Thoughts on ability (in Sahara)? Experiences?

Sam.

i have just bought a 40-10 4x4 flat bed that i will be converting to a camper, well what I am thinking of is bolting a caravan on the back as this will be a cheap option and I can take the van off and I have transport wherever I am. I have spent a lot of time and money in the past converting a 608 merc to go to india and dont wont to do it again!

I would love to hear from anyone with a 40-10 to share tips so the desert/off road suitibilty interests me as well

Graeme

i,m on my second iveco 4x4 now,only sold last on as swb & needed more room.My only concern with fitting caravan on rear is how long it will last once your on the corrigations but a cheaper options than full build(i've converted a merc 508 too along with a iveco 4x4)Ive had no problems with there off road ability in sand or mud but once stuck they take some digging out(4 ton),so, make sure you have a good compressor,spade & plates.Good luck & go 4 it.

Where can I find one of these for an Iveco 4x4?
Sam.

This is just a suggestion as I have no idea what they are really like, but I've often wondered about the possibilities of converting a 4x4 Ford Transit. Worth looking into?
Matt

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Hi Matt
I did buy one of these as they are a good size, and cheap and easy to get bits for. But because they are monocoque, I could see the dampers coming through the cab floor after a day of corrugations, (and they arn't called Dagenham dusbins for nothing) so bought an Iveco, as its mounted on a solid chassis and much better built.
Happy Travels
Bruce

thanks for the tips, I know what your saying about the caravan falling to pieces on courogated roads, but I am thinking that I can always repair stuff and it is so cheap. If I spend £1000 I can get one in good condition and new enough to be light. I am thinking to take the body of the Iveco so I can cut down the wieght. I have heard of someone india with one on a truck and I have seen it done in the uk.
Graeme

Hi,
I’ve had one since 2000, coachbuilt onto the 3.2m wheelbase chassis. The box is grossly overweight so mine will never see the high dunes, but in the gently rolling dunes of western Mori it was very well behaved, plodded along with the engine screaming. Our guide in his 4.2l Jeep kept on getting stuck but I think he was a bit too heavy footed (a case of too much power for sand?) and on 15” tyres. I didn’t dare stop to help him, the sand was way too soft to take a stop-start.
They’re very tough, and popular with the German Saharians. No need for any of that LR after market protection bunk, they come with a sump and transfer case guard strong enough to jack even my 5.5t version on.
The 2.5 TD is great, it has a timing CHAIN in a water and sand proof casing, bloody noisy though. At only 100 hp it’s worth looking at tuning options.
With a bit of grinding you can get 9 x 16 tyres under the civvy cab, and the gearing’s designed for them; my workshop manual shows a stripped chassis version with the same ratios but 9x16 tyres, and the military ones have that as standard.

Issues:
The outside CV boot seems to be a bit fragile and requires extra vigilance.
It’s a mini HGV chassis, and as such it’s the chassis that twists first, rather than the suspension (there’s a good photo on exremecamper.com). I’ve seen a Daily van that had to be extensively rewelded and reinforced around the front doors and our furniture unscrews itself from the walls because of the flex in the body.

Graeme, I would recommend a diamond style mounting similar to the Mog system. The caravan lends itself quite well to that: hard mount the caravan’s axle part transversally and then attach a single pivot at the front (and rear if there’s enough chassis) of the caravan. The caravan will follow the twist at the axle level of the truck, and the pivot will allow it to.

Happy preparations
Luke

I've actually bought three now (they're difficult to find though - got them in Belgium, France and Italy!!).

They are great, looking forward to trying them in the rough stuff. BUT you don't want to be in a hurry (and mine are the 2.8L)!

Sam.

Sorry, saw an earlier post of mine.

Raised air intakes are a standard IVECO part - and not even that expensive!

Sam.

Hi Sam, forgot to mention, that battery tray cantilevered out as it is doesn't like corrugations.
It's only spot-welded in place and pulls off quite easily under a decent battery; might be worth your while investigating relocating them under a cab seat.

Leaves a perfect space for a compressor (which is lighter).
Happy trails
Luke

Hi Luke, can you explain what you mean by diamond mounting like the mog , is that unimog?
Graeme

It is a Unimog, and it is a three point system that supports the rear load bed(not 4).

Sam.

True, the short payload attachment is a simple triangle, allowing the chassis to flex but not transmitting it to the payload bay/box.

Unicat and the like use a 4 point fixing on the 6x6 Mog and other long boxes (MAN, Mercedes etc.). Applying the same principle of the triangle, but with two of them back to back (can triangles have backs?) So that two opposing points are at each end of the payload area of the chassis, halfway between the longitudinal chassis members and form a central load bearing pivot, and the wide part is midway along the payload area, rubber block mounted giving the box lateral stability.

Make any sense? I think there's a photo of a chassis being twisted at www. extremecamper.com in which you can see the back pivot.
Happy trails
Luke

Hi Matt/Sam, So it is not really making sense! I get the bit about two triangles back to back. So what do you mean as for fixing...should I make a chassis for the caravan that is the two triangles and then fix that to the chassis of the iveco in only four places, one at each point of the what is now a diamond.
I am not sure if I am getting this!? it it possible for you to post a diagram? or email me?
I really want to take the caravan off of its own chassis as to make it as low as possible.

thanks graeme