Housetrucks in Oz? Outfitting manuals?

We're not sure of how to fix things solidly in the van- the housetruck would definately be more like a cabin than anything else. I'd love to create one with as much personality as the true Romany wagons used to have- I'll have to skill up, methinks. :)

Awesome, thanks so much for those links. my family history on my mother's side has Irish Traveller a few generations back but they quit travelling and tried to learn to live like settlers0 thought it was a better idea financially, I guess. It wasn't really a great success and four generations later we're a family that still breeds restless souls. :)

I'm really taken with the idea of creating something amazing and beautiful.

Nomdadic Navara- I just want to say a much deeper and more heartfelt thankyou for those two links- they have led me to discover vardos again and to realise that I really want to take up again a dream I put aside years ago, which was to build one of those and travel. Those two links have led me to some of the most beautiful and amazing 'mobile houses' that I have ever seen. I'm utterly inspired, have a real purpose for going to NZ (which is to spend time with other people who create these beautiful homes) and have a vision of a possible business, one that I can be passionate and joyous about.

I just wanted to let you know how much impact taking the time to post those links has had on my life. From small things, big things grow. :)

My Irish Traveller genetics have been given a dose of enthusiasm. :D

*nodding* Yep, this is the kind of thing that we would like to build, but in natural materials rather than the chemically treated ones. We're going to do a combined solar-wind setup, with a portable hydro generator for any place that we stop that has enough flow in the creek to support it. My husband is an engineer with a passion for creating Really Useful Stuff, heh, so we're looking at also having solar cookers in combination with the old 'haybox cooker' style oven and as many sustainable, low tech ideas as we can come up with. He'd be quite happy with high tech (he designs and builds robotic systems amongst other things) but we're aware of the non-sustainable nature of these. I love the idea of a truly mobile home. :)

Hi PirateQueen

I like your principals, but think you may need a huge truck for it all. Aren't wind generators heavy? I know they use them on boats, but have never heard of successful application to a motor home. Solar is usually sufficient, so long as you are charging a big enough bank of batteries to last through dull weather.

Simple is certainly better. We don't need many mod cons (we only holiday, not live in our van). What we used to do when holidaying with a tent usually works.

We are low power users when camping and can also be very low water users if need be. Eg bathing in the bowl with water heated by a kettle as we used to do back in earlier camping days, instead of running the HWS and shower.

On our most recent trip, we had a hose from the HWS under the van rub through and leak, which meant we couldn't put the pump on. I just filled a bucket and kept it behind the sink with a cover on top, and bailed my needs with a jug - quicker and easier than turning on the tap and pump.

I love simple mechanisms - electronic stuff usually lets you down at some time or other. Solar cooking sounds good, although i tend to cook on gas in the van because it is easier than setting up outside, and a bottle of gas lasts us for months.

Good luck with your creation.

Mh

Wind generators don't have to be heavy if you don't have a huge amount of power to generate. They don't all come in the traditional 'air propeller' style either- ever seen the movie Waterworld? That rotating set up on Costner's boat was a wind generator. Interestingly, there used to be sailboats fitted with just such a setup so that the ship could sail directly into the wind rather than tacking. Mostly, those generators were attached to screws so that the boat could still move in head on winds.

We're really interested in exploring truly renewable, which solar isn't- with solar, as soon as a panel breaks you're out of power and there's no such thing as a DIY solar panel, heh. My husband is a big time tech head, he can design and build just about anything (and can upskill himself in hours if he has to), so it's like travelling with Mr Wizard. *laughing* We're just going to experiment and see what really works. :)

We're currently getting the gear together to set up a woodgas generator to power a vehicle- the cool thing about woodgas is that you can also use it to power cooking and lights. :) We're going to post more about it here once we start getting the unit going.

Those hippy house trucks are exactly what I'm thinking of. :D I'm hoping we can score one to travel around NZ in in the New Year- I'd much rather travel around something with a personality (I'm a sucker for restored 50's caravans as well :D ). As far as I've been able to tell the regs aren't much more than the time period you're describing (if the ones advertised on http://www.trademe.co.nz are anything to go by). I'm kind of curious as to why that sort of thing doesn't really show up on Australian roads.

Coaster conversions can be great but we think they'd be too squishy with our family- introverts, you see, need timeout space at times or there is death, destruction,mayhem and a smidge of disgruntlement. Ahem. And I cannot lie- I love beautiful spaces to live in. :)

Oh and this is a tipper which is the same model, as an example.
One thing to note, this type of truck would be no good at 4wding, but Inter did make a 4wd version which would be more capable, and the for our army they made the ACCO 6WD which served its time in the Vietnam war- and still can be found. I have its twin carbie and twin dump exhaust manifold ready to bolt up for extra grunt.
Cheers!

Also note that the tipper is on gas which is always an option, or diesel could be a viable alternative too.

After a few beers i've now realised you said "housetruck" not "horsetruck" ha ha. Never heard of a housetruck, but i'm sure a horsetruck could fit the bill for a cheaper type conversion..... feel like an idiot ha ha.

Hurrah, I'm glad that I'm not the only one who mucks things up occasionally! :D

Seriously gorgeous trucks there though. Back in the 80's a neighbouring farmer had one as a hay truck and as a 15 year old who was also built like a twig I had no troubles whatsoever driving it. Interesting indeed to hear about the parts situation, that makes a lot of sense- one of the things we *aren't* interested in is getting something that needs parts from overseas. Nothing but trouble there imo.

