Saw this parked in aspen this morning. Stopped and took a few pictures. Pretty sweet rig.
Anyone know the owner or seen a build up anywhere?

Ugh, what a waste of a HEMTT.

Ugh, what a waste of a HEMTT.
fuck, that thing is BAD ASS!

The HEMTT? Yes. The horse trailer on the back? Not even close.

A lot of the bling builds around here would look retarded if you just looked at a mid-build picture.

If that is actually the final product...it's pretty horrible. Poor execution of an awesome idea.

fuck, that thing is bad ass!

this!!!

Pretty bad-ass if you ask me. I would love to see what the inside looks like and a little olive drab on the camper would make it all blend nicely.

That's not Olive Drab. It's 383 Green CARC.

Okay, okay a little 383 Green CARC and it will blend nicely, Sir!

Hope they're being careful to not overload it

I don't know, it is growing on me. Not quite so hacked together as it looked at first. But I'm still wondering what the heck that "duct" is from the cab back to the camper? Super secret wonder twins escape tunnel?

I don't know, it is growing on me. Not quite so hacked together as it looked at first. But I'm still wondering what the heck that "duct" is from the cab back to the camper? Super secret wonder twins escape tunnel?

Probably sucking off the cab heater.

Pretty sure it's for A/C. I think all the HEMTTs have heaters unlike the older miltary trucks.

waste of a HEMTT for sure. Terrible platform for an RV, IMO and they will likely never go anywhere near the capabilities of that truck. Fuel mileage is probably 2-3 MPG and IIRC the engine is a monster 8V92 Detroit, so you have that screaming in your ears at 55 mph down the highway all day, which is your top speed BTW..... no thanks...

Damn, why are you guys hating on that thing so hard? We've seen one picture. Of the outside. Most people that see my motorhome from the outside probably assume that I'm cooking meth in it.

It's like taking a Ferrari F40 and putting a ladder rack on it. A HEMTT is still very rare in civilian hands and with the rebuild program, it's likely to stay that way. To put some halfassed looking body on it with whatever that ridiculous looking diamond plate mess is on the cab is just a waste of a nice HEMTT. The stupid thing is there are much better platforms for this sort of thing and even if someone just wanted to use a HEMMT, they could have easily used one of the many modular comm shelters or even dirt cheap ISO shipping containers that would lock down to the stock HEMTT bed to build a RV and still keep it military looking and easily restored to stock appearance in the future.

And yeah, with the paint on the side of your M109, I would sort of assume some sort of drugs are involved, lol.

Not hurting anybody and I'm not much of a purist, so I could give a shit about the rarity or molestation of any military vehicle. Who know what's going on inside that thing, or what plans the owner may have in store for it.

That's kind of my point though. Whatever plans he has, they aren't well thought out looking at the end product.

Jesse, you may be spinning your wheels for no good.

That truck is clearly an excellent example of a beautiful overland rig. Granted the paint could come along, but other than that it looks to be clearly an idea driven vehicle. It is functional, and that is the most important.

It is just that Americans are not familiar with this concept. They are very common in the European countries.

I have seen trucks like this on the White Rim trail, does that count as following the potential of these vehicles?

Anyhow, not at all trying to be hating on people, just saying that this, in my eyes, is a beautiful vehicle.

Take it easy.

I'm just saying that obviously none of us know what's going on with that thing: how it's built, what's inside, how it's being used, future plans, etc. This F-800 (http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6088-Big-Trucks-Swen-s-F-800) is a good example of what I'm talking about. The owner put a throwaway camper on the back of it to use temporarily.

http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=9105&d=1295972871

Yes but it looks like hell and obviously compromises were made. My point is that anyone who can afford a HEMTT in civilian hands and can afford to drive it any distance should have enough money to make a body that sits right on the frame and not run some ridiculous looking duct across the engine housing to the cab. Why not use one of the easily available Red Dot A/C units for the cab? Or at the very least a roof mount A/C unit on the cab? Why mount a body that is out of proportion and most likely not laid out very well when something better could have been done. One could hope that it's only temporary but the fact that he butchered the cab with that duct sort of seems like he's comfortable with it. I'm a big fan of "use whatever works" but if one is going to halfass something, they could do it on a much smaller vehicle that is not so rare. I imagine that body would fit very well on a M814 and look much more proportioned and not be a waste of such a rare HEMTT in civilian hands. As it sits it looks like a fine example of some jackass with too much money and not enough brains in my opinion.

