How about?

Chevy57PkUp · 04-19-2006, 09:44 PM

Buying this http://www.truckpaper.com/listings/forsale/detail.asp?O...4DA2AA09680A9D0E037D
and then sticking a 25'box on the front truck bed and a 30' one on utility trailer. Or maybe get a couple travel trailers and weld them on?

Gary Atsma · 04-20-2006, 04:50 PM

How 'bout trashing or selling the bed, trailer, toolbox(s), headache rack, THEN building the rig of yer choice on the resulting bare chassis? I don't know WHY you would even mess w/ the trailer, being it is a pivoting front axle which means nearly impossible to back up (and you WILL have to back up sometimes). Just because it has it, does NOT mean you are commited to using it......

Chevy57PkUp · 04-20-2006, 05:53 PM

Thank you Gary, that was why I asked. What do you suppose a person could get for those items if removed and advertised for sale? Can you also give me some idea of what is meant by the wording in that ad that mentions both 'spring suspension" in the first line and the SUSPENSION again in the third line? I think I have seen it mentioned that it is important to consider the type of suspension when looking at HDTs for conversion.

medent · 04-21-2006, 12:12 AM

Hey, not impossible to back. I've seen drivers that could thread the needle backing those big pull trailers into loading spots. Guess it just takes commitment and practice.

medent

Gary Atsma · 04-21-2006, 03:45 PM

I didn't say impossible; the words were "NEARLY impossible". The two words that really apply here are- "WHY BOTHER?" There are tons of trucks around that far more easily lend themselves to conversion. Why create obstacles when you will have enough of them show up on their own? Medent is right about the practice and commitment involved in backing pull trailers; after you practice enough to get good at it, you will want to be committed to one of our finer, uh, facilities where everything will be in a nice fog after a day or so. Other than that you'll be fine.....
Oh, about the suspension. If it says "spring suspension" you should read that as "NO air suspension", and you really need air suspension on ANY truck used for RV conversion. There is really no room for debate on this.

medent · 04-22-2006, 11:50 AM

For air/springs I saw a cabover rig like that it had air springs on the drive tandems but the trailer was springs, as was the front axle of the truck. WHY BOTHER is really it. Cabovers bring some good concept but for an rv? The whole cab has to tip for engine access and you can hardly have a pass through to the rv part that wont leak and have to climb over that engine hump. Being on top of the engine is noisy and hot too and it is a real climb to get up to the seats. Nuf said?.

medent

Gary Atsma · 04-22-2006, 05:58 PM

You got it, bro'!
BTW, There are kits to put air ride on the front of those trucks without it, from Brock's Ad A Ride (or something like that) and others. Freightliner does offer it on some new trucks, not sure if others do. Air ride front and rear is THE way to go! Have a good one!
Gary

Chevy57PkUp · 04-22-2006, 07:57 PM

Say Gary - would you be so kind as to take a look at this rig? http://www.rvclassified.com/rvclassi...s.cfm?id=61837

Thinking in terms of an entry level rig to see if I really like RV'ing or not.

Chevy57PkUp · 04-22-2006, 08:15 PM

Gary - Another what do you think question.

Is there a better forum on TruckConversion, where a request for folks to take a look at a rig is more appropriately posted?

http://www.rvclassified.com/rvclassi...s.cfm?id=59096

Gary Atsma · 04-23-2006, 03:05 PM

You're in the right place for your questions on rigs; Bravest Dog does it all the time and keeps us all thinking! ;-)
Anyway, about these rigs:
On the Freightliner-towed rig, if you like the trailer, go for it. It looks nice, but to be honest I don't know much about how to look at trailers. The truck might be tired, though, and do you (and more importantly, your wife/girlfriend/whatever) want to play Tarzan getting into the cab?
On the Nissan-towed rig, the trailer might be nice. I would NOT want the Nissan truck; cabover (see above), not very plush, gutless. Just not desireable.
Does this help you? Just my .02, don't forget........
Gary

Chevy57PkUp · 04-23-2006, 04:44 PM

Really it helps more then you might suspect. Especially as it echoes my thinking to a great degree. I realize and accept that it is near to impossible to evaluate anything from a couple pictures. But experience can guide a persons perceptions and since I have no experience in the area anyone who does it more likely to have more accurate perceptions. The Freightliner is old and it would be strictly a question of condition, I have driven class 8 diesels and have a strong mechanical background. And before I actually did a deal I'd invest in a diesel mechanics time to take a look and a listen. On the Nissan my reaction was pretty much the same; however since originally posting the url, I did some checking and apparently among MDT afficianados for trailer hauling they are not unknown, so more would need to be learned. Since these are both withing a days driving to and from, I will very likely check them out if for no ther reason then to see what I can see.

Gary Atsma · 04-23-2006, 11:46 PM

Hey- it NEVER hurts to look! Even if nothing comes of it, you ALWAYS learn something from it......
Have fun!
Gary

Chevy57PkUp · 04-24-2006, 05:07 PM

The only time it hurts me is when I look at a car or a truck or other piece of machinery that has fallen into disrepair not from having given a full measure of service but for lack of simple routine maintenance. That always hurts my feelings, I have no respect for people who can't even manage minimal preventative maintenance. I'll never forget what my old grandpa told me onetime when I was a little kid, pulling an American Flyer that had a squeaky wheel, "Hey kid, a little drop of oil can do amazing stuff" man how that phrase has echoed in my head many, many times in the intervening 50 years or so when I have seen really expensive pieces of equipment give up the ghost all for want of a drop of oil.

Gary Atsma · 04-24-2006, 05:19 PM

I know what ya mean, man, I know what ya mean.......

vapoppa · 04-24-2006, 09:56 PM

a very lonng time ago i carried a piece of farm equipt. that was broke to the john deere dealer in town, i think it came off of a manure spreader, the piece that is, and the owner who was old at that time looked at it and looked at me and said "tell ya what happened to that" i said "ok", he said, "grease worms done got in there an' ate all the grease out, that's what." like i said i've forgotten what it was, but not what was wrong with it. ---mase

Chevy57PkUp · 04-24-2006, 10:32 PM

Which reminds me of a time a few years ago when I was recovering from a traffic accident [is it an accident when some idiot does something too stupid to comprehend which causes a bad wreck?] anyway I was really stove up, not to mention it totalled by 77 Mark V which I owned from new and had less then 100k on it. So I needed to have the king pins replaced on my truck as I was hurting too bad to drive it the way I had been. New king pins made it like it had power stering in comparison. So after the king pic replacement I figured I'd get an LOF and took it to one of those lube places. Thinking that they might have less then full knowledge of the lubrication points on a truck older then anyone working in the place I scanned the page in the original owners manual [anyone remember when owner's manual gave you a complete lubrication spec sheet?] and gave it to the service writer. Hellz bellz he didn't have a clue, you should have seen them trying to look up the air filter replacement. When I explained to them the procedure for cleaning the oil bath air cleaner it was like I was talking Lithuanian to them. It would have been funny except I really needed a complete LOF done.

You may also like: