4motion-ing the roads less travelled...

[FaithfulDonkey]

I travel with my van into quite remote places but only have FWD. I have raised the van for good clearance but always have to be mindful of soft sand or deep mud.
I carry recovery tracks and a shovel and uhf radio and so far have only been bogged once and got myself out luckily.
4 motion would certainly be an advantage sometimes.
I must admit that if we are camped in an area that has dirt roads and rains overnight it gets the adrenaline going until we hit a bitumen road again.
This picture was a wet road of 200 kms and i didn't relax till we got to the main road.
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200km? We're lucky in the UK to get 2km! Pictures look amazing... in many cases 2wd is usually more than adequate... good tyres and sensible driving are usually more important!
Van looks great and always enjoy a decent trailer set up.. any more detailed pics to share?

FD

 

[supermetrope]

Hello everyone,

So, after several years exploring roads less traveled across the UK and Europe in my little jeep and trusty tent, I thought it time to switch it up a level and get myself something a little bigger, a little comfier and a whole lot more T6!

Its got a simple, practical interior based around the brilliant Titan mid-mounted bed...set up more as "van you can camp in" than an out-and-out camper, but well suited to the muck and dust and general style of travel I do. Mechanically, a 35 mm lift from Transporter HQ, which, combined with the factory fit diff lock (a rare thing to find on a T6 it turned out) is perfect for my needs...trial runs on some local greenlanes have shown some very promising results - plenty of that to come.

Anyway , some pictures below and a link to a short 'making of video' if you fancy!

Hope you like it, and look forward to sharing our adventures with you over the coming months.

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Good morning,
Could you tell me how your ladder is fixed to the door?
I'm looking for this system to install a locker and put a canoe in it.
Something not too expensive.
Thank you

 

[FaithfulDonkey]

Hello there!

Took a while to find a ladder that worked with a glazed barn door but eventually found this:

VW T5/T6 Rear Door Sherpa Ladder *RIGHT* - Campervan Culture

Storage and cargo accessibility is always top of the list. Now we have full control on the products we produce and have a team of time served engineers who only do fabrication and amalgamated with our previous years of taking the road less travelled, we went back to the drawing board.

campervanculture.com

I particularly liked that it was a 'no drill' fitting. it clips over the top of the door and has a clamp at the bottom. There is a link to a vid on the site that shows the close up of how this works (and some of the cool bolt on storage options too)

At £260 it wasn't cheap, cheap but happy with its value for money...really well built and sturdy...use quite a bit. 90kg of me is probably a lot less than your canoe!

I have just finished some mounts so I can attach my recovery boards and shovel on there and the plan is to strap a Coleman canoe to the roof too...watch this space

Let me know how how you get on with your solution.

FD

 

[supermetrope]

Hello there!

Took a while to find a ladder that worked with a glazed barn door but eventually found this:

VW T5/T6 Rear Door Sherpa Ladder *RIGHT* - Campervan Culture

Storage and cargo accessibility is always top of the list. Now we have full control on the products we produce and have a team of time served engineers who only do fabrication and amalgamated with our previous years of taking the road less travelled, we went back to the drawing board.

campervanculture.com

I particularly liked that it was a 'no drill' fitting. it clips over the top of the door and has a clamp at the bottom. There is a link to a vid on the site that shows the close up of how this works (and some of the cool bolt on storage options too)

At £260 it wasn't cheap, cheap but happy with its value for money...really well built and sturdy...use quite a bit. 90kg of me is probably a lot less than your canoe!

I have just finished some mounts so I can attach my recovery boards and shovel on there and the plan is to strap a Coleman canoe to the roof too...watch this space

Let me know how how you get on with your solution.

FD

Thank you very much for all this information.
I'll be sure to keep you informed.

