Editor’s note: This vehicle has been sold and is no longer for sale.
Destined for the British Army, Leyland DAF military trucks roll off the factory floor with a six-cylinder engine renowned for its reliability and power: the Cummins 5.9-liter 6BT. Alex, the current owner of this ex-British military transport truck, purchased the vehicle solely because of the engine, which is known to be fuel-efficient, reliable, simple to fix, and easy to source parts for. In addition, a cruising speed of 90 kilometers per hour (55 miles per hour) and 13 mpg of fuel economy isn’t too shabby at all for a truck of this size.
This “house truck” was repurposed with reclaimed materials (including a custom-built wood stove) from the farm where the habitat was built, transforming the build into a cozy Canadian cabin on wheels. The queen-size bed, wet bath with composting toilet, seating space for four, and kitchen with a good amount of counter space, sink, propane stove, and oven make it easy to get off the grid with all of the requisite creature comforts while also being fully contained.
From Alex:
“This is my truck ‘Welly’ (short for Wellington) that I built nearly three years ago. After a long trip through the United States and Mexico in a tiny Toyota HiAce van, I decided that I wanted to live in a vehicle full-time; however, I knew that if it were to be a full-time thing, I wanted to have full amenities in the vehicle.
After purchasing the truck back in early 2019, I started the build by addressing the common mechanical problems in these trucks, as well as upgrading the injection pump and swapping the gearbox to something more highway-friendly, and adding a larger fuel capacity. I wanted a strong frame that could be repaired easily but tried to avoid using really heavy material to keep the weight down, so chose to build the ‘crown’ of the frame from thicker material and interior of the frame with lighter material. A key point of the house truck’s design was that everything was kept fairly simple so as to be easily repaired when out on the road.”
Specifications
1990 Leyland DAF t244 British Military Transport (flat-deck variant)
Engine
- Cummins 5.9-liter 6BT six-cylinder engine with Bosch VE injection pump upgrade and intercooler
- ZF5 s42 five-speed gearbox, 0.67 overdrive with new slave cylinder
- 12r20 Good Year G38 tires on factory rims
- 100-gallon fuel tank
- Snorkel with prefilter
- 24-volt electrical system
- Killer dowel pin modification and upgraded front main crank seal
Body
- Repainted, insulated, and sound-deadened driver’s cab with custom interior (sound system, lights, Subaru STI seats, additional storage, back-up camera, 24-volt to 12-volt 360-watt converter for interior accessories)
- Custom steel bumper
- Custom roof rack
- Turret hatch delete (was sealed with 1/8 steel plate welded in place)
- Custom underbody storage boxes (large tool box, two medium-size steel “carry-all” boxes, exterior propane storage (20-pound bottle), small miscellaneous box
- Custom spare tire carrier with hand crank crane
Habitat
- 15.5-inch x 7.8-inch x 7-inch (6’4-inch interior height)
- Steel frame construction covered with 1/16-inch aluminum skin
- 2-inch insulation
- Large four-bike garage beneath bedroom
- Wet bath with Airhead composting toilet
- Queen-size mattress (bedroom) with headboard storage and wardrobe
- Dining area with bench seat storage
- Lots of pantry and closet space
- Sink with running water
- Two-burner propane stove with small oven
- 80-liter 12-volt Nova Kool refrigerator with freezer compartment
- Small custom-built wood stove
- 65-gallon freshwater storage
- Three-stage water filtration system with sediment, 10-micron and 5-micron filters
- 6-gallon Isotemp coolant heat exchanger water heater with 110-volt element
- All windows are double-pane RV windows
Habitat Electrical
- 24-volt, 100ah battery bank
- 360-watt (two 180-watt panels wired in series/parallel)
- 40-amp Epever MPPT charge controller
- 720-watt, 24-volt to 12-volt converter
- 4000-watt, 24-volt inverter
- Noco G15000 battery tender for shore power
- All interior lights are 12-volt LED
- Sureflo 45 psi 12-volt water pump
- 12-volt remote actuator for propane gas
- Two MaxxAir 12-volt fans (one in bedroom, one in kitchen)
- Eberspacher 4K 24-volt diesel heater
This truck is nearly complete. However, there are some repairs and upgrades that Alex has planned for this summer. The repairs and upgrades might be completed by the date of purchase, and Alex is willing to work with the purchaser on price if the truck is purchased before the repairs and upgrades are completed.
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