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LMTV to OE18, Our Achilles Heel and other diversions...

Pointman0853

Member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
319
12
18
Location
Gardnerville, NV
Chapter Three: Cab heat and lousy pavement..

After losing time with the repair we began to make some miles, headed toward Las Vegas and our eventual crossing of the Colorado River. It was only 91 deg. in Glitter Gulch this day, but it pointed the need to add AC to the cab sooner than later. Living in North West Nevada sometimes provides milder temperatures than the southern part of the state. After today, I now have the go-ahead from the wife to add the air!

After crossing the Colorado, we began the long climb out of the river canyon. Even with the 3.90 gears we were making 45-47 MPH with little problem, and I was pretty happy with the little CAT today. Driving toward Kingman we were somewhat surprised at the poor condition of the highway between the dam and Kingman. As it turned out, Hwy 40 out of Kingman to Flagstaff was not much better. On the other hand I was glad to have 46" tires as some of the pot holes in the slow-lane would have killed a small import car!

Finally, a stop at Lulu Belle's in Ash Fork provided a much needed break. We highly recommend this spot if you are ever in the area. The rib meat just falls off the bone with delicious and generous portions!

A kilt Lifter was my treat after a long and hot afternoon.

As we had gotten a late start, we decided to get a room for the night and explore Sedona the next day. We we not allowed to check in to the campground at OE until 1:00 pm, so why not see more of the area? The problems with the truck appeared to be solved. With stress level reduced, I began to enjoy the trip more. With windows down, to feel the cool morning air, we descended into Oak Creek Canyon. Mrs. Pointman repeatedly requesting more braking as the road narrowed, and wound its way down. From her right hand perch, she had a birds eye view of the bottom of the canyon and was not comfortable.

We ere reminded of one of the great features of the LMTV. The broad 'picture' window of a windshield we get to look out of. It's easy to take photographs unimpeded as we are on the move, and we took plenty this day.

After a quick tank top off, we picked up some provisions at the local Natural Foods Market. Then, after managing to avoid all the crystal and metaphysical stores in Sedona, were off to meet the 17 and the quicker way back to Flagstaff. There were lots of beautiful and weird rock formations, and if we had more time a hike would have been in order. Buffy had earlier noted there was an Eddie Bauer store in Flagstaff with a 40% off sale going on, so we headed there first on our way back into town. As we passed the show site, we could see multiple vehicles already lined up for the 1:00 check in at the fair grounds.

With shopping and lunch completed, we took our place in line in line. The volunteers manning the gate were overwhelmed with he crowd, but did their best to get everyone lined up for the short trip to get our passes and a camp spot.
OE line 051918.jpg

Once checked in we were directly to 'Dispersed Camping'. Now one of the goals in putting on events like Overland Expo is managing customer expectations. I know this for a fact after putting on a major ADV Motorcycle Rally in our home town for 4 years. The campground was only 'dispersed' from the standpoint of is distance from the main venue. We were NOT dispersed from our fellow campers. In fact were were packed almost on top of each other. At one point, a camper van was directed to back into a small space next to us. They were in so close at one point, I couldn't open my driver side door!

This was quite disappointing based on the cost of attendance. It was either done intentionally ( they knew how many tickets were sold), or the promoter just did not have enough volunteers or space to handle the crowd.

Camping view OE 051918.jpg

After meeting our neighbors and locating the nearest restroom facilities, we settled in to camp. It was a great time to walk around and look at what other folks were doing with camper builds on other types of vehicles.

Big 6x6.jpg

alien tent.jpg

Interesting Alien tent..

big MBZ.jpg

Older Mercedes truck chassis..

After a fair bit of snooping it was getting late and time for adult beverages before turning in for the evening..

IMG_3138 (1).jpg
 
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pontiac62

Member
180
4
18
Location
battle creek, mi
Chapter Three: Cab heat and lousy pavement..

After losing time with the repair we began to make some miles, headed toward Las Vegas and our eventual crossing of the Colorado River. It was only 91 deg. in Glitter Gulch this day, but it pointed the need to add AC to the cab sooner than later. Living in North West Nevada sometimes provides milder temperatures than the southern part of the state. After today, I now have the go-ahead from the wife to add the air!

After crossing the Colorado, we began the long climb out of the river canyon. Even with the 3.90 gears we were making 45-47 MPH with little problem, and I was pretty happy with the little CAT today. Driving toward Kingman we were somewhat surprised at the poor condition of the highway between the dam and Kingman. As it turned out, Hwy 40 out of Kingman to Flagstaff was not much better. On the other hand I was glad to have 46" tires as some of the pot holes in the slow-lane would have killed a small import car!