 

[FaithfulDonkey]

Its been a while gravel fans...but here is the latest mini adventure, this time to Welsh Wales to Wales - just a couple of days camping but in an amazing location on the cliff tops near Barmouth in Wales. Epic sunsets, great breakfast and a short trip down a gravelly lane. Sadly the main part of the lane had been washed away by all the rain, hence very little action, but a fine trip out regardless.

Just finished plans for hitting the trails in the Alps in July, so watch out for that...some proper mountains await

 

[FaithfulDonkey]

Hi there Faithful donkey fans (OK, so using the plural may be pushing it a little),

After whetting a few appetites by pasting some pics of my trip to the alps in the van, here is the video one of you may be waiting for... an epic trip and highly recommended for those with a 4motion, a bit of ground clearance, some nerve and a desire to live on nothing but cheese for 4 days...

Hope you enjoy and hope it inspires you to get some dust on those shiny new alloys you've just polished

 

[KEEPitSTUPID]

Hey @FaithfulDonkey love the build!
new owner of a 4motion T6.1 here desperate to get a bed installed (hopefully on rails) for my newly acquired family of 4. Could I ask what reinforcing plate you got to fit above the diff for bed bolting?

 

[FaithfulDonkey]

Thanks KiS,

It's a Titan bed which they include the fitting in their price to ensure it meets their M1 pull rating. So not totally sure what they did under there...other than them telling me it was a bit of a sod working around all the 4motion gubbins! I think they do a rails version and found them extremely helpful. I'm sure they'll answer your questions even if you don't end up buying from them.

[email protected]
01743 860111

Good to hear how you get on. Happy van building!

(Oh, and any other FD fans out there, new content coming soon...)

 

[drinfinity]

Thanks KiS,

It's a Titan bed which they include the fitting in their price to ensure it meets their M1 pull rating. So not totally sure what they did under there...other than them telling me it was a bit of a sod working around all the 4motion gubbins! I think they do a rails version and found them extremely helpful. I'm sure they'll answer your questions even if you don't end up buying from them.

[email protected]
01743 860111

Good to hear how you get on. Happy van building!

(Oh, and any other FD fans out there, new content coming soon...)

I spoke to Titan about having them fit rails to mine, and they told me they wouldn’t do another 4motion again as it was such hard work! I went for a Reimo which was glued in from the top. There is a new option now with Mobiframe available in the UK. I would have gone with them if they were out when I started.

 

[FaithfulDonkey]

Haha, that's quite funny...I was that customer that put them off for life!

I did see the Mobiframe the other day and agree, I would probably go for that next time.

FD

 

[cocky9]

Hello there!

Took a while to find a ladder that worked with a glazed barn door but eventually found this:

VW T5/T6 Rear Door Sherpa Ladder *RIGHT* - Campervan Culture

Storage and cargo accessibility is always top of the list. Now we have full control on the products we produce and have a team of time served engineers who only do fabrication and amalgamated with our previous years of taking the road less travelled, we went back to the drawing board.

campervanculture.com

I particularly liked that it was a 'no drill' fitting. it clips over the top of the door and has a clamp at the bottom. There is a link to a vid on the site that shows the close up of how this works (and some of the cool bolt on storage options too)

At £260 it wasn't cheap, cheap but happy with its value for money...really well built and sturdy...use quite a bit. 90kg of me is probably a lot less than your canoe!

I have just finished some mounts so I can attach my recovery boards and shovel on there and the plan is to strap a Coleman canoe to the roof too...watch this space

Let me know how how you get on with your solution.

FD

how are you finding this ladder mate?
Do you have any storage options? I’m looking to put a pelicase or something on

 

[FaithfulDonkey]

Hi there Cocky9,

The ladder has been great...got me up to the roof and back many times. Paint all looks good still with no creeping rust and that and is as stylish as a ladder can get..

There are convenient pre-drilled mounting holes on the sides which are easy to bolt on a Pelicase mount or whatevers to. I made some brackets for my orange recovery boards which looked great, but felt a bit too 'zombie dawn' for nipping down to Tescos with...so haven't used them yet! If I get a mo I'll send a picture.

