My new overland project

[Dave_S]

Heat/cold won't be an issue with the truck, as the living box will be made from 60mm foam sandwich grp, with no thermal bridges. Cool in the heat, warm in the cold.

Have now started the first stage planing for the Victron 24v electrical system which will include provision for heating, hot water and aircon.

This is a much more complex and involved build than I at first thought!!!

Yup! TBH, even on my little Sprinter 4x4 build, the planning and sourcing took waaaaaay longer than the actual build. Its easy to burn money on this stuff by doing things more than once.

 

[Olazz]

So have now completed the initial drawings for the 24v electrics. I haven't decided whether to stick with gel batteries (and the huge weight issue) or go for Li ion (cost ) but almost 100kg weight saving. If anyone know of a discounted supplier of Li ion batteries, please shout. Solar panels will be upgraded to 4x 190w to cope with European and Alaskan winters.

 

[grantw]

I've been contemplating these for my camp trailer - not sure if it falls inline of discounted supplier or not.

https://www.ev-power.eu/Winston-40A...t-with-200Ah-cells-BMS-mobile-monitoring.html

The winston cells don't seem to get too much negative press in the past few years but I have read negative ones from 5plus years ago.

If you want a very DIY solution that would give you at least 800ah (5.6 KWh) equivalent of the AGM batteries you could have a tesla module and wire a BMS into it. Conveniently they are at the 24volt mark too.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tesla-Mod...:Tesla&hash=item1c931d4bc7:g:CoYAAOSwvjdZURui

 

[GeekOKent]

At what point does it become better to go down the generator route ?

 

[Olazz]

Grant:
That looks like very usefull information indeed, much obliged !.

Geek:
There are several problems with sole reliance on a genset.: Size; a suitable genny needs to be at least 6kw. Weight; very vey heavy. Noise; unlike a boat, there is no undewater silencing so is a real irritation. No redundancy; what if the geset fails? I am intending to carry a portable honda 2kw petrol as a backup emegrency.
The system above will produce sufficient power to run aircon 5hrs max. The heating will be diesel dry air and a separate Hydronic water system. Cooking will probably be an LPG afair (although I really would like to avoid having any gas on board). To power an electric hob etc I'd need to ramp up the power and inverter considerably and that just adds significantly to the complexity and the cost. The system as is, based on initial draw of all appliances from fridges to laptop charging, should allow me to remain offgrid and self sufficient for up to 2 weeks without having to move. As it's unlikely we'll ever stop for that length of time in one spot without moving, its a moot point.

 

[Dave_S]

Have you considered diesel hob/oven? They are expensive, but at least you can use a common fuel supply.

 

[Olazz]

Dave I've tried diesel fuelled stoves before. They are dirty and not particularly reliable, particularly at altitude. I really don't want to have to carry spares and to rejet/clean the darn thing before use. Anything thing that I have to move to "get at", fix before each use, adjust/repair/stretch/brace or bodge, is an absolute non starter. Had enough laughable overlanding experiences to demand simple, quick, & effective solutions.
If I arrive and can't be fully set up in 5 minutes, then I don't want it.

Table out, chairs out, beers in hand. Gas on - flame - cook !

 

[Dave_S]

Cant argue with that! TBH I still use a wee portable gas stove most of the time for that very reason... sounds like you've already surpassed my limited experience, mate.

 

[Olazz]

Well after a week of driving from the Pyrenees, the truck is finally here. Pretty amazing thing to drive on the roads. Hugely powerful and fast, and the enormous torque allows it to very easily accelerate to illegal speeds even in top. Passing long-lines of HGV's on French autoroutes, was a real blast! Had truckers taking pics on their phones as we came past. Mobbed everywhere we stopped.

Very comfortable and stable, with little to no body roll. LOTS of road noise from those huge tyres and the suspension is a little too firm with unpadded bucket seats. That will be one of the first things to change. Lights are crap, and spots are almost too powerful for road use.

