MB 1120 Coming to America! Purchase, Build and Now Travel!
- Thread starter VerMonsterRV
- Start date
VerMonsterRV
Gotta Be Nuts
Hi, we have 2 matrix. A Kuba VA 200 and a small ducted one. Our furnaces (your Espar and our Webasto) are roughly the same output. The combined output exceeds the furnace (both around 10k btu). Both exchangers have hi/lo speeds and use low 12v power draw muffin style fans. We are using the Kuba in the main cabin and the ducted one in the bed/bath spaces. The ducted one will most likely be left on low speed as the space is smaller. I do know that at just below freezing the furnace does not run often, I attribute this to how well insulated our wall panels are (all but the 2 side walls are 80mm foam core, side walls are 50mm). We do have a fair amount of windows, but so far have been successful shutting the blinds to help keep heat in. Given how little the furnace runs at those temps we are hoping colder should not be an issue. We are also considering making some sort of insulated, soft filler for the roof hatches (maybe some thin down/thinsulate pad).
Would be interesting to see the different front axle weights between your 2 trucks. Could always use the EPC to see what weight rating each trucks front leaf packs were rated for. We are still on the fence about where to ship first, South America or Australia. So far South America seems a bit easier but will really depend on the trip to the Baja and how we feel this coming summer.Hmmm.... Again you have me thinking! My spare truck/prime mover came with Parabolic Springs under the cab.... I wasn't going to bother fitting them, but now I'm wondering if it would be worth it. I however think that there'd be less weight on a prime mover front axle than a rigid 4x4 truck... Good to see you are on the road!! How long until you get to Australia?? My kitchen is still waiting for you...
VerMonsterRV
Gotta Be Nuts
Funny thing is we were considering bringing along our "storm anchor" for use as a sand anchor. Figured it might elicit a few comments if we mounted it on the back wall.
VerMonsterRV
Gotta Be Nuts
Good question, there is a 50mm different stack height. The helper for the new pack is below the main pack with these new springs, so that helps. Details like this one has been a bit of a challenge given I do not speak German and Harald only speaks a bit of English (and Google translate is not great with the translation either). So, the answer is a combination of 2 things, the new springs do have more arch and he is providing a 30mm spacer block. He is telling me we should see a 80-85mm lift above the rear tires, which would be perfect.
VerMonsterRV
Gotta Be Nuts
So our trip has begun and we have spent the last week in Big Bend N.P. Did a few nights in the back country camp sites including an overnight backpack. Unfortunately in the middle of the night Heather woke with a 101 fever. So in the morning we moved to one of the front country campgrounds. Luckily the fever has broke and we are moving out to the back country today. Yesterday we took the motorcycle out and did some of the backcountry roads ending up at an abandoned mercury mine. Good fun!
And on the continuing build our rear leaf springs are slowly making the way across the Atlantic. Hopefully we will meet up with them in a couple of weeks in El Paso.
And on the continuing build our rear leaf springs are slowly making the way across the Atlantic. Hopefully we will meet up with them in a couple of weeks in El Paso.
HongerVenture
Adventurer
Not sure how I came across this thread... but just wrapped up the whole thing. Love seeing all the DIY work. I'll definitely be following along for the rest. I've learned a lot.
Enjoy the travels!
Enjoy the travels!
VerMonsterRV
Gotta Be Nuts
We are now in El Paso and have met with Scott at Truck Enterprises. They really seem to look like a top end shop and are pretty accommodating with the timing so I think we may have gotten lucky finding them. The springs landed in Houston yesterday and now we are awaiting the truck shipment. Plan is to do a few smaller projects while getting a bit of exercise in Lincoln Park. I also think that while we are here we will get the cab windows tinted with a ceramic coating to help keep the heat down. Heaps of shops here that do it, so cost seems reasonable compared to back east. Also started to look into an STIS and have requested a quote from to.sysyems. Hopefully it will be affordable as it looks like a good system.
A little trip update. We made 3 more stops, Guadalupe NP, Carlsbad Caverns and Sitting Bull Falls. Each one was great, but Carlsbad was truly incredible.
A little trip update. We made 3 more stops, Guadalupe NP, Carlsbad Caverns and Sitting Bull Falls. Each one was great, but Carlsbad was truly incredible.
VerMonsterRV
Gotta Be Nuts
Brief update, the springs have cleared customs and have been picked up by the trucking company. Still awaiting a delivery date. In the meantime we have done a couple of projects, one of them is finally a "porch" light so I do not need to grill with a headlight on.
The next project made me think "How in the world can this truck get any cooler?" Well tint the cab windows to block the heat of the sun out of course . We ended up splurging a bit and went with the 3M Crystaline tinting. They claim it essentially blocks out everything, and so far I think it is working. The cab seemed a bit like a greenhouse and we are hoping this will keep the heat down. Pretty important since the Dometic RTX2000 cab AC seems to be on the fritz. I mean, I guess I should expect that we did use it for about 3 hours. Tricky bit is Dometic USA just shrugs their shoulders and say "It is a European unit, we don't know anything about it", then silence. So much for a "world wide" company. Hoping in Tuscon I can get a Dometic service center to talk with a UK based service center to try and get it working. I will probably though open it up first and take a look.
To keep having fun while waiting for the springs to arrive we headed to White Sands N.P. in New Mexico. Pretty cool to see all the gypsum sand and the dunes. Did a nice 5 mile walk which ended up filling our shoes with the sand.
And yes, somehow we managed to avoid all the rain.
The next project made me think "How in the world can this truck get any cooler?" Well tint the cab windows to block the heat of the sun out of course
. We ended up splurging a bit and went with the 3M Crystaline tinting. They claim it essentially blocks out everything, and so far I think it is working. The cab seemed a bit like a greenhouse and we are hoping this will keep the heat down. Pretty important since the Dometic RTX2000 cab AC seems to be on the fritz. I mean, I guess I should expect that we did use it for about 3 hours. Tricky bit is Dometic USA just shrugs their shoulders and say "It is a European unit, we don't know anything about it", then silence. So much for a "world wide" company. Hoping in Tuscon I can get a Dometic service center to talk with a UK based service center to try and get it working. I will probably though open it up first and take a look.To keep having fun while waiting for the springs to arrive we headed to White Sands N.P. in New Mexico. Pretty cool to see all the gypsum sand and the dunes. Did a nice 5 mile walk which ended up filling our shoes with the sand.
And yes, somehow we managed to avoid all the rain.
VerMonsterRV
Gotta Be Nuts
Nope wasn't us, but we will be in Tuscon in about a week and you would be welcome to check out the truck. Hopefully it will be sporting the new leaf springs. We will be visiting an old high school/college friend of ours there, which should be fun. Feel free to pm me here (or if you want a more direct route that we check more often, our email address is on the upper right corner of our website, VerMonsterRV.com).
VerMonsterRV
Gotta Be Nuts
Hello, it is a Dometic CU-434 propane range.
VerMonsterRV
Gotta Be Nuts
Well the springs arrived! And at first glance they look really nice. Previously a question was asked about the reduced stack height may require spacing blocks. After seeing the springs in person the new springs are actually about 1" thicker than the original main spring pack (minus the helpers). So these should gain 1" over the originals without spacers. I did though get 2 different thickness spacer just in case. 2 different lengths of u bolts also. Really
wanted these to drop right in. So 8am Monday morning we are starting work at the truck repair shop, can't wait and needles to say I am pretty excited about these springs.
wanted these to drop right in. So 8am Monday morning we are starting work at the truck repair shop, can't wait and needles to say I am pretty excited about these springs.