Newbie Payload Question

[csoledade]

Hello,

I am planning an Overland Vehicle Project and trying to determine what my truck options would be. I really like several features of the M1078 (CTIS, approach/departure angle, ground clearance, spare tire crane, winch, etc...).

My problem appears to be payload. After looking at several TM PDFs I was able to determine that the CURB weight of a M1079 is 18,834 and the CURB weight of a M1080 (chassis only model) is 14,861. Both trucks feature a 5,000 lb payload according to the ARMY manual. So I am thinking the real weight limit of the truck is approximately 8,950 lbs (take a M1079 or M1078 and strip it to the chassis to recover 3,950 lbs in weight and add the 5,000 payload).

One of the house modules I am looking at (15') fully loaded with water in fresh/grey/black tanks, torsion system that is added to let the house flex independently from the chassis, weighs 8,900 pounds. The other house module (13') weighs 7,480 lbs.

I am coming to the conclusion that for the first house module I really need a 6x6 M1083 and that the second house module *could* work on a M1078. However that second configuration M1078 + 7,480 house module would still be heavy.

I very much appreciate all the knowledge and real world experience on the site. Given I am a newbie with Military trucks what do you guys recommend? Would the M1078 combo with 7,480 lbs on the chassis work out and handle well offroad and on secondary roads?

Am I missing something obvious?

Thank you kindly.

 

[coachgeo]

What Terrain do you expect to travel? Construction of Box also will tell you if you should add ROP or if box has the strength in itself to keep a roll from crushing cab.... If not you should add weight of ROP into your plans. Another smart person reminded that in building/buying a box... also consider points on the box top edge for re-righting the rig in case you have to Roll her back up from a sideward Flop

 

[csoledade]

What Terrain do you expect to travel? Construction of Box also will tell you if you should add ROP or if box has the strength in itself to keep a roll from crushing cab.... If not you should add weight of ROP into your plans. Another smart person reminded that in building/buying a box... also consider points on the box top edge for re-righting the rig in case you have to Roll her back up from a sideward Flop

Thanks for the reply. Those are really good points. The house modules I am considering are made by Bliss Mobil and essentially are self contained inside a steel frame resembling a container (strong ROP protection and container HW on all 4 corners to allow it to be righted if need be).

However I do want to potentially add storage lockers and a windshield protection bar/roof rack combo to the vehicle, so those will add weight as well and I forgot to take those into account!

 

[csoledade]

What Terrain do you expect to travel? Construction of Box also will tell you if you should add ROP or if box has the strength in itself to keep a roll from crushing cab.... If not you should add weight of ROP into your plans. Another smart person reminded that in building/buying a box... also consider points on the box top edge for re-righting the rig in case you have to Roll her back up from a sideward Flop

Thank you! Great advice. The company that makes the house modules builds them in a self contained fashion inside a steel frame with composite walls that resemble a flat sided container. The corner HW in the steel structure is just like container hardware so you can use it to re-right the vehicle and to move the house module using container cranes/forklifts/etc...

Excellent point on other accessories. I had forgotten to take the weight of windshield protection brush bars and roof rack into account as well as any storage lockers added under the frame of the truck. Thank you!

We will be traveling US forest roads, BLM lands, washes, and just about anywhere we can access legally from Alaska to maybe South America.

P.S. If this reply appears twice it is because I am new to the forum and the first one was awaiting moderation (that is the error I got back).

 

[csoledade]

Testing ability to reply. My previous two attempts were "awaiting moderation" for two days.

Still having trouble creating new posts reliably. Anyone know a mod I can PM?

Adding my attempted reply as an edit below.
-------------------------

Thanks guys! I had trouble posting replies earlier for some reason.*

We are planning to travel Alaska to Mexican border, using Forest Service roads, BLM land, private land (with permission) and basically anything we can get access to off road. The idea is to drive to nice spots, camp, and repeat when ready. In between these areas we will be avoiding the interstate whenever we can so I think the upgraded high speed gears will be plenty for us. As far as off road goes, I am not going to do any rock crawling, but will be crossing streams, crossing rock gardens, driving washes, and climbing and descending carefully.*

The less weight the better for off road in general, so we will work with the house module folks to find the right acceptable ratio and go from there.

Thanks coachgeo for reminding us of the extra weight associated with accessories like a brush bar, roof rack, optional lockers. I had overlooked that. The house module we are looking at is entirely contained within a steel frame and uses container hardware on all four corners. So it will protect the house some in the event of a roll over (something I will try to avoid at all costs). But the corner hardware should help re-right it in case of emergency.

Now back to reading TMs!

 

[Suprman]

In theory its 2.5 tons off road 5 tons on road. The bed is pretty heavy if you remove that you can add the removed bed weight. One would think that the lighter the better for going offroad. The more weight the more fuel you will go thru. What do the unimog overland people do. Unimogs dont have that high weight capacity?

