting I'm not pulling the arse of my car helping that thing get out of the ****.

Good work Spud, look forward to the build and hope this baby ticks all the boxes.

[spudboy]

Not drugs - I'm an old software geek, and owned a company that got bought out by a big American multinational, which was a huge stroke of luck :D

My brother's got a LandCruiser on Coopers, so I better take him with me if it looks like getting boggy....

[isuzurover]

Watching this thread with interest... Also need to get my HR licence.

As for boggings... Plenty of stories from old timers and outback truck drivers (including the guy who does/did fuel dumps and recoveries on the CSR) of needing to camp by the vehicle for a week or two at a time until the ground was dry enough to drive out...

[PTC]

Watching this thread with interest... Also need to get my HR licence.

What would this truck be classed as? MR or HR license. You mentioned that it will weight about 8ton when built and it looks to be a single rear axle. Which is covered under my MR license though it does look bigger than some of the rigs i have driven around.

[spudboy]

You only need an MR license to drive one of these, as it only has 2 axles. A HR is for 3 axles. If the truck was to come in under 8 tonnes, then you only need an LR, but I reckon we'll be 8.5 to 9 tonnes probably. The MR license is a bit cheaper to get at under $1000, whereas the HR was about $1200.

I can't tell you how terrifying the first few hours out on public roads are when you are learning :eek: 60Km/h seems insanely fast when you have 20+ tonnes behind you, as I did when I did my lessons!

Our basic truck/chassis with nothing on the back weighs 6.2 tonnes. Estimated canopy weight is 2 tonnes, so add in a bit of fuel and water and we're sitting at around 8.5 tonnes. The GVM is 15 tonnes, so shouldn't be too stressed.

[worane]

Good luck with the Man. Looks like it will be something else when done.

[roverrescue]

Spud,
Did I read correctly that you were going to carry two spare tyres?

I remember a few years ago on the Wakooka track back when it was a track and not a graded super highway, we came across a family of 4 travelling in a "big twuck" something like yours.

They had done one tyre travelling north in the Starke River bed and then travelled around the loop. When about 30km out from kalpower they did a second. Was a real palaver.
After waiting a day or so the ranger came along and had taken the driver to Lakeland, where he thumbed a ride south to Mareeba.
Hired a hilux ute, drove back to the twuck, picked up the deadies, drove back down to Cairns (only place that stocked/ could get that size tyres- but he still had to wait for them to freight). Had them fitted and then drove back to the twuck. We arrived just as he was starting to fit the monsters on. He still had to return the hire ute as well!

He had been gone having left the family in big swamp (read mosquito ridden snake pit) for 5 days!
The mrs was surprisingly okay with it all, I know mine would be a tad temperamental if I dumped her in that situation!

Sorry for long winded anecdote - but if you ever get sick of carrying a second spare you might remember it!

Steve

[Graeme]

I can't tell you how terrifying the first few hours out on public roads are when you are learning :eek: 60Km/h seems insanely fast when you have 20+ tonnes behind you, as I did when I did my lessons!This brings back memories, manouvering in multi-lane Wollongong traffic and tight roundabouts when used to driving a Saab!

[Sitec]

Running a truck on dirt over long distances, you'll never have enough spares! If Africa is on the cards, carry two spares on rims, and clamp two more tyres in place with/behind them. A lot of the new Euro truck tyre sizes are not common in third world countries. Zambia was a place that seemed to eat tyres. As dual rims are on the rear, they're prime for picking rocks up in between them. You have the capacity to carry them, so its a small price to pay in the bigger picture. The space above them lends itself to a log rack... When not full of logs, a 20 litre drum with removable lid can be deployed.. Makes a good washing machine whilst on the road!! Also worth considering are a series of large drop in trays under removable covers in the living body floor..... floor can be lifted to access parts (keeps heavy parts like filters, lift pumps, studs, u bolts etc low down for C.O.G), and in turn the parts trays can be lifted out to access props, gearbox etc... we replaced a clutch in a Merc 1617 in the Police compound in Durban one night, using one of the holes in the floor, a pulley block, and the lifting eye that was positioned in the ceiling for just such occasion!! Still envious as hell of your truck!!! :D

[spudboy]

Spud,
Did I read correctly that you were going to carry two spare tyres?

Steve

We have a spare tyre on a rim, and another spare that is just a tyre. The one on a rim is going to live underneath the bed storage area. The tyre only will probably be up on top of the cabin roof on some sort of roof-rack system.

If we can make it structural enough, maybe the tyre only one could hang on the back of the canopy. Will need to build some sort of winching system whatever we do, as they are heavy suckers to lift!

[spudboy]

.... Also worth considering are a series of large drop in trays under removable covers in the living body floor..... floor can be lifted to access parts (keeps heavy parts like filters, lift pumps, studs, u bolts etc low down for C.O.G), ...

We are building 3 steel utility boxes that hang underneath the canopy. I'm planning to put heavy/dirty stuff in these to keep the centre of gravity low and keep dirty things out of the living area.

One box will have 3 9Kg gas cylinders in it, so that it's easy to vent and to not have them inside the main structure. One will have spare parts & oils. One will be for firewood/rubbish/BBQ/whatever.

[spudboy]

As mentioned in my previous post, we've started to make the underslung boxes this week. They will sit under the canopy and be external storage for heavy/dirty things, and our gas bottles:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/103.jpg

A plywood floor has been put on top of the steel framing grid and the brackets to locate the body to the chassis have all been made. They have a large central locating pin with 2 springs either side to allow the chassis to flex underneath the canopy.

For more details and a few other things that got done last week, see this blog post: Starting the storage boxes (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/Blog/Post/267/Starting-the-storage-boxes)

[goingbush]

We have a spare tyre on a rim, and another spare that is just a tyre. The one on a rim is going to live underneath the bed storage area. The tyre only will probably be up on top of the cabin roof on some sort of roof-rack system.

If we can make it structural enough, maybe the tyre only one could hang on the back of the canopy. Will need to build some sort of winching system whatever we do, as they are heavy suckers to lift!

check this link out, lots of good info on the guys Canter build, specifically the spare wheel winch

Rear bar and tyre carrier (http://canter4x4.com/technical/rear-bar-and-tyre-carrier/)

[130man]

Hi Going bush, your link about the rear tyre and winch comes up as a 403 error, forbidden access . Is there any way around this ? Cheers, 130man.

[Benz]

Hi Going bush, your link about the rear tyre and winch comes up as a 403 error, forbidden access . Is there any way around this ? Cheers, 130man.

go to www.canter4x4.com (might need to type it in manually, that's how I made it work)
click technical articles and it's on page three along with heaps of mods

looks pretty good

[goingbush]

hmmm strange link works in Safari but does not in Chrome

try this http://canter4x4.com/technical/page/3/

if still dosent work do as Benz suggests , its well worth a look

[spudboy]

This week's progress is getting the sides up. It looks much more like a canopy now, and we can get an idea of the scale of things.

This is how it started out, attaching the back wall to the bed frame:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/11/1330.jpg

and then the other 3 walls attached to that:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/11/1331.jpg

Other progress items are getting the entry door frame made, and building a skeleton door to fit, and working out where the 12v wiring in the roof needs to go before the roof is fitted.

More details here: Sides are up (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/Blog/Post/268)

Cheers
David

[Iain_B]

Glad to see you have finally gotten a truck :) That thing is huge, I think mine will fit in the back of yours :)

Looks like you are making rapid progress. I've seen some really great MAN trucks, there was a camper truck up here in Brisbane made by the owner of the bus body company, it was fantastic, the fit out on the camper was just amazing, at least as good as the Unicat and ActionMobil trucks. I'll see if I can hunt down the photos I took if you are interested.

[spudboy]

...I'll see if I can hunt down the photos I took if you are interested.

Yes, am definitely interested!

I know it took me a long time to decide, and I very nearly ended up with a Unimog. I did appreciate your all advice in our phone conversations, that's for sure.

The top went on this week, so we've got a much better idea of how 'spacious' it's going to feel. I put up a post on the blog, but there's not a lot extra to see. This week, we're putting in the windows, and on Thursday it is booked into the paint shop to get the aluminium edging painted in 2-pack gloss white.

I don't reckon it's THAT much bigger than yours! It'll be about 3.3m high and 2.4m wide and 8m long, so in all that I'd say yours would be around the same but maybe not quite as long.

Latest blog post is here: Roof is on (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/Blog/Post/270/Roof-is-on) but nothing really startling since the walls went up. Should get more interesting in the next few weeks though.

Cheers
David

Also - followed your recent travels via your thread here. Thanks for all the posts.

[spudboy]

I've skipped posting some of the progress steps in the last couple of weeks. Not enough hours in the day.

Since last time, the roof has gone on, and the windows have been fitted. Nothing much special about the roof going on, except that we now get an idea of how spacious it feels inside (and that is - quite spacious!). The corners are protected by a cast aluminium cover that should withstand a few knocks from overhanging branches & etc.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/12/673.jpg

The windows were custom made at a local fabrication place, and they've done a really nice job.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/12/674.jpg

The main (big) window is a clever twin opening design. If you only want a little bit of ventilation, you can slide it open up to about 50% wide and get the benefit of the insect screening. If you want a lot of ventilation and the insects are not an issue, the whole window opens up and it feels very spacious like this.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/12/675.jpg

The guys who made it also make hopper windows for the rear of 110's, to replace the sliding windows, so you can get to your gear in the back easily.