Finally, a stop at Lulu Belle's in Ash Fork provided a much needed break. We highly recommend this spot if you are ever in the area. The rib meat just falls off the bone with delicious and generous portions!

A kilt Lifter was my treat after a long and hot afternoon.

As we had gotten a late start, we decided to get a room for the night and explore Sedona the next day. We we not allowed to check in to the campground at OE until 1:00 pm, so why not see more of the area? The problems with the truck appeared to be solved. With stress level reduced, I began to enjoy the trip more. With windows down, to feel the cool morning air, we descended into Oak Creek Canyon. Mrs. Pointman repeatedly requesting more braking as the road narrowed, and wound its way down. From her right hand perch, she had a birds eye view of the bottom of the canyon and was not comfortable.

We ere reminded of one of the great features of the LMTV. The broad 'picture' window of a windshield we get to look out of. It's easy to take photographs unimpeded as we are on the move, and we took plenty this day.

After a quick tank top off, we picked up some provisions at the local Natural Foods Market. Then, after managing to avoid all the crystal and metaphysical stores in Sedona, were off to meet the 17 and the quicker way back to Flagstaff. There were lots of beautiful and weird rock formations, and if we had more time a hike would have been in order. Buffy had earlier noted there was an Eddie Bauer store in Flagstaff with a 40% off sale going on, so we headed there first on our way back into town. As we passed the show site, we could see multiple vehicles already lined up for the 1:00 check in at the fair grounds.

With shopping and lunch completed, we took our place in line in line. The volunteers manning the gate were overwhelmed with he crowd, but did their best to get everyone lined up for the short trip to get our passes and a camp spot.
View attachment 729249

Once checked in we were directly to 'Dispersed Camping'. Now one of the goals in putting on events like Overland Expo is managing customer expectations. I know this for a fact after putting on a major ADV Motorcycle Rally in our home town for 4 years. The campground was only 'dispersed' from the standpoint of is distance from the main venue. We were NOT dispersed from our fellow campers. In fact were were packed almost on top of each other. At one point, a camper van was directed to back into a small space next to us. They were in so close at one point, I couldn't open my driver side door!

This was quite disappointing based on the cost of attendance. It was either done intentionally ( they knew how many tickets were sold), or the promoter just did not have enough volunteers or space to handle the crowd.

View attachment 729252

After meeting our neighbors and locating the nearest restroom facilities, we settled in to camp. It was a great time to walk around and look at what other folks were doing with camper builds on other types of vehicles.

View attachment 729254

View attachment 729255

Interesting Alien tent..

View attachment 729256

Older Mercedes truck chassis..

After a fair bit of snooping it was getting late and time for adult beverages before turning in for the evening..

View attachment 729257
Pointman

You run into Recce01 while you were there. I see you got a picture of his buddy 5ton camper.

Seen your truck in a yt video real quick they panned by it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Man of few words

M1081 LVAD
 

Pointman0853

Member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
319
12
18
Location
Gardnerville, NV
Chapter 4: WOW!, its Vendor-Rama!!

Friday am @ 0600. All I could think about was coffee... I do not know about you, but my day always starts with at least two to synchronize my brain cells. Thank God for Starbucks Via. After waking up we decided to head over to the vendor area. After getting a brief preview of the huge vendor area the day before via a wrong turn at the entrance, we hiked our way over before the 'shuttles' began running. The sheer numbers of vendors was overwhelming. Based on price, there were $500,000 Global Expedition campers and one vendor selling pocket sized toilets and everything in between.

We eventually found a few M-1078 based camper trucks to check out. One was still in forest camo with a shelter unit on the back. I liked the aggressive front and 'brush bars' and light treatment that were installed. The gear holders on the back door were an idea I have begun working on for the back wall of our cab to internally stow small items in this unused space.

Jason 2.jpg jason 1.jpg

We also met the guys from Hunter. Turns out they are form Gardnerville as well. Its a small crazy world... They appear to be using travel trailers mounted to the bed. We had considered this earlier for our build but soon realized that extreme beating a traditionally built RV would take could eventually cause structural failure, so we have discarded it as an idea.
I found it odd they were running Michelin tires as they have such a low speed rating. Turns out one of them came apart on the way to the event, doing some damage. Enough said about that...