I'll give you that the duct is curious. I suspect there are likely wires running through it as well. Still, very curious.

As I said, if you look at the older MAN KAT overlanders, you will see tons that look just like this one.

Heck I would take that thing for a spin for sure.

I just wonder what the vehicle cost in the first place! yikes.

Pretty much every HEMTT in private hands I have seen for sale was well over $100k.

Pretty much every HEMTT in private hands I have seen for sale was well over $100k.

OH,

Well, I have to tell you, that is REALLY not very much money for a truck.

I realize that the average joe thinks that a lot of money, but look at ANY bus style RV brand new, you are going to be at least 150K for the crummy ones, and a cool million if you want to go all out. Then look at your Unicats, a good 600K to start. (new) So spending 100K on the donor truck.

While I certainly can not afford that, when you look at places like mobile.de you can see how much the overland/expo trucks sell for, most of the totally beaten down trucks are 45-80 Euro.

Still, I LOVE that truck, and would take it in a heartbeat. Now, Me, I would reconfigure things so that I could put a seat behind the driver and another behind the passenger. (Need room for my kids) but if I had the cash, yeah I would buy that thing! haha

You realize that is the engine behind the cab don't you? Not much you can do to reconfigure that, lol. And yes, I am well aware of the various vehicles used for Dakar support and similar stuff but for an MV needing a lot of special parts and maintenance, $100k is pretty steep and usually that level of expense is reserved for armor. Most surplus US military trucks can be had for under $20k easy.

You are just pissed cause he owns it and you don't! Like YOU said it takes alot of money and he has it and can spend it anyway he wants. I personally wouldn't build it that way (if I had the $$$) but more power to him. Just sayin.

I'm not pissed about anything and your opinion means absolutely nothing.

What if it's got a slaughter house in it? Then you might want something like that.

Now that is tempting but it depends on if you mean for butchering cows or for killing people. I like beef and killing people seems like a wonderfully relaxing idea so either could be worthwhile.


More seriously, if you can afford a HEMTT, you can certainly afford more than just slapping something that looks like a horse trailer on the back. If you were foolish enough to blow your whole wad on the HEMTT and could afford nothing more than a horse trailer, then you should be shot since you can't possibly afford to drive the big thing nor the intensive maintenance required to keep it going. It's about like buying a Ferrari and not being able to afford the insurance to drive it or buying a mansion and furnishing it with nothing but furniture from the Sears deck furniture collection. Some things are just incredibly fucking stupid. There is no changing it, there is no arguing against it. If any of you want to side with that group of people who are incredibly fucking stupid, be my guest. I prefer things a bit more logical and a hell of a lot less fucking stupid.

The guy that owns this is a friend of a guy I used to work with. He travels all over the world skiing and surfing. He owns a surf shop and school in Puerto Rico. He is in one of those worst crashes videos you see on some TV shows falling down the side of a mountain and getting all F'ed up years ago. He bought this to build it and drive it to tip of South America using as few roads as possible.

As fas as I know its not close to being done. I'll have to call my old coworker and get the latest. At one time he was going to use a MANN truck but then he found this for sale.

He is in one of those worst crashes videos you see on some TV shows falling down the side of a mountain and getting all F'ed up years ago.

I rest my case, lol. :flipoff2:

