4X4 MOTORHOMES

[TARDIS_TIME_TRA]

I don’t know where to post this request, so here it is. I would like to suggest that a new category be added to the selection list for recreational vehicles. This category should be 4X4 Motor homes. It should include all 4X4 motor homes As, Bs, Cs, B+, C+, and Truck campers. It would be interesting to see what these folks are doing with their vehicles, where they have traveled, what problems they have and how they solve the problems. We spent 3 days at Overland Expo 2012 outside of Flagstaff AZ this past May. This is a whole segment of motorhomes with a wealth of information that most of us might be able to tap into. Please consider this request. Attached are photos of some of the vehicles that would be interesting to hear from, I'm sure there are more. Dave & Holly Fox The Tardis Time Travelers.



4X4 CLASS B 4X4



4X4 TRUCK CAMPER (SLIDE-IN UNIT)



4X4 TRUCK CAMPER (SLIDE-IN UNIT POP-TOP)



4X4 TRUCK CAMPER (SLIDE-IN UNIT SLIDE-OUTS)



4X4 EXTREME MOTORHOME-1



4X4 EXTREME MOTORHOME-2



4X4 EXTREME MOTORHOME-3



4X4 EXTREME MOTORHOME-4



4X4 EXTREME MOTORHOME-5 (EARTHROAMER)



4X4 EXTREME MOTORHOME-6 (CP CAMPER)



4X4 EXTREME MOTORHOME-7 (THE TURTLE EXPIDITION)



4X4 EXTREME MOTORHOME-8 (EARTHCRUISER)



4X4 EXTREME MOTORHOME-9 (UNIMOG)



4X4 EXTREME MOTORHOME-10 (GLOBAL X VEHICLES)



4X4 SIBERIAN TIGER



4X4 BENGAL TIGER (THE TARDIS)

[CrusinSusan]

Some of these pics remind me of where I went with my '06 View. And some of them brought on reminiscent panic attacks.

Oh, the places we should not go.

[garyhaupt]

pnichols wrote:
Outstanding addition to your rig, Gary. :C

However I'd rather mount a scooter right there for emergency transportation from, and to, out in the middle of nowhere.

Well, I guess you could have BOTH on the front to really do it right!

I am not reading this...nonononononononono



Gary Haupt

[pnichols]

Outstanding addition to your rig, Gary. :C

However I'd rather mount a scooter right there for emergency transportation from, and to, out in the middle of nowhere.

Well, I guess you could have BOTH on the front to really do it right!

[garyhaupt]

I am on my way to Death Valley end of February and will have this installed in Kamloops by the same shop that did the conversion, as I go by.





Goes in here...




And it's not about DV..it's just the soonest I can get it done. But hey...it's a fabulous reason, in my head, anyway.



Gary Haupt

[pnichols]

Also note in that video that the Class C driver didn't seem to know what to do, and when to do it ... with his front wheels.

Part of the time the front wheels were being plowed forward at an angle. That's a sure way to bury your rear wheels in even deeper as they get held up spinning too much trying to plow the front instead of constantly moving the vehicle's mass forward in the gue with as minimum resistance as possible.

[garyhaupt]

Tell you what boys..the way that guy was laughing as he bullied that C thu the mud....that wasn't the first time he's beat that horse. From what I saw, he didn't even get out to look around. That's trouble looking for a place to happen. One of the credo's of off-road, in my life, anyway, is get out and look around some, before trying to force or guess. Imagine the tow bill if he'd gotten really bogged down or worse yet, busted something.

And yes, the best move would to have just sat tight for a couple days..then again..if there was more rain coming in...time to boogie.


Gary Haupt

[Tiger4x4RV]

I just watched that video. Sure don't think I'd want to do that to my Tiger. I might choose to just camp out there until things dried up a bit.

Since I travel solo, I have to stay safe and keep my vehicle in one piece. I've used up all of my risk points by being alone. Nobody along to take videos or to pull me out.

