I am thinking of selling my motorhome and doing a self build!

VW Alan has a fifth wheeler,quite a small lorry pulling , can't remember the make. i always fancied one, a crewcab tractor unit , could be as small as a transit, and a good long trailer. never got round to it ,but like the idea of leaving the trailer parked up while shopping in the puller
 
VW Alan has a fifth wheeler,quite a small lorry pulling , can't remember the make. i always fancied one, a crewcab tractor unit , could be as small as a transit, and a good long trailer. never got round to it ,but like the idea of leaving the trailer parked up while shopping in the puller

Reasonable setup in theory, in practise I reckon not so. There's always the perception that
a small 5th wheeler is just a caravan pulled by a commercial vehicle instead of a car, and so
attracts most of the negatives that that implies. It's worth considering that the 'traveller'
community swap from caravan and car or van to M/Hs when they make an attempt to keep below
the radar, they rarely migrate to a 5th wheeler, at least as far as I've been able to observe.
 
VW Alan has a fifth wheeler,quite a small lorry pulling , can't remember the make. i always fancied one, a crewcab tractor unit , could be as small as a transit, and a good long trailer. never got round to it ,but like the idea of leaving the trailer parked up while shopping in the puller
Yup. And I recall from posts and questions about it, it sounded like a great setup which served/serves him very nicely.
 
The choice of the base vehicle is one that I am still pondering.

A Fiat Ducato 35 Maxi H3 L4 makes the most sense, but in my heart, I would love to do a 4x4 Sprinter conversion. The problem with the Sprinter is that its internal height is not that great even on the high roof. Trying to find a LWB super high top 4X4 Sprinter would be very hard to do.

The height in the Ducato H3 is just over 7 feet compared with just under 6 feet in the Sprinter, This gives plenty of room for insulation and to still have a bit of headroom.

But the Sprinter will cost around £10,000 more than the Ducato .


 
Phil ,hope you don’t mind me saying but the amount of miles and time you are in the vehicle would you not be requiring more space and comfort ,ie a bed you can just drop in ,a good shower ,an excellent mobile office as you have ,
He talk we had at Cumbria I was thinking a larger was what you were indicating ?
 
Phil ,hope you don’t mind me saying but the amount of miles and time you are in the vehicle would you not be requiring more space and comfort ,ie a bed you can just drop in ,a good shower ,an excellent mobile office as you have ,
He talk we had at Cumbria I was thinking a larger was what you were indicating ?

Over the past few weeks, I have been looking closely at my life and deciding what I can change for the better. Having a project to build my own van will make me happy. I can make a van that really fits my needs whilst having a hobby to tinker with. Whenever I do something to the Hymer I must make sure that It is able to be put right and not devalue the motorhome. I love the idea of just painted MDF panels inside that I can be easily fixed with some wood filler and paint. I will have a fixed bed at the back and a large shower. I don't need sofas just three captains chairs and a table in the front. The kitchen will be simple as will the rest of the decor.
 
The choice of the base vehicle is one that I am still pondering.

A Fiat Ducato 35 Maxi H3 L4 makes the most sense, but in my heart, I would love to do a 4x4 Sprinter conversion. The problem with the Sprinter is that its internal height is not that great even on the high roof. Trying to find a LWB super high top 4X4 Sprinter would be very hard to do.

The height in the Ducato H3 is just over 7 feet compared with just under 6 feet in the Sprinter, This gives plenty of room for insulation and to still have a bit of headroom.

But the Sprinter will cost around £10,000 more than the Ducato .


Phil, the other aspect of the sprinter is the width. It is noticeably narrower than the Sevel Vans. I suspect that would be even more noticeable than the height after a short time....
 
Standard high roof Sprinter is about 6'3'' internal height, yes, doubt there are many super high roof 4x4's
 
Over the past few weeks, I have been looking closely at my life and deciding what I can change for the better. Having a project to build my own van will make me happy. I can make a van that really fits my needs whilst having a hobby to tinker with. Whenever I do something to the Hymer I must make sure that It is able to be put right and not devalue the motorhome. I love the idea of just painted MDF panels inside that I can be easily fixed with some wood filler and paint. I will have a fixed bed at the back and a large shower. I don't need sofas just three captains chairs and a table in the front. The kitchen will be simple as will the rest of the decor.
you said the mdf word. i wouldn't advise using it-not good for your lung either
 

Having a big square box to work with is so nice, and the space in here would allow you to create something very comfortable.

Plus a massive roof lol.

I've now realised that mine isn't as big as the height makes it look :) It fits in 2 spaces.
 
Still think a lib bus conversion is the way to go,lots of room and a fixed bed at rear,all sides squire so easy to panel out.

iveco green.jpggreen van.jpgfile#2275.jpgfile#2343.jpg
 
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Well Phil you've obviously got an itch that needs scratching, so go for it and I will most certainly look forward to seeing the progress which I hope you will keep us all informed. (y)
 
We should all follow our dreams, I would go for it Phil, I presume you would still keep the Hymer, so that you could attend meets until you have finished your project. Good luck
 
Lot of potential here to modify , lot of essentials already present ! https://www.forcevans.co.uk/used-va...t-mobile-workshop-show-didcot-201908291616790

Iveco van https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IVECO-DA...160470?hash=item340ee493d6:g:BdwAAOSwqpJczFvc

bomb proof engines , RWD strong gearboxes ,cheaper than Merc .
I did look at the MISU and it does have great potential, but it is a lot of work to sort out the sides.

One possible benefit of buying a LWB / XLWB Ducato is that the suspension on my Hymer can be swapped over onto it.
 
Whatever you end up deciding on Phil, make absolutely certain that the body is fully cured and protected from the ravages of the dreaded tin eating monsters that are known to devour Sprinters (up until the very latest version), all Fords and all IVECO's up until the last model change when they went fully galvanised.

And of course,never forget to tap into the vast amount of knowledge which is available over on your sister site....
 

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