Big Rig Expedition Vehicles for RTW travel

[wayno]

Hi all,

I'm fairly new around here, but I've spent the past few months reading and soaking up as much information as I could, but a few things still some up as questions for me.

As a bit of background on me, I've got three kids, Ages 6, 4, and 1. Currently we homeschool the oldest in 1st grade, and the plan is to continue that until it doesn't work for my wife or my daughter as they all get older. My dream was to get a nice big Airstream camper and spend as many days as possible driving around the US with my family as my job would allow. Eventually maybe taking a year off or retiring early (sub 50) and Roadschooling across the country with the whole group before they hopefully start going away to college. Well my wife has a penchant for international travel and wants to see the world and show her kids the cultures of the world. Flying a family of 5 around the world for vacations, ruled out the idea of towing the family airstream. Then I found this site, which shifted my whole paradigm. What if we quit my job, sold our house and drove around the world!?

But I thought there's no way we would all fit and be comfortable. Then I read Shachagra's build thread here on the portal and got incredibly inspired. Right now I'm investigating and formulating a plan to build my own expedition rig taking inspiration and design cue's from several build threads that I have found here online.

My ideal rig would be:
- Sized similarly to and with a multibedroom layout a la Shachagra
- Built on a Crew Cab Chassis using composite/foam panels glued together and with a pop up roof a la Neverenough's build
- Built on a tandem axle 6x6 with super single XZL's or similar a la LoRoad's Brazos
- Have a Fold out garage/deck off the back with bike/motorcycle storage a la Greynomad's or Jay Shapiro's Ecoroamer builds

In my mind, taking design cues from all of the above would result in my dream vehicle. The first problem I see is size. That thing would be freakin huge! What's the most appropriate chassis for something that big? I think to keep it registered in the US my choices would be quite limited to basically either Freightliner M2-106 or International Crew cab tandem 6x6 chassis as I would prefer to go with something newer so as to hopefully minimize future breakdowns in the field. But I'm picturing something around 30,000lb GVWR.

Is it realistic to hope to take one of these model round the world? Europe a la Shachagra seems simple enough although expensive. But my dreams are down through South America and out across the Russian Steppes, crossing the himalayas, driving through and around australia, and hopefully throughout Africa.

Then to mention the size, I desperately don't want this to happen to me! A better picture can be found at Goannatracks.com

Most everything I've read about trips like this try to keep it small and containerized for shipping costs and travel restrictions through small areas, not to draw as much attention, timber bridge weight limits(!) etc, but in order to hold potentially three teenagers for an extended period of time with everyone getting some personal space and not going stir crazy:Wow1:, I can't see how that would be possible in anything smaller.

Does anyone know of any other sites or forums where travel experiences with these really big type rigs would be discussed or blogs I could read about their large rig travel. I see that Unicat and GXV apparently build some monster size stuff and would hope that people are out there travelling the world with them, but I would certainly like to read more about it. A nice MAN or Mercedes Crew Cab 6x6 would be awesome, and somewhere there's people doing it and writing about it hopefully that I can find in English. Any pointers or links would be greatly appreciated.

Well thanks for reading this far and if you are one of the above mentioned rig owners, thanks for all of your inspiration. Hopefully you'll be seeing a lot more of me and my own build thread if my ideas and concepts solidify and begin to turn my dreams into reality. I even came up with a great name for my thread/blog/website/etc.

Roadschooling Overland Adventure Mobile - ROAM!

And as we know, it wasn't built in a day. If all can go according to plan, I'm thinking of beginning our Round the World trip in 2020. (Cue the b-52's "Roam around the world..."):smiley_drive:

Thanks,
Wayno

 

[Joe917]

Hi Wayno,
you have done the first thing right, SET A DATE. If you want to actually do it you must set a departure date and work towards it.
As for vehicle you will get plenty of opinions here. Basically though you need a truck chassis. You need a world vehicle supplier such as MAN or Mercedes.(The Freightliner is probably a bad choice for WORLD travel).
Go as big as you need and as small as you can.
A few sites to keep you going:

http://www.xor.org.uk/silkroute/equipment/choosevan.htm

http://suchen.mobile.de/wohnwagen/s...00_KG&ambitCountry=&features=FOUR_WHEEL_DRIVE

http://www.xor.org.uk/unimog/uksell/uksell.htm

Cheers, Joe.

 

[wayno]

Thanks for the response sunraider, but as much as I would love to have a mercedes zetros 6x6, or even a giant MAN double cab, I am pretty sure that neither of those are available to me in the US. Would your choice against freightliner be due to the lack of international service outlets, or more towards a history of poor reliability? I really like from their website that you can get it equipped with meritor axles and transfer case, and Hendrickson air suspensions straight from the factory though. Does anyone have any hands on experience with these large US available rigs in a world setting?

