1.2 million overlander thing broken, repaired, recovered

[Happyoldgit]

2 hours ago, simonr said:

The off-road repair looks like a fairly typical day out at Walters in a Land Rover 😉.  I suspect most of us have had to improvise something similar.

I want to know what these 'pods' on the roof are:

Speakers? Vents? Lunar Landing Modules?

As I suggested earlier I still think they are some kind of jet assistance thruster device. If the bloke who twisted the shaft had hit the big red button to initialise the thrusters they wouldn't have got their collective knickers, and shaft, in a twist.

[Happyoldgit]

2 hours ago, FridgeFreezer said:

Looking at those and the ones built into the side of the thing, they're speakers so you can entertain all the other campers in a 1/2 mile radius while enjoying your outing to the unspoiled wilderness in your million-dollar hotel room on wheels.

Shucks, I thought the ones on the sides were overflows for the onboard toilets and Jacuzzi's.

[miketomcat]

More likely air con but I know that's a boring answer.

Mike

[Bowie69]

20 hours ago, smallfry said:

Eight tons ? Really ? On those tiddly little tyres, and the breakover angle. I wouldn't even want to take that over a speedbump.

They are 41s.....

They somehow thought it was a good idea to run a single rear wheel instead of the dually setup it comes with from factory.... 

[miketomcat]

11 hours ago, Bowie69 said:

They are 41s.....

They somehow thought it was a good idea to run a single rear wheel instead of the dually setup it comes with from factory.... 

If you spend any time looking at overland trucks You'll realise they are obsessed with not having dual wheels. For some reason they go to great lengths to remove them an fit super singles. I get the risk of debris between the tyres but the ground pressure advantage should out weigh having to check everytime you stop. I think none of them have actually worked out that due to their weight and size they're unlikely to venture far off a gravel road.

Mike

[simonr]

10 minutes ago, miketomcat said:

they're unlikely to venture far off a gravel road.

I think, on the whole that's true.  People are buying the dream/image of a lifestyle.  Not terribly different to people buying £100k restored Series 1's.

[FridgeFreezer]

2 hours ago, miketomcat said:

If you spend any time looking at overland trucks You'll realise they are obsessed with not having dual wheels. For some reason they go to great lengths to remove them an fit super singles. I get the risk of debris between the tyres but the ground pressure advantage should out weigh having to check everytime you stop. I think none of them have actually worked out that due to their weight and size they're unlikely to venture far off a gravel road.

Mike

I still think the right truck for this is a standard 8x4 tipper/hook loader quarry truck with a HIAB. Those things are in & out of construction sites all day long, you've got two dual axles with lockers on the back (low ground pressure - probably much lower than these lifestyle overlander things), you can build the living quarters in the demountable body so you can unload it back at camp and save weight if you want to go off-road / nip down the shops, plus the HIAB & legs mean you can self-recover to some extent as well as change a wheel without killing yourself. And they're cheaper, and they're common as muck for parts & service.

[Daan]

2 hours ago, simonr said:

I think, on the whole that's true.  People are buying the dream/image of a lifestyle.  Not terribly different to people buying £100k restored Series 1's.

That's true of about 99% of people who buy a Landrover.

[Gazzar]

All these Overland adventure vehicles are very, well, big, aren't they?

Would that restrict their use to the well beaten track? In which case they could get a bus, or a taxi, to the hotel.

[miketomcat]

2 hours ago, Gazzar said:

All these Overland adventure vehicles are very, well, big, aren't they?

Would that restrict their use to the well beaten track? In which case they could get a bus, or a taxi, to the hotel.

I'm about to read a book by a loony guy who's driven around the world in a mini van. I'd bet I could get further off the beaten track in that than any of the truck based overlanders. Much as I'd love a truck it's not the right vehicle for the job.

Mike

[Peaklander]

Last year, at the end of a road in Spain, we came across a huge Dutch 'overland lorry'. It was at a sort of wild camping site. I wish I had taken a photo; the vehicle was huge. The couple driving it were waiting for paperwork before they continued towards 'Africa'.

