I’m looking for a unit (and trailer soon) to use as a camper conversion Yes, I’m a nutter
My needs are as follows, anybody suggest units that might be suitable, I know that the magnum, iveco eurotech & probably 95 DAf would be fine, but I am limited to older vehicles (cost). Also where i might find this sort of vehicle ■■ Had a look in the trucknet links & most are too new /expensive.
Must be a big enough unit to enable me to remove bed & fit permanent seating for 2 or preferably 3 people
Must be readily available & easy to find parts for
Must have some test left (don’t want some old shunter unit)
THE TRAILER …
Prefer 12.2 + length
prefer air
must have tail lift
prefer fibreglass sided not alli
You need to buy Commercial Motor magazine published every thursday, price £1.70, there are thousands in there.
As a guideline, I saw a very tidy N-reg Scania 113 with full test on sale last week for £7,000. You could pick up a day cabbed ex supermarket tractor from around £1500 at auction.
If I was converting a trailer, I personally would use an old fridge trailer as they are very well insulated and can be picked up fairly cheaply. And although it would be noisy while it was running, you could chill it down very quickly in summer using the fridge motor, and heat it up during winter the same way.
Good luck with it, it sounds an interesting project.
I should just add that you would not be able to drive such a thing on a car licence, simply because it was used for private use- you would need full LGV C+E (Class 1) entitlement.
Brilliant idea about the fridge, just down to cost really, and trying to find one with a tail lift … Mmmm Mr Iceland
Had a look in Novembers C&M, few in there that look ok but a lot of them with no prices (will phone them when i am ready to buy). Need to find a nice friendly O/D that’s selling up & got an old but cared for one … yeah! asking too much i know
Units … £7k for a scania is double what i want to pay max really, that’s why i thought of 95’s or iveco’s. Daycab unit is a no go, need room for seats where the beds would have been & it would be too cold out there
JAMMY:
We’ve done 3 coaches now, each time moving on & doing something a bit newer. My last one towed the race car on a trailer, 57’ overall length but lots of room in the 40’ camper. Unit will be a bit of a downgrade for travel space, but for the same money i can move forward a few years & hopefully have a bit more power
Brilliant idea about the fridge, just down to cost really, and trying to find one with a tail lift … Mmmm Mr Iceland
They have the generators and fridge units removed before being sold. That said we are, according to rumour, having some replacement trailers in the new year. Don’t know the size but we currently run with 8, 12 and 13m trailers. If this turns out to be true I’ll ask a question or 2 and anything promissing I’ll send you a private message.
Do you have any size and price in mind as I wouldn’t want to waste your time, or embarres myself asking, for it to fall flat due to wildly differing expectations (private message if you want to stay discreet)?
I’m buynig it as a toy & although the head says it will be 100% reliable ■■■■■■■ / eaton combination, it’s not gonna fire any enthusiasm
Now a magnum … probably a pain in the rear, but it’s only likely to do 1000 miles a year & shouldn’t be too bad i hope. Well, it will make a lovely looking garden ornament if it goes pop
Iveco / 95 … Somewhere inbetween the two i think ?
Scania / Volvo … old ones too dated & newer too expensive (for me)
MAN … never had the misfortune … heard them called Mean And Nasty ?
(Yes I know your 53 plate TGA’s are great but i don’t have a big budget)
Mercedes EPS … love them but seem to be thin on the ground & expensive ?
Foden … cheap & rugged but more suited to site work than a weekenders toy i think ■■
What do you all think of MY views ■■? (opening a can of worms here ).
I know £3500 is an extremely low budget but this is for a TOY not a working truck & I would like something that looks the part … if yer gonna do it … DO IT !
Never heard of fridge units being removed but i know anything is possible / likely.
I have no fixed price in mind yet, but suffice to say that theres some decent looking 40’ glas boxes around for £800 - £1000. With tail lifts I am hoping for £1200ish. If a fridge were under £2000 it would be an option, but i have no idea what they make (probably a lot more i think).
PM to be discreet … No way. I asked for all your opinions & want to put my cards on the table, afterall I’m sure no sad case is gonna flame me because i can’t afford to spend more than about £5500 total
My personal opinion is that you should go for the one you want, even if it is a little more work. You won`t be doing a high mileage or towing a heavy trailer. Magnum it is then!
I believe they wallow about a bit, as you would expect. (I have driven one, but only around our yard)
They are awkward to put kit into as they are so tall.
Older ones suffer drivetrain problems and propellor shafts are notoriously fragile on early ones.
But they look the part and thats the thing. They are enormous inside. I asked my boss for one so that says it all (Stingy so-and-so wouldnt get me one)
I think the January referred to may mean last January.
Tandem axle fridges are being advertised from £1500 upwards in this week`s CM, ready to work.
Take a power saw to it, fit some decent domestic double-glazed units and a door, panel out the interior to make a bedroom, sitting room, kitchen, shower and toilet, good lighting, give it a decent paint job, and it`s next stop Barcelona in the Mighty Magnum…
this is our little project we have just finished, but die to ever increasing work commitments, there’s no time to get away much next year, therefore … building a new one at home in spare time looks like a good option Barcelona … yeah but I won’t pass you on the hills, honest
Well, I`ve just looked at that. To be honest, from your original post I had the impression that you knew what you wanted and had done the research but just needed a little encouragement.
To be honest, after reading on here for mny moons, I thought the anti-magnum movement would raise it’s ugly head & everybody would tell me to buy one of those tupperware things
Chop Chop … yes but first i must wait to see if the bova sells ok. My last one went for £4500 & it wasn’t half the machine this one is, so I am sticking out for £5k+ probably the wrong time of year but we shall see.
As much as i would like to be out magnum shopping tomorrow, I know i am going to have to be patient & a subscription at the local newsagents is on the cards for tomorrow (not bought a CM since about 1984 !!!).
Would still be good to hear from any ex magnum drivers on here, if only to hear the downsides !
Will keep you informed of whats happening, & kep poking around trucknet as a passer by (not a pro driver since '95 so don’t really qualify to interfere here )
Looks as if that sub £3k mag must have been in last Jans CM, It just twigged that if it’s a weekly mag, theres still december issues to come Told you i was a clown
You can buy CM in WH Smiths or most petrol stations.
A Magnum that you drive every day as your job is a totally different animal to a Magnum which pulls the kind of trailer you have in mind.
When you are doing it for a living, downtime is everything. A truck which breaks down every 30,000 miles is enough to bankrupt you. For you, that would be as reliable than a family saloon.
You can poke around TruckNet just as much as you want. You don`t have to be a current truck driver, or even a truck driver.
Anyone with an interest is welcome.
So. Do you think you found the right place to ask?
Yes, I’m a nutter 
).
Barcelona … yeah but I won’t pass you on the hills, honest