 

[coachgeo]

coming thru loud and clear here Roger Tango

 

[csoledade]

Thanks guys! I had trouble posting replies earlier for some reason.

We are planning to travel Alaska to Mexican border, using Forest Service roads, BLM land, private land (with permission) and basically anything we can get access to off road. The idea is to drive to nice spots, camp, and repeat when ready. In between these areas we will be avoiding the interstate whenever we can so I think the upgraded high speed gears will be plenty for us. As far as off road goes, I am not going to do too much rock crawling, but will be crossing streams, crossing rock gardens, driving washes, and climbing and descending carefully.

The less weight the better for off road in general, so we will work with the house module folks to find the right acceptable ratio and go from there.

Thanks coachgeo for reminding us of the extra weight associated with accessories like a brush bar, roof rack, optional lockers. I had overlooked that. The house module we are looking at is entirely contained within a steel frame and uses container hardware on all four corners. So it will protect the house some in the event of a roll over (something I will try to avoid at all costs). But the corner hardware should help re-right it in case of emergency.

Now back to reading TMs!

 

[Keith Knight]

I'm also interested in turning mine into an overlander and was wondering who makes the house modules you are looking at?

 

[LostInTheWorld]

I think Blissmobil makes modular house "boxes" that mount like a sea container at the corners.

We are in the process of designing our own module now. We can’t afford a purchased one, so we will be building it ourselves. It lets us get exactly what we want also.

Michael

 

[csoledade]

Yes Bliss Mobil is the company that we are concentrating on right now for house modules. There are other suppliers in Europe as well.

 

[Keith Knight]

Thanks for the info. I've been looking at there site, lots to look at. I would be curious a the base 13' model price.

 

[sargentwolf]

Get a roll gauge. 30 degrees is the tipping point for a normal lmtv I think, pretty sure the shelter model is even lower.

 

[LostInTheWorld]

The Bliss Mobil modules look sweet. I have heard and read lots of good things about them. If the cost works for you, I bet you will be happy with the end product.

Michael

 

[csoledade]

Thanks for the info. I've been looking at there site, lots to look at. I would be curious a the base 13' model price.

Once you get through the design philosophy and tech feature pages, the "specifications" page for each model has their pricing for that base model. The only option that is strictly necessary and not optional in my opinion is the torsion frame.

 

[mkcoen]

Not to hijack the thread but looking at their (Bliss) website and comparing the Steyr to the LMTV it's amazing how close they are, cab obviously but even the bumpers and cable steps. I guess I never realized how much was lifted. Did they import the cabs or just steal the design?

 

[LostInTheWorld]

Not to hijack the thread but looking at their (Bliss) website and comparing the Steyr to the LMTV it's amazing how close they are, cab obviously but even the bumpers and cable steps. I guess I never realized how much was lifted. Did they import the cabs or just steal the design?

I drove a Steyr 12M18 a few months back. It seemed to me at the time that much of the cab was basically identical to the LMTV, but the drivetrain was totally different. The truck was very nice. I liked the manual transmission a lot.

Once you get through the design philosophy and tech feature pages, the "specifications" page for each model has their pricing for that base model. The only option that is strictly necessary and not optional in my opinion is the torsion frame.

csoledade,
I didn't see any prices when I went to the "specifications" page. It just said "Prices upon request". Would be nice to know what a base model costs shipped over here. Do they only make them in the Netherlands? Any idea on how much it costs to get them over here?


Michael

 

[coachgeo]

http://www.xpeditioncamper.com/ a new company is building camper boxes in US
http://www.sportsmobile.com/ is another US based company

 

[scottreb]

They used to have prices on their website. IIRC approx 150,000Euro for the 15 foot. I just remembered that with the obvious relation. If you call them they are great about talking with you and discussion their philosophy. I believe the owner got his start in tech industry and then branched out. ITs an interesting concept with the shipping idea. Seem overkill with weight compared to the other big European builder, but certain has some unique features.

If you want to talk to someone in the states your only real option is GXV. They are out of Missouri and have done dozens of trucks. Mike and Rene are great people and are very willing to share and talk with you as well. They have also done several boxes on the FMTV trucks.

 

[Mose]

csoledade,
I didn't see any prices when I went to the "specifications" page. It just said "Prices upon request". Would be nice to know what a base model costs shipped over here. Do they only make them in the Netherlands? Any idea on how much it costs to get them over here?


Michael

After seeing this thread, I wasted a few hours with the missus looking at everything on the site. (Thanks a lot.) Another hint to price is on their videos page, where they have the 20' model reviewed for The Motorhome Channel. In the video, they reveal that the 20' goes for about 250,000€, which DuckDuckGo tells me is about $275,877.29USD at time of writing.