We truly enjoyed meeting the folks from Acela. They had a Total Composites hab. mounted on a sub-frame of their own design that mirrors how we plan to go forward with our own build.
They have now partnered with Andreas Schwall to build complete units and we were excited to learn more about this type of construction. Andreas happened to be camping almost next to us, and I thank him again for putting up with our many questions about the units. Mrs. Pointman approves, so that is one battle won! I will post more photos of these as I get the pics out of the wife's camera. Good stuff, stay tuned!

Pointman
 

mkcoen

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
5,637
380
83
Location
Spring Branch, TX
We eventually found a few M-1078 based camper trucks to check out. One was still in forest camo with a shelter unit on the back. I liked the aggressive front and 'brush bars' and light treatment that were installed. The gear holders on the back door were an idea I have begun working on for the back wall of our cab to internally stow small items in this unused space.

View attachment 729472 View attachment 729473

We also met the guys from Hunter. Turns out they are form Gardnerville as well. Its a small crazy world... They appear to be using travel trailers mounted to the bed. We had considered this earlier for our build but soon realized that extreme beating a traditionally built RV would take could eventually cause structural failure, so we have discarded it as an idea.
I found it odd they were running Michelin tires as they have such a low speed rating. Turns out one of them came apart on the way to the event, doing some damage. Enough said about that...
The M1079 belongs to SS member Adventure Driven.

The Hunter guys need to read the manuals, well first they need to download the manuals THEN read them. They know virtually nothing about the vehicles. While I appreciate someone trying to promote them I think they're just trying to make a quick buck. Pulling the hydraulics from the cab lift so you have to do it manually each time was a BIG mistake.
 

Pointman0853

Member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
319
12
18
Location
Gardnerville, NV
Mkcoen,

I did see Adventure Driven's rig. A nice adaptation for the 1079, and a pleasure to chat with.

I agree with your assessment on the Hunter rig. These folks are my 'neighbors' in my same county. I'm hoping to meet them and learn more about what they have been doing. As stated, running those tires is a disaster waiting to happen. I'm still somewhat mystified by those pulling the air cleaner, spare tire lift and hydraulics on our trucks just to add an extra foot or so of Hab space. I have spent a bit of time hand pumping to lift the cab and it is a drag for sure.

I am also not a fan of production RV's being mounted to MV chassis' as I believe they will have a short painful life span. I would not want to be the carrier who has the Product Liability on one of those units..
Lets hope they have some sort of coverage to protect their assets.

Pointman
 

Duckworthe

Member
329
22
18
Location
San Diego, Ca
Just thought I would share an article that was done on my truck by Outside Magazine. They said there would be a whole article in the next addition but they did this for now. It has some errors in the write up but overall I'm fine with it. And of course this is subjective as I had some people who hated my truck because "I was an evil earth destroyer and nothing good can come from these large trucks" in their opinion. I just smiled and told them to have a nice day and that I loved the use of a Prius as an overlanding vehicle. They surely get better mileage!

www.outsideonline.com/2312391/ten-sweetest-rigs-overland-expo-2018

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[h=1]The 10 Sweetest Rigs at Overland Expo 2018[/h][h=2]Each year, Flagstaff, Arizona, turns into an overlanding mecca for a weekend. Last week I set out in search of the sweetest, most eye-catching vehicles at the event. They weren't hard to find.[/h]
Jakob Schiller
Jakob Schiller


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Photo: Jakob Schiller
[h=2]1997 Stewart and Stevenson M1078 LMTV[/h]This four-wheel-drive ex-military vehicle is now Eric Duckworth’s full-time home. He bought the chassis in 2014 and spent eight months building it out. The rear shell has several beds, a full kitchen, and a bathroom. It sits on 46-inch tires weighing up to 450 pounds, and has a ripping top speed of 62 miles per hour. Even though it gets a paltry nine miles to the gallon, Duckworth says he guesses that his environmental footprint is still smaller than the average homeowner’s. He uses significantly less water, powers most of the appliances and lights with solar energy, and never has to commute to work, since he parks it at his office in San Diego and lives inside.
 

Camel Driver

Member
81
8
8
Location
Gilberts Illinois
That's a great story! Glad you had the luck to find a "Good Man" when you needed him. I've been pretty lucky myself over the years. More often than not, I have found Guys like Jason. They can literally be life savers. A tip of my hat to Jason and all the folks like him who save our butts when needed!




Chapter 1.

We had been planning a long trip in 'Thor' for some time. Overland Expo seemed like a great way to test the recent modifications made and see some beautiful country at the same time.

