Month: July 2016

Cabin Build – approaching completion

Tim Ansell
The cabin construction - almost complete

Construction of my overland truck cabin is progressing well and it should be completed within the next two or three weeks. As you can see from the photographs below, taken at the KrugXP factory in Cherkasy, Ukraine a few days ago, the kitchen and seating area are well underway, whilst the cabin paint scheme, chosen so that it would keep the cabin cooler in hot weather, looks good. I think so anyway, and since I’m paying for it, that’s what counts! The blue roof on the inside of the cabin is simply to remind me that there’s a lovely blue sky outside (hopefully!) and that I should be outside the truck a lot more than I am inside. That’s the plan anyway…

More photos to follow next week.

Cabin Seating
Cabin seating area, viewed from the kitchen

The framework you can see bottom right sits below the aft bench seat. In front of that will be the sliding table and ahead of that, to the right of this image, the ‘pilot’s seat’ which will move to the centre of the window hatch when the table is slid to the rear position. In the background is another, larger truck which you can see Krug has almost finished.

Kitchen
The cabin kitchen is coming along nicely. Now I just need to learn to cook…

The large aperture nearest the camera will house a 3 ring gas hob with oven and grill beneath. In the background you see the vertical storage which will house the freezer below and fridge in the centre section.

Testing the Oberaigner Sprinter 6×6 in Oman

Tim Ansell
Oberaigner 6x6 Sprinter

This is the video I helped to film in Oman in 2015 with Oberaigner. As a result of driving the 4.5 tonne, 6×6 Sprinter for four days on tarmac, gatch track, rocky trails and the Wahiba sands desert, I was suitably impressed with its performance  and ordered one later that year, as the basis for my ‘Travel Truck’.

As you’ll see in the video, the Oberaigner 6×6 also has an impressive wading depth (600mm) and has the benefit of five differential locks and a low range transfer box for all terrain capability. I’m having mine fitted with a PTG tyre inflation system, which can fully inflate all 6 tyres to an operator specified value in less than three minutes – about 15 minutes quicker than using a garage compressor, or a small capacity unit like a BushRanger. Tyres on mine, and as fitted to the vehicles in the video, are BF Goodrich A/T 285/75/R16s. Ground clearance fully loaded is 257mm.

We also had with us a 4×4 Sprinter fitted out as a troop carrier. We used this as our ‘main store’ for all our provisions, luggage and recovery equipment. Although you can’t see it, the 6×6 body was filled with enormous truck tyres and some spares for the Sprinters. This was done to bring the vehicles weight up to around 4.5 tonnes, so as to create realistic test conditions. Watch the video carefully and you’ll see the 6×6’s front and rear axle articulation, which is really quite impressive and helped it to perform so well in the sand. At one point you’ll see it climb up a 1:1 dune slope with ease – not bad for a ‘delivery van’ !

And so, the journey begins

Tim Ansell

Ladies, Gentlemen, and those of you who’ve not checked recently, WELCOME.

Congratulations, for being one of the first ever readers of what will, over time, become the world’s greatest travel blog. Possibly.

Pour yourself a large one, pull up a comfy chair, sit back, relax, and please, no snoring, or I’ll know I’ve bored you senseless.

Strap yourself in, tighten your six point harness, plug in your Peltor, grab your pace notes and brace yourself for one hell of a ride!

Tim
Teller of tales, traveler in trucks, taker of tiffs, and allegedly, talented taster of tiramsu.