Converting a toterhome to a full T/C motorhome

[hot rod]

I have seen some of those hdt rv haulers on the escapees forum with the hitch farther back like you mention, usually just behind the rear axle. That setup does not look too bad. The dirt track rigs I saw were WAY farther back than that. I think some of their reasoning on the rv haulers has to to with the width of the hauler bed/tires/axles vs. the turning room available under the camper, and they cannot have the 5th wheel in the normal position over the axle and still turn sharp.



Backing easy is what you are used to, I'm in the habit of maneuvering my 40' gooseneck just fine, and actually think tags are harder to get into a tight spot. Personal preference. Also, those rv guys generally have a very expensive air ride 5th wheel hitch to soak up the extra "springboard effect" you get with the hitch that far back. And my pin weight is around 5000# so I can't go too far back

[#90-GTSC]

Don:

I'm bottom fishing. $25k to $50k.

Dick

[Highway OPie]

Hi Hot Rod:

To answer your question immediately; around $12M by the time all the work was done.

Went to my local Morgan dealer here in Grand Rapids, and ordered it through them. One nice thing about buying a new box is you get it exactly the way you want it not buying it off a lot where you have to take it the way it comes. Base price was around $8M, but then we added:

1> Sealed hardwood floor; bolt holes were plugged and the floor was rough sanded.

2> Bright stainless where ever we could get it; front radius corners; rear frame opening; along each side at the lower edge.

3> Stainless black painted revits throughout to match the color of the box.

4> LED lighting and rear mounted white emergency strobe lights.

5> Two 48" and one 24" rail mounted stainless tool boxes (our "basement").

6> Folding aluminum side steps.

7> The box was ordered with no rear overhead door. The dealer "built" the rear wall and installed the windows I provided. Said it was cheaper than having the Morgan factory to it. Who knows!

8> Installation of the side door which I provided.

9> The box was installed and positioned exactly where I wanted it; I was there to direct the placement.

10> Fabrication of a rear (ICC bar) "bumper" and very heavy duty trailer hitch.

Ordering time was 12 weeks and installation and all the other goodies took about another month. Between dropping the front drivers and having a new drive line fabricated, extending the frame rails six feet, and the installation of the box pretty much consumed all of last summer. All of this "heavy work" I elected not to do myself. Now that it is all done, everything else including the installation of the five remaining windows and finishing out the box I will do myself.

"What would I do different next time" you ask?

Well, I had fully intended to buy a used box; they are dirt cheap. The problem is finding a nice one; "most" of the boxes on the used market are really in sad shape. I know of places now which I didn't know about a year ago, and I would concentrated more on trying to find a nice used box that fit my desires. However, my wife did't really want a used box as it was going to be our "living quarters", so I said, "Okay honey, just to make you happy, I'll buy a brand new one!" Then we talked about this bridge which was for sale in Brooklyn!

Overall, I am very happy with my decision, and my progress so far. Plus, the upfitter is there and knows me, and is very helpful on other construction ideas I pass by him; so I guess it was money well spent.

Hope all this helps.

Good luck, Hot Rod.

Speed

[#90-GTSC]

Why black? Wouldn't that be hot in the summer? Or is it insulated enough that it isn't material?

[Highway OPie]

Hi ya 90!

Why black? First, my wife likes black. Second, it matches the tractor. In the future I also plan to extend the red portion of the tractor back to the box, so the black area will be reduced somewhat. The box will have 2" of insulation plus 3/4" additional hard maple paneling, and four powered vent fans in the ceiling, plus six widows. And, the top of the box is silver, no black, and has been coated with some treatment to reflect the sun. I guess we could add air conditioning, but there are no plans for that at this time.

I hope all of this is enough to eliminate the heat. If not, we'll spend a lot of time naked, which is okay too!

Thanks for the question.

Speed

[hot rod]

Ok, I'm trying hard not to picture your no a/c solution. la la la la la...

How thick are your walls going to end up with all of that? I see there is already some sort of wood strips in there (I assume the insulation will be between those and not over?) plus paneling. Aren't you getting to the limit of what an rv window can handle for wall thickness? I know you can order the windows based on wall thickness, just don't know how far they go. I ordered some custom windows for my Pace trailer that way. Tried Elkhart first, they have acres of windows laying around, but it is about impossible to find them with the right ring for your walls unless you are working on something the same thickness as a standard rv wall (mostly frp these days).

[Dragonslayer140]

Highway, Nice job so far on your box, should make for a good solid rig. I would think that spray foam insulation in the cavity formed by the metal studs and the wood rub rails would be the way to go. The foam will get in behind all the spaces and bond to everything reducing a lot of road noise and creating a good thermal barrier. Just remember to plan ahead with any wiring or plumbing as adding it into the wall later is more than a pain. one disadvantage with adding the foam after siding is there can be quite a bit of heat from the chemical reaction of the foam setting up and can distort the siding if not careful. However the advantages of not having an insulation material that will absorb moisture within the wall cavity is a big plus.

Dave

[blizzardND]

The main reason for the way back positioning of the 5th wheel hitch is to unload the front axle and put as much weight on the drives for traction out of grass and clay track pit areas.

It is also been mentioned, it helps in the trailer trailing in tigh spots and aids in backing, and when you are long wheelbased you need all the help you can get.

[#90-GTSC]

We learn something new every day.

Thanks Mr. Blizzard!

[John Lynch]

Opie,
Just wanted to say looks very nice. what are your plans for the interior of the box? Do you plan on a walkthrough to the cab? You mentioned you might of found a better scource for a used box, would you care to share? I am still interested in building a conversion using a Cabover design tractor. Only because I need to keep overall length at 29 ft front to rear and feel I could have a longer living area by using a cabover. Just not sure if you could come up with a seal that could be easily detached to tip the cab or just skip a pass through portal.

John Lynch