For more details/photos, see here: Windows are going in (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/Blog/Post/289)

Cheers
David

[goingbush]

Fantastic work, your going to love the truck even more once you get on the dirt.

I could do with 4 of those external corner caps, would finish mine off nicely !!

..Don

[spudboy]

Hi Don - do you want me to get a price for 4 of those corners for you? I am going out to see the supplier tomorrow...

[goingbush]

Hi Don - do you want me to get a price for 4 of those corners for you? I am going out to see the supplier tomorrow...

That would be a big help, I did notice the name stamped into the casting in your pic and have sent them an email if they cant / won't sell my a set by mail I would really appreciate your help, tho if all else fails we will be swinging by Adelaide in the new year.

cheers Don

[spudboy]

If you want to sort it out directly, call Aldom Body Builders at Regency Park. Speak to John or Mark. They will know who I am :) 08 8346 3711.

[goingbush]

Thanks David,
corner caps are in express mail to me , will post a pic when fitted.


If you havent thought of it yet you are going to need a ladder, not to access the camper but to climb up and inspect / clean roof solar panel etc.

I bought one of these beauties from ebay
Brand NEW 3 8M Telescopic Aluminium Ladder Extension Step Alloy Extendable | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/281098795114'ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649)

folds down into nothing and extends over 3m , takes my 100kg no probs. it is suprisingly solid and stable.
(but keep your fingers and thumbs clear when collapsing it)

only issue with the ladder is I used it to clean the caravans solar panel for the first time and found the roof skin delaminated :censored: damn ladder !!

[spudboy]

I called in there today, and asked about the caps (which are priced at $40 + GST in case anyone else wants to know), but they said they were already in the post and on their way to you! Super efficient :D

I'll check out those ladders....

[spudboy]

Had some good progress this week. The basic canopy construction is now finished, and is now ready for painting, so that means some jobs on the chassis can get a look in.

The water tank has been fitted to the passenger side:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/12/578.jpg

The fuel filter has been relocated, out of the way of where I want to put in an underslung cabinet, and the tricky spring system to hold the canopy to the chassis has been set in place (waiting for the canopy to be lowered onto them):
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/12/579.jpg

It's now fully masked up inside ready for internal painting.

For more photos and details, see here: Lots of progress in a short time! (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/Blog/Post/290)

Cheers
David

[dobbo]

That looks awesome

[spudboy]

We have had some sort of electrical tragedy on the truck, with a 100% dead ECU :(

There is absolutely nothing when the key is turned on. Two new batteries got fitted and still nothing. The main engine fuses are blown, so something has sent a lot of current through things.

MAN have connected up the special computer diagnostics thingy, and it can't even see an ECU at all.

The bodybuilders have said they jump started it with a mega-battery starter pack, so maybe that is it? They assure me (and MAN) that they haven't done any welding on it at all. I was thinking maybe somone drilled a hole through some wires when they were fitting something, but there's nothing obvious to suggest this.

It is possible that it is a MAN manufacturing issue which will be covered by MAN warranty, but I am going to guess not. I'd be thinking it was something the bodybuilder did to fry it, but who knows. The MAN technician cheerily told me that a new ECU was about $4,500....

More details and a couple of pictures of the painted body here: Some sort of ECU tragedy (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/291)

[goingbush]

Bummer, thats not good news at all, one thing for sure the ECU did not melt itself down, cant see how you would be made liable for somone elses stuff up.


My corner caps arrived, just have to find a place to fit them.
thanks for your help.

Hope ECU is not too big a headache !!

[slug_burner]

Spudboy,

I had a look on your linked blog entries, very smart looking blog!

Will the canopy sit on the springs or will the floor go through the space taken up by the wooden spacers?

Have you got an advertising commitment to your truck manufacturer or are you just proud of the brand or both?

[spudboy]

Hi SlugBurner,

No advertising deal! Just thought it would be a good logo to have on the site since it is MAN truck I'm building. The blog is built in DNN (DotNetNuke) which is a neat CMS system. I work in Visual Studio, so am just exploring how DNN works.

The canopy sits on the main chassis rails, for the whole length of the chassis. It sits inside the cheekplates of the spring assemblies.

The sideplates with the round steel bar only act as locators, so the chassis can flex underneath the canopy. So, in a left or right direction, it is locked. In a backwards and forwards direction it is locked. but in a vertical sense, it is free to move up off the chassis rail when needed. The springs are there to limit the up/down movement a bit. Does that sort of explain how it works?

[spudboy]

...cant see how you would be made liable for somone elses stuff up.

...

How ever it happened, I am not thinking of paying for it. It will either be an MAN failure, or caused by something the body builder did, so in either event, it's sort of not my problem.

The truck has a 3 year/300,000Km warranty, and at the moment it has about 250Kms on the odometer, so virtually brand new.

[goingbush]

Pretty clear to me (how the mounting system works) but helps having spent some time studying various flex systems, I'd be happier if it was sitting on poly pads as well, but MAN would have to know what is best.

Keen to see an articulation shot when done, showing the how much the subframe lifts off the chassis.

[spudboy]

I would have liked a layer of HDPE or Teflon between the chassis rails and the canopy rails, but the MAN Body Builders Specifications emphatically say no to that idea. The canopy rails must sit directly on the chassis - steel to steel.

No idea why.

[slug_burner]

Hi SlugBurner,

No advertising deal! Just thought it would be a good logo to have on the site since it is MAN truck I'm building. The blog is built in DNN (DotNetNuke) which is a neat CMS system. I work in Visual Studio, so am just exploring how DNN works.

The canopy sits on the main chassis rails, for the whole length of the chassis. It sits inside the cheekplates of the spring assemblies.

The sideplates with the round steel bar only act as locators, so the chassis can flex underneath the canopy. So, in a left or right direction, it is locked. In a backwards and forwards direction it is locked. but in a vertical sense, it is free to move up off the chassis rail when needed. The springs are there to limit the up/down movement a bit. Does that sort of explain how it works?

I'll wait for a progress shot to confirm how the system works but from looking at it the pin stops horizontal plane movement and the springs allow some movement in the vertical. From what your saying the cheek plates are the attachment points and I figure they will be attached to the base of the walls or the frame supporting the canopy. If so I got it.

[spudboy]

A milestone day today. The canopy is sitting on the chassis, and it looks a lot like a proper camper now :D

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/12/253.jpg

To follow up on how the two are fixed together, this is a shot of the spring brackets now welded to the canopy. The wood blocks keep the spacing even and they'll get taken out tomorrow.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/12/254.jpg

The airconditioner got fitted today too, which was a stroke of luck seeing it was 43 degrees outside.

More picture and so on here: The canopy is finally on the chassis (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/293)

[goingbush]

Looks fantastic,

what was the ECU prognosis ??

How do you change the kinematic bolt / spring if needed, I think they might have been better with the heads down & nuts on top ??

[spudboy]

Actually - you have a very good point there - Damn. The only way I'll get them out is to cut them and re-insert up the other way :mad: Oh well, too late to change that bit now. Just have to hope I never break a spring.

The ECU issue was a fuse in the end. There are 3 fuses that protect the electronics. 2 are easily visible. The third was hidden by a wiring loom. They must have initially sent out the apprentice because he'd never heard of this other fuse. So, body-builder is refusing to pay towing fee, as they should have diagnosed the fuse issue first up. Apprentice now knows about all 3 fuses. Who said education was cheap!!

[goingbush]

Hey David, hows progress on the truck?

Have you seen this video
http://www.unicat.net/video/GOINGTHERE.WMV

in some of the river crossings / uneven ground check out how much the rear body moves in relation to the cab, Amazing how much chassis flex they appear to have.

would love to see a go-pro vid of subframe mounts from underneath

[Iain_B]

That's not flexing, this is flexing :)

U1300 Articulation NWMF 2010 - YouTube (http://youtu.be/0OxmHJWuy3c)

What do Unicat use to mount their boxes on, the flex in the chassis on the big white MAN going through the river is incredible. I would not have expected that from a box mounted on springs with about 2" of travel at best but it must work for it to flex like that. How is the cab mounted, same way?

[spudboy]

Hey David, hows progress on the truck?

...

Progress came to a standstill last week when the temperatures were up around 43 degrees. Not nice for working "outside".

This week has seen the installation of the bed and the gas cooker, and nearly the kitchen sink (if only I could decide where I wanted it).

The bed sits on a neat ventilation system called Froli, which is normally used on yachts to stop the bottom of the mattress from going moldy. Got the bed all installed and tested it out for a night, even though it was just in the front yard!

We've taken it down to Goolwa Beach (about 100Kms from here) and also across to Aldinga Beach (same distance). Was too gutless to go beach bashing. The thought of it getting bogged was more than I could bear on its first outing :eek: It drives very nicely, and will sit on 100KM/h when the road is smooth and wide. On narrow, bumpy, twisty roads you feel all of the 9 tonnes of weight behind you, and the speed is much more moderate. On normal Adelaide Hills roads it happily sits on 85-90Km/h. When I get more experience driving it I'm sure I'll tackle things with more confidence.

