What are the limitations of a really large expedition vehicle?

[Neil]

Our truck is reasonably large 8m x 2.45m x 3.5m.

The only reason to have a truck this size is comfort and luxury.

When it comes to daily overland journeys I think something nearer the 6 ton mark discovery time.

Saying that, I like our comfort and luxuries and this for us outweighs the times we wish we had a smaller vehicle

Neil

 

[CampStewart]

How do you change a tire out in the boonies in one of these huge rigs? What recovery gear do you need if it becomes stuck and needs some sort of a land anchor for the winch?

 

[Sitec]

"What happens when you need to get pulled out?".

I'll let you know when it happens.... I'm thinking that if someone is planning a decent trip, it'd pay to have a couple of friends in a similar sized truck on the same trip.. (Ian.. Spudboy... You in?)... Jokes aside, I think that when taking a larger vehicle off road I'd be a little more selective of where I'd go if traveling alone. If tracks are dry, there's usually little problem. It's when sand or mud are involved that it gets interesting, and if planning to do a fair bit of that, I'd be budgeting for a large rear mounted engine/hydraulic/PTO winch, as you can always pull yourself back out from where you came. The few times I've been stuck in trucks, we've stopped before making the problem worse, and with a bit of digging and manpower we've got ourselves out backwards.

 

[charlieaarons]

How do you change a tire out in the boonies in one of these huge rigs? What recovery gear do you need if it becomes stuck and needs some sort of a land anchor for the winch?

There is a methodology for changing tires. It helps to have at least one helper. I carry three Pullpal Land anchors, also to appropriate kinetic ropes and lots of chains cables and shackles. And one hydraulic winch at each end.

 

[shortbus4x4]

Use the proper application of leverage for changing big tires. Actually they aren't bad to do with the right tools. DO NOT let them tip over though, then you will need a strong helper or crane.

 

[Joe917]

You change the tire the same way the service guys change truck tires. Think what you are doing and use bars or a shovel to lift the tire onto the wheel. Spend some time with a heavy truck mechanic and watch!

 

[luthj]

I remember a user on here couple of years ago he drove a large cab over commercial truck type conversion. He was driving across a dry lake bed in the American Southwest and got stuck. He hit some type of underground seepage and broke through the crust. End up having to hire and a bulldozer brought in by truck to get them pulled out as there was no other means to extract himself even with a winch rated for the vehicle. Lighter vehicles were able to travel across the crust without too much difficulty with low air pressures, but higher contact pressures of the bigger truck was is too much for the surface, and just kept sinking deeper.

Not world ending, but worth consideration.

 

[Joe917]

Sure, with a big truck your problems are bigger!

 

[CanucksRedRocket]

Sure, with a big truck your problems are bigger!View attachment 463693

Hey! i remeber that picture, i met you at u-haul in St john's, filled ya with water! hows the traveling been going? i'm not longer living out there, im out in Alberta now lol.

 

[Buliwyf]

I was never comfortable flashing cash in Central, or Southern America.

No way that I'm drivng a big expo truck with a Lambo on it's roof, there.

 

[Joe917]

Hey! i remeber that picture, i met you at u-haul in St john's, filled ya with water! hows the traveling been going? i'm not longer living out there, im out in Alberta now lol.

Yes Sir! Thanks again, we loved Newfoundland. Traveling has been great, thanks mainly to kind friendly people we meet everywhere.
This is an added bonus to having a large(different) expedition rig.

 

[NeverEnough]

My rig is just over 29' feet long, 8.5' wide, 13' tall, weighs over 11 tons fully loaded. There's plenty of places I can't squeeze into traveling in North America, let alone other parts of the world. I end up doing a lot of scouting on a dirt bike before venturing down an unknown, unmarked route. You end up thinking a lot about where you'll be able to turn around! And the recovery scenarios for a rig of this size are much more technical and demanding. Even though I'm rigged and trained for recovery ($$$$) I'm very conservative about where I go because I just don't want to get stuck, or risk serious damage to a very expensive camper box. And while changing a tire isn't quite as scary, it's a serious and time consuming job (each weighs over 250lbs).

So for me, size and weight not only limit where I can fit or what I can drive over, but also reduce my willingness to expose my rig and occupants to risk. I love motorcycle travel anywhere, but it's definitely been my preference outside the US because it opens up so much available terrain- but you sacrifice a lot of comfort. This site is full of compact overland campers that are a great mix of comfort and capability. Anything much wider than 2M or 90", taller than 3M or 108", and longer than 7M or 23', and heavier than 5 tons puts you into a significantly more demanding vehicle management scenario, IMHO. Then again, it is kinda fun to drive a mongo rig around!

 

[Herbie]

Great post, NeverEnough.

One of the things I love about this site is the full spectrum of rigs and experiences.