Here's my favorite TC from the 2013 Overland Expo

RobertRyan wrote:

Valhalla360 wrote:
'm not saying these rigs couldn't go places my F250 & pickup camper wouldn't be able to but the evidence suggests most of them never do

Crossing streams that cover the body of the TC is a big no no for a conventional TC. The 6 X6 things go through some very steep mud trails.
ON THE OTHER HAND if you are basically using a tarred road and SOME light dirt roads a normal 4 X4 Pickup will do.

You're missing the point. I agree, these trucks can go places your average pickup truck can't. My point is the evidence I've found is most are just trophies that never used for their designed purpose.

I see the same thing when we are cruising on our boat. The bigger the boat, the more likely it sits at a marina and never goes out.

Maybe the guy who keeps going on about jealousy really does use them for thier design purpose but if he does he's the rare individual.

rjsurfer wrote:
Totally useless in the East.....

Unless, maybe, I don't know....you get a hurricane or a blizzard and still need to get somewhere? Do those ever happen on the east coast?

Useless on an overgrown Jeep trail? Maybe. Useless in a downtown parking garage? Probably. A blanket statement of "useless" for the entire east region is pretty....well....useless.

Charlie, what do you mean "secret" jealousy? Some of us are quite openly jealous. I am not sure I would like to actually own a monster truck, but I would sure love to borrow one for a couple of weeks. The RV rental firms are missing a potential market -- imagine a Unimog with a big "CruiseAmerica" sticker on the side!

rjsurfer wrote:
Totally useless in the East.....

But I could drive down the block and make the neighbors think it's garbage day.

Ron W.

That is the kind of smarmy, sarcastic comment that I was referring to. Also reeks of secret jealousy.

Charlie

Totally useless in the East.....

But I could drive down the block and make the neighbors think it's garbage day.

Ron W.

Valhalla360 wrote:
'm not saying these rigs couldn't go places my F250 & pickup camper wouldn't be able to but the evidence suggests most of them never do

Crossing streams that cover the body of the TC is a big no no for a conventional TC. The 6 X6 things go through some very steep mud trails.
ON THE OTHER HAND if you are basically using a tarred road and SOME light dirt roads a normal 4 X4 Pickup will do.

Steve_in_29 wrote:

Can't expect a guy with a TT running from campground-to-campground to appreciate the attraction of the out of the way places even a stock TC can get to, let alone where a setup such as this thread is about can go.

That's the funny thing. We are in the planning stages for driving the panamerican highway (a common route for these types of rigs) and following probably 2 dozen blogs of various rig types, they all seem to show up in the same places. I followed one where they took a 10yr old Kia Rio (compact 2wd car) and they made it to all the same stops with never a mention of getting stuck.

I'm not saying these rigs couldn't go places my F250 & pickup camper wouldn't be able to but the evidence suggests most of them never do. In fact the more common issue is they are too large so they either don't go to some places or they must park outside town and take a taxi or walk in.

If it makes you happy and you actually use the full off road capability (or even if you never leave the pavement), go for it.

Thanks Charlie. Yep, it is a Kodiak. Front axle is rated at 7K....it is a Dana 70 or 80 (would have to check my notes.) The next year they upped it to an 8K rating but with no apparent changes to it. Too many of them were overloaded as soon as people put on snow polows etc. Mine was weighing about 6500 but with my new extended hitch/frame at the back and with my 300 lb. dirt bike way up and back there behind the camper....I keep shifting weight off the front and onto the rear. I weighed on the way to the expo and I was at about 6200 on the front, 13,200 on the back. Rear is an S130 rated at 13,500.

Current tires are Michellin XDS2 245/70R19.5.

Having said that I know it is "possible" to do, and someday I may get more serious about it, but for now the combination of 1) needing to modify my storage boxes for a little more space 2) substantial cost 3) increased overall height......and a couple of others I'm keeping that one on the back burner for now. My priorities are currently focused on major electrical upgrades to make it more livable long-term being less dependant on the generator. We want our rig to be more ready for fulltiming off the grid......and rather than make the big truck more capable we depend on our 2 dirt bikes for the futher back.....and honestly We are thinking a little about using a capable off road Jeep as a toad (and with her little XR200 on that second bumper.) It would be a more practical/sensible option most likely, for North America anyway.

I checked out the Rawhyde Kodiak at the expo - it had been converted to some giants. Rated at 11,000+ each and I think 70MPH...wheels were rated at 12,000+. I think they were actually Goodyears not Michellins but they looked pretty similar to the XZL's. Of course, massive suspension improvements, gearing changes, no height concerns....etc. etc.

Very interesting tire site for sure. That tire essentially looks like a semi-super single (14" wide) but in a 19.5. You couldn't air down much but still might float better than my dually? Looks very interesting regardless.....but for the time being probably off in wishful thinking land for us.

m37charlie wrote:
Thank you Steve. The sarcasm of these guys that seem to never get more than 100' from pavement - and never have driven outside N. America with their campers - is so thick you can cut it with a knife.
And I don't want to seem like a 1% elitist or something, but I really don't care how much the tires cost if they get me where I want to go, and last a while and are reliable. One NEEDS tires with a decent large footprint and designed to run at lower pressures with a CTIS system to get a 26K lb vehicle into some tough places.

Charlie

It seems some people feel threatened by others who aren't as constrained as they are and thus feel the need to make snide comments. Many also seem to feel that just because "they" can't enjoy the freedom and see no need for it in their limited world, that no one else should be able to enjoy it either.

btggraphix wrote:
FWIW, I apprecatie you guys with the big offroad trucks participating here on the forum and keeping us honest. Your real-world experience is great, both for a dose of reality and for the dose of the super-cool fantasy trucks.

I spent about $2K on my set of 6 tires for the record, and have about 60K on them and they are pretty much shot. Would love to slap on a set of 4 XZL's and wheels and be able to air down and get onto deeper sand. But that bird chirping in my ear says "wouldn't it be more practical to have an awesome off-road Jeep as a toad instead?" You could just about buy a Jeep for the price of 4 tires and wheels for the big truck.....

It's all good, guys....there is no one-size fits all.

As I recall you have a Kodiak type truck. Does it have the front axle strength to deal with a super single? What type of front axle is it? Incidentally Vrakking Tyres in Netherlands
http://www.vrakking-tires.com/stock/195-inch/75-14r195-michelin-xs-new.html
has some 14R19.5 Michelin XS that are only 930mm tall = 36.7", don't know load capacity but I'd guess it is >6000 lb/tire, only 300 euro each - new.

Charlie