You realize that is the engine behind the cab don't you? Not much you can do to reconfigure that, lol. And yes, I am well aware of the various vehicles used for Dakar support and similar stuff but for an MV needing a lot of special parts and maintenance, $100k is pretty steep and usually that level of expense is reserved for armor. Most surplus US military trucks can be had for under $20k easy.
Ok everyone. I thought i would join the site to answer some questions. Thanks for both positive and negative comments. First of all, above the cab and motor is just a aluminum rack for my second spare and other gear. The diamond plate on the sides is only temporary and is being replaced with more aluminum tubing. The rack is fully removable for access to the motor and trans in case we ever need to pull them. The tread plate in the front above the windshield will stay however because it deflects wind up over the body.
Second, let me give you some insight into the build. I admit it is plan b as we were hoping to have a body custom built by GXV, but $ restraints made me think of plan b. The build is only 3/4 done and sorry that the final paint etc has not come together yet- again these things take some $!The truck it self is a 1983 with 10k miles on it that i got from a collector in Kentucky. I chose that as a platform because of it's load capacity and offroad capability because it is goiing to be used as a base for adventure sports. Don't worry it won't be a "waste of the hemtt's talents" because it will either be in deep snow accessing lower snowfields where we can base for skiing/ climbing excursions, remote beach access for surf in areas like Baja, or in the western deserts for river approaches, dirtbike riding etc. The trailer was a roadmaster predator which are known to be based on cargo and stronger then regular rv type toyhaulers. It has a full steel cage and a rear ramp that holds 4000lbs. The back 11 feet is garage and the front 14 is living area/kitchen/bath. The conversion required the removal of the grey and black water which i now have in a steel heated and insulated box on the passenger side. When complete the garage will hold a mountain snowmobile, a motocross bike and a street legal grocery getter enduro. Also it will have a inflateable river boat with motor also for lake crossings, accessing waves fro surf and of course fish. Interior racks will also hold all the skis, snowboards, kite boards, windsurf gear etc.

Ok so why a Hemtt? After having a few lesser vehicles, i wanted something that could handle the payload comfortably and was long enough so i could have the garage. I did not want a trailer behind the rig for obvious offroad reasons and wanted all the gear to be out of sight. Also Detroit diesel and allison trans are easily worked on and parts readily available and US made. Sure it only gets 3-4 miles per gallon and tops out at 60, but look at where i can go and what i am bringing with me. The vehicle fully loaded with all the gear, fluids etc will weigh close to 50,000 lbs, but that is well below the gvwr of 68 k. Right now it is at about 44,000 lbs, but eventually we will add another fuel tank and all the other mentioned above to approach the 50. And yes, i did check the fuel consumption on my 1000 mile trip to colorado and it ended up at 3.8 miles to the gallon. Specs say 2-3 miles to the gallon but that is averaged over all sorts of terrain mostly off road. It still hurts at the pump, but you have to remember where it can go and what you are hauling.
The rig is restricted to where it can go with it's turning radius, height13'3", and length(38 ft) so no real tight switchbacks and low canopies, but normally accessing alpine environments are on logging roads which were built for fairly large trucks, most of our surf will be in remote areas of baja, and the hemtt is at home in the western desert areas.
So all in all it will be a base to live out of for my wife and I in areas that most people only dream of. We will also use it for support for Best of Both Adventures which is our adventure company. If we are not at our home in the Andes of Patagonia, we hope to be in the rig. Sure we wanted the full blown expedition vehicle, but compromises had to be made to be able to pull it off. The chasis is the most important which gets you there and back and the living quarters/garage has proven to be pretty comfortable.
Cheers and keep rolling.

I rest my case, lol. :flipoff2:
oh yeh and one more thing- We have a little over 100k into the rig and the only other two 8x8 expo vehicles in Saudi and europe are arounf 1.5 mil a piece!

Thanks for posting. You've got a few more fans over here (http://www.steelsoldiers.com/5-ton-mods-hot-rodding/66861-hemtt-camper.html). I was hoping we'd get to hear the story behind this thing. Figured somebody went out of their way to acquire and build it, so probably had a good reason. Or at least a reason. Lots of people ask me the same question (why I'm turning a military vehicle into a motorhome), and I honestly don't know what to tell them. If I have to explain...

Thanks for the interest- i posted to Steel Soldiers also so maybe they won't think it is a waste. I tell you what- this rig will get more action then i am sure it got during it's whole use period with the forces. Hopefully nobody will shoot at us though!

As soon as I saw your post at Expo, I came over here, hoping to see more details. Let us know if you put together a build thread with more pics.

I say that it's your money, and your truck. You can do with it whatever you want. Unless you want to paint it salmon pink and swirls and shit. That would be just fucking stupid.

:flipoff2:

(stripping it over the next few weeks and then having the whole truck sandblasted/painted)

Glad you took it with the humor intended.

I love to see creative people's solutions; good work. Of course people with different design criteria will like something different. Thanks for sharing your story.

Wow, an adventure company, that sounds like a great way to make a living. Maybe I'll ping you for advice one day, depending on how my ongoing mid-life crisis turns out. ;)

Ok, so it was a plan B then. That seemed a bit obvious but I am relieved that someone didn't custom build that body for the chassis as it looks more than a little out of place. I think if you painted it all one color (preferably 383 green) it wouldn't look so out of place. Shiny looking shit just doesn't belong on a military truck and just looks bizarre. The duct or rack or whatever that is over the engine housing to the cab is just odd and I don't think I will ever agree with that freaky looking thing. I think I could stomach something tubular like an offroad roof rack but the diamond plate looks odd and the design is more than strange. I don't think I would be worried too much about aerodynamics considering what you are working with.

As for the truck itself, did it at one time have an odd lengthened 5 ton drop side bed on it?

Glad you took it with the humor intended.
No, you just hurt my feelings so I'm going to repaint it. What color?

Elwenil, you crack me the fuck up.

No, you just hurt my feelings so I'm going to repaint it. What color?

How can you even ask? Teal.

I might be wrong and I hope I am but since this rig is an ex US military rig I don't think that you can take it south to baja.

I might be wrong and I hope I am but since this rig is an ex US military rig I don't think that you can take it south to baja.
Read this (http://www.steelsoldiers.com/euc-help/13702-euc-needed-travel-restrictions-north-central-america.html)

Thanks for all the replies. Sorry but i didn't put together a build thread or have more pics at this time, but i head back to the rig in May and will be sure to post more so you can get a better idea of the truck. I agree that the rack- not a airduct or airfoil needs to be finished. It was done on the last day of the build and i did not have time to change it. Basically it will just look like a expo rack without the diamond plate on the sides. The tubing it was made out of is mostly 3x4 aluminum and the sides will probably be 2x3 but i am sticking with rectangular tubing instead of round for strength.
Haven't decided on the paint yet, but the body is going to be wrapped with company logo and the remainder of the cab, motor, wheels etc will just be black or white. Advertising is important for business- got to pay the bills. Sorry but it won't stay military green. That will help if they try to give us problems in baja etc.
Yes Elwenil, the truck did have drop sides on it that were about 12 ft long and 8 ft long to make up the side of the 20 ft bed. They were not original which i gather you knew. The truck was originally the tanker version and the collector put the bed/drop sides on after. If anyone needs drop sides i will sell them cheap.

Elwenil- yes i thought that was the case which actually made it better for me. We ended up getting it for 77k and it had a little over 10,000 miles on it. Not totally stock with that bed and no crane, but i diden't need either. The collector i got it from was miticulous though and refurbished it down to the last nut and bolt. I have put about 1700 miles on it and it runs strong.

I think its badass. Thanks for the story and information behind this rig. Hoping to see more updates, love the mobile base idea.

Thanks yotasmob, i appreciate the support!

Garet
I got some pics from Dave Ski. Hope you dont mind me posting them. If you want I can take them down.

edit... a few moreon the next page of the interior

A few more

Don't really see how that's so terrible. Certainly nothing to throw a fit over. Finished and painted it'll be a pretty cool rig. Unique for sure, and sounds like that's a big part of the appeal if it's being used as some sort of marketing tool.

I'm witholding any further comments until I see pics of the skybridge or whatever it is after it's modified. That still is the worst part of the whole deal. Sort of like the Mona Lisa with a black eye.

I'm just saying that obviously none of us know what's going on with that thing: how it's built, what's inside, how it's being used, future plans, etc. This F-800 (http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6088-Big-Trucks-Swen-s-F-800) is a good example of what I'm talking about. The owner put a throwaway camper on the back of it to use temporarily.

http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=9105&d=1295972871

Any build thread on this? Looks pretty cool.

Ok everyone. I thought i would join the site to answer some questions. Thanks for both positive and negative comments. First of all, above the cab and motor is just a aluminum rack for my second spare and other gear.
.
.
gets you there and back and the living quarters/garage has proven to be pretty comfortable.
Cheers and keep rolling.

Thanks for joining. Please post up the progress and other pictures regularly. We are very much interested in how this turns out. :smokin:

no i don't mind the pics of the inside- the back area you see with the table will be the gear area with a queen size built in about half way up oriented towards the rest of the living so the sled etc can still fit under. The rear 4 feet or so of the garage will still be full stand up height. Right now the bed is just the pull out coach where the slide is and pull outs just don't cut it. When i get to Colorado next month that will be the first job as well as the rack to finish above. Don't worry Elwenil - i did not like how the rack ended up either but it was last minute and i did not have time to change it! It looks a little to mad max to say the least.