I never did work out what they hadn't got done, paperwork-wise before leaving home but they had been there for some time. Long enough to need to do washing in their self contained truck. Somewhere / somehow, I saw the full size washing machine running and next to it was a matching tumble drier. Both appeared to be permanently installed. It seemed crazy to be loaded-up in this way. As I say, I should have got evidence.

[Snagger]

I have seen a (very) small number of such trucks in the ME, but plenty of camper equipped off road cars (mostly Patrols, Land Cruisers, FJ Cruisers, Jeeps and so on, and the occasional F150 or F250, few LR products are used that way here, but some).  One Emirati enthusiast with a collection of such cars also has a couple of older Mogs parked outside his house - I should try to get some photos.
 

 
The really big stuff, like Mann trucks and converted Bedford 4-Tonners I have only seen at events like the Overland show.  They are impressive, but their purchase, maintenance and fuel costs must cut trips very short and there are so many places that their size or weight would preclude them.  At least they are robust, though, and would be far more capable that the two pieces of carp featured in this thread’s videos.  I remember seeing plenty of videos about stretched and ruined Defenders that would be equally as fragile and impotent.

I just can’t see the point in that kind of vehicle.  At one extreme, you can pack very light, live pretty rough and get well off the beaten track, but I can see why many would find it a bit too uncomfortable (me included).  Then there is a range of better equipped mid-sized off roaders, which seems to me to be a good compromise, from a moderately equipped 110 to a fully kitted 130, F150 or whatever, depending on how long you want to be out and how harsh the environment.  But these big vehicles with all the comforts of home…. Surely those folk really just want to go to resort hotels?

[landroversforever]

On 7/5/2023 at 9:36 AM, FridgeFreezer said:

I still think the right truck for this is a standard 8x4 tipper/hook loader quarry truck with a HIAB. Those things are in & out of construction sites all day long, you've got two dual axles with lockers on the back (low ground pressure - probably much lower than these lifestyle overlander things), you can build the living quarters in the demountable body so you can unload it back at camp and save weight if you want to go off-road / nip down the shops, plus the HIAB & legs mean you can self-recover to some extent as well as change a wheel without killing yourself. And they're cheaper, and they're common as muck for parts & service.

This is what I want  6x6: 

 

Or if it's the hook loader option 8x6:

[L19MUD]

3 hours ago, landroversforever said:

Or if it's the hook loader option 8x6:

I like the hookloader option for many reasons

- 1 Body for camping, 1 flat body for plant, 1 Tipper body for aggregates

 

You could also drop the Camping body off to nip down the shops 🙂

 

[ThreePointFive]

I've always thought these look the part. No idea if they're any good, but they look the part when I see Environment Agency/Utility company ones.

If it's going to weigh more than the moon anyway, surely this is the way to go.

[FridgeFreezer]

3 hours ago, ThreePointFive said:

If it's going to weigh more than the moon anyway, surely this is the way to go.

All I come back to is that anything with a driven front axle is (relatively) a unicorn - only a few utilities, the army, and the uber-overland crowd run them.

[smallfry]

Wouldn't it be cheaper and more sensible just to stuff a pair of rolled up socks in the front of your underpants ?

[Escape]

12 hours ago, FridgeFreezer said:

All I come back to is that anything with a driven front axle is (relatively) a unicorn - only a few utilities, the army, and the uber-overland crowd run them.

MAN has a very interesting hydraulically driven front axle. Aimed at the construction industry, it's essentially a 6x4 or 8x4 chassis with standard drive configuration, no transfer box or anything to complicate matters and no speed limitations. At low speeds, the front axle(s) can be engaged to help maneuvering off tarmac. As most of those trucks have a big hydraulic pump anyway, it's not that much additional equipment and does make a huge difference. I think it's also available on 4x2 tractors, for use with tipper or timber trailers and such so they have half a chance off road.      

[ThreePointFive]

11 hours ago, smallfry said:

Wouldn't it be cheaper and more sensible just to stuff a pair of rolled up socks in the front of your underpants ?

Can't I do both? 

[smallfry]

On 7/8/2023 at 7:49 PM, ThreePointFive said:

Can't I do both? 

You could indeed ! Lord Flashheart comes to mind.............