[Wmcmanus]

I thought Gear-Fi would be a cool place to put this! I'm in the process of buying a motorhome so that I can spend more time with friends and family in the US (and Canada too, when it's not cold up there!). I'm hoping to be able to spend 3-4 months per year on the road, but broken up into smaller chunks. It will give me a chance to invite a lot of people along for cheap mini vacations, and of course to do rolling Head-Fi meets!

Here's a video of some of the pics that I had on my laptop:

YouTube - My Powerhouse Coach

The exterior pics in the video aren't very clear, but it gives you an idea. It's a used Powerhouse Coach that was built on a Class 8 semi truck chassis with a Volvo 610 which was a lease return and already has 631k miles on it but is guaranteed for 1 million more by Powerhouse! The truck feels like its on vacation now that it's only carrying 38k pounds (instead of 80k or more).

One of the biggest advantages of this particular company is that they do everything custom and these things are built like tanks. I really like the fact the there is a huge engine compartment in front of me which is designed to break away and end up under the coach rather than in my lap if I decide to shake hands with a concrete wall at speed.

I had looked at zillions of more modern looking Class A diesel pusher motorhomes, but the engine is under your bed in the rear of the truck and there is nothing but a sheet of glass between you and that concrete wall. That, and you can get pushed all over the road in high winds or simply by passing a semi. Driving this beast is a real dream! It feels like its on rails.

The downside is that it's just a 43' (bumper to bumper) single slide out (where the couch and dinette are) and that was a compromise as most new Class A motorhomes have 3 to 4 slides and much bigger bedroom and bathroom areas than this one has. But I can live with that, and there is always an upgrade path to something like these guys which are 52' long with 4 slides:

Custom Motor Coaches by PowerHouse Coach

My coach is pretty much ready now but they're still doing some cosmetic improvements to the interior, especially in the cab area where all of the cloth seats will be recovered in ultra leather (a fake leather that is used in the motorhome industry). They're also going to be rejigging the bookcase (entertainment center looking thing) and putting cabinet doors on it to hide the dinky TV in there. I'm going to put a larger TV in the bedroom area for movies and gaming, then just use the one up front for news and sports.

They're also putting in solar panels, an in motion satellite TV system, and a roaming wifi hotspot system that will provide internet access anywhere. I'll be on the road with it by late March!

Phase two is to have Powerhouse build a matching 40' stacker trailer for my with an interior hydraulic car lift for my Ariel Atom and space underneath it for another one in case I'm traveling with someone from the Atom Club! It will also have room for a bike or two (thinking Ducati, but just thinking at this point) and my Dodge RAM diesel will take up the rear of the trailer along with a small 2 wheel tow dolly in case the Atom ever gives me any trouble and needs to be towed back to the Mother Ship!

The trailer will have 6 fold down bunks, a TV and audio system, a/c and heat, solar panels to operate everything, and a 50 gallon gas tank/pump for 96 octane race gas. The build process on the trailer begins on April 1 and will be complete by late July.

The coolest thing about the trailer is that it will be self propelled and remote controlled! He he... check these videos out!

http://www.powerhousecoach.com/vdt1drive.wmv
http://www.powerhousecoach.com/vdt1ramp.wmv

About all that will be left to do on my part will be to install the various security systems (a couple of floor or wall safes will be welded in for my gadgets; a multi camera video surveillance system that auto streams footage in infra red from every angle to the internet; a two stage alarm system for both the coach and trailer with 160dB of blaring noise when stage two kicks in while also setting off red and blue lights at the top of the entire rig; a gun rack; and maybe some mild electric shock thrown in for good measure for when people touch the door handles when they're not supposed to). Better safe than sorry.

 

[OverlordXenu]

Damn. Amazing.

 

[ecommerce813]

Wow! How much does that rig cost to fill the gas tank?

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecommerce813 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow! How much does that rig cost to fill the gas tank?

250 gallons of diesel for the coach and 50 gallons of high octane race gas (or whatever gas I decided put in there) for the trailer.

The previous owner has reported mileage of 12 mpg in the coach at 60-65 mph, and about 10 mpg at 70-75 mph. I'm not sure if I buy that, but this is what I've been told.

