looking for new truck, questions

[ClearBranchValley]

I have been reading the various information posted and have some questions; however don't know where to begin...?

I have been wondering where the FUSO folks get there Truck Insurance and How do they "insure" the RV part of the truck...?

I have talked to several insurance companies and they will insure the truck but not any camper or expedition type box that would be placed on top of it similar to the FUSO's pictured on this Board.

Also, wondered if it is possible to leave a telephone number in a post to this or any other thread so as to be contacted by anyone who is willing to share info about the insurance question and a thousand other questions I have about building a FG or an FM FUSO...?

Peace of JesusChrist,
Http://www.JesusOnline.com/
*Tom.

[Lynn]

I have been reading the various information posted and have some questions; however don't know where to begin...?//clip//*Tom.


Welcome, Tom.

If you fill out your profile, it will help get answers.

For instance, I think pretty much anywhere in the US a truck with a permanent camper installed is titled, registered, and insured as an RV.

Are you in the US?

[ClearBranchValley]

Hello Lynn,

Thank you for your Reply ......and yes the word "permanent" seems to be the sticking point.

I want to get a frame and like Caryle and the others mount the camper box on the frame; but I have found a Hook-Lift truck with three steel beds of which I can use one as a dump truck and build the camper or mount a camper on the other one; however, according to the insurance company the camper "must" be a "permanent" part of the truck welded to the frame and not removable.......

...........however, I have seen other rigs on here that have removable campers as part of how they want to be able to offload and run the truck without the camper.........so this word "permanent" vs. removable is where the problem seems to be the the insurance folks I have talked to so far; that is why I was wondering how the folks with removalbe campers get insurance?

I will work on the profile as you recommended.

Peace of JesusChrist,
Http://www.JesusOnline.com/
*Tom.

[kerry]

My truck is registered as an RV (motorhome) in Colorado. Nobody asked whether the camper was removable or not when I called my insurance company to insure it.

[ClearBranchValley]

Yes, if my truck met all the requirements of an RV then I could insure it as an RV; however, the insurance company told me that to qualify as an RV it had to met all the requirements of an RV........and since the truck I am looking at is basically a dump truck that I want to put an RV camper inside of and that way have "multiple uses" for the same truck..........so far no allowance seems to be made for that kind of duality.

However, since I have seen some folks with big trucks with campers that can be removed I was wondering how they get insurance; since the insurance company told me the camper needs to be "permanent" to qualify for an RV.

If this was a pick-up truck with an insert that would be totally different as far as I can figure out at this point in time.

But the larger trucks like the FG140 and up for a dual purpose vehicle is where the problem seems to originate.

So, probalby need some kind of specialized insurance and thought that some of the folks with the large removable exp. type campers might know where this kind of special insurance can be purchased?

Thank you for your response.

Peace of JesusChrist,
Http://www.JesusOnline.com/
*Tom.

[kerry]

Mine is roughly the same kind of vehicle as you have in mind, an FG, although instead of a dump body it has a service body. When I registered it at the DMV I told them I was going to use it as a motorhome and they registered it that way. Nobody looked at it or disputed the fact that it was a motorhome since it could be dual purpose. Same with insurance company.

[ClearBranchValley]

Hello Kerry,

Is it ok to ask the name of the insurrance company you have yours insured with?

I have other questions about the possibility of making an FM into a 4x4 and read some stuff on Darrin Finks homepage at RUF and left some messages on voice mail and email but haven't heard back as of yet so was wondering if anyone knows if Darrin is still in business or not?

Thanks.

Peace of JesusChrist,
Http://www.JesusOnline.com/
*Tom.

[kerry]

American Family. I have another motorhome insured with them also. They never asked any question about removeability or not with that either.
Are you looking at that bargain FG Dump Truck on Craigslist?

[ClearBranchValley]

Thanks for the referral; and no to the dump.

I think I know the one you are referring to - the one recently listed on this thread or one of the others - the one with over 300K.

I have looked at a zillion trucks and read tons of posts on this website and after a while things get blurred and mixed together.

Also, was wondering if anyone on this site know of any upfitters here in Missouri close to Columbia or St. Louis Missouri who do this kind of work...?

Thanks.

Peace of JesusChrist,
Http://www.y-origins.com/
*Tom.

[kerry]

No, there's one on Craigslist somewhere right now with pretty low mileage for about $5k.

[ClearBranchValley]

Not sure how to use craiglist - also from reading the posts I see each craiglist is advertised State by State; do you have the URL for the truck you are referring to...?

Peace of JesusChrist,
Http://www.y-origins.com/
*Tom.

[kerry]

I use www.crazedlist.org to search a bunch of states at the same time. Can't see it right now. I may have different states checked on my office computer and perhaps I saw it there. It was green.

