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RE: Euro motorhomes... why don't we have these in the USA?
Beautiful interiors. Exterior reminds me of the Winnebago Via, also on the Sprinter chassis.
European Interiors are like that, they make the "home" of a Motorhome, much more liveable.
I looked up "Hymermobile" on the internet, and it looks like the one they rented is built on is on a Fiat chassis, with a 130hp engine. They said it gets really decent mileage, has adequate power, and has a great layout with lots of storage.
It is 130KW(175hp) not 130hp.
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RobertRyan
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05/25/12 03:23pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Euro motorhomes... why don't we have these in the USA?
Don't hold me to it, but I think the Carry Me Camper was built on an older Land Rover with an extended wheelbase. Take a close at the bottom of the rear door and you'll notice how the door was designed to go around the original rear wheel well.
Correct. Not shown in the photo is their whole rig . The Camper Trailer is a Track Trailer Tvan. The Pickup is a Nissan Patrol. They are a retired Australian Couple, who have already done a lot of South America in their travels.
This is them going through Bahia Mexico
http://images.travelpod.com/users/ronamoon/25.1317702582.campsite-bahia-de-los-angeles.jpg
http://www.rv.net/forum/Index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/24674092/gotomsg/24674092/p/1.cfm#24674092
http://images.travelpod.com/users/ronamoon/25.1317702582.more-rugged-range-country.jpg
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RobertRyan
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05/25/12 03:16pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Looks like someone is using an Australian TC in the US
A pair of "Grey Nomads" with a Nissan Patrol, a Carry ME Camper and a Tvan Off Road Campertrailer in Bahia Mexico
http://images.travelpod.com/users/ronamoon/25.1317702582.campsite-bahia-de-los-angeles.jpg
http://images.travelpod.com/users/ronamoon/25.1317702582.more-rugged-range-country.jpg
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RobertRyan
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05/25/12 02:53pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Looks like someone is using an Australian TC in the US
I met that couple at the EXPO. Ron and Viv Moon.They tow a Track? trailer behind them. Apparently he is a well known 4x4 writer in Australia.
His traveling partners Neil and Helen Cocks have an XP Camper, which is mounted on a RHD Ford F250.
Those guys went around the world in 3 years! Pretty awesome.
A Track Trailer Off Road Campertrailer
http://www.besportier.com/archives/track-trailer-tvan.jpg
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RobertRyan
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05/25/12 02:46pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Looks like someone is using an Australian TC in the US
Looks like they have been a few places.
On Truck Campers "Sticky" I have posted details of Australian Manufacturers of Conventional TC's and Unconventional TC's, like the Carry Me Camper
Australian Truck Camper Manufacturers , Conventional and Unconventional. Truck Campers "Sticky"
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RobertRyan
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05/25/12 02:43pm |
Truck Campers
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Looks like someone is using an Australian TC in the US
Well and Unconventional unit from here by Carry Me Campers. The Pickup looks like a Nissan Patrol. The Vehicle has Victorian(Aus State) Number plates.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n277/geminifromarrowhead/IMG_4903.jpg
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RobertRyan
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05/25/12 02:14am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Euro motorhomes... why don't we have these in the USA?
I saw this European moho in Sequoia National Park recently. It's built on a Ford Transit Connect chassis. Based on the size of the exhaust pipe, I believe it has a diesel engine.
It is actually a older Ford Transit, not the much smaller Connect.
This one was parked close to the RV above. This one may be from South Africa or Australia.
Carry Me Campers, Unconventional Truck Campers.
From Australia, using an Unconventional Truck Camper, made by Carry Me Camper.Also using Victorian (Australian State) Number plates.. looks like a Nissan Patrol pickup.
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RobertRyan
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05/25/12 01:51am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Diesel ford ranger
i guess some friends of mine who have early ford rangers and mazda b2200's.
some with over 700,000 miles on the original engine.
get over 40 mpg with over drive.
my 83 non-turbo truck gets 26-38 mpg. averaging 26-28 in town and low to mid 30's on the highway.
Several examples of very long life units around. I know a Toyota Hilux that has only been used in country areas in Australia with currently 1.5 million miles.
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RobertRyan
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05/24/12 11:59pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Euro motorhomes... why don't we have these in the USA?
How would we ever manage to classify a rig like this Hymermobile B-Class Starline
They call them "Integrated" in Europe. They are a Class A looking small Class C. They are on the Ducato chassis , similar power to a Sprinter 130kw(180hp) . Largest size is 23ft. Driving in Europe I can see why they have much smaller versions as the roads away from the Freeways are tiny. Freeways are excellent, but turning off to travel on the very small side roads is a culture shock.
I know that in Europe and South America, the Mercedes Sprinter gets a 4WD/AWD option which would be useful for boondocking.
