The initial decision to cut the cab off came by me. I was cruzing the web and found a picture of a rig which was done similarly to what I was thinking. I am a real freak about this rig looking first class and top notch.
Now a Show Hauler motorhome box looks much better than that one, but the front cab & rear box just do not look right. I don't care how much blood and sweat I put into that sleeper my rig is not looking like that. The kids will sit on the couch or dinette; they both have seat belts in them. Also after taking a long trip this weekend in my Explorer, it will be better to have them somewhat removed from the driver's area. They can play, sing, and scream and I can close the curtain and maintain some calm in the cab. One advantage to my current cut cab is the extra 15" or so larger it is than a standard day cab. I can recline my seat or set it back as far as it will go to access the inside from the driver or passenger door. Also there is enough room behind the seat to hang up jackets or put boots there, which you would use in bad weather.
Now the other issue was the fact that the sleeper was going to screw up the layout on the 26' motorhome which I originally considered. The rear axle was going to be in the wrong place for that particular layout. Since I really liked that layout we decided to chop the cab. In the end we changed to a 28' layout anyway, but I am really glad we shopped the cab. With the flair in the cab it is going to integrate with the box really well.
So something which at first looked to be a real bummer is turning out to be a big positive.
2003 28' Show Hauler Motorhome on a 1995 FL 120 completely refurbished chassis.
Currently in production - scheduled completion 12/10/02 www.showhauler.com