Just out of curiousity, how much would one be looking at for a restoration job like that these days? We're interested in exploring all our options- we're also looking for vehicles that would run well on wood gas.

Hi Tippa

$700 is cheap rego for a truck compared to WA. We pay darn near that for Cruisers and Patrols. Hope the restoration goes well. Maybe you'll need the horses to pull it!

Motherhen

Horses require skills that I don't have, and don't know how to get in this country- otherwise, it would definately be an option. I grew up on horseback, you see... :D

Still, perhaps the requirements that such a truck would generate in terms of a *team* of horses... *boggle*

Piratequeen, as far as restoration costs go, it depends on the condition of the truck initially, and how far you want to go with it...
Mine has cost a little so far because i want her to be reliable and safe, but would have cost more if i got a mechanic and panelbeater to do the work i have done...
The truck was free. So thats a great start! Then the new cab was 4 grand. A lot of money, but a good investment in not having to repair rust within the next 20 years.
I did a full service on the engine, gearbox and diff $300, and a full rebuild of the brakes including their vacuum boost system, machined drums, new linings, all new flexible and rigid brake lines and overhauled master cyl and 8 brake slave cylinders. That all came to around 3 grand.
A retrimmed bench seat $450
Then the respray which ive half done cost about $400 in paint and prep gear.
Lastly one retreadded tyre $150, and about $200 on rechromed badges, which brings the total to around 9 grand.

I figure that you can buy a very nice one for that sort of money, so i was happy to spend it on mine and learn about the truck at the same time, knowing it is going to be safe and reliable.
Cheers!

Mother hen, ha ha, yeah it looked that way in the pictures i guess!
The week before i started stripping it down to rebuild, the old girl carried 6 horses up and down Bells line of road- a very steep, windy, dangerous road, for a horse riding trip. The more i pulled her apart, the more i was amazed how she actually made it there and back safely considering what i found ha ha. She should be so much better now... a new lease of life for the truck which my wife has carted her horses in for over 15 years.

Tippa- nine grand? For a truck as good as that? Far out, that's awesome!

While we are seriously skilled in electronics, computers, systems building and all things related to geek (as in robot geek, computer geek, etc) we are definately unskilled in motor mechanics and panel beating. We figure that getting experience and skills in those areas is going to be time well invested- I can remember how my grandfather had those skills, he used to fix his own cars as did most people I knew back then. It's why I have a preference for older style cars- you can do the body work and mechanics on your own if you know how. Modern cars have so much stuff on them that's considered unfixable and that need to be completely replaced if it goes bung.

I met a guy who had a new tractor, on which the hydraulics for the rear (slasher) were controlled by computer: when this controller went splat he had to get a whole new computer array from *Germany* because nobody in Oz knew how to fix it. Put him back nearly $2k and made him realise his precarious situation, as there were other computers controlling different parts of his machine. This is fine if you know how to fix them (which my husband does, it *is* possible) but really pants if you don't. Like anything, I guess- and then again, even with a computer, if you don't have the parts or materials to fix them, just like anything else they also stay broke. I don't like the idea of not being able to even switch on my car simply because the computer controlled ignition system has gone splat- you can't even override the ignition on those machines, once that computer has gone it's dead.

So yay for old style mechanics! I do realise that many people go for the newer stuff because of the fuel efficiency, yet it is possible to do things to the older motors that increase the efficiency.

Let me know if you stumble across someone who is familiar with putting spark ignition onto diesels? We need to do that to enable diesel motors to run on wood gas. :)

*grinning* That is so cool! Yup, that's what I'm interested in creating, like the description of the 'hippy' setups in NZ earlier in the thread. We're looking at creating something that could easily accomodate two adults and three girls. I can't see us living in a modern motorhome, they're too generic, but definately in something creative like this little sweetie. :)

You think ^^ THATS cool? Wow, i'm way off track ha ha. I've seen emails of cars in southern america with caravans strapped to them which look just as "cool"...
Each to their own mate!

Oh, I'm a huge fan of the South American inventiveness, ingenuity and cheerful disregard for the laws of physics, I just know it won't be allowed here on Oz roads! Neither would the amazing vans they get together in India or the gravity defying arrangements some people create in Asia. I love the way people do things overseas, I'm just looking at what I can possibly get away with here. So it's cool from the perspective of 'yay, here in Oz? There's hope for us yet!'. :D

Ha ha, fair enough mate! Its great having something different, and even better if it can take you around our outback in style!

Tippa- as long as the outback isn't too hot! :D

We're a family who can't stand heat. It's why we're only planning on travelling around the southern end of Oz, Tassie and NZ- we're looking for a place to live that won't melt our brains in summer. :D

Yep, I saw this one a few weeks ago and had so much love for it that I tried to ring the previous owner in an attempt to discover when/where it was made, by whom etc. It's quite yummy and just the sort of thing me and my family would travel around in. :D There would also be room for visitors, because there are four other kids (older) than the three left at home.

How amazing that almost all of those motorhomes are sold!
I guess the baby boomers are spending their retirement money on local outback adventure/touring rather than dodgey overseas travel... and in this economic climate and risks overseas, i can see why!

It is the SOLD list !!

There are many more available on the forsale lists on that site.

Ian