Thanks,
Wayno


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Victorian]

Buy one in Europe and start traveling from there This one could fit the bill: http://suchen.mobile.de/wohnwagen-i...tiveFeatures=EXPORT&categories=CabinMotorhome

 

[pugslyyy]

I think you really need to decide on whether you want a global or north american expedition vehicle.

As others have said, if you want a global vehicle it should be based on a chassis with a global footprint, and it should be able to accept globally available fuels (no ULSD diesel spec motors). Inevitably you will need a part in the most remote location imaginable. Furthermore, if it is a modern vehicle it will doubtless be something that requires dealer-level diagnostics to install - most modern vehicles you can swap the part, but it ain't fixed until you tell the vehicle computers it has been.

There's a reason there is so much chatter about Fusos and Unimogs here on the forums. Out of the options available to US residents, they are worth consideration.

Good luck and keep in touch!

 

[peneumbra]

Really big vehicles - like a 8X8 MAN or Tatra or a 6x6 Kenworth - are great for crossing deserts and tundra, etc. BUT there are more civilized places (like, say, downtown Europe) where you'd probably get arrested for having them on a public highway. A medium-aized truck (Unimog, Fuso, maybe an IH 7400) might be less of a hassle.

 

[cwsqbm]

As much as we dream about driving around the world in one vehicle, its not always the smart economic decision especially if you're trying to be comfortable at the same time. Instead of spending years and mega-bucks to build one vehicle to do it all, you'd be farther head to fly from country to country and acquire local transportation and lodging.

 

[dlh62c]

Truckconversion.net is a great resource.

 

[julius0377]

Truck considerations.

You need something below 4 meter total height to be able to travel "mostly" anywhere. If you get it below 3,5 meter you are even better off to drive "anywhere". A lifting roof is a good but expensive solution to get the vehicle within reasonable measurements, yet have room for a family.

Axle weight is also a consideration, some countries has strict rules on what weights you are allowed on what roads. More axles=better on large heavy trucks.

Some countries have length and width restrictions, keep it under 2,5 meter wide and 12 meter long.

Personal favourites and curiosities:
http://www.bocklet.eu/fahrzeuge/reisemobile/fahrzeug-details/vehicle/dakar-860f/
http://www.unicat.com/en/info/MXXL24AH-MAN8x8-sh.php
http://www.actionmobil.com/3-achser/globecruiser (the family model...)

 

[wayno]

Thanks for the link to truckconversions.net, I did check them out a while ago, but will do some more digging now that I've refined what I am interested in.

As to the other comments, I definitely want to do a global vehicle, now I just need to figure out the best way to get there form here for me and my family. Fully understanding there are compromises and cost differences with every decision point, but that's why I'm in the investigation phase at this point. I hear what your saying about just spending time at each location we want to go to and living locally, but I get a lot of security from the idea that I have my own private retreat in the middle of where ever I am in the world. That is my pillow and my sheets on my bed with my toilet and shower, and my purified fresh water supply etc. It's kind of like a US Navy aircraft carrier being a sovereign piece of the United States anywhere in the world. There's something to be said for that in my own piece of mind.

I'm still thinking through it and wrestling with these platform based decisions, but I can't see how I could be comfortable living with 5 people (3 of them teenagers) full time in a smaller Fuso based rig or similar. That's why I'm looking for examples and blogs to read through and see how others have accomplished similar goals and dealt with similar hardships. The closest I've come is Shachagra with apparent success with his big rig throughout all of downtown Europe and Turkey into Asia with 3 teenagers. It really opened my eyes to what is possible.

http://www.roadschoolodyssey.com/

Thanks,
Wayno

 

[DiploStrat]

"Foreign" Trucks

Is it realistic to hope to take one of these model round the world? Europe a la Shachagra seems simple enough although expensive. But my dreams are down through South America and out across the Russian Steppes, crossing the himalayas, driving through and around australia, and hopefully throughout Africa.

Having owned a U.S. built/spec vehicle outside of the U.S. (Africa and South America) for more than 30 years, permit me a few comments:

-- U.S. vehicles do not suddenly stop working because they are away from a dealer.

-- You WILL need to assure that you carry basic consumables (filters/wiper blades/belts), unique tools (e.g. Dana axle hub wrench), and have a way to get the catastrophic replacement (e.g. ECM) sent to you.

-- A quick read of a few blogs will show that many international vehicles are no more reliable or easy to repair than comparable U.S. vehicles. A friend of mine just had the axle of his Unimog fail in Iran. Can happen to anyone, anywhere. Anyone who really believes that there is a Mercedes or Toyota dealer in every country, fully capable of repairing ANY MB or Toyota, is due for a rude surprise.

-- Lots of Europeans bring their big campers to the U.S. every year, exactly reversing the circumstance you are describing.

While ULSD fuel is ever more available, that would be, to me, the single biggest issue and might lead you to:

-- Buy a pre 2007 vehicle, and then spend the savings,

-- Replacing every single wear point - brakes, belts, hoses, etc. before taking it overseas.