KR

FD

 

[KEEPitSTUPID]

Thanks KiS,

It's a Titan bed which they include the fitting in their price to ensure it meets their M1 pull rating. So not totally sure what they did under there...other than them telling me it was a bit of a sod working around all the 4motion gubbins! I think they do a rails version and found them extremely helpful. I'm sure they'll answer your questions even if you don't end up buying from them.

[email protected]
01743 860111

Good to hear how you get on. Happy van building!

(Oh, and any other FD fans out there, new content coming soon...)

I spoke to Titan about having them fit rails to mine, and they told me they wouldn’t do another 4motion again as it was such hard work! I went for a Reimo which was glued in from the top. There is a new option now with Mobiframe available in the UK. I would have gone with them if they were out when I started.

this is hilarious,

I have just wrote them an email asking why they only supply rails for 4motion!

They literally have a statement in brackets on their pricelist "(4motions and other van brands supply only)" .

So begs the question @FaithfulDonkey WHAT DID YOU DO?!

 

[FaithfulDonkey]

this is hilarious,

I have just wrote them an email asking why they only supply rails for 4motion!

They literally have a statement in brackets on their pricelist "(4motions and other van brands supply only)" .

So begs the question @FaithfulDonkey WHAT DID YOU DO?!

All I can say is I dropped off the van, went for a bike ride came back to see the entire team looking slightly shell shocked and the boss-man leaning back in a chair having a ciggy with a satisfied look on his face.
Seriously though, I loved those guys, not only did they do a great job with the bed but also re-covered the front seat perfectly and made some custom cushions to go with too. Couldn't have been happier.
And now, the Faithful Donkey is infamous across all bed fitters in the land and possibly the only 4mo with a genuine factory fitted Titan Bed. Should add £millions to the resale value.
FD

 

[Despicable]

Enjoyed reading the thread mate. Is your car an ex Fisher German LLP 4Motion too? I know they had an entire fleet full and a lot of them had to have offroad capabilities.

 

[Kind of Blue]

I enjoyed following your series, looking forward for the next instalment.

 

[FaithfulDonkey]

Enjoyed reading the thread mate. Is your car an ex Fisher German LLP 4Motion too? I know they had an entire fleet full and a lot of them had to have offroad capabilities.

Thanks alot. I've been a bit quiet on the build and travel front after some tough family dealings, but back in the saddle now and looking forward to 2025 adventures!

Its not an LLP van, it was actually a service vehicle for Rolex...who knew a little watch needed a big van, but apparently they serviced a lot of the big clocks. Anyway, assumed a watch repairer would be meticulous in their maintenance and so it seems...just picked it up from another clean MOT!

 

[FaithfulDonkey]

I enjoyed following your series, looking forward for the next instalment.

Many thanks. Planning some update posts from over the winter and then back to the Pyrenees and the deserts of Northern Spain in April.
Bring on the dust!

 

[FaithfulDonkey]

So slowly coming out of hibernation, one job at a time. Firstly there was the heater (covered in another post.. "a lot of hot air" ...where I got into trouble for having a 5kw sock-melter rather than a 2kw sweat-beader) and now I've finished off my "utility room" - i.e. the door opposite where my kitchen lives... Not quite sure what I'm going to stuff in my new little bungee-cubbies, but you can never have too many can you?

 

[FaithfulDonkey]

Hmm, don't know why in that last post there was two of the same picture.... anyway, I hadnt posted anything on the updates made the kitchen area on the opposite door - a bit of a tart up after last seasons adventuring... I havent got the cookers out in this picture, but they neatly tuck away in the cubby, together with the gas canister for when the bacon starts calling. I know the side kitchen is ever popular and I have no beef with that - but I do like the extra space inside from not having the kitchen in there, plus a nice stand up height work area much more convenient for the way I like to do things (and, of course, not fugging the inside of your van up with bubbling madras curry vapour splats).