An Aussie 5-ton RV conversion 'Mad Max Winnebago'

[73m819]

in his construction diary for WORT 1 ( the first, bigger rig), he mentions this..

"20 July 1998..It's license day. I need an HR (heavy rigid) truck license to drive the truck. Last weekend I did four hours training and today I do the assessment. There's a new system of licensing in NSW. With the old system you did lessons then go for an all-or-nothing test with the Road Transport Authority (RTA). Very stressful. The new system is called Competency Based Assessment (CBA). Briefly this means that the bloke giving the lessons is also qualified to assess your ability to handle a large vehicle. This is a much better system because, unlike an RTA test, it's not a case of "one strike and your out". With CBA, if you make a mistake you just try again.
The assessment involves about six hours of driving in all kinds of conditions, both on the highway and in busy town centers etc. It went quite smoothly I thought, if you don't count running out of fuel (well I had to learn how to prime a diesel anyway) and that street sign on the corner (nothing that a team of council workers can't fix in a few hours).

By the end of the assessment I was knackered and thinking very seriously about spending the $5000 to install power steering in the truck..."

*******

Mike

The more I read about this guy, the more I think WOW a great SSer though he is not but should be, maybe someone better at SEARCH than I am could find him and invite him to join

 

[802dot1q]

The more I read about this guy, the more I think WOW a great SSer though he is not but should be, maybe someone better at SEARCH than I am could find him and invite him to join

I shot him an email with the link to this thread and an invitation.

 

[emr]

I agree all they did is awesome, man it sure is open country to drive something that tall around and just huge , wow...

 

[tamangel]

One of Rob Gray's problems is that he is mobile most of the time and therefore has limited capacity for bandwidth. Big megabyte web pages/emails/pic's/etc..take a long time to download and may be a challange to his wireless config.... Don't know how well this format might work for his situation.. Nice guy for sure.. The interaction with him I've had with him a few times in the past re: his truck were great. I noticed that his 'Graynomad Chronicles' page has a different format now, sort of a blog..might want to query there..

scroll to the bottom for the latest blog entry..
Rob Gray :: graynomad :: issues :: issue_066

Mike

 

[rickf]

Glancing around his site I saw his bio of sorts. Never finished school and never even drove past a university and yet he designed software and hardware for computers. Obviously a uniquely intelligent individual. That explains the attention to detail. My theory is who cares how it looks, it is all about how it functions. Personally I like the looks also.

 

[802dot1q]

Clearly he's a brotha' from anotha' mutha'!

 

[graynomad]

Hi Guys,

Wade (802dot1q?) alerted me to this thread and invited me to say g'day, so "g'day". I'm happy to answer any questions, meanwhile I'll try to address some of the above comments.

cab forward design of the vehicle as it allows you to use more of the length of the truck.

Yep, I don't like bonneted trucks for that reason, OTOH it's a pain to work on the motor with a non-tilting cab over.

I dunno how they can reference Mad Max and not have even traveld to Silverton NSW to the Mad Max Museum!

We'll get there one day, it's a big country We almost came back from the west via Broken Hill this time but changed our minds.

It just needs to be painted

You can paint checker/tread plate once without too much drama, doing it again (if ever required) would be a nightmare because it would be impossible to rub it down. Also as is it reflects a lot of heat. It has been "painted" with a nylon compound to stop oxidization.

his determination to see the project thru to completion

I normally have the attention span of a goldfish, I still can't believe I concentrated on one job for 3 years (WOT1) and 18 months (WOT2). I suppose there is no option when you've sold everything and are living under a tarp.

"These blast marks are too accurate for sand people."

limited yourself to only travelling in winter

In summer we head south, or at least that's the theory, truth is we travel so slow we often don't make it. The truck is designed for the heat while still being good in the cold. The only thing that can be a problem is humidity and for that reason we stay clear of the far north in summer.

I drove the base vehicle for about 150Km once

Then you will know they are a pig to drive but we only average 155k a week so that's not too hard to deal with.

but good as an extended stay base camp , as long as you stayed long enough to forget the last drive JMHO

Correct, the whole idea is to be sitting in nice places. We normally camp for a 2-6 weeks when we find a good spot, plenty of time for the pain of the drive to dissipate.

I think the unpainted body was to take into account climactic conditions in the out back

Yep, as mentioned it reflects a lot of heat. We had 3 days of 40C last week and were quite comfortable.

Wonder what plate fees are in Austrailia for that monster?

If that means registration then about $900 a year, including compulsory (third party) insurance.

If thier diesel costs are about the same as the US, and if he gets about what a 5-ton would get with such a big camper body on it, then it must cost him close to $1 per mile to move that truck around.

Diesel at present is about $1.50 a litre (when not in the outback, can be $2+ in some places), we get 4kpl (11.5mpg?) on flat roads so I guess thats about 37c per k or 60c per mile. Not bad for a 12-tonne house brick, but then we sit on 65kph (40mph), that makes a huge difference.

mobile most of the time and therefore has limited capacity for bandwidth

As of a few months ago that's not so bad, we have a new 7-gig plan and the NextG phones are pretty fast. I won't be streaming video but using the web normally is OK now. There is of course the coverage issue, many places we stay don't have any reception.