Plonked in the gas cooker today. Easy/simple job, but it feels like a bit of progress nonetheless.

Here's a couple of photos. The Froli bed system:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/07/1107.jpg

Bed all set up:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/01/310.jpg
The mattress was an Ikea special. It was out for half price, so I grabbed it. It is only a standard double bed size, but it is plenty big enough, and extremely comfortable.

Cooker and nearly the sink installed:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/01/311.jpg

Links to more info on the blog: Setting-up-the-bed (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/295/Setting-up-the-bed) and Cooker-and-kitchen-sink (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/297/Cooker-and-kitchen-sink) but they're not very exciting posts....

[spudboy]

We've had a couple of German visitors this week too, so that's distracted us from doing building things.

I discovered each of them independently (one at the Mercedes dealer in Adelaide and one via some other German friends) and it turns out they know each other! They both travelled from Germany to Australia in their campers and ended up in Adelaide a week apart.

Got lots of good ideas from checking out their vehicles. One had a Mercedes 4x4 and the other a MAN.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/01/308.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/04/732.jpg

They are both heading across to Perth via different paths, so if you see one of their vehicles stopped, say G'day. Both very interesting couples.

A bit more info here: Visitors-with-big-campers (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/296/Visitors-with-big-campers)

[dullbird]

Spudboy I just BLOODY LOVE THIS THREAD AND YOUR CAMPER!!!

[spudboy]

Haha! That is good :) I've enjoyed putting it together.

Am interested to know how come you like it so much? Pictures? Story (not sure the is much of one really)? Blog? The ridiculousness of it all?

Cheers
David

[dullbird]

The whole package...

I love it when people do something out of the Norm it makes me keep coming back to the thread WANTING updates :)

I also love it when people are proactive about their builds I enjoy seeing the ideas they come up with and the problems they nut out.

I love your thread because you are building something I could only dream of...but whole heartedly would love to own and use. you are currently building my perfect touring vehicle as Im sure you are for many others also.

[spudboy]

I'm glad you like it! It has been a very interesting journey and will probably send me broke. Bad news for the kid's inheritance, that's for sure :p Thanks for your interest & encouragement.

Today I got the water heater fixed in. Made a stupid mistake with measurements which has made me cross with myself. The nicely made frame that holds the heater turned out to be a fraction too small, so I am feeling like a complete beginner about this. So basic!

This is the external frame I made and fitted to the truck:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/01/37.jpg
Sadly 5mm too small for the external cover :( I can't face re-cutting/re-welding/re-painting/re-fitting another frame, so I will "butcher" the cover to make it fit.

The build is strangely "Land-Rover-esque", what with all the rivets and all!!

On the inside I made a stainless plinth for the whole thing to sit on, so at least that went well:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/01/38.jpg

As per usual, link to the blog with a bit more information: Hot-Water-Service-install (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/298/Hot-Water-Service-install)

[Judo]

Just saw this in Apollo Bay.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/03/978.jpg

It's as big as the apartment I use to live in!!

[spudboy]

They are Swiss travellers that came down to Australia, along with the Germans that stayed with us a few weeks ago.

Their vehicle is one of the ones that inspired us with our design :D

Did you get to meet them?

[Yorkie]

Are these part of the Wohnmobil-Verschiffung & Wohnmobil-Touren - SeaBridge (http://www.seabridge-tours.de) group? We spotted a few in tassie and this one above think around Apollo bay too.

[Judo]

Didn't get to meet them. Just took a sneaky pic while we had lunch. I figured there was a good chance it was the people you met. There can't be too many around!!

[Spool]

Ahh those dudes! Saw them in Mt Isa fuelling up, didn't have much of a chat as they were keen to boost. There were happy me taking a couple of happy snaps but. That thing has a pretty decent amount of chassis/body flex, even compared to the U1700s.

[spudboy]

That's Heidi and Max in their super-sized Swiss MAN. They just left our place headed for the interior, to go and see some desert country.

That is one heavy truck! It has solid marble bench-tops :eek: Max reckons it weighs in at over 13 tonnes. It is also very high compared to ours. Their floor is 400mm higher due to the very deep chassis they have built.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/03/387.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/04/701.jpg

See here for more details and pictures if you are interested: Swiss MAN visitors (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/301)

For my part, the build continues slowly. In the last week I have got a basic 240v switchboard installed which means we have an internal power point to plug tools into now, and the airconditioner can be run too. I've also built an aluminium "battery box" for my 3 Optima deep-cycle batteries and installed an 8 way fused distribution box for all the 12v items. Should be able to have the internal lights working by the weekend.

[Judo]

Marble benches hey.... Does it also have a wine cellar between the chassis rails?

Are you running 10A or 15A power feed into the truck?

[spudboy]

Actually - it DID have a wine cellar between the chassis rails. Quite a few bottles of red, and a good amount of beer :)

We have a 15A socket in the shed, but not sure what his extension cord rating was.

(or if you are talking about my truck, then yes, I have a 15A input socket, and a heavy duty 15A extension cord...)

[spudboy]

In the last 2 days I have gained an Air Central Tyre Inflation system (CTIS or Air CTI). So now I can change air pressures in the front and rear tyres whilst driving along :D

The system has external arms linked to a rotating hub. The arms stick out 50mm and I can see that there is the potential for an arm to be pulled off in the scrub. But the company assures me this is a very rare occurrence, and if it does occur the controller alerts you immediately. The drop arms have a sort of "fusible link" which detaches if it snags on something, and then you have to stop and re-connect it. We'll see how it goes...

Here are a few pictures:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/05/422.jpg

It is controlled from the cabin by a series of solenoids. You can set different pressures front and rear. It takes a couple of minutes to go from (say) bitumen pressures to dirt road pressures.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/03/4.jpg

Not as elegant as the UniMog solution (where the air is supplied through the centre axle hobs - so no drop arms required) but still a lot better than having to climb out and air up/down when you need to change pressures.

If you want more details, see this post on the blog: Air CTI installation (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/302)

[Homestar]

Nice. Log trucks have been using this system in the bush for years with very few issues. You'll be fine with them.:)

[PTC]

How would it go with articulation? Or do you have enough clearance that the hose on top wont get snagged up or rubbed between the wheel arch and tire.

[spudboy]

Gap above the front air line: 230mm
Distance from springs to bump stops: 110mm

Theory says it should be fine, but I guess we'll see when I get amongst it.

[Yorkie]

Just seen the poo brown MAN in esperence, no one onboard as they must have been on the beach. :)

[spudboy]

Was it this one?:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/04/732.jpg

[Yorkie]

No, the one with suiza across the top. My color reference may need working on for future sightings. ;)

[spudboy]

Maybe Baby-Poo light-brown would be a closer description :D

The Suiza MAN truck is Max & Heidi's: Swiss Visitors (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/post=301)

If you see them around, say hi to them. They have been travelling for 6 years from Switzerland, and have a lot of great stories.

[87County]

Hey Spud, how do you access the spare wheels ? - Do they swing or slide down ?

[spudboy]

There is a winch at the top (inside the box with the "80" sticker), and the whole frame with the 2 spares on it descends to ground level:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/04/701.jpg

[87County]

thanks for that, seems like a good solution for heavy wheels, just wondering about dust & rain/weather effect on the winch

[spudboy]

I suppose it is up high out of the dust and in a tin box, so it would be pretty well protected. Most winches live unprotected on a bullbar and get a lot of mud and water and dirt over them, so this one would be a lot better off than them.

[dobbo]

When overland touring why do people colour their vehicles in typical military camouflage colours? Is it to scare off potential threats? Seems a tad silly if traveling through turbulent countries. Could the same be said for white? Saying that if you have a hot pink truck would it just scream travellers with money to rape, murder and rob live inside this vehicle.


Love the thread and the vehicle. Hope to do this in years to come.

[spudboy]

I asked the guys with the drab green/brown (semi-military colour anyway) why they chose that. They said they wanted to try and be incognito (as if!!) and blend in when they were camping in remote areas.

We have gone all white because of its cooler properties. I think a dark colour canopy would be much hotter in our climate, but not so relevant if you are driving through Europe.

[blue_mini]

I figured because what they were doing is so cool they dont need to add cool points with a flashy paint job.

[kreecha]

When overland touring why do people colour their vehicles in typical military camouflage colours? Is it to scare off potential threats? Seems a tad silly if traveling through turbulent countries. Could the same be said for white? Saying that if you have a hot pink truck would it just scream travellers with money to rape, murder and rob live inside this vehicle.


Love the thread and the vehicle. Hope to do this in years to come.

I would suggest the flat neutral colours are better able to resist bush pin striping.

[dobbo]

I asked the guys with the drab green/brown (semi-military colour anyway) why they chose that. They said they wanted to try and be incognito (as if!!) and blend in when they were camping in remote areas.

