RWD NPR - Ok, so we're NOT climbing the Andes....

Ultimark

Active member
hidn45, to be honest, I don't know about the relative value of the normal Isuzu trucks as opposed to Isuzu 4WD trucks. What I do know, is that the second hand market for the small Isuzu 4WD truck, is very tight. Almost non-existent, unless you want something that has been run into the ground and those don't seem to sell. I've seen two units on the market for almost a year, and they are very low, but so is their condition. The larger F series of Isuzu 4WD trucks are everywhere in mining, and a myriad other uses. Think power companies, earth moving companies and so on. I wished to have a small unit that is capable of carrying our slide-on camper, the small NPS 75 - 155 4WD Isuzu fits the bill admirably.

You may wish to consider a spring loaded tray if you are going to put a tray onto anything. I've driven a handful of trucks with sprung trays, on rough roads they seem to make life easier; but for what you outlined, it may not be an economical reality.

Smiley Shaun makes a pretty good point with regard to cab-over and feeling road pot holes directly impacting on your body; this does happen. To counter this issue we are having the suspension completely changed, springs, shock absorbers and super single wheels fitted with a ballooning type of tyre, as opposed to a normal truck tyre. Truck tyres are super stiff and normally require high air pressure. They do work very well at low speeds when deflated, but can be quite harsh. Bigger wheels with wide tyres that will balloon a bit are where I have seen and felt quite good improvements.

Almost 50 years ago I drove my first cab-over truck that wasn't a real problem in very rough stuff; within reason that is. The only other cab over truck that I have driven that handled better in the smoothness department, was a 6WD version of the 4WD. Earlier this year I was in an Isuzu NPS 75 - 155 4WD fitted with wheels and tyres as described, it was running around 5,000 kg as it was more or less unloaded; although it still had quite some gear on board; the ride was really good and better than expected. We expect we will be hovering between 5,250 kg and 5,750 kg with full fuel and water taking us close to 6,000 kg. As the truck is rated to 7,500 kg , our potential maximum will be around 75% of the trucks GVM.

The best cab over truck I have ever been in, is an Oka. The unreal suspension and overall build and thought that went into making of that truck, is like nothing else. I didn't drive it, but I was a passenger in some pretty interesting terrain, including traversing a around a 100m of going down then back up a river on the return journey. Smooth as.

This is an historical documentary of a home grown truck built for the Australian army, this is what I cut my teeth on 50 years ago driving these and their bigger 6WD brother; which I preferred. This year I saw one of these trucks in a rural town as I was having lunch, a week later on the return journey I spied it again, still a daily driver. The tests depicted in this documentary were all done with the trucks loaded to their requested maximum, check out what they did at the 23:30 mark then the 24:00 mark, a bit like the Paris Dakar some 40-50 years later.


A bit off topic, but fun to look at anyway.
 

Fugly

Adventurer
Thanks for posting that vid
No power steering I the old ACCO= Australian Constructed Cab Over
No indicators only the old white painted hand signal on the pole those were the days lol
 

hidn45

Member
Yee-Haw! Looks like fun.

I never had too much problem with the ride of the Isuzu's I've driven, but then again, I'm pretty tolerant. The Little Woman will be the real test. Any budget-friendly suspension mods for the NPR, just in case? I've heard the super-singles conversion is spendy, & seems like maybe not worth it for a RWD. If this plan ends up going forward far enough, we'll have to see where we're going to end up for total weight, & see what the spring shop sez.

The used market for the NPR here seems pretty good - didn't take me too long to find a dozen decent prospects from $3,500 to $9k within a few hundred miles. I figure we'll have to go at least that far to find a clean one - if a truck in this area isn't rusty yet, it will be..... They seem to be very popular with landscapers, especially further south, maybe due to the maneuverability? Pretty common with a "dovetail" or "beavertail" (ramped) flatbed, for hauling mowers & other equipment. Less common up here where the landscapers plow snow in the winter - the more common rig is to put your mowers on a trailer behind a 4WD 1-ton dump that pushes a plow in the "off" season. (Most landscapers around here make way more money in the winter, if Mother Nature cooperates...) Works for me - like I said, we don't want to buy a truck up here anyway. We'll go down to Tennessee or Georgia & pick up a clean '03 NPR with 100k & go from there....
 
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DzlToy

Explorer
For those who may not be aware, there are no NPS trucks available in the US. We only get NPR in regular and crew cabs.

If you are going to be an RVer, there isn't a reason in the world that you cannot go to state parks and RV parks with all of the other 2WD RVs in the country. No 4WD is required.

Buy a clean, used gas powered NPR, build a camper box on the back and hit the road. There will be a fuel economy penalty, but with stock-ish tires and weight, the overall savings in maintenance and upfront costs of buying a 6.0L gas V8, over a diesel, may balance out in the end.
 

Parkrider

Member
I am considering building out my old work truck as a rv/tiny house for a cross country ramble next year. It's a 2016 NPR hd 5.2 diesel with a 11 foot box not ideal but it's what I have. Other than the box build out and a rack to haul my KLR on the back and maybe a winch I'm not getting too crazy. IMG_20200728_180558366_HDR.jpg
 

Handbuilt

New member
Welcome.... and do not worry about being shunned. I am sure that very few peoples driving those "out of this world" over outfitted 4x4 monsters,actually ever get off the pavement for more than a few feet. what with all your possessions rattling around in the back. In our part of the country the trees would tear the camper off the truck within minutes. (Vancouver Island) The worst roads we use are forestry roads and they will take you anywhere with your rig. Here are a couple of pictures of mine. #1 the donor #2 The original build #3 The final.....or almost20160930_144603_resized.jpg
 

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billiebob

Well-known member
I am considering building out my old work truck as a rv/tiny house for a cross country ramble next year. It's a 2016 NPR hd 5.2 diesel with a 11 foot box not ideal but it's what I have. Other than the box build out and a rack to haul my KLR on the back and maybe a winch I'm not getting too crazy. View attachment 603347
WOW all I can say is WOW !!!