Interesting to say the least! How do you get the spare down or up there for that matter? That must weigh 300-350 lbs?

Fuel mileage isn't that bad. My toter got less than 6mph coming back from Ohio last week.

There is a stock hand crane mount that takes a 3" daimeter tube that sets down in to it. It is on the passenger side next to the stock spare. I don't have the original hand crane from oshkosh so i am replacing it with a 12v spitzlift that i can run off the trailer power system (the truck is 24 volt). The spizlift is preety cool and lightweight(35 lbs) that will fit in the original mount. I should then be able to use it for the original spare as well as the one on top with a adapter tube to get it higher for the one on the rack. It should come in handy for anything else i put up there also. It is rated to 900 lbs and the wheel/tires i was told by the seller are 800lbs/each but i think they are closer to 550lbs. Thanks for the interest.

not my cup of tea really, but kudos to you for coming on here to explain your rig. Whatever you build or have there will always be lovers and haters, just life... :beer:

Whatever you build or have there will always be lovers and haters, just life... :beer:
x2

85 blue and gemer- I hear you- Different strokes for different folks- thanks for reading.

I saw this today and sold him a battery for the generator....this rig is cool!!! he is on his way to Moon rocks for the weekend.

I was pleasure doing buisness with you...

Pat
Autozone 3742

I took this yesterday... (@MoonRocks)

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/mochamike/Wheeling/MoonRocks052011/IMG_1202.jpg

Badass! PLease keep us updated on the build!:D

Thanks for the battery Pat!

Moon rocks was a blast. Definitly impressive watching what the rigs can do. Our Hemtt was limited but a great base camp especially when it started snowing.

That's not Olive Drab. It's 383 Green CARC.

That's not blue, it's royal skyburst fleur azure and it's FANTASTIC!!!! :rainbow:

I think this thing looks pretty functional - if expensive to operate :(

Any jackass can easily see that there is a huge difference in the Olive Drab color used by the US Army in WWII through Vietnam (which actually changed shades quite a few times) and the 383 Green CARC coatings used in the 3 color NATO pattern.

I think its pretty neat! Hats off to a dude that can afford to enjoy something like that and does!

Any jackass can easily see that there is a huge difference in the Olive Drab color used by the US Army in WWII through Vietnam (which actually changed shades quite a few times) and the 383 Green CARC coatings used in the 3 color NATO pattern.

Maybe, but I would guess most don't care. :flipoff2:

Hooligan Rock Crew,
Thanks for the show at Moon Rocks and space for our rig! Hats off of Chris who
brought me on a technical route in his truck and even helped support our effort on a Saturday morning welding mission. See you next time we are in the Nevada desert.
Cheers, Garret

Moon rocks was a blast. Definitly impressive watching what the rigs can do. Our Hemtt was limited but a great base camp especially when it started snowing.

Cool truck, very original for sure :)

Awesome!

So how do you plan on getting the bikes and stuff in and out of the garage? Is there a lift gate or something back there that I'm not seeing.

Any jackass can easily see that there is a huge difference in the Olive Drab color used by the US Army in WWII through Vietnam (which actually changed shades quite a few times) and the 383 Green CARC coatings used in the 3 color NATO pattern.

You need to get laid.

Awesome build! Might not be what I would start out with, but that said you're out there, getting there and camping the shit out of it while you're there. With that said, I envy your rig and your ability to use it.

You need to get laid.

Awesome build! Might not be what I would start out with, but that said you're out there, getting there and camping the shit out of it while you're there. With that said, I envy your rig and your ability to use it.


Bam! Well said.

That is badass!:smokin:

Is that a Montana plate on the front of it?

Saw this at Moonrocks over memorial weekend. Absolutely one bad ass machine. Very cool people too. The owner said it get a whopping 4 mpg.

I took this yesterday... (@MoonRocks)

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/mochamike/Wheeling/MoonRocks052011/IMG_1202.jpg

I wanna see it hit those woops right there at that 55mph top speed.

'm curious - which DD engine does it use?

