Eco-Roamer - F650 based Expedition Vehicle

jayshapiro

Adventurer
Fracking unbelievable...

My favorite form of fracking,:sombrero: this is out east of Farmington in a area I elk hunt in. http://www.atomictourist.com/gasbug.htm

Guys...

Since you seem so keen on discussing fracking (whatever that is...) I have set up your very own thread where you can talk about it as much as you like:

http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41455

In the mean time, I don't think it is at all related to the construction details of The EcoRoamer, (which is what I think people are here to read about) so, I think it is better suited there.

Cheers,
 

jayshapiro

Adventurer
Houston!

Hi Guys,


Quick update, I'm half-way to the Overland Expo. One Thousand miles behind me, and another 1,000 miles to go.

I had an appointment today in Houston with Matt Hardigree, one of the editors from Jalopnik (the best car culture site on the net, IMHO) - He did a full photo shoot and they are going to run a story on the EcoRoamer next week! I'll post a link to it here, once it is live.

Really looking forward to seeing a lot of you at the Expo.
Cheers,
Jay.
 

alexrex20

Explorer
the best part of the ECOroamer article is the 130gal fuel capacity and 6mpg economy for 750mi fuel range. my chevy pickup burns gasoline but has a range of 1200mi with only 106gal of dinofuel. and i can ********/shower/shave just as easily in the back of it, as in the EcoRoamer.

it just puzzles me why such a large motorhome still has a wet bath.
 

1leglance

2007 Expedition Trophy Champion, Overland Certifie
the best part of the ECOroamer article is the 130gal fuel capacity and 6mpg economy for 750mi fuel range. my chevy pickup burns gasoline but has a range of 1200mi with only 106gal of dinofuel. and i can ********/shower/shave just as easily in the back of it, as in the EcoRoamer.

it just puzzles me why such a large motorhome still has a wet bath.

Tell ya what...
You pack your wife, 2 kids, and pets into your truck, travel around the world for 3 yrs and then come back and tell us how much you love your truck vs something like the EcoRoamer.

Jay & Alice has put alot of thought and effort into their build, feel free to review the build to see the justification of each element. Or ask directly.
 

alexrex20

Explorer
Tell ya what...
You pack your wife, 2 kids, and pets into your truck, travel around the world for 3 yrs and then come back and tell us how much you love your truck vs something like the EcoRoamer.

Jay & Alice has put alot of thought and effort into their build, feel free to review the build to see the justification of each element. Or ask directly.


i'd like to see that truck travel around the world for 3 years on only BIODIESEL. with such a cheeky sticker on the fuel tank, i sure hope they never put a single drop of dirty diesel in that truck.

good luck finding biodiesel every 750 miles.
 

jayshapiro

Adventurer
EcoRoamer in the news

Jalopnik's coverage of the Eco-Roamer is now online
http://jalopnik.com/5514798/ecoroamer-the-high+tech-zombie+proof-survival-rv

The article offers more details than the typical Jalopnik article,
with lots of photos and a video. There's even a plug for its debut
at Overland Expo. Congratulations, Jay!

Thanks for the plug!

Yes, a very exciting day today. The story also got picked up by WIRED Magazine, Gizmodo, and Petersen's 4x4.

Lot's of fantastic questions & suggestions from interested people... and several of the usual "That thang ain't got nothin compared to my '87 pick-up and shoot, I got a extra 45 gallon drum of dino juice out back in case I run out" comments. ;)

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Overland Expo.
Cheers,
Jay.
 

jayshapiro

Adventurer
Dirty, dirty, dirty!

i'd like to see that truck travel around the world for 3 years on only BIODIESEL. with such a cheeky sticker on the fuel tank, i sure hope they never put a single drop of dirty diesel in that truck.

good luck finding biodiesel every 750 miles.

...Actually, I put "Dirty Diesel" in it yesterday, 130gal of it. Our goal is to run on B100 (100% sourced from renewable bio materials) whenever we can. I even have an iPhone app to help us locate BioDiesel as we go. (this one!)

However, when Bio is not available (e.g. in the entire state of Texas, except Austin) I vote for using Dirty Diesel over pushing. I'm sure we'll be faced with that decision many times in South America, Africa, etc...

Should I put duct tape over the humorous bumper sticker (below) everytime I fill up with Dirty Diesel? Personally, I don't think so, and I apologize in advance if it's lack of current accuracy offends anyone.

4515147621_17bbbfeec8.jpg


My conscience is only slightly relieved by the knowledge that the CO2 I spewed into the air over Texas is equivalent to the amount of CO2 I kept from going into the air elsewhere through my recipirocal investment in a Wind Power farm in Oklahoma. (Not that I'm suggesting that carbon credits are perfect or even equivalent, but like the bumper sticker, it's about the intention & the effort)

Lastly, just for the record...

