Quote:
Originally Posted by kach22i
|
Thanks, that's a good read! Still to get through it all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hersbird
........What is the gas vs diesel cost at the pump in AU? Around here it's pretty close but some places they are different.
I just saw the V80 you posted, that will definitely beat a forester towing. What about a custom 5th wheel, popup camper pulled by that V80. That would tow like a dream, have lots of room, and be able to be dropped at a location while the cab is used by itself. A 5th wheel can have much closer gaps as well if designed right. I wish we had something like that here. The Fiat with the 3.0 VM Motori v6 diesel is about the closest (and I think it may not even be available anymore). A stripped down cab and chassis is about $35,000 US while a new Forester is just over $20,000.
|
Diesel is generally slightly more expensive I think, but not much in it (don't have a diesel at the moment, so haven't been paying attention to pump prices). Would only go the V80 to build a motorhome on the back, or possible tow a large 5th wheeler. Would want a caravan to be pulled by a SUV type vehicle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by freebeard
The retractable tongue may be a bad idea. It might be better to have a retractable nose that moves back and forth on the tongue.
|
A retractable tongue would certainly need careful and detailed engineering to ensure it is safe. A movable nose is a good suggestion that would likely be easier to implement safely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jez77
From a practical point of view I'd stick to the trailer idea.
RVs can only be used while your on holidays where the Suv cab be used every day.
Many interesting places in OZ are difficult to get to with our skinny roads and parking a nightmare in an RV. Van can just be unhitched and left a campsite.
Ducking into town for food or beer means packing up entire campsite in an RV, van can just stay put.
Personally I've chosen the motel path for most my trips now, I've worked out for me with the purchase cost, maintainence, rego, insurance and extra fuel of a van just doesn't make sense and apps like Wotif means you can find a motel on the fly nowadays.
|
Motels
Sure, financially you may be correct. But I'd much prefer to go to bed in this setting:
or wake up to something like this:
Yes, caravans do have benefits, but so do motorhomes. When noise/disturbances across the road at 11pm has you wishing you'd chosen another spot to spend the night, just walk through to the drivers seat and drive away to another spot. Did this a few times during our around Australia trip. In general, motorhomes are quicker and easier to set up for the night, and get going for the morning. So better for shorter stays. Caravans, as you suggest, have benefits for longer stays.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BamZipPow
|
Ah, thanks, but too small! There are currently 4 of us, but the two boys are now teenagers so I'm designing this thing just around the wife and I. But we will do long term extended travelling in it, so has to have some creature comforts (composting toilet, queen sized bed, fridge etc) It's a long term project - will be at least 5 years till this thing is ready to go...
What I haven't detailed yet are my hair brained plans re electric and solar. I figure I can fit 2kW of solar panels onto the roof of a motorhome/caravan of the size I'm looking at, as well as another 2 - 4 kW tucked away or underneath them (eg. slide-out arrangement). The latest flexible panels using polycarbonate rather than glass are thin and lightweight (though less scratch resistant, and lower UV resistance).
If I can get an efficient enough vehicle arrangement, along with say 30kWh of lithium, this is enough to get me travelling at least 100-150km per day on solar power alone (most days!).
So when I'm reading through these aerodynamic discussions, I'm considering not just the aero side, but also the impact on solar panel mounting and output.
This is planning for a long term relaxed travelling lifestyle, that is completely free of typical constraints re fuel stations and the like. A slow meander through the Aussie outback, wherever we feel like going.
Sure, it's probably going to cost me somewhere around $60-90k to do this, as well as a fair bit of my labour, but people routinely spend more than that for equivalent gas guzzling machines (or just an ordinary caravan). And I love the engineering challenges associated with building something myself - something that will most definitely be unique