It is taller than most trucks on the road and the driving position and view from the cockpit is fantastic. The 16speed box took a few days to to get used to, and only on day 6, did I finally have a day with no missed changes or incorrect gear selection.

Top row: spots, limiter switch, engine brake, sos switch
Botom row: Diff locks, 50% reduction gears and 1000l fuel tanks.

The Syegon CTIS system is a great piece of kit, with several different settings for different road conditions and tyre problems. Can run air constantly to a single tyre to keep it inflated if punctured and will check each tyre pressure every 15sec if required.

1400km total trip and fuel economy was a surprising 19l/100 km = 12mpg. (my 80 only gives me 16mpg!)

Been through 2 of the 10 boxes of spares, and I think I can virtually rebuild the top end with what I found. I seldom "luck out" but I think I got a bargain (relatively speaking). There is a new spare intercooler and new radiator in the truck too.

Having had a week to look at the truck properly, It's in better mechanical condition than I had supposed (although the owner did say it was ready to do the next rally and had been fully rebuilt/serviced in December last year after it competed in the Moscow to Beijing rally) It does need cosmetic work, which will come with its change.

I'm almost reluctant to change it and am tempted to go rallying instead !!!

 

[Chris]

Mate, it's the mutt's. Nice to see there is a spare seat for me too. Just wondering how we'll mount the Tex on the back though ...

 

[Gary820]

It's a beauty
Looking forward to the build/rally pictures

 

[Animal Mother]

Awesome!

 

[Scott]

Sounds like the trip home was a blast. Watching this project with interest.

 

[AndyCook]

Very very nice

 

[nick_the_fish]

yep that is some piece of kit. Looking forward to watching this project.

 

[Dave_S]

Not your usual Overland lorry! Looks like a hell of a lot of fun. Watching

 

[GeekOKent]

Looks like a great project. Very Keenly watching what you do with it, and where you go in it.

 

[StarCruiser]

I remember seeing, I think, Ben Fogle travelling to remote places where various people had decided to live. One was in South America and he and the family were living long term in one. Admittedly I think it was probably 70% bigger than yours but they do make amazing campers if done well.

I too will have my eyes glued to this. If your cruiser conversion is anything to go by, this is going to be superb.

 

[Olazz]

Mate, it's the mutt's. Nice to see there is a spare seat for me too. Just wondering how we'll mount the Tex on the back though ...

I tell you what CJ, you bring Tex down and leave it in my care for a few weeks whilst we design and build a lift. Will be all ready for you to use at the next Allrad or A/O show.

Admittedly I think it was probably 70% bigger than yours but they do make amazing campers if done well.

Yep there are some truly spectacular trucks out there. We met a Swiss couple in Tanzania in a MAN TGS 33t, 6 wheel drive, with a huge 4x4 Polaris quad in a garage under the rear overhang. The cabin was 9m long and they had the chassis and wheelbase extended to accommodate the huge box!!. Everything on the truck was hydraulic. Leveller legs, garage doors, front and rear winches, tyre loaders, tool box trays on hydraulic drawers....and all touch button remote control. The interior was like a palatial hotel suite, with separate facilities for him and her, granite and marble everywhere. They had shipped to Namibia and were driving around southern Africa for 2 years. We got talking about built time and cost and he said "don't say to my wife, but I spent in excess of €1,000,000".

Mine will be less excessive and considerably less expensive.

 

[StarCruiser]

The cabin was 9m long and they had the chassis and wheelbase extended to accommodate the huge box!!. Everything on the truck was hydraulic. Leveller legs, garage doors, front and rear winches, tyre loaders, tool box trays on hydraulic drawers....and all touch button remote control. The interior was like a palatial hotel suite, with separate facilities for him and her, granite and marble everywhere. They had shipped to Namibia andWe got talking about built time and cost and he said "don't say to my wife, but I spent in excess of €1,000,000".

Nice to see overlanding on a budget…