Our new home finished after a long time building it (with other activities in-between). Finally registered with compliance plate from Canberra and all the features I planned are actually present and working. It's a looong list :)
Just a few numbers, this is what people usually ask me.
The van is 11.03m long, 2.46m wide (official measurements). Height 3.4m
Tare 5.5t, ATM 7.0t, GTM 6.0 (that's the max axle load). Coupling weight 790kg.
The tare includes everything (solar, fridge, deck, mattress, recliners, TV, generator)
1400 Ah Lithium, 2.7Kw Solar, 6000 W inverter (2x3000 in tandem), built in 3kva generator
Small 1800W inverter for inverter fridge and ceiling fan. Dual head split system aircon.
Solar panels can be lifted for cooler operation and creating a tropical roof.
600l fresh water, 200l drinking water, 2x150l grey water tank, 150l black water tank.
Dual 15amp power connections, max AC current from inverters 64Amp@230V.
regards
Gmd
__________________
If you find yourself on the side of the majority it is time to think.
Just a few numbers, this is what people usually ask me. The van is 11.03m long, 2.46m wide (official measurements). Height 3.4m Tare 5.5t, ATM 7.0t, GTM 6.0 (that's the max axle load). Coupling weight 790kg. The tare includes everything (solar, fridge, deck, mattress, recliners, TV, generator) 1400 Ah Lithium, 2.7Kw Solar, 6000 W inverter (2x3000 in tandem), built in 3kva generator Small 1800W inverter for inverter fridge and ceiling fan. Dual head split system aircon. Solar panels can be lifted for cooler operation and creating a tropical roof. 600l fresh water, 200l drinking water, 2x150l grey water tank, 150l black water tank. Dual 15amp power connections, max AC current from inverters 64Amp@230V. regards Gmd
Always good to get a "complex build" (a lot of spending and waiting along the way..) finally finished .....well done , looks good. .
Always good to get a "complex build" (a lot of spending and waiting along the way..) finally finished .....well done , looks good. .
Well, it wasn't really much waiting. My supply chain was pretty good and I planned ahead quite well. I never waited for materials or components, too many things to do anyway. The holdup was a 3 year break where I was busy with 10-12 hour days with a large commercial IT project and really did not feel like working on the van on top of that. Had to spend my spare time with other things, mainly gym and kite surfing, just to keep fit. I really got back into it around 18 months ago and worked on the van and truck an average of 6 hours a day, not really stressing myself to get finished, just plotting along. Engineering and compliance through Canberra went quicker than anticipated really (was quite a surprise).
Yes it is a large and complex project, but I generally am happy with how it turned out. Of course there are things I would do differently if I would have to do it again (which I won't), and there are a few "short cuts", but mainly of cosmetic nature, not so much functionality or quality of components.
People ask if I would make the same decision if I were to turn back time. Yes, I can say that with conviction, because there is nothing off the shelf, which would even come close to what we wanted and the list of features, which were important to me/us.
regards Gmd
__________________
If you find yourself on the side of the majority it is time to think.
Thanks to everyone reading this thread. I am pretty happy to be this far, a few things left on the todo list, but May 20 is the day, packed and ready to go North for a shake down trip.
If you have any questions and if I can help with something, just ask, I am happy to share my experiences.
regards
Gmd
__________________
If you find yourself on the side of the majority it is time to think.
People ask if I would make the same decision if I were to turn back time. Yes, I can say that with conviction, because there is nothing off the shelf, which would even come close to what we wanted and the list of features, which were important to me/us.
If you need something for one's own requirements, you just have to build the prototype.
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Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!
50L custom fuel rack 6x20W 100/20mppt 4x26Ah gel 28L super insulated fridge TPMS 3 ARB compressors heatsink fan cooled 4L tank aftercooler Air/water OCD cleaning 4 stage car acoustic insulation.