Before we built the EcoRoamer, Alice and I bumped around South East Asia in our non-turbo, 2.7L Toyota Land Cruiser. I pee'd on many a tree while camping in that truck. In fact, it was so slow you could even probably pee on a tree while driving down the road. While slow it may have been, it also got 20+ mpg. However, I'm pretty sure my kids, their clothes, toys and 3yrs worth of home schooling materials wouldn't fit in the Land Cruiser. They do however fit in the EcoRoamer since we decided to combine the shower/toilet area. We did so knowing that there is a second bathroom in the EcoRoamer with a dedicated shower... it's the one outside.

Cheers,
Jay.
 

Jeep

Supporting Sponsor: Overland Explorer Expedition V
Jay,
You have done an excellent job building your truck and the thread is informative, educational, and very much appreciated by myself as I am building a similar truck. I am choosing to use a few different materials by my choice, not quite as ecologically sound but that is my choice for the desired final result, I applaud you for making choices that prioritize environmental impact over ease of assembly. I have chosen some really cool products based upon information provided by yourself, eg web links to plyboo, etc. Thank you very much for sharing this publicly.

Something I have noticed in this thread and on the forum in general over the last year is the negative hypocritical BS posts are on the rise. There is now a huge membership, are a congrats to the forum ownership and moderation due? I know there are some huge contibutions on their part, but, there were quite a few rock solid contributors that I see no more. If you've been around here for a few years you know who they were and would have most likely found their solid contributions educational, informative, and genuine. There are a few members in the last while that still stand out and share some great stuff, they seem like pretty solid people too, how long will they stay? How long before Expo slips a little more? I guess that's the downfall of the net, the guy who will walk by you while he stares at his shoes has great big brass balls on a keyboard. I find that kind of funny because where I come from guys that talk like some guys post usually have some form of permanent scarring.

Well, sorry bout the little rant, just tired of the growing ignorant posts. I'm going over to the backpacking section to tell them I should have the right to ride my dirt bike where I like :bike_rider:and tomorrow I am going to convert my truck to run on coal because the diesel fuel only sticker might bring me under internet fire and I couldn't be bothered joining the internet edition of the special olympics.

The last remark is based upon a joke, I applaud any human being with any form of disability that lives life to their fullest, they have more spirit than those of us who take what we have for granted.

Thanks again Jay and Family,
Mark.
 

1leglance

2007 Expedition Trophy Champion, Overland Certifie
i'd like to see that truck travel around the world for 3 years on only BIODIESEL. with such a cheeky sticker on the fuel tank, i sure hope they never put a single drop of dirty diesel in that truck.

good luck finding biodiesel every 750 miles.

Why oh why does it even matter to you what they do or don't do?
I mean to say that honestly your comments do nothing to add value, educate or stimulate. They are meant to somehow knock Jay & Family down and I am not sure why you would want to be that kind of man.

There are a number of people who have traveled much of the world on biodiesel, a quick google search will help you find them. And market forces being such that they are the only way more bio options will be around is if there is a public pressure to do so. Algae into bio has great promise, and a rig like the EcoRoamer can help bring the attention that can bring the investment dollars to make it happen.

The same is true of diesel engines in general, taking away our gov restrictions on imports, the market would be larger for diesels if we kept the light on the positive instead of trashing projects like this.

So I am going to put the ol' moderator hat on now and say this...
If you have something constructive to say, something about the build that is poor engineering, somewhere that a system could be improve or such....then let's hear it.
Otherwise please follow the age old saying and "if you have nothing nice to say please don't say anything at all".....oh and I have to comment on your comments as a moderator otherwise I would follow my own advice :)
 

jayshapiro

Adventurer
Why can't we all just... Get along

Jeep,
Thanks for your great comments. I really appreciate them and am relieved/delighted to know that they MANY hours that have gone in to this thread have helped to inspire at least one other build.

As for your comment about the devolving lack of civility on this forum (and in my opinion, across America in general) I agree with you completely and could write a lot about this point, but I think Lance has already said it better than I ever could.

Thanks again for your comments,
jay.
 

Steel Walrus

New member
Jay, I truly enjoyed reading that article. I am proud of you and your family for what you have accomplished. Good luck and safe travels. I hope to meet you some day at the Expo.

Scott Morse
 

kjp1969

Explorer
I'm pretty sure Jay & Co. aren't going to be knocked down by some dork on the internet.

Jay, the Super Singles surprised me; I thought that wasn't going to happen. They look the business. I hope they work that way. Are they of a size/type readily available worldwide?
 

TomTrottier

New member
Ham radio license

You have mentioned a marine VHF and CB radio, and I presume you will be bringing at least one variety of satellite phone, but I have not seen mentioned any other radios. If you become a radio amateur (very easy nowadays), you can install a multi-band transceiver to talk locally or globally for information or emergencies.

Local hams in underdeveloped places especially tend to be upper/middle class, or in aid groups, and have good local knowledge and contacts.

An amateur license can be honored world-wide, while Citizens' Band varies or is not available. A license will also aid you in getting radios across borders without them having to be sealed until you leave.

If both you and your wife get licenses, you can also use handheld radios to communicate locally when apart.

Having a short wave receiver (not legal in all countries without license) can also bring you news out in the boonies.

tOM :26_16_2:
 

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