Same as in Australia.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a186/RobRyan7/Jabirua.jpg
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RobertRyan
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05/24/12 01:48pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Euro motorhomes... why don't we have these in the USA?
Asking the question is a bit like asking why we don't live in 400-600 sq ft Euro houses and drive 2000 pound 50-60 HP cars
There are certainly much bigger double story houses in many parts of Europe. 5O-60hp? extremely unlikely for a modern European car.
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RobertRyan
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05/24/12 01:34pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: TT for offroad travel
RobertRyan is off road camping. That is what I consider off road camping.
Very much a growing area for "Grey Nomads" and now young couples. Where you are from Wyoming ,would be a good area for it. A Lot less elevation but many places like Wyoming here.
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RobertRyan
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05/24/12 03:06am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Diesel ford ranger
Sulfur level permitted in US Gasoline is down to 30 ppm (domestic refineries) / 80ppm (imported fuel) since 2008.
http://www.epa.gov/oms/standards/fuels/gas-sulfur.htm
Now that is a long way away from 10ppm... but it is not as bad as you think.
Pretty similar to ours. Outside of diesel which is Euro spec here., we have the same problem you have getting down to 10ppm. A bridge too far at this stage IMHO from achieving anything like that. A booming global economy would make it a lot easier.
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RobertRyan
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05/23/12 05:48am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Diesel ford ranger
Petrol engines will be effected too. How this plays out is another question.
Originally, the government was proposing to introduce Euro 5 in 2012 and Euro 6 from 2016, but postponed both at the urging of the industry.
Now, Euro 5 will be introduced in two stages, at least partly to give breathing space to manufacturers offering bio-fuel engines – such as Holden’s locally made, E85 ethanol-compatible SIDI V6 for the Commodore – to achieve cold-start emissions standards.
These engines will be exempted from a cold-start test (minus 7 degrees Celsius) on E85 under the first-stage “core Euro 5” standard, which is a watered-down version of the Euro 5 standards already in effect in Europe.
This “core Euro 5” will be introduced on all new-model passenger cars, SUVs and light trucks launched from November 1, 2013.
The more stringent Euro 6 standard rollout starts on July 1, 2017, when all new models introduced from that date need to comply.
By July 1, 2018, all new light vehicles sold in Australia will have to meet Euro 6 standard, regardless of when they were launched.
But again, some finetuning to the technical standards for Euro 6 still has to be done in negotiation with the motor industry as Europe is still to finalise its standards.
According to the federal government, Euro 6 will cut exhaust emissions hydrocarbons by up to 50 per cent, oxides of nitrogen by up to 70 per cent and particulate matter – soot generated mainly by diesel engines – by 90 per cent over the current Euro 4 standard.
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RobertRyan
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05/23/12 04:12am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Diesel ford ranger
I keep seeing the reference to "highly polluting gas engines". Specifically, which pollutants are you referring to?
The US is similar to us in having high sulphur petrol(gas) engines, as yet there is no legislation to make them cleaner. The emphasis has been on diesels.I do not see what is being discussed about in the article happening soon in the US or Australia,the cost would be enormous.
Article on High Sulphur fuels in the US and Australia.
MERCEDES-BENZ is unable to offer the most efficient versions of some four-cylinder and V6 petrol engines in Australia due to the high sulphur content of local fuel.
Mercedes-Benz Australia product manager Gordon Jones told GoAuto the company has to fit homogenous direct injection (DEH) systems instead of the more efficient stratified direct injection (DES) system to cars destined for high-sulphur markets like Australia.
He said that, although fuel economy suffers, power and torque outputs are unaffected by the alternative injection technology because the company’s DES systems switch to DEH mode under greater load or throttle openings.
DES comes into play when the engine is under light load, such as at cruising speed.
Mr Jones explained that DES works in regions like Europe and Japan where low-sulphur fuel is commonplace, but said the injection systems for larger engines, such as V8s developed primarily for the North American market, are unchanged because fuel there also has high sulphur levels.
Unlike diesel, which has had a mandatory maximum sulphur content of 10 parts per million in Australia since 2009, there is no legislation in place to force the introduction of low-sulphur petrol, which would require significant investment by the oil refineries.
Mercedes argues that higher fuel consumption results in higher CO2 emissions, so if Australia’s goal of reducing the transport carbon footprint is to be realised, itfollows that adopting low-sulphur fuel – as has taken place in regions such as Europe, where sulphur is limited to 10ppm across all fuels – could be a key step in the process.
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RobertRyan
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05/23/12 03:53am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: GM's new 2013 tow ratings
The SAE standards was what can be hammered out in a committee that is dominated by the vehicle manufactures.