We departed Gardnerville, NV at a decent morning hour on Tuesday the 15th. The goal was to travel as far as Alamo, then head into an early camp spot near the venue in Flagstaff on Thursday morning. We had passed through Tonopah and had just about gotten as far as Warm Springs, when we began to hear a loud intermittent clicking noise coming from the front of the truck. I also noted that the volt meter twitched each time the 'click' was heard. The further we went, the more frequent the clicking. We eventually pulled over for a break and I left the truck to idle. Now, each time I heard the click there was a slight hesitation, like a miss, in the engine. As the truck was still running strongly, it was decided to keep pushing on to Alamo where I would pop the cab and have a closer look. The clicking continued, and as we descended toward the 93 junction, it quit running! I muscled it over to a shaded area, and began looking for the problem. As first, I thought it was fueling as there appeared to be a clogged vent line for the dual tanks. I blew out the debris with the truck air, and tried pumping fuel back into the system, but no go...

I called the Windmill Inn, to let them know we were going to be a late check in, and asked if they know anyone locally who was good with diesels. They said Yes, call Jason. I took the number as the afternoon was quickly turning to evening, I called the number. Jason answered, and I briefly explained our problem with the 3116 Cat that had died. He said he would be out in 20 minutes. Jason turned out to be a local rancher who had another business of fixing things. All kinds of things. We finally narrowed the problem down to the Fuel Cutoff Solenoid. We guessed the intermittent clicking was due to a loose ground lead with eventually caused the unit to burn out. After securing the truck for the night, he and his son gave us a ride to our hotel. He said not to worry and he would give me a call in the morning.

At this point I was amazed at the generosity of this stranger who took time away from his family (7 kids!) to come out in the dark and rescue a complete stranger. I made a comment to his son about angels appearing when you needed them most, as we said good night and parted company. At least we wouldn't be sleeping in the back of the truck next to the highway that night. :clinto:

Pointman
 

Camel Driver

Member
81
8
8
Location
Gilberts Illinois
"Evil earth destroyer". Ha, I got a bunch of looks from people that I believe were thinking exactly that on my way home from Utah with our M1083. I noticed that these people seem to stare at the "big scary tires" a lot, cringe and, try to shrink away from them. It's funny watching them try to move away with their seat belts on. rofl
 

Pointman0853

Member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
319
12
18
Location
Gardnerville, NV
Chapter 5: Time to Bail...

After spending the entire day Friday visiting with vendors and other LMTV folks, we back to the camping area. We had eaten lunch, and were ready for a break.
Back at camp, there were still new folks being directed into the already crowded 'dispersed' camping area. I thought about all the Adventure campers, built to get folks away-from-it-all, now parked shoulder to shoulder in a fenced area with quickly declining sanitary conditions. Umm.. No thanks.

After a quick planning discussion with Pointwife, we decided to break camp and escape to the open road. We headed for Page, AZ, where our new plan was to explore the area between Zion and Bryce National Parks. Leaving early and avoiding the crowds on the weekend was a huge plus, and now we had an additional day to check out new places on the ride home.

After a restful night in Page, and a great meal at a local hangout, we were off! We had the entire day to sight see, yahoo..! First stop was Glen Canyon Dam. I vacationed here when in high school and the lake then wasn't full yet. After a plentiful winter it was certainly full now. From the bridge, we could see a group of kayaks paddling at the bottom of the dam. I doubt the LMTV could make the turns to get to the bottom, but it did look like a lot of fun.

Every road trip needs to include an interesting 'tourist trap' type of stop. Moqui Cave provided this diversion just north of Kanab. Privately owned, this was once a gin joint and dance hall back in the 40's. Now its a museum with the requisite gift shop and display of 'native' artifacts. Fun, and well worth the $5.00 nick at the door for the history lesson.

After turning west on Hwy 14, we were headed towards Cedar City. It was still early in the day, so we had more to see before finding a place to land. Well, that was until we came to Duck Creek Village. This cute little resort spot is set high in the mountains and after looking around we decided to inquire about a place to stay at one of the Bed and Breakfast spots. We ended up getting a cozy room for $70.00, and they even let us park the truck next to one of the buildings and off the main drag through town. Quaint doesn't' begin to describe this place.

Thor in Duck Creek.jpg

We set off on foot to explore the town and decided as it was still early, to rent a side-by-side and do some deep exploring. The entire area was crisscrossed by well laid out trails and ATV use was encouraged! Armed with a map of the local trails system, we headed off to check out some lava tubes and do a bit of spelunking. More about that in the next chapter...

Big Foot.jpg

UTV utah.jpg

(Time to Braaaap!)


Pointman
 
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