Love to see these monster truck campers in town

Regarding shipping costs, I have a quote from Seabridge for my Unimog camper - 7.7m long, max height 3.83m - less than 4000 euros, from Halifax to Hamburg.
In 2010-2012 I drove 20K mi in Australia including desert tracks to/from Rudall River; very close to the Canning. It was NOT "impractical". I did avoid the mts of Victoria, I had previously explored those 20 yrs previously in a HJ75 popup camper.

Charlie

sabconsulting wrote:
The Iveco 4x4 (not the flashy new one in Robert's picture - too expensive) and the Mercedes 814DA are 2 heavy duty van options we are considering as platforms for a camper in future years. The heavier duty ones with longer wheelbase and 16500 lb gross weight would provide space for a fixed bed. The Mercedes (I don't know about the Iveco) has a 9700 lb payload, so unlike our current camper (and probably most campers) you could build a camper into one, carry a motorbike on the back and still be nowhere near the design weight. Plus Mercedes (again, I don't know about Iveco) sell trucks all over the world, so getting parts should be a bit easier.

PS - thanks for sharing the photo from Mongolia - useful of the previous owner to park it upside down so we can check-out the chassis and drive-train configuration.

Steve.

Steve,
The IVECO has a vastly greater payload than the current 3 litre Mercedes, The Van is listed as having a 8,500lb payload, much greater than anything else.The 4 x4 version anywhere from 4000lb to 5,200lb, You can check but last time I looked the Mercedes was 6,500lbs for the cab chassis, the IVECO 70 has a GCVWR of 23,000lb
I now realise you are talking about the Vario, some were sold in Australia.Do not know how they would go as a Camper though.

The Iveco 4x4 (not the flashy new one in Robert's picture - too expensive) and the Mercedes 814DA are 2 heavy duty van options we are considering as platforms for a camper in future years. The heavier duty ones with longer wheelbase and 16500 lb gross weight would provide space for a fixed bed. The Mercedes (I don't know about the Iveco) has a 9700 lb payload, so unlike our current camper (and probably most campers) you could build a camper into one, carry a motorbike on the back and still be nowhere near the design weight. Plus Mercedes (again, I don't know about Iveco) sell trucks all over the world, so getting parts should be a bit easier.

PS - thanks for sharing the photo from Mongolia - useful of the previous owner to park it upside down so we can check-out the chassis and drive-train configuration.

Steve.

Yes Robert, those new expedition vehicles are are ideally made to fit into containers and to come under 4.5 tonnes (in their dreams) so they can be driven with a car license - but no, they aren't so small when alongside a regular small 4x4. My 4r x 4 daily was an old van, but still was pretty tall alongside normal traffic as you can see abandoned behind a Westfalia.
It just fits into an overheight container with the tyres let down a bit. Makes a huge difference to freight costs. Around the Darien gap, a container costs about $2000, but my F350/Bigfoot will be more like $4000. Hate to think what some of those 6 x 6 monsters would cost to ship (and to pay road tolls for in Chile anbd Argentina.)

Tony LEE at the back of my Sisters Place(at the edge of a National Park), they make Earthcruisers using the new IVECO Daily 4 x4 70C , as you can see is not all that small.

Even in South America, there really aren't that many big trucks roaming around. By far the majority are Toyota, VW, Landrover, the light trucks like Iveco and all of the van body 4X4s with all sorts of conversions on/in the back. Iceland was the same - mostly small stuff. Even Morocco was mostly conventional motorhomes and small 4WDs. Australia also.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/19930-Big-custom-camper-sightings is where you will see some big trucks.

You will see the new Iveco Daily conversions more and more. One such unit is at http://www.traveltrucks.com.au/4x4-iveco-daily and there are many European offerings. Trouble is, the cost - $200,000 - which means the cost of the camper body is about $130,000 and that is a bit hard to justify.

Seems to be a good time to remind y'all of the the Howes and their Tiger CX... http://www.travelin-tortuga.com/Travelin-Tortuga/our-vehicle/. Not exactly cheap or small, but more of both than the typical 'expedition truck'.

Jim, "Mo' coffee!"

sundowners wrote:
Hi Steve
we have come across several 'expedtion trucks' that have not gone beyond a simple road-trip of Europe !!
Like you say, it's really good to see 'ordinary' motorhomes getting off the beaten track.
We were amazed when travelling in OZ with a landy, to see VWs in really out of the way places.
We tend to be over cautious when on our own, and careful
even with another van-------we have never, yet, had the chance to push our luck off road with another 4x4 that is capable of pulling us out of trouble (we are 5.5tonne)----------it was different with L Rovers ---plenty to travel with us !!.
Nigel & Pamala

It is the choice of something that is even bigger than a Prevost Motorhome, to a something as big as a TC. Depends on what you want to do , how long you want to stay and where you want to go.

Hi Steve
we have come across several 'expedtion trucks' that have not gone beyond a simple road-trip of Europe !!
Like you say, it's really good to see 'ordinary' motorhomes getting off the beaten track.
We were amazed when travelling in OZ with a landy, to see VWs in really out of the way places.
We tend to be over cautious when on our own, and careful
even with another van-------we have never, yet, had the chance to push our luck off road with another 4x4 that is capable of pulling us out of trouble (we are 5.5tonne)----------it was different with L Rovers ---plenty to travel with us !!.
Nigel & Pamala

Here are a few of the pics I took. I thought the same about the small windows and asked about that. Large windows would compromise the structural integrity and allow unfettered attacks from the Walmart hoodlums that prowl the back alleys at night. :) It weighs 24,000K, so 50,000 plus lbs. Not a lightweight by any means. I was told that the last 4-5 that were sold in N. Amer. went to Mexico and S.Amer. so large windows wouldn't bode well in a fire fight......:)

Ok, I have to figure out how to post pics on here. This isn't working.