The Howes have taken their 2007 diesel Tiger to over 50, yes, 50, countries and are still rolling. http://www.travelin-tortuga.com/Travelin-Tortuga/ You can read about breakdowns here: http://www.travelin-tortuga.com/Travelin-Tortuga/our-vehicle/so-whats-gone-wrong.html They are quite detailed and underscore one important point - the deeper you get into the Third World, the better the mechanics are at repairing, rather than replacing. Granted, many of these repairs won't last, but they will get you to where you can get the parts/tools/talent that you need.

I will let Rick speak for himself:

Conclusions:
We feel that we’ve done pretty well with our vehicle, traveling through more than fifty countries on five continents. The only spare parts we carry are filters and light bulbs. Each time we’re in the states I’ll ask at the Chevy dealer if we should be concerned about belts or hoses or other parts and they just smile and say no, although at this last request it was suggested that we replace the serpentine belt, which was done at 117,000 miles. We’ve always been able to have the truck serviced wherever we’ve been and have never had a bad service experience. When possible, we’ll service the truck at a Chevrolet dealer and have done so in the US, including Alaska, and also in Colombia, Chile, Turkey and Italy. We’ve also had work done at small independent shops in Costa Rica, Peru, Chile, Scotland, Morocco, Bulgaria, Turkey and even Georgia (the country, not the state) with never a problem.

Before we bought our Tiger we looked very hard at getting something based on the Mercedes Sprinter van, which is sold worldwide. While this could certainly be an advantage in the event of a major failure, we have found that we’re very comfortable going anywhere with our Chevy truck, finding service places along the way. To this point this has served us well and we have no regrets regarding our choice of vehicle. We can also relate stories of problems experienced by travelers in any manner of well regarded vehicles up to and including the famed Mercedes Unimog, often thought of as the holy grail of overland travel. International travel presents problems for any vehicle and difficulties will occur. Our experience has been that a good old American pickup truck can manage these difficulties about as well as any other vehicle.


When you consider that you are looking at a much larger truck and that those trucks are generally designed for a longer and more severe service life than a 3/4 pickup, then I wouldn't worry that much. (But I did carry more spares than Rick does! )

If you REALLY want something that can be repaired anywhere, get a Toyota Land Cruiser Troop Carrier model, and stick some tents on the roof. If you are traveling with teens, put 'em to work!

My experience, offered for your consideration.

 

[julius0377]

PK Trucks

Also build with a good bit left on the truck's load capacity, leads to less wear and tear. But not too much either, as that will be a stiff and bumpy ride.

If looking at EURO Trucks, the company PK Trucks is a good place to look for MAN/Mercedes/Iveco/etc. chassis for a build. Some even EURO 3 without adblue and egr (but you have to register in a country that allows this). Unless you want particular items (they are mostly not offered with an extensive options list from PK trucks.)

http://www.pktrucks.com/de/stock/all-brands/chassis-cabin/?search=result&per_page=48
http://www.pktrucks.com/de/stock/view/me2756-Mercedes-ZETROS-1833-A-4x4-chassis-cabin-new/
http://www.pktrucks.com/de/stock/view/ma2568-MAN-TGS-41-430-BB-WW-8x8-chassis-cabin-new/
http://www.pktrucks.com/de/stock/view/me2760-Mercedes-ACTROS-2031-A-4x4-chassis-cabin-new/

Or try Mobile.de
Man doka, single wheels
Man Single cab, single wheels

 

[optimusprime]

LHD or RHD ? Did i read on here somewhere you can't bring a LHD vehicle into Australia?

Whatever you do, if coming over here to Europe, do not exceed the vehicles plated Gross weight, that is frowned upon big time over here,so get a truck with a decent weight capacity.

I'd go with whatever you feel comfortable driving, its an often overlooked area, we all think of how we're going to sleep,eat, wash etc .... but if you're going to spend days and weeks behind a steering wheel, you at least want to be comfortable. ( i love land rovers, but there's no way i personally would want to drive one round the world,just to cramped for me)
I'd try to at least sit in one first before you commit yourself to one model or other.

(And massive respect for taking teenagers ...... i 've got 2 teenage daughters, no way would i even want to think of taking them ...)

 

[charlieaarons]

You can bring a LHD vehicle into Australia but if it is over 3.5t cannot be permanently imported, also must have sign on the back "LEFT HAND DRIVE VEHICLE". OK to bring in on carnet which can be extended at least 1 year - I did it.

Charlie

 

[java]

Another good thread to read: Neverenough's build http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...Kick-4x4-Crew-Cab-Build?highlight=neverenough


He learned the lesson of getting not enough truck for the camper. Ended up going with a bigger chassis after the camper was done.

IMO your probably better off buying something already built unless you have a couple years and a lot of $$ to spend doing it yourself.