We have gone all white because of its cooler properties. I think a dark colour canopy would be much hotter in our climate, but not so relevant if you are driving through Europe.

totally agree with the white. If you want to look incognito they should have gone white and painted thrifty on the side.

Mil colours stand out like bull dogs nuts

[goingbush]

I would only want white too, but it is a pain in the arse when settled into a peaceful campsite and some bloody britz van or a 52 foot Kedron with the works comes and invades your privacy, they would have driven straight past if it was'nt for the bloody great expanse of white showing thru the scrub. Whats wrong with these people, 7,682,300 sq km and they have to park next to me !!

Some camo netting would come in handy.

[Hewey]

Fantastic project spudboy. Ive just spend an hour reading the whole thread. I may have missed it but is there a floor plan posted anywhere ? And one question - why did you go dual cab on the MAN ? If it was me i would have gone single cab (assuming they do one) and built a bigger house ?

[Sitec]

I had the pleasure of having a look around this beast a few days ago, it was a 'bloke' outing for 107gus and I!!! Fantastic job too!!! Got me thinking tho..... The 101's not big enough!!! :D

[spudboy]

A little more progress this week, this time sorting out one of the rear storage compartments with the gas bottles.

Had to TIG up some custom brackets to hold the cylinders against the rear wall of the box:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/projects-tutorials/77540d1400595279-spudboys-super-sized-camper-replacement-130-no-its-not-unimog-20140516_164338.jpg

The angled area right at the back is a funny shape to store things, so I think it is going to end up as a dry firewood hole, or maybe a rubbish and recycling area. The area in front of the cylinders will store 4 wheel leveling wedges - they fit perfectly!
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/projects-tutorials/77541d1400595320-spudboys-super-sized-camper-replacement-130-no-its-not-unimog-20140520_152058.jpg

A few other areas have progressed, such as fitting a master 12v switch and a few meters inside the cabin to monitor the state of the battery:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/projects-tutorials/77542d1400595344-spudboys-super-sized-camper-replacement-130-no-its-not-unimog-20140520_232905.jpg

More details and pictures in this blog post: Driver's side rear storage cabinet (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/303)

I am not allowed to connect up all the gas stuff, so the copper lines between the regulator and the appliances (water heater and cook top) have to be done by a licensed gas fitter. After much searching I have finally found someone down in Adelaide who will do this job for me.

[spudboy]

The "Water System" is the thing being worked on now. I've got the main 425 liter tank plumbed in and the Jabsco pump all hooked up, but I needed to make a bracket to hold a water filter/purifier, and got completely distracted with manufacturing this with my new PlasmaCam cutter.

It took about 3 weeks to build the thing, then another couple of weeks to work out how the software all worked. So this is probably the most expensive bracket ever produced!

I know I could have made it by hand with a Tig welder (I wanted it made from stainless steel) and a drill and a grinder, but I can see the potential for using the PlasmaCam machine for a lot of things on the build.

I made a YouTube video of the cutter working so you can see how quickly it cuts things. It is super accurate too. I wanted a hole for the filter of 111mm, and when cut it measured 111.08 mm, which is SO much better than I'd ever get doing it by hand.

Anyway, here's the video, and below that a link to the blog page with some more photos:

Water Filter Bracket Prototype using PlasmaCam/DesignEdge - YouTube


Blog: Plasma cutter in action (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/305)

[slug_burner]

What file format are you using to take jobs:D

Is there an envy smilie?, :twisted: not exactly but close.

[spudboy]

Haha - .DXF format will be fine! I've learnt a lot about CAD in the last 4 or 5 weeks, more than I ever expected to need to know at this late stage of my life!!

I thought I might learn how to use AutoCad, but actually Sketchup is pretty good for 2D drawing (even though it is meant for 3D modelling) and I already know how to use it pretty well.

The cutter came fitted with a heavy duty cutting head, which cuts up to 25mm thick mild steel. However, it has a wide kerf.

Today or tomorrow I am going to fit the thin sheet nozzle which works for sheets up to 3mm thick and is a much finer kerf (cut) width and uses less air.

[Judo]

Now when the super sized camper is finished and people ask which bit you are most proud of, you can point to the water filter bracket. Kudos.

[Iain_B]

i have asked a lot of travellers the question about the military like paint colours they have chosen, and by far most of them chose the colour to blend into the background when free camping. Some have said they have been be questioned about the "military" looking trucks, especially if there are four or five of them in convoy in to a small African country, but most say they have never had a problem.

I went with white on my Unimog because of the heat, but will be having a vinyl wrap on the side to protect the sides and will probably add some graphics to help us blend in a bit better than just plain white.

As far as standing out leading to " rape murder and rob", in my experience, travellers and tourist are more likely to be left alone than the locals in most countries, as the local bad guys don't want the type of problem an international incident causes. If you were traveling through Somalia or any other place with jihad radicals around looking for westerners to kidnap, then you need a lot more than a camo coloured truck to protect you.






When overland touring why do people colour their vehicles in typical military camouflage colours? Is it to scare off potential threats? Seems a tad silly if traveling through turbulent countries. Could the same be said for white? Saying that if you have a hot pink truck would it just scream travellers with money to rape, murder and rob live inside this vehicle.


Love the thread and the vehicle. Hope to do this in years to come.

[Iain_B]

You have some nice toys to play with :D

Truck is looking great, all these extra systems take a lot of time and effort to fit don't they. :)





The "Water System" is the thing being worked on now. I've got the main 425 liter tank plumbed in and the Jabsco pump all hooked up, but I needed to make a bracket to hold a water filter/purifier, and got completely distracted with manufacturing this with my new PlasmaCam cutter.

Blog: Plasma cutter in action (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/305)

[spudboy]

A few more jobs are now done. I am actually further ahead than the blog indicates because I don't get enough time to keep it up to date, but I've just put up 3 small posts about:

1) Depth gauge in my water tank, to show how much water is remaining from inside the cabin. It works by capacitance, and there are no moving parts, which is clever. It was hard to find a gauge that measured such a deep tank, but I tracked this one down from Germany (Votronic brand).

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/08/353.jpg


2) Cover for the cooktop, to stop the burners and the griddle bits bouncing off on corrugations, and to give more bench space when the cooktop is not in use.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/08/354.jpg


3) Installed a TV/DVD player. Not so imperative at all, but it was a small job for the couple of free hours I had this afternoon. It is on a swing arm, so we can watch it from the main cabin seating area (when it gets built) or the bed.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/08/355.jpg


More details in the blog posts:

Votronic Water level meter (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/306/Votronic-Water-level-meter)

A cover for the cooktop (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/307/A-cover-for-the-cooktop)

TV/DVD installed (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/308/TV-DVD-installed)

[Redback]

Absolutely amazing what you've done in under 12 months and managed a trip or two in that time as well.

Baz.

[spudboy]

Glad it seems fast from 'the outside'. It feels like I am crawling along at a snail's pace from here!

I try to do something on it every day, but some days all that amounts to is like today: Screwing on a blanking plate to a power wall socket. Total time invested: about 5 minutes.

Now I am working :(

[spudboy]

Some more posts on the latest progress are up.

The area under the sink has been filled in with drawers and cupboard doors, so it looks a lot more finished:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/09/1289.jpg

Cupboards-and-drawers (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/311/Cupboards-and-drawers)


I've got the solar panels fitted:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/09/1290.jpg

Solar-Panels (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/310/Solar-Panels)


And most of the water system is fitted and functioning:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/09/1291.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/09/1292.jpg

Water-system (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/309/Water-system)


One question I get all the time when I try to describe to people what I am building, is - 'How big is the truck?'. Most people have no idea what a Unimog is or what a MAN truck is.

Most of the pictures on the blog are taken in isolation, without a person in the shots, so here is one of me and my Doberman in front of it so you can gauge the scale of things!

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/09/1293.jpg

How-big-is-your-truck? (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/312/How-big-is-your-truck)

Cheers
David

[austastar]

Hi.
Thats a neat trick to stop the water filters shaking and still unscrew them easily.
Nice setup you have there, I dare not let the Mrs see it.
Cheers

[spudboy]

Thanks - I have had to but quite a bit of thought into stopping things vibrating over corrugations. That Stainless flap really damps down the wobbling of the filters to almost nothing.

I am sure some of my designs will be a "fail" so there are bound to be some v2 improvements once we've done a few thousand Kms.

[spudboy]

This weekend's efforts involved putting a door on the wardrobe, fitting an overhead cupboard over the sink, and designing a way to hold the crockery so it wouldn't smash over corrugations.

