Allrad-LKW-Gemeinschaft

MAN Yeah the 630 does look great , as does the CAT. I have serious reservations about the look of the ' forward control ' Magrius 's, there is just something about the proportions that is not quite right , for me. [/ i] I do not doubt their capabilities and reliability but, if every time you come round a corner and think " mmmmmm , not sure ......" instead of " woah, yes! " life is a little less rosy !

They can look good of course:
[ img ] http://beimirwirkt4x4.de/Galerie_004/th ... /39Magirus % % 20Deutz 20beimirwirkt4x4.jpg [/ img ]

but the tiny rear overhang , IMHO essential to good looks, does not give much room for a cabin . Maybe a iveco lwb 110-17 doka with this treatment would work ?

but then maybe it , s the bonnet on a 630 ? Sun then the iveco would be the thing ......

630 this is particularly handsome ....

[ img ] http://m136.de/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05265.jpg [/ img ]

I think it 's the old trick of the cab looking hotrodders ' chopped '.

maybe I could do a roof chop on an Iveco ?

 : eek :

[ img ] http://i.ebayimg.com/10/!!sQ+-LQ!W0 ~ $ ( KGrHqN ! IKEv1 +0 E4, CBMB3 ( fE (Sg ~ ~ _27.JPG [/ img ]

14:00 20 think 's different bumper .... tweek tweek here there ....

maybe, maybe, maybe.

And now I've come across Olafs 'Gladiator' and I think I know where I'm heading (but with a crewcab of course....) thank you for doing it first Olaf and providing some inspiration. Looks like I might need some udating on my licence though....

And when I've chosen the vehicle then I've got to make all the decisions conversion ! oh heck ........

Ok, whats it done with all the pictures?????

Hi Timberwolf,

I think we should first talk about some "realities", which you are going to face on most European highways.

->Definitely you need a car that is able to "swim along" with most of the modern trucks traffic in the plaines. That means top speed must be in the range of 95...100 km/h. And that preferrably with a not too loud engine noise inside the cabin.
Also check the split of the single gears within each other - especially going uphill on 4th or 5th gear.
The ols MAN is not too good here....

-> Check carefully for the fuel consumption, because there is no fun having a big car, but not the money left to move it a couple of thousand kms during vacations. 3 Kids will keep you quite busy buying ice cream and chocolate....

-> Check carefully for the maximum length of the car and if you can manage (to have enogh space with 3 kids), stay under 7 m total lengh.
You will not really have fun looking for parking places on the supermarkets of the bigger cities around.
Besides that, a long car having a long wheelbase needs bigger turning radiuses and it is not funny having to back up in smaller curves all the time.
My travelling experience in England showed me that the most beautiful places have quite narrow roads for access, so also consider that if you want to drive the car back in England most of the time. Also costs for ferryboats increase with length.
Definitely you will need safety belt equipped seats for your kids within the crew cabin. This is an absolute must in my eyes.

->Consider the spare parts availablity and their costs min England.
Mercedes has the most wide spread service organization.
Parts for the older Mercedes trucks have relatively reasonable prices and I can get parts for my 30 years old 911 mostly on the next day.

-> Think well about if you really need a 4x4 car. Consumption will be ~ at 16 - 20 l / 100 km or above, when driving fast on the highways with rugged tires. In Germany with the actual Diesel fuel costs this makes ~ 23 € just for the fuel per 100 km.

We have been travelling from North Cape to the south of Greece during the past 30 years and have not really needed 4x4 if we did not want to access beaches, wet meadows or really rough terrain which we could well access with hiking boots .... leaving the car a few meters away.
Having a big car that is able to drive at 120 km/h is also not a bad thing to consider...

Although these are my personal basics I have ovened 4 RV´s since 1975 (all 2 x 4 and 4 x 6), "I did it" 4 month ago and bought myself a 4 x 4 - 30 year old Mercedes 911 from the German police equipped with a windowed cabin (~ 4m x 2,30 m and a hight of 1,78 m in the middle) that contained most of the basics needed for an RV. I`ve investigated ~ 2 years to find the "right one".
My 2 boys are out of the house already and my wife is not too keen on this car (yet).
My story and the details how I bought it, including a lot of pictures you can find here.

http://www.allrad-lkw-gemeinschaft.de/p ... hp?t=22121

Last weeend I`ve taken it to the Saverne meeting - they have a big 4 x 4 terrain there, where one can "check the cars on their abilities" - I can only say that this old car can do much more then I will ever face on a road thorughout this world where i will be travelling. I was born and raised in Latin America and I know what bad roads can look like.

Keep these basics in mind when you choose your car, if you want to be happy with it long term.

Cheers,

Udo (DL 8 WP)

This is my little toy ...

I hear you Udo, and I think it's just those arguments that are going to kill the MAN 'Emma' 630 as an option. The IVECO above is so common in the UK but the IVECO brand is, so parts shouldn't be a problem.

I've gone to the various Mercedes, and they are a good option, I think I will have to come to Germany next year in the show season and have a look at all these things 'in the flesh'. I just hope their are no Emma's there!!

I've been following the thread else where by Streetpirate and the arguements around Urals, it's always the fuel consumption going above 20l/100km that is the problem. Most usual options - MB 911/1113, unimog, 1017 etc all seem to have a consumption around 20l/100km as do Magrius and Steyr. It's only when you get to KATs, URALS and MAN 630's that the consumptions get silly. With this in mind I'll limit myself to the more common, sensible trucks.

I have driven our Toyota Hilux a good long while now and must say that I do need 4x4 at least 10-20% of the time. We go off camping now sometimes and especially in winter 4x4 is necessary. Having had the camper in NZ I don't think I could have a 2x4 RV, even if the 4x4 is only used infrequently. We definitely want to go to Iceland, and that place needs proper off road ability.

I hope the IVECO above will come in below 7m, the bed on the crewcab is 4m, so should be about right. My truck in NZ was 6.8 and was just about right as a compromise. I've driven big things all my life in agriculture and forestry so negotiating trucks down small lanes won't be a problem.

Children will have 4 point harnesses as I have found trying to fit normal seat belts into places where there were not any is always a safety compromise.

I'm now going to read your story!!

TimberwolfII hat geschrieben:I think I will have to come to Germany next year in the show season and have a look at all these things 'in the flesh'.

Yes, very good idea.

Bring lots of time, as I'm sure many people here would be happy to talk about their trucks for hours and hours and hours...