Can I turn an M35 into a family hauling, 5th wheel camper towing rig for under $12K?

[rickf]

MVs do not travel at highway speeds. Towing a camper and hauling your family in it would not be a safe idea.

I am glad someone finally added that in. 40 plus year old high maintenance truck with a top SAFE speed of 50 MPH. Note I said SAFE speed, I don't care how fast some of you guy's have gone. No air bags, no rollover protection, no antilock brakes, single stage brakes at that. Hearing protection mandatory, No air conditioning, heat? No power steering, unless added, and going up a moderate hill.................35 MPH. Not family material!

Rick
​

 

[Csm Davis]

I am glad someone finally added that in. 40 plus year old high maintenance truck with a top SAFE speed of 50 MPH. Note I said SAFE speed, I don't care how fast some of you guy's have gone. No air bags, no rollover protection, no antilock brakes, single stage brakes at that. Hearing protection mandatory, No air conditioning, heat? No power steering, unless added, and going up a moderate hill.................35 MPH. Not family material!

Rick
​

I beg to differ but if you started with a 923 or 927 preferably a a2 model you could build what he wants for less than his budget and have a safe ride.

 

[rickf]

He said M-35 or something similar. What you are suggesting are going to cost close to his budget right off the bat and how are you going to modify it for a large family on the cheap? You would still have to build a 6 door truck.

Rick

 

[papabear]

I gonna vote for you to keep the F350 and camper.

The wife/family will be ALOT more comfortable, you can get to and from places cheaper and faster and get in and out of places easier.

Plus...you will have a good reliable work truck for smaller missions.

Having said all that...make sure the wife knows the "extraordinary sacrifices" you have made to keep her and the family comfortable and safe.
THEN...hit her with the..."I need a deuce" routine and see if she won't help ya save a few K bucks to make it happen!

I know...old fellers think they can outwit the boss (wife) but sometimes it actually works...well sorta...and hey...who hasn't resorted to begging and grovelling??

 

[quickfarms]

The M939 series truck with the crew compartment that the railroad uses, it seats 4, and a low profile bed to get to the right height is an idea

 

[rickf]

The M939 series truck with the crew compartment that the railroad uses, it seats 4, and a low profile bed to get to the right height is an idea

BUT.......................................... he has FIVE kids! Plus he and his wife. And I am guessing she wants A/C, Smooth and quiet ride and creature comforts. Actually after five kids I can be **** sure she wants quiet and creature comforts!

Rick

 

[DeucesWild11]

MVs do not travel at highway speeds. Towing a camper and hauling your family in it would not be a safe idea.

I agree with DH, I don't like taking my M35 much over 50mph and feel safe doing it. I would say keep the F350 and pickup a cheap commuter car as others have said. I have a 99' Galant that I take to work every day.. had it for 10 years and it has only needed brakes.. 24 mpg with the v6. I have the Deuce for lumber pickups and such..That's the direction I would go since you already have the F350.

These trucks are a labor of love and they do need allot of care and MAINTENANCE.. I would not plan 6-7 family trips a year with a 40+ year old truck. Remember you can't pickup parts at any old auto part store.. Good Luck!

PS: My rule of thumb for my deuce is Under 50MPH and Under 50 Miles from Home!
.

 

[Cleptomaniac]

I have plans for a 4 food deuce with a 105 bed and a s250 shelter. Have thought about a repower but not there yet. I think what you want could be done but not on that budget. Not with above mentioned creature comforts! I do run my deuce at 55 and my bobber I ran at 60 with 395 tires.
Good luck
Danny

 

[Danl]

Danl M915A1

you guys are so cool this trend or post what ever you want to call it about this camper family thing was great reading fun I'm glad to be part of MV Group , I like my truck and it only goes 50 but it will haul anything.

 

[furmdog]

Now what fun would that be? There'd be no green iron involved whatsoever! OMG, that reminds me of Niagra Falls,.....NIAGRA FALLS!!!!! Slowly I turned, step by step, inch by inch,......

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/5-ton-mods-hot-rodding/74485-four-door-toy-hauler.html

This is exactly what I need assuming you could have a 4 person bench in the back seat. Is this your rig? Where do I find one like this and what do you think it would cost?

Sorry, i just realized it didn't bring over the photo i was referring to. Someone posted a picture of a rig (don't know what it was) pulling a 5th wheel camper. it looked like a crew cab (4 door).

 

[furmdog]

Now what fun would that be? There'd be no green iron involved whatsoever! OMG, that reminds me of Niagra Falls,.....NIAGRA FALLS!!!!! Slowly I turned, step by step, inch by inch,......

I gonna vote for you to keep the F350 and camper.

The wife/family will be ALOT more comfortable, you can get to and from places cheaper and faster and get in and out of places easier.

Plus...you will have a good reliable work truck for smaller missions.

Having said all that...make sure the wife knows the "extraordinary sacrifices" you have made to keep her and the family comfortable and safe.
THEN...hit her with the..."I need a deuce" routine and see if she won't help ya save a few K bucks to make it happen!

I know...old fellers think they can outwit the boss (wife) but sometimes it actually works...well sorta...and hey...who hasn't resorted to begging and grovelling??

That is exactly what i would do if kid number 5 (aka oops) didn't come along. Now that we are a family of 7 we don't fit in the F350. I need to find a 7 passenger vehicle that will tow a 5th wheel.....that's not too much to ask is it?

 

[furmdog]

Now what fun would that be? There'd be no green iron involved whatsoever! OMG, that reminds me of Niagra Falls,.....NIAGRA FALLS!!!!! Slowly I turned, step by step, inch by inch,......