Interestingly, looks like the latest variants use a Caterpillar C17 which they claim gets better fuel economy. Supposedly they are also using the Allison 4000 7 speed, although I'm not sure when that was phased in - that trans didn't exist before the 1990's.

Should be a Detroit 8V92.

A) Badass

B) Zombie attack preparations, check.

C) It most definitely needs a paint job. OD the fawk out of that thing.

D) I want.

it has a 8v92ta 2 stroke detroit(supercharged turbo diesel) with a 4 speed Allison. Just put about 4000 miles on it in snow, dirt, sand and pavement. The truck ran great. Still work to do on it, but it was a good test trip! Max speed of 62 on flat pavement and i averaged 4 miles/gallon- not too bad for 50,000 lbs but it was still about a buck a mile. Glad to see prices starting to drop!

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=1298&pictureid=11812

Was in a hurry so I took a quick pic and yelled "pirate 4x4 Yarghh". :homer:

looks good!

were you heading to McCloud or??

Not sure, but we were either heading to or away from My Shasta. Base camped in the rig and got some great corn skiing on a easterly exposure of Shasta then we were off to the coast from s. Oregon to San Francisco. Not to many places you can still drive and camp on the beach, but we found a few! Thanks!

Damn, that does look like a MT plate, missoula if I'm seeing it right (where are the 10mp pics when you need them?).

Cool deal. I'd do something about that top speed so you could cruise comfortably at 65 without screaming it all day. Still an awesome concept, and the look keeps growing on me.

Yes we do have it registered in Montana- life time registration as a motorhome for $228 i think it was because of the older model year of the Hemtt. A little more speed would be nice! When i run it between 55 and 60 it does it very comfortably at 2000 to 2100rpms and is not really screaming. The motor is governed to 2200 rpms and only gets real loud when the tourqe converter kicks in on hills. Luckily the cab is insulated pretty good so you can still talk normally if the windows are closed.

Glad it is growing on you and when it is finished with paint and the roof rack modifications(I am changing the diamond plate sides to regular tubing), it should look better. Cheers

TheSearch,

It's amazing and the fact that you and your wife re out there traveling and living the life is what matters most. Looks should be the least of your worries and I can tell they are, you've got your priorities in check.

Thanks for the info on your awesome rig and keep at it.

Lifecatcher,

Thanks! Hoping to get back in it this fall for early season skiing.

Wow! That thing is fing sweet man! Hope i can do this one day. Keep us updated.

I love this thing! Headed through Portland any time soon?

Kyle and FJ- Thanks for the feedback! I was just south of Portland in June driving rt 1 from southern oregon to San Francisco looking for any places i could drive out onto the beach or along rivers. Found a few sweet spots and once i get the red star i think i need to post photos i will upload some pics from the dunes and gravel bars i camped around!

Nice rig!

cops hassled you about the height of the headlights yet?

Awesome!

Do you find it any hastle with a 55mph top speed?

The reason I ask is that I plan to cross the states in a Mog, and top speed is 50mph.....

Merv.

roundhouse, Thanks and no they havent hassled me about anything. I have not been stopped in the 5000 miles i have driven so far, but if they see me fueling up or parking or something they normally come by just to check it out from a human interest standpoint.

Merv, glad you like it. My top speed is about 62 and i normally drive on the highway about 55-60 at about 2100 rpms. It is fine for me and on big hill climbs it bogs down a bit so i just use the trucker lanes. I do try and drive more on old two lane highways where the top speed is 60 instead of the bigger faster interstates. Definitly hit highway 50 in the west to cross from Utah to Nevada to California. Far more interesting and some fun off road along the way. It was part of the original pony express!
Cheers, garret

Not sure, but we were either heading to or away from My Shasta. Base camped in the rig and got some great corn skiing on a easterly exposure of Shasta then we were off to the coast from s. Oregon to San Francisco. Not to many places you can still drive and camp on the beach, but we found a few! Thanks!

Yeah my buddy saw you on the beach at Somoa near Eureka. He was describing your rig and I took him in my office and showed him the picture here on Pirate and said "Is that the rig?". He said yes, he said it was pretty cool watching you "wheel" it in the sand.

