Why not use a commercial box as a camper conversion?

dwh

Tail-End Charlie
To the OP - LS is short for "limited slip". Basically a differential with internal clutches that prevents one wheel from getting all the power and spinning while the other wheel does nothing, which is what happens with an "open" differential. For 90% of normal bad road driving, LS is fine and full lockers like Detroit or Air isn't needed.


You can get limited slips from the factory in American pickups, lockers are aftermarket. The medium and heavy duty trucks Class 6, 7 and 8 can be ordered with either Detroit lockers or air lockers from the factory.

Exactly. I believe there is a factory limited slip for the REAR axles on FG's, and ATW and others are working on it for the front axles. I would bet there is a LS option for the FE as well. Someone who knows them better would have to say for sure, I don't really know.

But why the focus on Mitsubishi? If you're going to build out a used box truck, why not get one with an American chassis?
 

webman9113

New member
To the OP - LS is short for "limited slip". Basically a differential with internal clutches that prevents one wheel from getting all the power and spinning while the other wheel does nothing, which is what happens with an "open" differential. For 90% of normal bad road driving, LS is fine and full lockers like Detroit or Air isn't needed.

Exactly. I believe there is a factory limited slip for the REAR axles on FG's, and ATW and others are working on it for the front axles. I would bet there is a LS option for the FE as well. Someone who knows them better would have to say for sure, I don't really know.

But why the focus on Mitsubishi? If you're going to build out a used box truck, why not get one with an American chassis?

LS! Okay, that rings a bell, LOL! Alas, as far as I've been able to sort out reading on here, there isn't a rear LS option for the FE outside of a custom build (but if there is, that'd be great).

As far as why not an American chassis, I think I was leaning more toward the Fuso because it sounds like it has a very extensive international sales (and hopefully service) network, and, well, seems to be the focus of lots of attention on here (no doubt more because of the FG's capability than anything else). But I'm still just gathering ideas, so nothing is off the table! The only things I'd definitely prefer are 1) diesel power, and 2) the ability to haul/carry a camper/box that's maybe 14-15 feet long. We could probably get by with a bit shorter than that, but we're likely going to be out on the road for a number of months at a stretch and need to find a compromise between comfort and compactness. I wouldn't completely rule out a pickup/camper option, but I guess having driven big rig RVs, I'm not used to having stuff hanging over the cab! Any suggestions?? :)
 

webman9113

New member
One issue with commercial boxes is they are built as light as possible to increase the cargo capacity of the vehicle.

A lot of the commercial boxes have a translucent roof so they do not have to put lights inside.

One box you should look at is a S-280 shelter.

Yes, I'd noticed that about some of the boxes - I would definitely get one with a more substantial roof!

As for the S-280, it's certainly robust enough, but I think would be a bit small for what we need.
 

dwh

Tail-End Charlie
Ah. Well, if you're going international that's a different thing. From what I've read, everywhere in the world has roads. Most of them are bad roads.
Then there are bad roads, and there are really bad roads. I doubt I'd even consider international truck travel without 4WD.

What's the total budget?

I like this:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/134161-FS-Mercedes-Benz-Doka-Expedition-Rig

It's been there and done that and Mercedes also has good international parts and service support. And mechanically, it's a lot simpler than a Mog.

Fancy it ain't. But anything that breaks can probably be fixed by the side of the road with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers. And it's already done so you don't have to build it yourself.

As ExPo trucks go, it's not one of the biggest, though it's a bit bigger than what you describe. 15' is a pretty big camper, and when you add in the truck cab and anything hanging off the front or rear and you're easily over 20'.


I dunno if I'd want to do much international with a 2WD box truck, if I was going to do something like that, I think I'd be more likely to just build a shorty Chicken Bus:

https://www.google.com/search?q=chi...h&sa=X&ei=0f1wVICqOsjqoASelYLoDA&ved=0CAUQ_AU
 

kerry

Expedition Leader
When I was looking to purchase an FG, there was one for sale in Upstate NY with a commercial box turned into a camper. NOthing fancy, just a very simple homebuilt camping set up. I may have posted the pictures on here at one time. I'm guessing that truck is still in the US somewhere. I've never seen it talked about here other than my comments.
 

webman9113

New member
Sad, but true...

An option for a 2WD FE might be to source a used FG rear diff, which is limited slip.

Any idea how much something like that might run to buy & have someone install? I have to apologize for my ignorance, but this is really the first time I've had cause to delve much into this sort of thing... :)
 

SkiFreak

Crazy Person
Your prices and ours are very different, so I would suggest ringing a local truck wrecker to get the price on a used diff.
If you did go down this route you may also want to do an overhaul on the diff prior to fitting it, as it probably came out of a truck that worked hard (the usual scenario for a FG).
 

webman9113

New member
Your prices and ours are very different, so I would suggest ringing a local truck wrecker to get the price on a used diff.
If you did go down this route you may also want to do an overhaul on the diff prior to fitting it, as it probably came out of a truck that worked hard (the usual scenario for a FG).

Roger that, thanks! Although the way things are shaping up, I'm thinking the smartest route to go would just be to save my pennies and wait until an FG in decent shapes comes along that I can afford - when I'm ready to actually pull the trigger. I still have to figure out when that is, working that in between some house updates (stupid leaking showers!)...
 

quickfarms

Adventurer
Yes, I'd noticed that about some of the boxes - I would definitely get one with a more substantial roof!

As for the S-280, it's certainly robust enough, but I think would be a bit small for what we need.

There is a 16 foot version of the S-280, but I have never actually seen one in the states.
 

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