Nothing too exciting about the wardrobe door. It's a door on hinges with a magnetic catch.... Inside is just a hanging bar and some Ikea drawers on some very simple shelves.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/09/37.jpg

The shelving material is ultra light weight fibreglass waffle board. Each shelf only weighs about 200g. Blog link: Hanging-space-and-drawers (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/313/Hanging-space-and-drawers)

The overhead cupboard was a lot of fun! It needed to have a microwave, an exhaust fan and filter and some shelf space.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/09/38.jpg

I swear that about half of the design time on this job was trying to work out where to fix the gas struts!! It's not as easy as it first seems. Blog Link: Sink-Stove-Overhead-Cupboard (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/314/Sink-Stove-Overhead-Cupboard)

Lastly, I had a couple of goes at designing a good way to store crockery.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/09/39.jpg

This took more thought than I initially imagined. My first prototype was very short lived. The trick is to stop the plates and bowls from moving when you're travelling, but still allowing easy access when you need to get a plate out. Blog post: Crockery-drawer (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/315/Crockery-drawer)

[Sitec]

Have you thought about stacking the plates on their side in a deeper draw, each one with its own padded slot? The other question... Do u need to carry breakable plates when there's so many other products on the market...? Still want a truck!! Played with a Merc Zetros 6x6 the other day... :D

[Wicks89]

Tin plates m8. Get like 10,000 plates and bowls from an oriental emporium. JOB DONE. Lol :P

Otherwise awesome work, this thread makes me want to buy a truck hey. Looks totally awesome.

[spudboy]

...Still want a truck!! Played with a Merc Zetros 6x6 the other day... :D

Now those Zetros trucks are BIG! How did you score a drive in one of them? And did they say how much one cost?

Cheers
David

[spudboy]

Tin plates m8. Get like 10,000 plates and bowls from an oriental emporium. JOB DONE. Lol :P

Otherwise awesome work, this thread makes me want to buy a truck hey. Looks totally awesome.

Say no to tin plates :)

Mrs Spud wants "china" plates, so that's what we're going with....

[spudboy]

Have you thought about stacking the plates on their side in a deeper draw, each one with its own padded slot? The other question... Do u need to carry breakable plates when there's so many

I've thought about these, but I don't have a drawer deep enough, and my simple design is very compact:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/10/1566.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/10/1567.jpg

[goingbush]

Great work but I think in practice your just going to end up stacking the plates just like at home, In our caravan we have 4 arcaroc plates, 4 corelle bows, and 4 regular china mugs and regular porcelain mixing bowl just sitting nested inside each other on a nonslip mat in the crockery drawer. (no padding between) Never had one break or chip, And we have been over some bloody horrible roads, this is using the Iveco tug for the last 12 months, and the Defender for the 12 months prior to that.

Yet to break an egg either, even in our old Jayco, they just sit in the fridge in regular cartons.

[spudboy]

Today I got the winch/slider system built to get the spare tyre in and out.

Normally this requires no special thought on a Land Rover size wheel, but these buggers are around 125Kg and extremely unwieldy.

This is what it ended up looking like:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/10/1422.jpg

I went with a hand winch for simplicity and cheapness, given that it should be an unusual occurrence to have to change a tyre. The slider is made from 4 rollers that make sliding truck sides roll. The first time I used it, the frame bent down a little, so I've added an extra stiffener plate to make it less flexible.

More photos & etc here: Spare-Tyre-under-the-bed-Winch-system (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/316/Spare-Tyre-under-the-bed-Winch-system)

Cheers
David

[TD50WA]

Wow.:o I couldn't use enough superlatives. Following with interest.

Cheers
Kev

[spudboy]

The MAN got an outing over the long weekend, up to the Flinders Ranges.

I was very happy with how it went, especially over corrugations and washouts. I drove it up the Blinman to Arkaroola road which has a good mix of creek washouts, some tight corners, corrugations, some interesting side tracks and lots of dust.

On the same day we went up the same road in a new Disco D4, which was also very comfortable but the big wheels on the MAN really insulate you from the drumming of the corrugations.

The only downside of the whole thing was the rather high fuel consumption. On the way up it was over 30L/100Km with a very strong headwind. On the way home it did hugely better at 23.7L/100Km as I drove 5Km/h slower and didn't have that headwind. Still a lot of fuel even at 23.7L/100.....

We had lovely weather. This is the view from the camper on the Saturday morning:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/10/1273.jpg

I did a short excursion to the radio tower just outside of Blinman, which is up a narrow track and very rocky. Again, no dramas. Low range 1st is super slow so going straight down a steep hill was not a problem with huge engine compression holding it back.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/10/1274.jpg

I stupidly forgot to latch the cupboard closed, so over the slow rolling bumps the door flew open and the drawer launched itself across the floor, breaking it. A lesson for beginners :(

More photos & etc on this blog post: Shake-down-trip-to-Blinman-Flinders-Ranges (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/317/Shake-down-trip-to-Blinman-Flinders-Ranges)

Cheers
David

[Homestar]

If it makes you feel better, my 101 has similar fuel consumption figures and that's not a quarter of the truck yours is. :)

Great build.

[spudboy]

What engine is in the 101? Are they 3.5L V8's?

[Homestar]

Yep. Not known for their fuel efficient properties...:D

I do have plans to stick an Isuzu 4BD1T in it as funds permit.

[Judo]

What engine is in the MAN again? (Can't be bothered searching on my phone. :D )

[goingbush]

Excellent stuff.

Someone left the porta-loo hatch door open in our caravan, and the toilet went walkabout - lesson learned here too !!

Your fuel economy is nothing to complain about. My brother has a GU patrol on petrol / Lpg , towing same camper that we had when we had the Defender, he got 33L/100k Defer got 15L/100k on same trip.

Just did the tally over the life of the Iveco (just clicked over 38,000 and I'm averaging 16.8 L/100k measured from the odo & litters pumped in, the trip computer shows 18.5 L/100k

Your economy is great, and only going to get better as time goes on.

[spudboy]

What engine is in the MAN again? (Can't be bothered searching on my phone. :D )

Hi Judo - It has a 6.8L Twin turbo beasty - straight six. 290 HP (213kW) and 1150Nm of torque. It's favourite rev range is 1100 to 1500RPM!

http://img.directindustry.com/images_di/photo-g/turbocharged-diesel-motors-6-cylinder-81737-3134551.jpg

[spudboy]

...

Your economy is great, and only going to get better as time goes on.

That's what happened with my Puma. Started out at 11.5L/100 when it was new. After 20,000Km it was getting 10L/100.

How come that happens? Things loosen up?

[The ho har's]

We are with Bacicat here. 30ltrs/100 on Gas:eek: for us. just as well we have 185 ltrs on board :D

Awesome build BTW.

Mrs hh:angel:

[spudboy]

I got an email from Max & Heidi today, the Swiss couple in the big brown MAN. They are back in Alice springs, and about to head off to Perth.

They got to the very tip of Cape York! Since they left Adelaide the MAN has had 2 flat tyres, and got bogged once, which took more than 4 hours to extricate.

They are heading off to the Tanami Desert and Kimberleys next.

Here's a couple of photos from them:

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/projects-tutorials/85855d1414039954-spudboys-super-sized-camper-replacement-130-no-its-not-unimog-heidiandmax2.jpg

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/projects-tutorials/85856d1414039978-spudboys-super-sized-camper-replacement-130-no-its-not-unimog-heidiandmax1.jpg

Edit: Last weekend I made a shower base for the bathroom, so I've been busy doing a mixture of TIG welding and woodworking:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/10/522.jpg

It will be a 'recirculating shower' as opposed to a once-only water use shower. More details here: Building-the-shower-base (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/319/Building-the-shower-base)

[Homestar]

Oops, I bet that was hard to get out of the sand!

The shower looks like a great idea - just remember not to pee in it...;)

[spudboy]

Yeah - Mrs Spud has already pointed that out! There might be a race to see who gets the first shower :D

[Hoges]

The only issue I could foresee with an "endless loop/recirculating " shower is that the pump may continue to aerate the soapy water and you end up with a suds cloud... like what happens when vandals pour dishwashing detergent into fountains... just a thought

[goingbush]

Its probably not practical to reuse shower water, At home I diverted the shower water to reuse in the toilet cistern, I pumped the water through 2 filters which needed weekly cleaning but still the poly piping and cistern valve gunged up with soap residue, the answer was to let the water settle in a 200 liter poly drum and use a sand filter, Impractical for your purposes, Also the settling water needed Chlorine treatment to kill bugs / leigonella .

You might find it useful to carry a 240v bore pump to refill water tank, I have one which runs nicely from my inverter, draws water from a deep well , Even if its not drinkable its ideal for washing. (we keep one tank for washing/ one for drinking) Have an adaptor to use garden hose on it, (only use brass fittings as it blows the poly click on couplings)


NEW Model 80M Deep Diver Genuine Kasa 4" Deep Well Bore Water Pump 40M Cable | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-MODEL-80M-DEEP-DIVER-GENUINE-KASA-4-DEEP-WELL-BORE-WATER-PUMP-40M-CABLE-/281351588496?pt=AU_Pumps&hash=item4181dc8a90)

just check the dimensions before buying, they are 21kg and 500mm long but I'm sure you can find room for one.

[spudboy]

That's not quite the idea.

It is just like a bath. You fill the shower base with 'fresh' hot water, and take a 10 minute shower or whatever, and then you let the water out.

Next shower uses fresh water again. There is no re-use of the shower water once you have finished the shower.

HTH
David

[spudboy]

That pump looks like a great idea! And only $169!!

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/10/488.jpg

[mrapocalypse]

That's pretty cool. And you probably only need to recirculate when water is in very short supply but you feel EXTRA dirty!

Great build by the way.