Thesearch,

That weird thing on the top is still freaking me out. So here is my shitty Photoshop of my idea to get your airfoil and have a cargo rack up top and not look like something from an '80s action movie:

http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss247/Elwenil/Military%20Stuff/photo3.jpg
http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss247/Elwenil/Military%20Stuff/photo3.jpg

Might be hard to see what the hell I did there but basically it's a typical tubular roof rack mounted low over the cab and engine. A little air foil at the front of the rack and a larger foil at the rear that could also be boxed in with a hinged lid in front for secure storage out of the weather. The rack may have to be notched around the spare and the crane for the spare but it shouldn't be a huge problem and should still be very useful, a little cooler looking in my mind and the airfoil will probably be much more useful back at the front of the box rather than up on the cab. If you are driving around under 70 MPH airfoils really don't do much anyway but the one at the front is probably not helping at all since the air has so much space to roll back down and hit the front of the box. Some Gillespie Coatings 383 CARC substitute and it would be badass.

Anyway, that's my idea, let me know what you think. :D

shortbus4x4, yeh sure is a small world! Met some cool people along the coast and your buddy must have been one of them. I do need to get a on board tire inflation system so i can air down for the beach and then air back up. Since i did not want to drive a ways on pavement at low pressure until i got to a station to air back up, i just kept the tires at my usual 80psi(100 is max) and it did ok, but i was putting 12" trenches in the soft sand. It will be much easier on the rig when i can air down and stay more on top!

Elwenil, thanks for the photoshop. I meant to refab the rack this past spring, but we ended up having some extra expenses so i did not get to it. Your drawing is similar to my thoughts. I am definitly using regular tubing for the rack sides like you have, but if i bring it that low, it will really restrict engine access. As you know the engine cover that hinges up in the middle needs about 24 inches to be able to open and it is nice to be able to actually stand hunched over while working instead of being on your knees which would be the case with a low rack. I thought about hinging the rack, but if it is full with gear you would have to unload it before opening.
Also, as of now there is a complete sheet floor on the rack and lowering it would restrict the airflow coming out from the cooling system of the motor. After the air passes in front of the radiator it escapes vertically from the rear cut out of the cab.
I am not to worried about the airfoil per say because if i keep the rack at the existing height and once it is loaded with gear, it will be close the the height of the box anyway and the air flow should stay up around the box height.
Another thought is to seperate the big rack into two smaller ones because the way the guys built it originally gave me problems with welds breaking because the front of the rack is attached to the cab and the back of the rack is attached to the hoisting mount that is bolted to the frame. Since the cab is mounted on rubber mounts is not a rigid platform like the frame so the twist was breaking welds. I actually got it to work pretty good by bolting it with rubber pads at the connection points instead of welds, but i think a lower rack in the front which is fully attached to the cab and a seperate higher rack over the motor that is fully attached to the frame might be a better answer and it will kind of be a step up look towards the box. I am not talented with photo shop but i hope you get the gist of it. Let me know what you think. Thanks, Garret

you were parked down the street from my house in folsom weren't you?

gnarforunner, yep that was us- at our friend's Daveski and Maryanns'. Did we meet?

Just read this whole thread after being pointed here from the expedition vehicles thread. I hope you stick around to keep this thread up to date. I think you've got a pretty cool thing going here. I've always wanted to "waste" a HEMTT that way!

That things is sweet!

Do you have to have a CDL to drive it?

Hi Mr Mindless, thanks for the post. I'll try to keep the post up to date. We have been in Colorado the last 2 months and have gotten some mods done including a refab of the rack above the cab/motor, a block heater, fuel water seperator/ fuel preheater and a ramp extention for the existing toyhauler door. We also managed to gear up the garage with a snowmobile and a couple dirt bikes with a queen size bed over the forward part of the garage. Hopefully some pics soon!

Glad you like it! We have it registered as a motorhome so no CDL needed!

The rack looks much better. :D

Bad ass :smokin:
You said you spend some time in the Patagonian Andes ??
Where exactly ??

thanks and much more functional.

Svaras- We are based out of Bariloche, Argentina and live close to Lago Gutierrez. Not sure if we will ever get the rig that far south because of expense, but we do get to wheel around there in our defender 110 turbo diesel. Lots of open space!

gnarforunner, yep that was us- at our friend's Daveski and Maryanns'. Did we meet?

was it near american river canyon?
I think I saw it there, was drooling over it..