The coach weighs 38,000 pounds and should pull the trailer (17,000 pounds unloaded and about 27,000 to 30,000 pounds loaded) without breaking a sweat because it's designed to pull up to 60,000 pounds! I'm sure this will reduce fuel consumption slightly, but (again, I'm told), it shouldn't make more than 1 mpg difference.

So I'm thinking that I'll probably get 8-10 mpg with the trailer unless I'm in a hurry. The funny thing is, that's more than I get with my Dodge RAM diesel and a 5,000 pound 20' aluminum trailer! The main differences are: 1) the coach is built on a semi truck chassis that is designed for this kind of work, and 2) there is terrible wind resistance anytime you put an enclosed trailer behind a pick up truck. If my present trailer were more aerodynamic, the fuel consumption with my Dodge wouldn't be nearly so bad. Without the trailer, I get 20 mpg; with it I get 7-9 mpg unless I drive 60 mph, and even then I only get 10 mpg.

 

[ecommerce813]

250 gallons!!?!

I'm not sure what the price of diesel is in the Cayman Islands, but in Houston (quick calculation):

250 gallons x 3.23 $/gallon = $800 per fill-up
250 gallons x 12 MPG = 3000 miles per fill-up
3000 miles is like 10 trips around the island?

Cool.

 

[lromlin]

That's insane! Congrats

 

[Caribou679]

Hi!
If ever you do a rolling Head-Fi meets! in Montreal or Quebec area, and if you invite me, I'll surely go listen to some rigs and share the Quebecer hospitality with you!

regards,

 

[The Pieman]

I only have one question, what is the turning circle, 2 miles?

cheers
Simon

 

[dgbiker1]

This may seem silly... but why would you use 96 octane race gas on a motorhome?

 

[roastpuff]

Wayne, if you don't mind me asking, what is your profession? Also... are you going to get this baby on a ferry/ship across to the US for a roadtrip? Take it to Canada, man. I want to see it. All the way diagonally across the continent.

I can see it now: "RV, Head-fi Remake" with you as the Dad, Boomana as the mom, and assorted Young'un Head-Fiers as the kids.

 

[PenDragon]

Haha, you have way too much money bro ^^

Gotta admit I'd kill for an Ariel Atom however. It all looks good really, money's supposed to get spent, and this does seem like an appropriate way of doing it! Be sure to keep us posted with more pictures!

 

[micaela]

Can you say more about the roaming wi-fi system? My hubby & I are planning to full time rv in a few years & I've been watching w/interest the technology for rv's in the sat. & wifi areas.

 

[Homeless]

That's amazing. Congrats on the purchase...have fun with it...

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecommerce813 /img/forum/go_quote.gif 250 gallons!!?! I'm not sure what the price of diesel is in the Cayman Islands, but in Houston (quick calculation): 250 gallons x 3.23 $/gallon = $800 per fill-up 250 gallons x 12 MPG = 3000 miles per fill-up 3000 miles is like 10 trips around the island? Cool.

Too funny, man! You missed the bit at the beginning about the fact that the motorhome will be for US and Canada. Who knows, maybe one day I'll take a chance with my life and drive through Mexico and so forth and into South America. That way, I could (kind of, sort of) pass Cayman along the way.

Grand Cayman is only 76 square miles and most of that is swamp! She's about 22 miles long and anywhere from 1-8 miles wide, so cars and scooters are the way to go here.

I kind of like having a big tank and not having to fill it all the time. Well, at least until its time to fill it. Depending on who is jumping along for the ride (i.e., only if they're female and very hot do they ride for free), the idea is to have my guests chip in a bit for refueling. Not for short trips, but for the big event types of things.

I'd fill up on my dime before I pick someone up at the nearest airport to where I happen to be at (like my brother and his wife and kids). Then I'll take them wherever they want to go for as long as they have the time, and we would split the fuel costs when the trip is over. They would just need to get to where I'm at to begin the journey. No hotel costs, and food will be cheap like eating at home unless they want something fancy.

On my own, I'll probably roam a lot. I'm more of a driver than a camper. But when you have a bunch of people in a motorhome/trailer combo with other toys to play around with, chances are you'll find someplace fun and hang out for a while. This is why I'm planning to now base out of Colorado instead of Florida. Not much to see in Florida, and a lot to see out West!

 

[webbie64]

So, Wayne, I take it this is the transportable rig within which you fit the ultraportable - Ariel Atom - rig

It all looks too easy - far easier than getting the perfect portable audio rig