BUT.......................................... he has FIVE kids! Plus he and his wife. And I am guessing she wants A/C, Smooth and quiet ride and creature comforts. Actually after five kids I can be **** sure she wants quiet and creature comforts!

Rick

Spoken like someone who has a wife and at least a couple kids!

Comfort would be nice, but most important (after safety of course) is that it fits the whole fam ****ly. There's got to be something out there that can tow a 5th wheel that also can seat 7 people. If it's a little loud and bumpy, I can deal with that with some good dutch oven cooking for the wife when we get to the camp site.

 

[trukhead]

This is exactly what I need assuming you could have a 4 person bench in the back seat. Is this your rig? Where do I find one like this and what do you think it would cost?

Sorry, i just realized it didn't bring over the photo i was referring to. Someone posted a picture of a rig (don't know what it was) pulling a 5th wheel camper. it looked like a crew cab (4 door).

The 4 Door Toy Hauler is a 5 ton truck, not an M35 series so you are dealing with a CDL more than likely, entirely different animal.

 

[plym49]

Spoken like someone who has a wife and at least a couple kids!

Comfort would be nice, but most important (after safety of course) is that it fits the whole fam ****ly. There's got to be something out there that can tow a 5th wheel that also can seat 7 people. If it's a little loud and bumpy, I can deal with that with some good dutch oven cooking for the wife when we get to the camp site.

Someone started a somewhat similar thread a while ago. Not the camper part, the sit-more-people-in-comfort part.

The consensus, IIRC, was that adapting a nine-passenger Suburban, Expedition or whatever shell to the Deuce frame would be the way to go. However, the donor body would be grafted on from the A-pillar back, so that you could keep the (manly) Deuce front end and windshield.

I can see picking up a suitable 9 passenger (three rows of bench seats) Suburban (or other) body would not cost terribly much. I am also sure you could find a way to mount the fifth wheel hitch. As someone else pointed out, flipping your trailer axles would give you more height for the hitch.

That other thread seems to have died - maybe you can find it - but for sure it seems doable.

 

[furmdog]

Now what fun would that be? There'd be no green iron involved whatsoever! OMG, that reminds me of Niagra Falls,.....NIAGRA FALLS!!!!! Slowly I turned, step by step, inch by inch,......

I agree with DH, I don't like taking my M35 much over 50mph and feel safe doing it. I would say keep the F350 and pickup a cheap commuter car as others have said. I have a 99' Galant that I take to work every day.. had it for 10 years and it has only needed brakes.. 24 mpg with the v6. I have the Deuce for lumber pickups and such..That's the direction I would go since you already have the F350.

These trucks are a labor of love and they do need allot of care and MAINTENANCE.. I would not plan 6-7 family trips a year with a 40+ year old truck. Remember you can't pickup parts at any old auto part store.. Good Luck!

PS: My rule of thumb for my deuce is Under 50MPH and Under 50 Miles from Home!
.

These are some great points. Especially about all the maintenance. If they are really that unreliable, you are probably right, this may not be the way to go. As for the speed, that is not really a concern. I live in Boise, ID and we have hundreds of campground and hunting locaitons within a couple of hours from town and most of them would never require you ever getting on a freeway so the speed limit would never be more than 55 mph anyways. If they are really that undependable though, I will probably have to look to something else. Can you imagine the backlash after showing up at home with one of these bad boys, loading up the family and then breaking down in the middle of nowhere with 5 kids (ages 7 and under by the way). I have a patient, loving wife, but...... yes, heads would roll.

 

[plym49]

If you are starting with a good truck and/or one that has received appropriate PM, they are dependable. They are designed to sit for years and then immediately pressed into unforgiving, extreme service. Rinse and repeat.

Every vehicle has trade-offs. I don' see an MV as inherently unreliable. Quite the opposite. Slow, yes. Heavy, for sure. But reliable as he11. JMHO

 

[Bob H]

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/5-ton-mods-hot-rodding/74485-four-door-toy-hauler.html

This is exactly what I need assuming you could have a 4 person bench in the back seat. Is this your rig? Where do I find one like this and what do you think it would cost?

Sorry, i just realized it didn't bring over the photo i was referring to. Someone posted a picture of a rig (don't know what it was) pulling a 5th wheel camper. it looked like a crew cab (4 door).

The orange letters are a link to the build thread.

 

[quickfarms]

BUT.......................................... he has FIVE kids! Plus he and his wife. And I am guessing she wants A/C, Smooth and quiet ride and creature comforts. Actually after five kids I can be **** sure she wants quiet and creature comforts!

Rick

The 4 people fit into what is basically a 36" sleeper but you could use a larger sleeper shell as the base and increase the capacity.

As far as the ac goes the truck has a cummins engine in it so the compressor brackets should not be to hard to locate.

Once the ac and heat have been added the cab and sleeper can be insulated for both temperature and sound.

 

[rickf]

The 4 people fit into what is basically a 36" sleeper but you could use a larger sleeper shell as the base and increase the capacity.

As far as the ac goes the truck has a cummins engine in it so the compressor brackets should not be to hard to locate.

Once the ac and heat have been added the cab and sleeper can be insulated for both temperature and sound.

But at what price? How much is a five ton going for now? plus the sleeper plus the fabrication?

Five kids under 7 years! WOW. I cannot fathom that camping trip!

 

[quickfarms]

But at what price? How much is a five ton going for now? plus the sleeper plus the fabrication?

Five kids under 7 years! WOW. I cannot fathom that camping trip!

Look in the classifieds for the cost of a 5 ton.

As far as the sleeper goes I have seen nice 60" shells with fair interiors go for about $750. I know where there is a railroad crew compartment that is for sale.

Insulation is not that expensive.

The expensive part is adding the ac but you could just use a rv unit on the roof of the sleeper.