Ben, In our conversations you were looking for a 45' Prevost, what happened:eek:
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Ben, In our conversations you were looking for a 45' Prevost, what happened:eek:
Hey Ben: Before I jumped I would cruise thru Elkhart and Mishawaka, Middlebury, Indiana to check out the el cheapo Slide in Campers. There used to be a lot of those guys that would custom build you anything you want. You could probably haul any of em on an F350 Crew Cab Chassis 4x4 an depending on your wants have the best of both, keep the bus and tow the truck.l It would be like adding a room or a true little vacation home.:o
In a previous life 25 plus years ago, I used to be in the RV mfg business before Jimmy Carter and gas crisis and at that time Elkhart was the Mecca of the RV world and Manufacturing of same was concentrated in northern Ind. Nothing they made at that time would compare to a Prevost
Just a suggestion, the camper part could be sold off separately after you are done with it and the pickup is always a easily sold item and with hold a stronger resale than the converted one with the back of the cab out of it.
Good luck.
Orren... some people would consider a bus to be "slightly claustrophobic" compared to a house... I didn't. Chop off the bed and bathrooms and compress them into a much smaller space and you've already cut out 18' of the bus. The EarthRoamer has a king sized bed in it, which is much larger than what I currently sleep on and it's shower isn't much different in size than what I use right now. The rest of the bathroom is almost non existent in comparison, but that's where I only shave, fix my hair and brush my teeth, which I could do anywhere.
I'd mount a 24" iMac to the wall that is next to the refrigerator and put it on a swing arm so it can be out of the way when I'm not using it and I'd remove the two back seats in the cab and install printers and photo gear. I work in a very tiny space in the bus... just one side of the dining room table, which is about the same as I'd use up in the smaller rig.
Truk... The A/C runs fine of the inverter. You can run it all night off battery juice alone (no solar needed) and then when the sun comes up, it will start sucking from there as well... but you can't run that indefinitely without running the engine. I rarely run the bus A/C all day anyway. I'm in Arizona right now and only ran the A/C yesterday for part of the time I was driving, otherwise it was off and I'd assume it would be the same on the smaller rig. I actually think I'd use it a lot less on the smaller rig since it has so many windows are are easy to open and two fans. They have around 60 of these on the road and none of them have generators... all of them have A/C and I've heard no complaints from owners about problems with the A/C so far.
Jim... I was tempted by a 45'er, not looking for one. I liked more of the features it had (keyless entry, stacked washer/drying, shore cord reel, integrated into the roofline awnings, updated paint, etc.) more than the extra 5'.
Roger... I have no desire to tow something like this. A large part of the idea is to not need to find a 60'+ parking space each night (I boondock most of the time). Also, being able to explore more twisty and bumpy roads without having to leave the bus behind. If I was going to tow something that was better than my current setup, then I'd get the smaller Jeep-based EarthRoamer, but I think I'm fine with my current jeep for now.
"Also, being able to explore more twisty and bumpy roads without having to leave the bus behind."
Ben: when you attempt to do the above in that plastic and wood wonder held together by wood screws, be careful the cabinets overhead don't fall in your lap on one of those excursions.
Been there done that. That's why we all drive Prevosts.
Either way good luck to you always.
I'm also looking into more robust platforms for a 4x4 RV... specifically the ones at www.unicatamericas.com. But at 2-3x as expensive, it would be a nice ride, but not nice on the pocketbook.
when bill asks what i would do (with the bus and fulltiming) if something happened to him, i say i would move into a small B and much to the dismay of my family - keep on the road. whoo, did you just change that idea. this thing is way cool . . . and i wondered what you would do with the back seat - i wouldn't have much use for it either. i think it would be hard to share even with a camper girl, unless she had her own tent.
so . . . what happened to the boat idea? whoops - don't want to start a war here!
very cool!
jody
The yacht is for whenever I'm done exploring by land... I think I still have a few years to go before I'm done RVing.
Camper girl can sleep with me in the king sized bed that's in the EarthRoamer... no tent needed.
The Unicat has just as much space as a Prevost and costs about half as much new.
OK... howz about I buy this 4x4 bus:
http://www.68awdbus.com/buspic1.jpg
the owner is only asking $10K for it.
so that I can possibly drive like this:
Dakar Video
(the last 10-20 seconds are the best)
Just kidding... I'm still thinking that an EarthRoamer will be my next vehicle.
Ben,
I'd take a pass on the "short bus".
You should hang on to the Prevost until we bump into you at a park... otherwise I will never be able to figure out PhotoShop!
Your new book is great.
AJ
Ben,
Just thought I'd chime in as I've been watching this company for several years also and have had a number of discussions with them. Hope to fly through Denver this fall and take a side trip to their facility. I'm enamored by the technology, and if your age, would buy one in a minute. However, I'm NOT your age :mad: , my wife wouldn't allow it :o , and I've got a bad case of MPD :eek: . Wish I could tow one as someone else suggested.
Good luck with your decision and keep us posted. BTW, where can I easily purchase your book......I'm new to Photoshop and need all the help I can get !
When you're driving through Montana, feel free to stop by for a wilderness campsite in our front yard !! :D
Cheers,
Jim S