AEV Prospector XL Flatbed Adventure Rig
- Thread starter cuzitsmyUSofwtvr
- Start date
mk216v
Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
And so, IMHO SMB is below FWC in quality "behind the scenes", ie when you pull the upholstery back and look at the jagged metal in a poptop install. Also, I forget what FWC uses for cabinet construction, but it doesn't appear to be MDF and staples like SMB.
mk216v
Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
They're still stuck in the 70s in a lot of ways.
The argument against upgrading the Dometic/Atwood stove is a bit funny (PM me if you'd like to see, don't want to take this thread too OT).
mk216v
Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
So you are local here in Bend??
I'll have to keep an eye out for your rig! I'm lucky that my family is small...literally, we are pretty small people. But it does get cramped in the Taco. My son is 3 and his legs are crammed against the seat in his car seat in the back. My wife is only 5' tall and has her seat pretty far forward, but it's not super-comfy for either of them. No one has complained....yet. Next week we are on a trip for 8-9 days and that'll be the longest trip I've done with the entire family. It'll be a good test of how things work, or don't work out. By myself, my setup is great, but they love going on trips too!
Good to know about the SMB. Our friend has one and loves it, but he doesn't do the sort of driving that we do. Capability and durability are very important. Mule regularly runs their RAM truck down to their Baja home and that says a lot to me about it's capability and durability. One of the things I love about the Khaya is it's strength. I've banged it against some small trees on more than one occasion and it's held strong. I'd be curious about a FWC in that same scenario, they always seemed very fragile to me, but that's just an impression and not based on experience.
My last rig was a 2-door JK and I never thought I'd be able to fit places with a 4-door Tacoma. Turns out it's easy enough if you are mindful of where your wheels are. With the exception of some gnarly rock crawling and very difficult trails, the Taco has gone everywhere we used to in our JK. These days, it's more about a fun journey and exploration than breaking axles on rock gardens
Yup!
Rigs are still being built, but I'll say hello at the next Rigs/Coffee.
Glad to hear your Taco has done well like your JK! So glad to see you out with the family in it.
RAM5500 CAMPERTHING
OG Portal Member #183
I’ve never really took a close look at SMB but my neighbor and his brother each have one, both a couple years old, and have both grenaded rear ends more than once.
mk216v
Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
mk216v
Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
Don't, you'll cry.
But if you really wanna...check the cabinets and tell me how large the gap is between panels.
RAM5500 CAMPERTHING
OG Portal Member #183
+1 for Ford, ahem, BostumNegler!
Hahahaha
It’s been scientifically proven folks that talk about a few inches here and there with wheelbases and departure angles generally stick to trails a school bus could get through. Just saying.
#science
ttengineer
Adventurer
Really?
I thought they used Dynatrac axles, and atlas transfer cases? It’s hard to beat those products.
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RAM5500 CAMPERTHING
OG Portal Member #183
Yes, and there’s a Brand new Earthroamer stuck in South America right now with a blown up rear axle also
ttengineer
Adventurer
RAM5500 CAMPERTHING
OG Portal Member #183
Yes, but they've all been the same hub/bearing failure... something fishy going on.
I THINK (not positive) Dynatrac just uses there own housing and tubes but still uses the same hub and bearings as stock. There are only a handful of bearing manufacturers (Timken, Koyo, Etc), it would be ungodly expensive for them to use their own bearings.
ttengineer
Adventurer
I have The Dynatrac free spin hub units on my Ram, the same that come on their axles, they are a Dynatrac made product.
They are not the same as the ford units. They are however the same as a 70s Chevy hub, with the added function of the free spin.
Dynatrac uses Timken bearings, seals, and grease, along with Dana Spicer lock washers and nuts.
It’s a very simple design with only a few failure possibilities.
1 - the bearings wear out, or din’t get packed with grease correctly. Very easy fix but does require the hub removal if its the larger rear bearing that goes out.
2 - the 6 point nuts and or lock washers are not installed or torqued to spec correctly. Also very easy fix and can be done without removal of the hub
3 - the whole unit wasn’t packed with enough grease. Again easy fix.
So my point is they can not be the same failure because they are not the same if a Sportsmobile does indeed come with Dynatrac units.
But, if they use the Ford axles found in their HD trucks then it could be the same piece of junk unit style bearing that ford and Ram love. I only got 70k miles out of mine on my Ram before they blew. I can only imagine how quickly a ford unit would blow on an earthroamer with 42” Conti’s.
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RAM5500 CAMPERTHING
OG Portal Member #183
I believe the Dynatracs are an OPTION on Sportmobile and not standard.
My neighbor had the standard big Ford axle and after it blew a second time, he just went to Dynatrac. Unsure how many miles on his new setup
ttengineer
Adventurer
So, did he just blow the hubs, or the axle, ie gears or axle shaft?
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