[turps]

That would be great for when your both extra dirty or dusty. As you can share a rinsing wash. Then a cleaning wash.

[spudboy]

Progress for the last fortnight mainly revolves around ablutions.

The toilet is in, and we now have a hand-basin in the bathroom with running hot and cold water.

I can't remember if I have posted anything about the toilet before, but it is a composting toilet, with no chemicals. It is really a yachting toilet, but I thought it would work well in a camping situation too.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/11/660.jpg

More details on the toilet here: Composting_Toilet (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1321)

The basin sits in a stainless steel bench, which incorporates a bin. Because the bathroom door is by default open unless you are using it, it was a good place to locate the foodscraps & etc bin. It's easy to reach from the kitchen bench and because the toilet has a permanent ventilation fan sucking air out of the bathroom, any bin smells will go the same route.

This is how it got fitted to the wall:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/11/661.jpg

And the finished product, with a boating sink from Whitworths, and a bin from Ikea:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/11/662.jpg

More details in this blog post: Bathroom-basin-shelf-bin (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1320/Bathroom-basin-shelf-bin)

I also fiddled around with the rear mudguards, as I felt they were too close to the tyres when articulating. Turns out I probably should have left things well alone, as my estimate of 2 or 3 hours per side to do the mods turned into about 8 hours per side. Funny how a simple looking job can turn to poop! In the end it was a good thing to do, as I now have much better clearance, but at the time I wondered why I bothered.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/11/663.jpg

Blog post is here Improving-rear-wheel-guard-clearance (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1319/Improving-rear-wheel-guard-clearance) if you want more details

[goingbush]

If nothing else the mod you did to guard actually Looks a lot better, not that looks count for much on these trucks. I might do similar to my Iveco as my factory guards are actually bent and twisted under my body .

[spudboy]

Is that because you have fitted larger tyres? Or did they get bent when you were travelling around?

[goingbush]

neither, when I originally made my body I had the guards off and mounted the subframe about 10mm lower than where the top of the guards were supposed to be, ( I'm not too good at measuring) when I refitted the guards I realise they would not fit so mounted them with a twist inward at the top, to get them to fit. No one has noticed but it looks wrong to me, now Im motivated to fix it, esp as Im about to be going up a size in tyres again.

[Judo]

I take it your fabrication skills are coming along? I'm impressed with all the different things you manage to make, like bend up that bench from stainless. It looks great!

[spudboy]

Thanks! Fabrication is getting better, but still not perhaps what you'd call "professional quality" :p

Am getting better at TIG welding, and bending stuff up, but on every job there seems to be some minor item that I've overlooked or not thought about. I guess you get that a lot when you are prototyping.

[spudboy]

We took the truck for a 'long weeked' down to the beach. It was 4 days of doing pretty much nothing at all.

The truck went well. It was the first time I've driven it in sand, and it did that very well. Initially I got partially bogged because the tyres were at road pressures and I was in rear wheel drive only (with no diffs locked). It was fine on the flat stuff, but as soon as I pointed it up to a sandhill, it went no further.

So - Lock the center diff; Lock the rear diff; drop the pressures from 65PSI down to 25PSI; out she climbed, no dramas. I left it like that for the next 4 days, and it laughed at everything we threw at it. I didn't lock the front diff as we never needed it.

This was our camp:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/11/107.jpg

The view out the window in the morning:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/11/108.jpg

More details and fuel stats and so on here : Four-days-on-the-beach (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1326/Four-days-on-the-beach)

The shower and toilet were great successes. The shower has a strong flow and when it cools down a little, as time goes by, you just top it up with a bit more hot water and off you go for another 4 or 5 minutes. Brilliant! The composting toilet was excellent. Easy to use and zero smells.


I also took a new toy with me - a little Phantom Vision 2+ drone. It was a lot of fun! See some of the footage we took here:

Yorke Peninsula Camping in MAN 4x4 Truck/Camper - YouTube


Watch in YouTube to see it in a bigger size (or try full screen mode). It was filmed in 1080p, but when uploaded to YouTube it seems to be very low resolution, so it's a bit blocky, but you'll get the idea. Still working on getting my head around video stuff.....

[goingbush]

Awesome, Love it when a plan comes together !!

(how did you switch to left hand drive at the end of the video.)

[dullbird]

Good job on the video could almost be a sales pitch for the truck :)

[spudboy]

Awesome, Love it when a plan comes together !!

(how did you switch to left hand drive at the end of the video.)

Well, Ms Spud had the GoPro in upside down mode, so when I flipped it up the right way in the video editing package, it actually mirrored it. I couldn't find a function to rotate it 180 degrees, so that was the best I could do!

I used PowerDirector 12 which has many many features, but I couldn't see the rotate command. I'm sure it's there, I am just a beginner using it though.

[spudboy]

Good job on the video could almost be a sales pitch for the truck :)

Make me a silly offer - and it's yours :)

[Homestar]

Make me a silly offer - and it's yours :)


How does $10 sound? That's a silly offer, so is it mine now...? :D

[spudboy]

Strangely, I was thinking of "silly" in completely the opposite direction... with a lot more digits in it :p

[Homestar]

I can add 1 digit to it...:D

[dobbo]

I'll add 7 more digits to it. (with a carefully placed decimal point)

Great work you should be proud.

[spudboy]

This post is not related to my truck at all, rather it is a build thread by a bloke in NZ who pretty much put a normal house onto a truck! "Lightweight" does not figure in this guys vocabulary whatsoever!!

I am not sure how much vibration it would tolerate, and I am quite sure it would not pass the Elk Test as it is so top heavy, but he did it all himself and on a very modest budget.

Here's the link to his posts (4 pages) and some photos follow so you can see what he's built: House on a Hino (http://oldschool.co.nz/2011/forum/index.php?/topic/26950-yoeddynzs-1985-hino-housetruck-now-succesfully-moved-to-its-new-location-with-new-views/)

I am completely amazed that he ever got it registered. Don't reckon they'd let it through here in Australia!

http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/9576/09062011240.jpg

http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/4369/09062011249.jpg

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/8540/09062011250.jpg

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/9864/onroadtokaikoura.jpg

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/2980/diningroom2e.jpg

An excellent build! You have to love a camper with genuine stained glass windows :)

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/332/diningtable2j.jpg

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/3818/bedroomfromback.jpg

[isuzurover]

So the 2 annexes on either side slide in and out???

[spudboy]

Yeah - he made his own slider system on both sides:

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/1094/24062011353.jpg

[Don 130]

'House trucks' used to be quite a thing in NZ back probably in the 70's. They had chook pens, verandahs, window boxes with flowers growing etc. You'd have to endure them struggling along with several miles of traffic backed up behind.
I'm sure google would find some pretty interesting photos from back then.
Don.

[loanrangie]

Great video spud, looking forward to the big red bloke bringing my gopro for xmas, and i ( i mean he ) just bought a 32gig sdhc and an accessory pack to go with it - would love a drone as well.

[spudboy]

The Xmas break was a good time to get some more stuff done on the truck, amid the usual over-eating and drinking of holidays. The main enhancement was fitting a table and starting the seats, and installing the generator. I also fitted some rubberised flooring which has tidied up the interior no end.

The table is made from a big stainless plinth (which also holds knives and forks and glasses and plates) and a lightweight fiberglass top:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/01/1273.jpg

The plinth bit came about because we got sick of opening and closing the cupboards to get common everyday things out. This way, these common things are easily to hand and it also makes the table top very solid. You can't really see it in this photo, but the top shelf has knives and forks and spoons, as well as a few common implements like a wooden spoon and a vegie peeler.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/01/1274.jpg

The generator is a Honda 3kVA, and I made up a special aluminium 'sled' for it to slide into the rear garage area on these rubber bushings:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/01/1275.jpg
The rubber bushings stop about 90% of the vibration coming through the cabin, and although you can definitely hear (feel) it when the gennie is running, it really is very quiet.

It's got its own little door for the exhaust so even in the pouring rain it can operate. I might have to fit some ventilation fans to keep the airflow going, but at this stage it appears to be fine without them.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/01/1276.jpg

The flooring is not very exciting, but it finished off the interior nicely. It is non-slip rubberised stuff, and feels soft to walk on.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/01/1277.jpg

Other little jobs have been to fit some digital clocks, so I can tell what time it is and when I should come in for dinner, and so you know what time it is in the middle of the night when you wake up. I've tracked down a leak in the shower door (I hope) and just done a dozen little 'nothing' jobs that needed doing.

We went away in the truck for a few days down at the beach after Xmas, but it's back to work now so less time for truck things in January....

More info on these links to the blog:
- Table-and-Seats (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1328/Table-and-Seats)
- Fitting-the-240V-Generator (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1327/Fitting-the-240V-Generator)
- Flooring (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1329/Flooring)

Cheers
David

[slug_burner]

Do you release the strap when the genny is running?

[spudboy]

Nope - there is not a lot of tension on the strap, just firm, and the engine seems to want to vibrate "left and right", which the strap doesn't stop. It mainly stops the up and down movement when travelling, from road bumps.

