4WD motorhome

Karen and Malcolm

I spent a life time looking at all the options and have ended up in me old age with a normal 4x4 and a bush trailer.

We started 4x4 life in a Suzuki 2 stroke and graduated to other 4x4's along the way, some 23 of them!!! Then came a 20ft caravan, then a 24ftooter and eventually a 27 footer. After that I swore that I would never town another thing again...lol

I was very keen on a Mitsubishi Canter at one stage. My style of adventure travel however takes me into places that makes travelling by larger truck a bit hazardous. The problems with larger truck type 4x4's is height clearance for one and weight for another. Then there is also a width problem where most bush tracks are only Ute width making travel by large 4x4's uncomfortable.

Being selfcontained within one vehicle is an idyllic dream but think very carefully about what you want to do. There are a variety of options. Mitsubushi, OKA, Man, Iveco, Unimog, Hino and more. Then there is the kitting out and what to carry and what to leave at home.

Have fun

Cheers

Saw a nice looking Hino unit a year or two back. Don't know whether they still make it. It'd be cheaper than the OKA

Karen/Malcom,we went with the idea of motorhome 6m and a small Suzuki in tow so that when we get to a place we leave the m/home in place & take off on side trips in the little 4x4 Suzuki & if it takes in longer than a day we have the option of a tent for over night.
Rob.

We have been looking and thinking for half a year about many variations. For us a standard truck was not an option .. did not like trim levels, cabin size etc. were looking at a F350 at the time but did not come with crew cab and bed only chassis and was old technology .. the other problem was that there is no slide-on in Australia which we liked. We wanted a solid wall (no pop top) with a bit of space (shower etc)... and we still wanted to tow the boat.

So we purchased a US vehicle (1-Tonne truck with all the bells and whistles) and a 18' slide-on camper ( a medium size one for US standards). The argument is that we can put the camper down whenever we need it and have the vehicle available, where with a motorhome you cannot drive unless you clean up you mess and put the awning down. The slide-on qualifies as a motorhome so you get the cheap insurance through the club for the combo.

It is a very personal decision and a major point for us was our boat which we tow and we put in the water on beaches .. I wanted the vehicle a bit more flexible than a big motorhome thats why we decided for the slide-on.

good luck with your choice
gmd

Ive always wanted to get one of those gooseneck caravans. They tow nicer than the normal type.
Im the type who would rather leave the kitchen,sink ,bedding and anyone who wants to have a snooze at a campsite rather than take it all with me when I go exploring.

If your travelling around oz you may want to visit the cities which will be pain going through Sydney in a bus.
Its hard to beat travelling in a big comfy 4wd and leaving the accomadation at a park for the day.
The trucks are mainly cab over and you spend all your road time bouncing around on the front axles.
Servicing costs of buses and trucks especially the 4wd type is astronomical.
As Wilem said you have to decide want you want to do and understand evreything is a compromise.
I doubt one option will suit all tastes

We have upgraded from a Landcruiser with Roof top tent to a Mitsubishi Canter 4WD Motorhome with all we need and are very happy with our set up ...shower toilet oven grill, solar panels , fridge / freezer and another 40 L Engel ..double permanent bed..staorage ..heaps of it and water tanks and access to cab..manual diesel and about 16lit per 100 kms..non turbo model did a return trip Syd..Birdsville as shake down ..delighted ..went beautifully once we learned tyre pressures etc !!
Would never even dream of an OKA...advice taken from 'my mechanic'...

We spent years admiring everyone else's rigs - OKAs and similar. Saw some beaut ones build in WA by a firm who's name is eluding me at the moment. One couple looked all over Australia and came back to him to get what they wanted made to order. The other had been built as a 4wd tourist vehicle. I'll re post when i remember the name.

We even considered buying an ex hire 4wd Winnebago, built on a Canter i think, but it was not quite suitable, mainly the truck ride would be not good for bad backs, and it had an up the ladder over the cab bed - OK if we were still young, not much storage space at all, no room for tools, spares or generator, Engel car fridge only, outdoor shower. That was when we opted for the comfort of the Patrol and a caravan. This has given us more flexibility when travelling (and the luxury of shower and toilet).

Malcolm,
if you are thinking of a 4WD motorhome, you obviously want to go off the beaten track and perhaps do a bit of exploring with it.
I think Willem said there are height problems with these vehicles for that sort of usage.
You would probably want full height standing room, but that makes the vehicle pretty high.
I have had experience with a 4WD Hino bus, and there were lots of places I couldn't go because of overhang at the back, or overhanging tree branches that would wipe out the a/c on the top, or gouge along the roof area.
Had to do a 2 hour detour one day because I couldn't get under a thicket of trees.
Normal 4WD was ok, but nowhere near as high.
It's really difficult to imagine the right vehicle for all the places you want to go to.
Best of luck.
Dave

G'day Mal, mate we have a 4wd Hino & even though we have only done one 3 week trip in it so far I can tell you it beats putting up a tent any day. We needed a bigger truck the the smaller Mitsubishis & Isuzu's due to the fact that we have a 100% care child who is confined to a wheelchair.

Hit me off list if you want to have a chat.