Everyone on the committee (for those who ever sat on one) know the job of the corporate rep is to make sure the standard do not materially undermine what the firm is presently doing, and ideally, is biased against competitors, especially those who are weak on the committee or have poor representation.
That is where the "leeway" I referred to earlier in a post comes in.Here in Australia you would see more spectacular drops than 4,800lb.
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RobertRyan
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05/22/12 06:17pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: GM's new 2013 tow ratings
The engineers finally win one over the marketing execs. Who would have thought that day would ever come, certainly not me. Of course this is forced on them, not by choice.
Still think they allowed some leeway to the manufacturers. Too much of a drop would make potential buyers wary of the manufacturers products.
Still a 4,800lb drop is a rather big "mistake" too make?
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RobertRyan
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05/22/12 04:46pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Diesel ford ranger
The World body Ranger is a bigger, heavier truck, almost as big as an F150, so it would need a bit bigger motor. I don't see a need for the World body Ranger here in the US, since we already have the F150.
The Ranger has a 3,300lb payload as well.
The problem you refer to is a function of refiners who don't want to spend the money to take the sulfur out.
The problem I am talking about
Exactly The reluctance due to expense in the US to get US refineries to a European standard, is what killed the prospect of more European or other Japanese vehicles being sold in the US. Getting vehicles to meet the emission standards required a lot more expense on the part of manufacturer as the quality of the fuel was pretty poor. Makes sense for people selling large trucks as that expense can be factored into the price more easily(Trucks, HDT Tractors not Pickups)
Still the US relies on highly polluting gas engines for a lot of its light commercial vehicles with resultant poor fuel mileage.
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RobertRyan
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05/22/12 03:23pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Diesel ford ranger
The diesel bottom end is inherently longer lasting than comparable gas engines because the diesel bottom ends are built much stronger and also diesel fuel is oily and a lubricant for the cylinder walls, whereas gasoline is a solvent and washes away lubricating oil from the cylinder walls. That is why it is not uncommon for a diesel bottom end to go twice as many miles as a comparably sized (displacement) gas engine bottom end.
Yes very true or much longer. Diesels are rapidly replacing Petrol(gas) engines in Australia. As far as Petrol Trucks and Vans they died out in the 1950's here. A 4 litre V6 Petrol engined Sprinter sounded almost like an April Fools joke to me. Ford , Isuzu and now Holden(GM) have abandoned selling Petrol engines pickups. Toyota still sells a V6 Petrol engine in the Hilux, but that maybe going out with the new Model in 18mmonths time.
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RobertRyan
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05/22/12 03:21pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Diesel ford ranger
Diesel quality in North America is a function of the crude oil --- and the high amount of aromatics which makes for expensive refining to raise the cetane by converting them to aliphatics.
Same problem we have in Australia, although we have got diesel down to the European level. Petrol(gas) is pretty similar to the US and as a result still highly polluting.
Gas(Petrol) quality in Australia
Mr Jones explained that DES works in regions like Europe and Japan where low-sulphur fuel is commonplace, but said the injection systems for larger engines, such as V8s developed primarily for the North American market, are unchanged because fuel there also has high sulphur levels.
Unlike diesel, which has had a mandatory maximum sulphur content of 10 parts per million in Australia since 2009, there is no legislation in place to force the introduction of low-sulphur petrol, which would require significant investment by the oil refineries.
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RobertRyan
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05/21/12 10:40pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: RVing in Germany
Ok so I am in Munich for work this week and as I am traveling from the airport to the hotel I am AMAZED at how many vehicles are pulling RVs. The shocking thing is not the popularity of RVing here as it is simply beautiful country, but the tow vehicles pulling them! I saw nothing larger than a Mercedes SUV, actually looked smaller - like a crossover style, pulling very large trailers. Not pop ups, not hybrids, but full size TT's!
I cannot help but wonder if they use extremely lightweight construction materials here or if the Mercedes is some how capable of handling these TT's - oddly enough it was always a Mercedes doing the pulling and while that is of course a highly popular brand here there are other brands sold so it could have been coincidence or something to it?
They and us (From Australia) would be shocked to see you using Pickups to move things when a full size truck moves much more faster and cheaper.
The European RV's are lightly built and are perfectly suited for their needs. Each country in Europe has its own specific needs and they have RV's designed to meet those needs. A US 5ver and a dually would be a nightmare on European roads. Even US Travel Trailers would be a problem, they would not like the interiors to begin with and the width and lengths would not work on their narrow non- Freeway /Toll roads.
The European RV Industry is huge and the Caravan Salon held in Germany is the biggest RV Exhibition globally. What you saw in Munich is similar to Australia a lot of vehicles towing all year round though.
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RobertRyan
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05/21/12 10:00pm |
General RVing Issues
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