[slug_burner]

Nope - there is not a lot of tension on the strap, just firm, and the engine seems to want to vibrate "left and right", which the strap doesn't stop. It mainly stops the up and down movement when travelling, from road bumps.

My concern is that the tensioned strap will be nulling out the isolation of the rubber isolators. A rotating mass will be causing movement in the horizontal as well as the vertical so will tend to jump about, you have to get enough dampening to avoid it taking off and resonanting.

[spudboy]

The next two items conquered have been fitting the fridge/freezer in between the rear seats of the double cab, and getting the foam seat cushions upholstered.

Fitting the fridge was a fiddly job, plus the weight of an 80L Engel made it troublesome to actually get up into the cabin on my own. Not sure how much it weighs, but I can lift it on my own, just not easily lift it 1.5m in the air on my own!

I've got it wired in with a 22.8V low voltage cut off so it won't completely flatten the truck starting batteries if something goes wrong. I had to TIG up a number of custom brackets to keep it all in place.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/01/316.jpg

See the whole job on the blog here: Fridge-Freezer (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1330/Fridge-Freezer)

The other achievement this week was learning how to upholster. I've done a bit of canvas sewing in the past, but it's not one of my strong points. Working with cloth is so 'vague' after working with steel and wood. I've got a very simple old fashioned mechanical sewing machine. It is plain, but it sews through 6 or 8 layers of fabric without too much drama.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/01/317.jpg

This is the semi-finished product:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/01/318.jpg

I still need to fix the bases in properly, and attach some velcro to the back of the seatbacks. It's very comfortable though!

Here's the link to all the other upholstery details on the blog if you are interested: Cushions-for-the-seat-base (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1331/Cushions-for-the-seat-base)

Cheers
David

[spudboy]

Long time - No post!

It's not that nothing has been happening, it's just that I haven't got around to blogging anything for ages. It has been steady progress on a range of jobs, and a lot of the stuff I'm working on hasn't been completed, so I'll have a lot of catch up blogging to do shortly.

It's only about 4 weeks to go until we head off to northern WA for a coupe of months, so we're getting to the pointy end. Regardless of what remains unfinished, we have a departure date which we'll be sticking to!

So, things done lately include, an outdoor camping table that can also recharge the batteries:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/03/781.jpg

Strengthening brackets for the disc brake cover plates, which have a tendency to vibrate and fracture, much like a Land Rover Defender, over corrugations:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/03/782.jpg

A stereo that runs from either an iPhone or a USB stick:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/03/783.jpg

Tent pegs for sand:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/03/784.jpg

And a way of stopping all the glassware from smashing together:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/03/785.jpg

There are about 20 other things I made a start on, like fitting a UHF CB radio, but haven't yet finished, so they will all turn up in a future blog.

To check out the full details, see these blog entries:

A-dual-purpose-table (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1333/A-dual-purpose-table)
Lots-of-small-jobs (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1334/Lots-of-small-jobs)
Strengthening-the-Disk-Brake-backing-plates (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1332/Strengthening-the-Disk-Brake-backing-plates)

Cheers
David

[goingbush]

I like the table - neat idea :) Where did you get the onion bags / leaky condoms , I could do with some of those !!!

why not just remove the backing plates all together, I'll be throwing mine away first time I do a rotor swap , I need all the brake cooling I can get !!!

[spudboy]

Hi Don,

For the onion bag stuff, go to ebay and search for Protective mesh netting, and you'll get this listing:

Protective-mesh-netting-for-wine-bottles-camping-transporting-goods-10-metres (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Protective-mesh-netting-for-wine-bottles-camping-transporting-goods-10-metres-/281634324488?hash=item4192b6c008)

I did think about throwing the backing plates away, but when I took off the first one, I could see all the ABS ring gear (with all the slots & etc) exposed so I thought I'd better still protect all that.

MAN said it would be best to leave them on, but they didn't really offer any advice as to how to stop them cracking.

[spudboy]

As a complete distraction from working on the truck, I thought I'd make myself a volcano kettle (better known as Kelly Kettles or Ghillie Kettles)!

I have a little roller to form up the sheets, so that was an interesting exercise, working out the radius (radii?) of the cuts. Once I worked that all out I cut it up on the plasma cutter.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/03/343.jpg

Welding 1mm ali is a trick! If you're not careful , you end up with a gaping hole pretty quickly. With a bit of patience, it started to take shape.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/03/344.jpg

The first prototype of the base was a dud. Not very stable, so I made a (simpler) three pointed stainless steel tripod that was much better.

I tested it all out last night. Works a treat :D

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/03/345.jpg

Boiling water in about 4 minutes, and it uses almost no fuel to do that!

A lot more details on how it was built here: Building-a-Volcano-Kettle (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1335/Building-a-Volcano-Kettle)

Am thinking it might be good to paint it in some hi-temp exhaust paint...

[slug_burner]

Well done, it looks a treat. No need for paint. Not unless you want to colour match it to your other pots and pans.

[spudboy]

Made some steps last weekend, to make it easier to get in/out of the canopy. The ladder is OK if you're not carrying anything, but steps make it much easier.

I cut out 4 steps on the plasma cutter, putting in perforations to make them non-slip.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/04/1323.jpg

The steps sit on 2 rails and pivot, which makes them compact for storing away.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/04/1324.jpg

This is the finished product, with the yellow 'landing pad' pulled out to give side access:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/04/1325.jpg

This is how they pivot:
http://youtu.be/6uH3tmdoRZM

Lots more details on how they were built here: Stairs (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1337/Stairs)

[slug_burner]

Plasma cut holes are going too reduce mass, don't know about non slip! If the holes were punched out to produce a raised edge that would provide something to bite into the soles of the shoes.

Clever arrangement results in compact storage.

[spudboy]

I tried punching the holes out on an earlier prototype, but the steps got badly distorted. Punching gave each hole a nice raised 'lip' which was super non-slip, but just having the holes cut also stops the Ali being slippery.

And yes - it is quite compact when folded up.

[spudboy]

This is quite a belated post to say we are on our way. Actually, we are 3 weeks into our 8 week trip and currently sitting in Fitzroy Crossing, near to Broome in WA. Not all that many spots with internet connectivity out this way!!

So far we have done just over 4,500Kms from Adelaide. Some days we do a lot of KMs, other days we do none. Today we went for a small cruise at Geike Gorge but then we spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool :) Mostly we are free camping as we are fully self contained, but every so often we wimp out and stop at a nice park or lodge for proper (long) showers and 240 volts and pools and things.

Our big unknown was the Tanami Track, which is 1000Kms from Alice Springs to Halls Creek. We were a bit worried how the truck would go with all the corrugations and wash-outs, but it did extremely well. Zero dramas. Which has given us a lot more confidence in it.

Here's a report of the drive up the Tanami: Tanami-Track (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1345/Tanami-Track)

And a couple of photos:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/05/961.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/05/962.jpg

Fuel usage was really good (for a 10 tonne truck) at 23.2 litres per 100Km.

Next stop is Broome to re-supply, and then up to Cape Leveque for some beach time and some fishing.

Cheers
David

[Homestar]

Same fuel usage as my 101... Except yours weighs 5 times what mine does... :D

Good to hear the trucks doing its job well. :)

[spudboy]

Thanks!

Are you sure a 101 only weighs 2 tonnes though? I thought they'd be something like 4 or 5 tonnes....

[Homestar]

Yep, just on 2 tonne. It may look big, but it's a big aluminium and canvas box full of fresh air...

Stripped down it gets to around 1,800Kg. They were designed to be air portable using the Wessex helicopter.

I probably had around 1/2 tonne of stuff in the back while towing the van though (mostly cases of wine...) :angel:

[loanrangie]

David, would it have been possible to make the cab/camper body walk thru ?
I understand this brings up a lot of complications but wondering if it was a consideration at any point ?

[spudboy]

Yes - I'd love to have a walk through, and have a vague plan to do this in future.

When I got the body shell built, I asked them for a quote for a walk through, and it came back at $7,500, which I thought was over the top! So I dropped that idea.

It would be really good to be able to get through without going outside, so I guess I'll tackle this job when I get a week up my sleeve.

[spudboy]

Yep, just on 2 tonne. It may look big, but it's a big aluminium and canvas box full of fresh air...



Amazingly light! A Disco 3 or 4 weighs more than that :eek:

[spudboy]

I know it's out of sequence, but I remembered that I hadn't posted anything about the awning/sunshade I made, and this morning I put it up for the first time to keep things cooler in the 32 degree Broome sun.

It is made from truck vinyl and shadecloth, in a very simple wind up/down design.

This is how it looks when it is out:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/05/924.jpg

And this is the view from inside!
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/05/925.jpg

More details on how it was made here:
Awning/Sunshade (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1346)

[cjc_td5]

Great truck, great trip and a sensational view!!! I am insanely jealous :-)

Broome weather looks great. Enjoy. Are you going up the grr?

[spudboy]

Great truck, great trip and a sensational view!!! I am insanely jealous :-)

Broome weather looks great. Enjoy. Are you going up the grr?

Well, we are on our way to Cape Leveque, so the beach near Broome is just a stop over for a couple of nights.