Not ideal???? Really. A vehicle you already own and know the history of IS ideal.

As for suitable? An 11' box on a cab over with pretty good clearances is suitable.... and pretty ideal.
The hidden plus is it is invisible. Park it in any commercial lot, it looks like a commercial truck. KEEP THAT INVISIBILITY !!!!

This absolutely blows away any quadcab pickup deck truck conversion. And don't waste money on a winch, just learn to drive within the vehicles capabilities.

Look at what the locals drive in Africa, Asia, even Europe...... just build an interior and drive it. We do crazy stupid stuff in North America,
 
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billiebob

Well-known member
Welcome.... and do not worry about being shunned. I am sure that very few peoples driving those "out of this world" over outfitted 4x4 monsters,actually ever get off the pavement for more than a few feet. what with all your possessions rattling around in the back. In our part of the country the trees would tear the camper off the truck within minutes. (Vancouver Island) The worst roads we use are forestry roads and they will take you anywhere with your rig. Here are a couple of pictures of mine. #1 the donor #2 The original build #3 The final.....or almostView attachment 630201
yep, you cannot beat the aluminium U-Haul bodies. Fabulous starting point.
 

billiebob

Well-known member
Right now I'm thinking either box truck conversion or building a composite camper box. I have some experience with panel construction, so that may help if we are able to go that way, to save both weight & cost.
If you build, track calculate ALL the costs. I doubt you will save money. If you buy a box truck, there will be zero time, expense building the fancy composite camper box. And I have never seen anyone post data to say they saved weight. Given the commercial box truck market is driven by payload capacity, I doubt anyone actually builds a lighter, cheaper box. If you want/need to do yer own thing by all means have at 'er. But buying a box truck will save a years building and have you out travelling much sooner.

Be honest, do you want a project? or want to go camping. Me, I wanted a project. I always want the project. But I'd save money and be travelling sooner if I looked at quicker solutions.
 

boogie944

New member
My build in progress on NPS chassis. I am in Malaysia. Some boxes storage still to be added underneath.

Started off with FRP sandwichpanels and added the nose. The whole box can tilt for maintenance/reaching the engine. Planning to make 1 more and send it to North America (only the box) to fit on a Canadian NPR-HD gas chassis and replace a camper I have in Canada.

I checked around for NPR conversions to 4x4 in Canada/US, but not able to find for reasonable price. I had quotations that are higher than a the price of a new chassis.

Anyone knows whether it is legal to ship in an Isuzu front axle, transfer case and super single rims to Canada or US and fit it myself?


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Spanna 53

Member
The ready made box is a great time saver RV windows and doors while expensive are relatively easy to get how ever as most people that have built their own camper there is a lot going on under the box I built my camper in two years while working full time probably a third of the time was spent under the box have attached a couple of photos 639681CE-C305-44A5-AEFF-66AF4804C7F4.jpeg364FF7B7-E59C-4939-8C94-9D0D9F5A9EDB.jpegCAE3FB41-54C4-46BD-872C-91135B6AF5BA.jpeg89AED737-4B80-4B30-ABCC-C2A20FA15DE7.jpeg
 

Mat Mobile

Adventurer
Sorry... I don't mean to offend. But to my understanding you will be sticking to mostly roads in North America so why not just buy an RV? Or a campervan. New, used... there's lots of choice! ? I can think of multiple reasons but your original post doesn't make it clear.

Also, you haven't mentioned your camping/travelling history. If it's something new, trying it out with an easy to buy and sell vehicle is an important consideration if ever you opt out. You can always upgrade if you fall in love with the "lifestyle".

FYI, we went with a Roadtrek based on a Chevy Express 2 wheel-drive. It has an upgraded and lifted suspension. We shipped it to Europe and have been travelling for over a year. The van worked great in the harsher roads of Morocco, Albania and now we're heading to Turkey in a few days. We like it but find it's a little small so we're thinking of a FUSO with a slide-in camper. That's why I wandered into this forum. ?
 

alanymarce

Well-known member
To respond more focussed on the thread title (...Ok, so we're NOT climbing the Andes....)- we live in the Andes, and not long ago had reason to climb from 1000m (~3250 ft) to 2600m (~8500 ft) in an Isuzu NPR which is routinely used to travel far and wide around where we live. They are common here, and I cannot see any reason why one would not be perfectly appropriate, not only for North America but also for wandering more widely.
 

billiebob

Well-known member
Anyone knows whether it is legal to ship in an Isuzu front axle, transfer case and super single rims to Canada or US and fit it myself?
Import legality is mostly about emissions and safety, as in seat belts. air bags etc
Axles and suspensions are almost unregulated. Component choice, load limits, is it bolt on?????
Welding to a frame is pretty much illegal but with regulations to follow when allowed.
The easy out, only import products already in Canada.

The grey area is huge.
It sounds like you are importing components used overseas on the vehicle you already own.
If they are "bolt on" you likely can do it without needing permission.
 

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