A few months ago, Earthroamer announced that, in addition to the original Ford F550 chassis, the XV-LT can now be ordered on a Dodge 5500 chassis. Yesterday I asked Matt Nakari at ER if he had a photo of an XV-LT on the Dodge chassis. Here is Matt's reply:
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"I don't have any photos of an XV-LT on a Dodge chassis, as nobody has ordered one yet. In my opinion, this is for four basic reasons:
Noise: New Dodge is much louder than the new Ford...It was loud enough that it convinced one of our customers, a die-hard Dodge guy, to order a Ford instead.
Size: The Dodge 5500 is not available with a "Mega-Cab". The 4 door Dodge has about the same interior room as the "Super Cab" Ford. [ SuperCab is Ford's two door extended cab model. The four door is called CrewCab. ]
Alternator: The Ford is available with two 160-amp alternators as a factory option. Dodge gives you the option of ordering a bigger than stock alternator (the amp rating escapes me at the moment) but no option for a second one.
Fuel: At this time Dodge does not have a dual tank option for the 5500, you can order either a mid-ship or a rear tank. Transfer Flow is working on a solution, but the simplicity and fuel capacity of two factory option tanks again gives the nod to Ford.
Otherwise, the Dodge 5500 looks like a great truck, and we would be excited to build one...when the Dodge customer shows up, we are ready for them."
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Matt raises interesting points to keep in mind when you're looking for a chassis for a full-size camper.
Chip Haven
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"I don't have any photos of an XV-LT on a Dodge chassis, as nobody has ordered one yet. In my opinion, this is for four basic reasons:
Noise: New Dodge is much louder than the new Ford...It was loud enough that it convinced one of our customers, a die-hard Dodge guy, to order a Ford instead.
Size: The Dodge 5500 is not available with a "Mega-Cab". The 4 door Dodge has about the same interior room as the "Super Cab" Ford. [ SuperCab is Ford's two door extended cab model. The four door is called CrewCab. ]
Alternator: The Ford is available with two 160-amp alternators as a factory option. Dodge gives you the option of ordering a bigger than stock alternator (the amp rating escapes me at the moment) but no option for a second one.
Fuel: At this time Dodge does not have a dual tank option for the 5500, you can order either a mid-ship or a rear tank. Transfer Flow is working on a solution, but the simplicity and fuel capacity of two factory option tanks again gives the nod to Ford.
Otherwise, the Dodge 5500 looks like a great truck, and we would be excited to build one...when the Dodge customer shows up, we are ready for them."
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Matt raises interesting points to keep in mind when you're looking for a chassis for a full-size camper.
Chip Haven