[lehel1]

hello all

our insurance is with state farm, and no problem with the camper being placed on the bed and covered, its as hauling anything else. we do pay the full insurance for the truck as a commercial truck and this covers anything we put on it.
theoredicly this also goes for registering the truck in calif. since we remove the camper it cannot be registered as an rv, hence we pay the higher fees for registration, insurance and have to meet the chp commercial truck requirements. although when questioning the chp weather we have to go thru the weigh scales with the camper on, the answer was we probably would not incounter any trouble if we bypass the scales when we have the camper on. but if we run into an unhappy chp officer we legally are just a truck hauling a camper and could get cited for running the scales. this is difinitly a grey area for the "california hiway patrol" and told this happening would be an unlikely event.
if we kept the camper on then we could register it as an rv, and then insure it as an rv thru state farm. nothing else special needed we're told. we'll be doing this in the future once we retire from our store.

the bottom line is, don't plan on trying to save money registering your dual purpose rig as an rv and get caught with your camper off in california. also don't plan on saving money on your insurance telling them you got an rv and then take your camper off once in awhile or have it registered as a commercial truck. either way the chp will nail you big time as you won't have the required much higher insurance needed to operate a commercial truck in california.

hope this helps cheers lehel and laura

p.s. almost forgot, the way the chp catchs you here is the licence plates have different starting letter/number combanation for commercial trucks and rv's. also this applies to all pickup trucks (all trucks in california are considered commercial, just different catagories). pickup trucks with campers on them, you can register them as rv's if your camper is bolted on and kept on and save registration and insurance fees, but if you remove them your no longer an rv and can get ticketed and fined for not paying your weight fee's and having appropraite insurance.

[lehel1]

hello all

our insurance is with state farm, and no problem with the camper being placed on the bed and covered, its as hauling anything else. we do pay the full insurance for the truck as a commercial truck and this covers anything we put on it.
theoredicly this also goes for registering the truck in calif. since we remove the camper it cannot be registered as an rv, hence we pay the higher fees for registration, insurance and have to meet the chp commercial truck requirements. although when questioning the chp weather we have to go thru the weigh scales with the camper on, the answer was we probably would not incounter any trouble if we bypass the scales when we have the camper on. but if we run into an unhappy chp officer we legally are just a truck hauling a camper and could get cited for running the scales. this is difinitly a grey area for the "california hiway patrol" and told this happening would be an unlikely event.
if we kept the camper on then we could register it as an rv, and then insure it as an rv thru state farm. nothing else special needed we're told. we'll be doing this in the future once we retire from our store.

the bottom line is, don't plan on trying to save money registering your dual purpose rig as an rv and get caught with your camper off in california. also don't plan on saving money on your insurance telling them you got an rv and then take your camper off once in awhile or have it registered as a commercial truck. either way the chp will nail you big time as you won't have the required much higher insurance needed to operate a commercial truck in california.

hope this helps cheers lehel and laura

[ClearBranchValley]

Hello Kerry,

I have seen a few new green FG's but so far nothing green with low miles...if you find it at work I will take a look........

.........I went to crazedlist and craigslist and both look to scary and complicated for my computer skills which are limited :-).

Thanks.

Peace of JesusChrist,
Http://www.y-jesus.com/
*Tom.

[ClearBranchValley]

Thanks for explaining how it is in california - this gives me more ideas as to what to ask for as far as coverage here in Missouri - I talked to three different insurance companies and so far one said no camper box at all and the last one said if I insure the commercial truck I can haul the camper box like anything else but they will not insure the camper box being hauled on the truck unless it is "permanently" attached as in welded to the frame...?...then they would insure a camper up to but not over the value of the truck itself..........I got a few more telephone numbers today to call tomorrow to ask more questions so will also call State Farm and American Insurance to see what they have to say.

Thanks again.

Peace of JesusChrist,
Http://www.y-origns.com/
*Tom.

[ersatzknarf]

Hello Tom,

Darrin is still in business. I have been in very recent contact with him regarding windows. He is a one-man operation, so it does sometimes take a little time for him to respond, but he has been very helpful and responsive to my inquiries.

Hope this helps.


Frank


Hello Kerry,

Is it ok to ask the name of the insurrance company you have yours insured with?

I have other questions about the possibility of making an FM into a 4x4 and read some stuff on Darrin Finks homepage at RUF and left some messages on voice mail and email but haven't heard back as of yet so was wondering if anyone knows if Darrin is still in business or not?

Thanks.

Peace of JesusChrist,
Http://www.JesusOnline.com/
*Tom.

[VicHanson]

If all goes well, tomorrow night I could be the owner of a "new" 2001 Isuzu NPR HD with 58,000 miles. A friend is looking at it for me, with authority to make the purchase for me. I might have trouble getting to sleep tonight!

Anyway, it comes with a 14' box, with a lift gate, which I will have to take off and try to sell. It is in Florida and I will be registering it in Minnesota, hopefully as an RV. I hadn't given it much thought until seeing this thread, so hope I won't have any problems. I can either do it by internet/mail or have my sister in Minn. do it and send the plates to FL, not sure which is best. If I can find a truck camper, I will mount (permanently) that on before driving to Minn.