After Cape Leveque we're wandering along the Gibb River Road for a couple of weeks, ending up at El Questro and then Kununurra.

Have just come inside from a fabulous sunset with a Gin & Tonic sitting in the sandhills. Much MUCH better than my usual working Wednesday :D

[goingbush]

Hey Spudboy.
we are a couple of days behind you at Fitzroy Crossing, no dramas on the Tanami, we will spend a few weeks in Broome before the GRR so might miss you this time !!

..Don

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/05/813.jpg

[Sitec]

Yes - I'd love to have a walk through, and have a vague plan to do this in future.

When I got the body shell built, I asked them for a quote for a walk through, and it came back at $7,500, which I thought was over the top! So I dropped that idea.

It would be really good to be able to get through without going outside, so I guess I'll tackle this job when I get a week up my sleeve.

Give me a shout when you do.. Have pics of how it used to be done on the Africa trucks, and have a web page for an airbag design.. Not convinced with either, and will prob just have two doors linking ours like on trains. Does away with the movement/leakage issues.. Dad looked at a Powershift V8 Merc in the UK yesterday.. The right money at $15000 too!! :)

[Sitec]

Hey Spudboy.
we are a couple of days behind you at Fitzroy Crossing, no dramas on the Tanami, we will spend a few weeks in Broome before the GRR so might miss you this time !!

..Don

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/05/813.jpg

Jealous of you both!! Lifestyle change happening here so it can be us within a few yrs!! :)

[spudboy]

Hey Spudboy.
we are a couple of days behind you at Fitzroy Crossing, no dramas on the Tanami, we will spend a few weeks in Broome before the GRR so might miss you this time !!

..Don



We're leaving Broome today, heading up to Cape Leveque, but coming back down to start the Gibb River Road in 4 or 5 days, so we'll keep a look out for you.

[goingbush]

Hey David, how did you go on the GRR ?

have you seen this Overlanding Family | A family of 4 driving around the world. (http://www.overlandingfamily.com)

[spudboy]

The Gibb River Road was great. No dramas with the MAN and heaps of excellent places to visit.

We did the 'usual' GRR destinations: Winjana Gorge; Tunnel Creek; Bells; Ellendale; Home Valley; El Questro (Zebidee Springs/Emma Gorge/etc).

Best gorges were El Questro Gorge and Bell Gorge. El Questro was woefully organised. Took us nearly an hour to check in. Front desk staff hopeless, so that 'soured' things a bit, but the location is stunning.

Before GRR we did 4 days up at Cape Leveque, and that was stunning. Beach-front camping. We even caught 3 good sized fish from off the beach!

Hope you're going well. We are heading back south ATM to go and see the Finke Desert Race, starting at Alice Springs tomorrow.

HEAPS of caravans and grey nomads heading north, so it's going to be seriously busy up there soon.

Cheers
David

[DiscoMick]

Came to this thread late and am really enjoying it. You're a handy man with the tools.

Sent from my GT-P5210 using AULRO mobile app

[worane]

I have to agree with you Mick. Is there anything this man can NOT make!
Thank you Spudboy.

[spudboy]

Well, I am thinking of making another one!!

For Sale: 2013-MAN-TGM-4x4-Double-Cab Expedition Truck (http://www.caravancampingsales.com.au/buy/private/SSE-AD-3477445/2013-MAN-TGM-4x4-Double-Cab)

I've advertised it for sale to see what response I get.

Got an enquiry on the 1st day from a bloke up in Wollongong, so we'll see if he's serious or not in the next week or so.

[Judo]

I'm curious David, when did you start going crazy, or was it a spontaneous event? :o

I can't believe it!

What would you build next? Another MAN or something different?

[spudboy]

Haha - I love building things!!

I have got 2 plans in mind:

1; My son is working in Oxford (UK) for 3 years, so one plan is to sell the truck here and go to the UK and buy another truck to tour around Europe in for 2 or 3 years. There are a few for sale in Germany/Netherlands that are similar to the MAN. I did look into shipping my truck to Europe, but it seems inordinately complicated and quite expensive. For this plan to work, my missus would have to resign, and she's not sure if she wants to. She also said I have to sell the truck here if I want to buy another one in Europe!

2; Using the experience of building this truck, I'd build another one here (in Australia). I'd still buy a MAN, and I'd still have the canopy made by the same people who made the first one, but I'd just buy a single cabin, instead of the dual cab, and that would give me a bit more room in the canopy. It was fun travelling with another couple, but we liked being just the two of us better and if other people want to tag along then maybe they just hire their own car. I'd also make it slightly lower, as you don't need 2100mm internal headroom.

If it doesn't sell, then I'll keep modifying what I've got, as it is an excellent unit. But I just thought that while it was "As New" I'd probably get a better price for it to start the next project.

[Sitec]

If you're serious about building another, go with a sleeper cab. When the 101 sells, the truck I have lined up is a sleeper. Plenty of room behind the seats for dogs, bags etc, but also set up as a 'guest bedroom'. I'm still going for the older fixable Mercedes, but with the Wifetec friendly EPS Gearbox. Plan to one day drive from here to the UK, or ship out there and drive back. Its easier to travel south thru Africa than it is North.

[KarlB]

How have you the Frolic sleeping system David? I am thinking about using the same in my Iveco.

Cheers
KarlB

[spudboy]

Yes - it is called Froli, and it looks like this:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/07/1107.jpg

There's details of how it clips together and a link to their website here: Setting-up-the-bed (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/295/Setting-up-the-bed)

From memory it cost about $300-ish, which seems expensive for a few plastic squares, but it works really well. It keeps airflow under the mattress and stops things going moldy, and also makes the mattress more comfortable.

HTH
David

[spudboy]

I've finally got around to making a blog post and a video about our 8 week holiday to the Kimberleys.

The video's got a mix of landscapes, the truck and people (mainly us!) and it'll give you a good idea of how things look up that way if you are thinking of doing something similar.

As a quick one paragraph summary, it was a brilliant trip. Truck performed well and all the hand-built stuff I'd made worked nicely. It is a very easy way to travel. Biggest cost was diesel, but we saved a lot on accommodation.

We wimped out in Kununurra (half way point) and checked into a luxury apartment with a huge pool due to the highest May temperatures they'd had in 20 years or something. It was seriously hot at night, staying over 30 degrees overnight a couple of times, so an air-conditioned room and swimming all day beguiled us.

Favourite spot was Middle Lagoon, up at Cape Leveque. Just heaven:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/07/769.jpg

For more pictures & etc check out this post: Kimberley Trip 2015 (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1347)

For the video, check out this link. Watch it on YouTube (instead of below) - it's in High Definition and looks better bigger:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64hwcKZ2frM

[spudboy]

Also, if you are interested in how the composting toilet worked, see here:
Composting-Toilet-Feedback (http://daviddeere.net.au/dnnd2/en-us/Blog/Post/1348/Composting-Toilet-Feedback)

Just a heads up - there is a picture of 2 months worth of 'compost' so turn away now if that's too much for you :)

[Sitec]

Hi there. From memory your generator is a Honda EU3.. Is it plenty big enough? Would an EU2 run a truck, or do you need the extra? Cheers.

[spudboy]

Well, if you want to run an aircon its right on the limit of the EU2 (it actually exceeds the limit). Some people report that their aircon does work with the EU2, but they have to have a few goes to get it started without hitting the safety cut-out on the gennie.

The EU3 runs the aircon, hot water and microwave all at the same time with no dramas.

Big jump up in price though. the EU2 is about $1800. The EU3 is around $4K from memory. It's also 59Kg compared to 20Kg.

BTW - the model we bought was the "Silent" EU30is (that's what the s at the end stands for anyway):

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/11/533.jpg

If you don't want aircon - then the EU2 would do nicely!

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Has to be a very late model aircon (with soft start) for the 2 to run it(maybe--), we looked at the EU3 but couldnt find the space!!:D
They are the ducks nuts though:cool:

[Sitec]

Cheers. It'll be an EU3 as I'm setting the house up so it can be disconnected in the workshop and connected to a Genset on those days when the power goes out. :)

[Sitec]

It seems you're not alone...

4x4 M.A.N. Ultimate Motor Home | Caravans | Gumtree Australia Darwin City - Darwin CBD | 1089659627 (http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/darwin-cbd/caravans/4x4-m-a-n-ultimate-motor-home/1089659627)

[spudboy]

Thanks for spotting that one for me. He's $45K more expensive than me, but it has quite a bit more gear in it than mine.

Sort of seems on par, pricing wise. It has higher Kms than mine, but it also includes a Suzuki 4WD.

[Sitec]

Here ya go. A nice looking single cab. :)

[DefenderSte]

Here ya go. A nice looking single cab. :)




Very nice indeed. I was very tempted to down the unimog route but her indoors wouldn't allow it so we settled on a 130 instead. Still im very happy with it......:)

[Sitec]

Very nice indeed. I was very tempted to down the unimog route but her indoors wouldn't allow it so we settled on a 130 instead. Still im very happy with it......:)

I got Wifetec around that.. Took her to see Spudboys truck. Didn't need to say anything.. The double bed, toilet, shower and galley kitchen made the decision for me!! ;)