Thanks for your interest guys, any questions just ask.

______
Rob

 

[73m819]

WOW, thanks for speaking up, we have been following your builds since #1, great, WE are
all into Mvs and there uses, you have done what a lot want to do, your detail is great, you have been a true SSer long before TODAY

 

[tamangel]

Welcome Rob, we have talked a few times and as always, enjoy re-reading your build diaries on occasion.. glad to have you aboard..even if you do drive on the other side...
always appreciated your reverence for beer bottle storage..!
Mike

 

[dburt]

Rob- it's good to have you on board!! Please share as many pics and info as you can on this site- we will all love to see and read your entries!!

 

[tamangel]

HERE'S A NUMBER OF PICS FROM HIS SITE:

WORT 1

Rob Gray :: graynomad :: wothahellizat :: wot1 :: photos

WORT 2

Rob Gray :: graynomad :: wothahellizat :: wot2 :: photos

lots of other detailed ones during building on his construction diaries..

http://www.robgray.com/graynomad/wothahellizat/wot1/diaries/index.php

http://www.robgray.com/graynomad/wothahellizat/wot2/diaries/index.php

Mike

 

[graynomad]

Thanks Mike.

I just added a couple of albums

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/members/graynomad-albums.html

with a few photos as well.

______
Rob

 

[graynomad]

Thanks Mike.

I just added a couple of albums

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/members/graynomad-albums.html

with a few photos as well.

______
Rob

 

[dburt]

Rob, I always thought your first truck build was very innovative with such great touches like the pop up roof for the front bedroom etc, so I wonder why you rebuilt and downsized? Your second build is very well thought out and innovative as well, but I was just curious as to why you decided to rebuild. Now I suppose I could read your blog more carefully and find the answer perhaps, but- maby you could share some of your thinking about the rebuild here for the rest of the folks on SS.

And I really like the aluminum diamond skid plate look! Low maintance, don't have to paint it, easy to work with if you're a metal worker, etc! And your fit and finish inside is really first class too! The rear porch/sun room is, as they used to say- "the cat's meow"!

 

[AN/ARC186]

Great build, mk 1 and 2. Heck, even my wife likes them!!

Uh-Oh.....

 

[tamangel]

Rob, anyway you have a transferable video from that US program (like a YouTube type that you could also put on here..)...'World's Most Extreme Homes'.. I know it isn't your favorite but it shows WORT 1 and all the storage tricks you used..I thought it was great..

Mike

 

[graynomad]

I wonder why you rebuilt and downsized?

I miss some of the features Mk1 had but I don't miss trying to squeeze a large truck into a small campsite. We spent 3 months living quite comfortably in our Landcruiser and decided that we didn't need such a large vehicle. Also most of the storage we had was empty and we were pretty heavy.

All in all we decided that overall a smaller vehicle is better, I miss the space, high deck, and full headroom upstairs but we now get to camp in places we couldn't fit before.

Also I wanted to remove a lot of mechanization like the hydraulic roof and electric steps. If they fail you have a real problem. The only mechanized thing we have now is the motorbike crane and that can (in theory) be replaced with a block and tackle if it fails.

I really like the aluminum diamond skid plate look! Low maintance,

Even better, NO maintenance. When/if I have to re-coat the nylon stuff I don't have to rub down just give it a wash, the new coating will bond to the old.

The rear porch/sun room

One of the best features IMO, we don't care what the ground is like, mud, long grass etc, it doesn't matter. I can sit up there above the sand flies and watch the world go by.

.'World's Most Extreme Homes'.

I was looking for the DVD just the other day and couldn't find it. Even if I could I probably can't put it on Youtube because the copyright isn't mine. It will be around somewhere, I could probably grab a few bits and upload them. I have other footage as well from different shows, how I convert them I don't know.

Heck, even my wife likes them!!

For my I own use I would not spend so much effort on the fitout, but 'er indoors wanted a nice home so you do what you gotta do


______
Rob

 

[spicergear]

Graynomad, great vehicle builds and write ups! I was just razzing you about the Mad Max Museum- took my first trip to Austrailia last year after being in China for two weeks commissioning a machine involved with the high speed rail. I NEVER expected (for some reason) the flight from Shanghai to Sydney to be 10hrs nearly straight south! Wow. Then after plugging Broken Hill into the GPS and it telling me I'll arrive in 16-1/2hrs I sort of had a little mini seizure in my brain...then sucked it up and started West. 8 days there and didn't feel like I saw 3% of it! I'll be back again sometime!

 

[graynomad]

I'll arrive in 16-1/2hrs

And pass maybe 50 cars in that time

Well maybe more than that but there ain't much out there.

I'll be back again sometime!

We might pass each other, we're thinking about going to the US.

______
Rob

 

[graynomad]

I'll arrive in 16-1/2hrs

And pass maybe 50 cars in that time

Well maybe more than that but there ain't much out there.

I'll be back again sometime!

We might pass each other, we're thinking about going to the US.

______
Rob