Back Woods camping Fun

[0533]

We thought it might be fun to try a different approach this summer, so we purchased a Dynamax 37 Grand Sport on a Columbia Freightliner chassis with a 450 Mercedes and a 4000 series Allison transmission, a couple of slides rugged enough to head out to the out of the way places we like to explore, hiking biking and Kayaking, enough clearance to get in and out of State, National and Provincial Parks, hydraulic Jacks plenty of propane, 2 big furnaces, 2 large airs, 3000 watt inverter, 4 house Batteries and lots beer stored in 2 refrigerators. We want to see if we can maneuver in and out of tight locations with a little more ease than the past 2 summers. There are real trade offs out of the box, having some difficulty getting used to the engine up front, extra noise, extra airbags would be nice, but the ability to maneuver, the extra tight ride and road handling, outrageous power from the 450 HP Mercedes seems to make up for the other so far, we do miss the the bus some times. Will see how the season shapes up, heading to Canada via Mackinaw around to Georgian Bay, will keep you abreast of the ride.

[Kevin Erion]

Bruce,
Looks like fun, but what are you going to do with all the extra time now that you don't have any Stainless to polish?
Enjoy the new toy,
Kevin

[GDeen]

Good looking ride Bruce.
What does it weigh in travel trim for you two?

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Real nice Bruce, watch out for the back woods bears :rolleyes:

JIM

[merle&louise]

Hi Bruce,

Nice ride! I think Ben was considering something like that at one time but it had 4 wheel drive.

My cousin bought a Chariot 45' w/2 slides, and he loves it. He pulls a huge trailer (don't know how much) and that is the primary reason that he bought it. I believe it is rated to pull 40,000# or something ridiculous like that.

How is it on the comfort side? Is there good quality with fit and finish on the inside? How much water does it hold?

One thing I have always wondered about is the noise factor in the cab while at 70 mph! How quiet is it? How is the ride?

It sure is pretty!:D

[MangoMike]

Bruce,

Let's show it off at OKC.

mm

[truk4u]

Bruce,

Tell us about that spring suspension and rough roads?

[0533]

Thats what Pam said as well. My right arm and shoulder are still recovering from polishing 533. I may still do some though can't stay away from stainless, thinking that a couple of stainless exhaust stakes would look nice up front next to the front doors??

[0533]

Good looking ride Bruce.
What does it weigh in travel trim for you two?
It weighs in at 37,000 lbs without fuel, water and stuff, guess is (will check on a scale) with 140 Gal fuel, 100 water and stuff around 40,000 LBS range about 12,000 less than the Bus is my guess.

[tdelorme]

That is one nice looking machine, Bruce. Smart move, since 0533 is still pictured on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ten most wanted list. You can hide that baby way back in the sticks for months at a time. You guys have fun up there.
Where is 0533 these days??

[0533]

Hi Bruce,

Nice ride! I think Ben was considering something like that at one time but it had 4 wheel drive.

My cousin bought a Chariot 45' w/2 slides, and he loves it. He pulls a huge trailer (don't know how much) and that is the primary reason that he bought it. I believe it is rated to pull 40,000# or something ridiculous like that.

How is it on the comfort side? Is there good quality with fit and finish on the inside? How much water does it hold?

One thing I have always wondered about is the noise factor in the cab while at 70 mph! How quiet is it? How is the ride?

It sure is pretty!:D
It is rated for up to 40,000 lbs for towing, this one has a 20,000 pound set up, more than enough for us.

Fit and finish is good, it is not a Marathon, but has good solid cherry wood cabinets, tile floors, corian solid surface counters nicely done but there are areas that could have been done better. The frig is too small, we added a second just outside the door, great Norcold unit, works well keep overflow stuff extra beer.

There is no kidding about trade offs from a bus, the "Beast" as we call it has certain benefits that are offset by negatives. I do not believe that it would be possible to achieve both and accomplish what we want to this summer.

Dynamax excels at certain aspects of motorhome design and construction. We have followed them for about 5 years, they build in good times about 250 units from 24' on Ford Powerstroke chassis to the 450 Mercedes on the Freightliner 45' chassis, some of their best features are the skin, side walls, roof construction and paint quality in my opinion. The side walls look wonderful, the roof is the best I have ever seen, very thick and remarkably smooth and true.

The ride is a trade off, there are airbags in the rear, none in front, Bilstien shocks all around, the steering is very tight, handling is excellent, the noise takes time to get used to, Could use extra bags extra insulation, the air seats both drivers and passengers are very important, the visibility is remarkable, rear camera side camera, magnified window in bottom of passengers door plus mirror outside passengers door that looks down at traffic, little excuse for hitting folks with this set up. The few is way up there at the same level as the XL's, or any over the road truck, even have my CB hanging next to me in the overhead.

Summary: The "Beast" is a truck crossed with an Airstream on steroids plus the best features that most high end plastic coaches offer in the way of creature comforts.

Gas milage should be somewhere between 8MPH and 10MPH, at 70MPH in economy mode turning 1300 RPM, at 75 MPH around 1450 RPM, very low with a 3.73 rear end. need this to offset the engine noise, comfortable at 70MPH with cruise control on.

The engine compartment is very easy to get to, just pull the hood back and you expose everything, I mean everything. Getting underneath to examine stuff is a no brainer.

So far, and we are only out a for a few days, is that operating this motorhome is like the difference beteen driving a large car verses a sports car, I do not even think twice about tight turns, close spaces, trees (about a foot shorter than bus) possibility of getting hung up on railroad tracks, hitting stuff underneath, it is fun so far, but there are trade offs for sure.

Best solution would be to own a bus and a Beast, like it sofar.

[0533]

That is one nice looking machine, Bruce. Smart move, since 0533 is still pictured on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ten most wanted list. You can hide that baby way back in the sticks for months at a time. You guys have fun up there.
Where is 0533 these days??
It is in Salt Lake City, I have first right of refusal after his new 2010 unit is completed, never know. What am I saying?

[0533]

Bruce,

Tell us about that spring suspension and rough roads?
The ride is different from the bus, very different, takes some getting used to, but I equate it again to owning and driving a Lincoln Town car everyday then jumping into a BMW sports car, the ride is different both offer special features and benefits requires getting used to, the ride will never be like a bus, and I suspect that 500 mile days will not be the same, the seats really help, and driving through towns and tight spots is not even an issue and does not require any extra thought. No stress in tight spots may offset the extra sporty ride, will report back, time will tell.

I like the idea that I can take the Beast to any Freightliner dealer anywhere for chassis service, will see how this goes over time.