I see there is also an option of getting a 30 day temporary license for someone from out of state, to drive it back to their home state. Not sure which is best.

Does anyone have experience with this? What did you do to drive yours back to Colorado, Chip?

Thanks,
Vic

[kerry]

Dealer provided me with a temporary plate to drive my FG from NC to CO. I also bought a one trip plate once to drive a newly purchased MB van from CA to CO.

[kerry]

This is the one I had in mind. Body of the dump was green , not the truck. Low miles.

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/1482875633.html

I'd want to check for rust and cracks coming from that part of the country.

[able]

If all goes well, tomorrow night I could be the owner of a "new" 2001 Isuzu NPR HD with 58,000 miles. A friend is looking at it for me, with authority to make the purchase for me. I might have trouble getting to sleep tonight!

Anyway, it comes with a 14' box, with a lift gate, which I will have to take off and try to sell. It is in Florida and I will be registering it in Minnesota, hopefully as an RV. I hadn't given it much thought until seeing this thread, so hope I won't have any problems. I can either do it by internet/mail or have my sister in Minn. do it and send the plates to FL, not sure which is best. If I can find a truck camper, I will mount (permanently) that on before driving to Minn.

I see there is also an option of getting a 30 day temporary license for someone from out of state, to drive it back to their home state. Not sure which is best.

Does anyone have experience with this? What did you do to drive yours back to Colorado, Chip?

Thanks,
Vic
Hi Vic, We are putting a Carson Rebel Toyhauler on the back of our Isuzu NPS300. We purchased a used trailer in CA and are having it shipped here to OZ.
But I spoke to Carson's and they quoted on making a purpose built camper that would have done the job for $15,000 US toilet, shower and all the comfy bits.

[daniel ruops]

My wife and I are the very satisfied owners of Darrin Fink's AATREC. GMAC insurance/Good Sam (800-325-1190) provides provides our insurance. We purchased full coverage for $787.00 each 6 months.

[ClearBranchValley]

Daniel - thanks for the insurance info I will give them a call to inquire. It seems as long as it is an RV - no problem or a Truck of single usage - the problem seems to be either one or the other but nothing for dual usage like I was hoping to do: a dump bed with removable sides and or a camper box bolted to the flat-bed..........insurance company will insure the dump but not the camper box when carrying the camper box; or will insure it as a RV if the camper is welded to the frame of the truck.......I ask about bolted and they said no so must keep checking - I am thinking it is the dual purpose that is causing all the problems.

I know you will enjoy your new RV :-).

Peace of JesusChrist,
Http://www.JesusOnline.com/
*Tom.

[VicHanson]

I just bought my truck!
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=521450#post521450

I hope you find what you are looking for soon, Tom.

Vic

[ClearBranchValley]

I just bought my truck!
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=521450#post521450

I hope you find what you are looking for soon, Tom.

Vic

Me too.........great looking truck.......I have yet to even sit in an FG and I am hoping to do so one day next week..........I currently have an F-150 4X4 off-road and was looking to upgrade to a 250/350/450, etc. and then ran across the expedition portal and starting looking a the FG thread and got interested in the FG's; so now I need to look a little closer to see if this is a fit or no?

This is the first time I tried to Reply using the posters text so hope this works ok and will probably look silly :-).

Take Care.

Peace of JesusChrist,
Http://www.JesusOnline.com/
*Tom.

[kdgreene]

Hi Tom,

Check with Progessive Insurance, go through an agent not the website. We also had trouble with our insurance in the beginning, but Progessive finally came through for us.

Best of luck with your Fuso hunt and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us.

Kim & Don Greene

Adventure Learning Foundation
www.questconnect.org

Americas Overland
www.americasoverland.net

Harvest Hosts
www.harvesthosts.com

[VicHanson]

Me too.........great looking truck.......I have yet to even sit in an FG and I am hoping to do so one day next week..........I currently have an F-150 4X4 off-road and was looking to upgrade to a 250/350/450, etc. and then ran across the expedition portal and starting looking a the FG thread and got interested in the FG's; so now I need to look a little closer to see if this is a fit or no?

Take Care.

Peace of JesusChrist,
Http://www.JesusOnline.com/
*Tom.


Hi Vic, We are putting a Carson Rebel Toyhauler on the back of our Isuzu NPS300. We purchased a used trailer in CA and are having it shipped here to OZ.
But I spoke to Carson's and they quoted on making a purpose built camper that would have done the job for $15,000 US toilet, shower and all the comfy bits.

Thanks, Tom and able. I just bought a truck camper today, a used Shadow Cruiser for $1500, will be putting that on the back of my NPR. I'll be starting a build thread here with you Mitsubishi guys soon.

able - do you have a build thread yet? Would love to see your progress. I have sat in a newer NPR but not mine yet! Getting anxious!

Vic