BTW, re the 2WD/4WD issue: very few of my Tiger miles are in 4WD. My former RV had hubs which had to be locked, so it probably did a higher percentage in 4WD. The Tiger has buttons on the dash, so I can just shift on the fly and do a few tricky feet in 4WD and then switch back to 2WD.

Also, my former RV had DRW and the Tiger is SRW. DRW was better in the desert sand, SRW is better overall for the type of driving I do.

[pnichols]

Greg,

Thanks for the link to that great video of a Class C motorhome showing it's stuff holding it's own on roads that it shouldn't have been on in the first place ... clay desert roads after rain or thawing snow.

It was not the "small" Class C that I had in mine (it looked to be at least 26 feet - maybe 27 feet). However, the video beautifully demonstrated what the extreme weight on the rear drive wheels of a 2X4 Class C could do versus what the much lighter weight 4X4 pickups could do. The rear duals on the Class C probably gave it a bit more floatation on that soft surface than what the others had, too.

[GWolfe]

I came across this video of a class C off road the other day.

[pnichols]

By the way, regarding 2X4 versus 4X4 when offroad in a small Class A/B+/C rig:

Note that these type RVs will have an awful lot of weight on the rear wheels ... probably more weight than what's usually on the drive wheels of truck camper pickups, 5th wheel towing pickups, and trailer towing vehicles. For this reason a heavy on the rear 2X4 and 4X4 small Class A/B+/C motorhome may have an advantage over both 2X4 and 4X4 truck camper pickups, 5th wheel towing pickups, and trailer towing vehicles. This superb rear drive wheel traction due to a large amount of weight will also help to make small any advantage that a 4X4 small Class A/B+/C has over a 2X4 small Class A/B+/C.

Of course in real soft stuff this could make you sink fast in the rear, too ... so in these situations driven front wheels would be more of an, and maybe a critical, advantage.

[pnichols]

Excellent photos and comments EMD360 and Tiger4X4RV!

Your experiences are exactly what my concept of a forum for these type of small 2X4 and 4X4 ClassA/B+/C motorhome adventures should include.

As I've said before ... why should the truck camper folks have all the fun?

[Tiger4x4RV]

Gorilla tape is good for plumbing. Don't ask me how I know this. And don't get me started on trees that eat the stuff on the roof: railing, vent caps, etc. FYI for dirt road newbies: Don't get so absorbed in where you are putting the wheels that you forget where the roof is!

Would I change any of this? Nope. I've had a lot of great adventures, been to many spots that the old Toyota Corolla could never have gone, come back from gorgeous hikes to a hot shower and iced beverages at the trailhead.

[EMD360]

I believe that after having the experience of this type of RV'ing, we are "spoiled" and have to adjust our expectations to camp in a park. We don't drive through water because we have done most of our camping in Arizona. We don't think it is "extreme" because we do it and we are not extreme types, just a couple of older folks who enjoy hiking in "wilderness" areas. We hike a mile or two and come back to a delicious grilled dinner, a warm bed and a movie on the TV. But this luxury has "cost" us. I'd love a 4x4 rv like Gary Haupt's, but we don't want to spend the money on one. So we are using an older but wonderful Itasca 2X4 and we do stay on the roads, just roads that we are happy other RVs are mostly not using!

This is a 10 mile mostly one lane road from Arizona's Four Peaks Wilderness to Lake Roosevelt.

Some pretty scary curves and rocky spots.

The resulting damage to our steps. Decided to replace them and our training wheels that were lost on the road.
What did we learn from this adventure? Be sure the training wheel bolts are tight before a trip? Be sure the rocks don't tear off your electric steps? Carry spare plumbing parts? (actually had something I could rig up but missed a hiking afternoon to do it) Buck up, you love this type of camping!

[RobertRyan]

Some we can get in Australia. Earthcruiser you know about.VW makes a 4 x4 Off road smaller Van
An SLR Motorhome(seen one of these driving around city streets)

All Terrain Warriors


VW Van