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Old 09-01-2016, 06:17 PM   #21
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Yes, I've seen that ER in person and the tires on there are rather street bias. I'd prefer to see these with Michelin military tires.


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Old 09-01-2016, 11:25 PM   #22
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OK, that iveco seems to work quite well. How does it get quite so much articulation with huge tires without being super tall?

I suspect I should start by disconnecting my front sway bar on trails...
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Old 10-30-2016, 09:56 AM   #23
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I follow Andrew St.Pierre Whites videos and in the latest installment he had an opinion about the Earth Roamer he visited at Expo West. The link is of the fourth video of a series of him testing out his taste for a pop up camper in the Mojave desert area. Many members may recognize where he's visiting. I would agree with his advice to be aware of size when selecting a vehicle. I recently drove the Mojave Road with a group of smaller vehicles and felt I wouldn't want a vehicle any wider or taller than mine in that environment. Andrew also points out some short comings in an interior (not just the Earth Roamer) that I wouldn't have thought about, but he is way more experienced at off road travel than I am. Anyway, if your not interested in the Earth Roamer/Expo part you might like the other parts of the desert series.



Didn't mean to embed the video but I can't seem to figure out how the just post the link. Sorry

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Old 10-30-2016, 03:12 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rallypanam View Post
I like those, quick and easy solution for a mere $35k. Plus the truck.
Ouch haha plus the truck! For that price I'd rather buy a classic, clean and upgraded van from that man Rob who wears the off-road flip flops, I hear he turns over nice rigs!

Btw maybe I just have van-love but I'd rather drive a van than a PU with a camper that resembles an oversized Porta-potti on the bed. Just sayin'.

Nice interior design on gazelle tho, not a wasted cubic centimeter.
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Old 10-31-2016, 03:34 PM   #25
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I agree with him. I ended test driving an Earth Roamer. Way to big for real off the grid 4x4 camping. Since my original post ended up with a Sprinter 4x4 SMB. It is fantastic, love the open door space. Great size. The earth roamer is very closed in. There is only one door in the rear. Bed is tight with low roof. I think the Earth roamer is built with beautiful quality but is suited for a different target market than what SMB is doing.
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Old 10-31-2016, 06:56 PM   #26
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I am quite surprised that not one person has chimed about Provan industries.

Similar size
Similar pricing.
Way more room.

Models: Tiger CX - truck chassis.
Bengal
And more.


I sold my SMB, love our Tiger CX.

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Old 10-31-2016, 06:59 PM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wheelie View Post
I am quite surprised that not one person has chimed about Provan industries.

Similar size
Similar pricing.
Way more room.

Models: Tiger CX - truck chassis.
Bengal
And more.


I sold my SMB, love our Tiger CX.




Picture doesn't show the full size cabover bed as well.
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Old 12-21-2016, 02:42 PM   #28
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Here are Tiger (Provan) links. Tigers are built similarly to EarthRoamers, but are at SMB prices. There are over 10 times as many Tigers on the road as ERs.

Tiger website:
A Breed Apart - Tiger Adventure Vehicles

Tiger Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/TigerAdventureVehicles

Tiger Owners Forum:
http://tigerowners.freeforums.org

Neither ERs nor Tigers are as off road capable as E-series Fords, because they do not have floating axles. OTOH, both are more off road capable than a 4x4 Sprinter SMB, because differential locks are available. Bengal Tigers have a larger pass through than Malayan & Siberian Tigers and ERs, but there is still a step difference and you have to clamber over a console on later model vehicles. The Bengal (and CX) have a stiffened frame and the cab and cabin are fully mated into a monolithic room. Malayan Tigers, Siberian Tigers, and EarthRoamers have separate cabs and cabins with a smaller bellows pass through (as does Global Expedition Vehicles); the longer frame is designed for torsional flex between the cab and cabin. The Siberian Tiger is similar in size to the ER.

In a SMB, you can swivel the front seats and make that part of the living area. In ERs, Tigers, and GEVs, the cab and cabin are basically separate areas and you can't make the front cab part of the living area.

Contrary to Wheelie above, I sold my Bengal Tiger and have an SMB Classic on order. I just felt the Tiger was too bulky and hated its on road performance. My wife has very bad knees. Even with the console removed (I had to cover the air bag controller with a metal baking pan), my wife had a very difficult time going between the cab and cabin.
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Old 12-21-2016, 03:37 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TomH View Post
Here are Tiger (Provan) links. Tigers are built similarly to EarthRoamers, but are at SMB prices. There are over 10 times as many Tigers on the road as ERs.

Tiger website:
A Breed Apart - Tiger Adventure Vehicles

Tiger Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/TigerAdventureVehicles

Tiger Owners Forum:
TigerOwners.freeforums.org • Index page

Neither ERs nor Tigers are as off road capable as E-series Fords, because they do not have floating axles. OTOH, both are more off road capable than a 4x4 Sprinter SMB, because differential locks are available. Bengal Tigers have a larger pass through than Malayan & Siberian Tigers and ERs, but there is still a step difference and you have to clamber over a console on later model vehicles. The Bengal (and CX) have a stiffened frame and the cab and cabin are fully mated into a monolithic room. Malayan Tigers, Siberian Tigers, and EarthRoamers have separate cabs and cabins with a smaller bellows pass through (as does Global Expedition Vehicles); the longer frame is designed for torsional flex between the cab and cabin. The Siberian Tiger is similar in size to the ER.

In a SMB, you can swivel the front seats and make that part of the living area. In ERs, Tigers, and GEVs, the cab and cabin are basically separate areas and you can't make the front cab part of the living area.

Contrary to Wheelie above, I sold my Bengal Tiger and have an SMB Classic on order. I just felt the Tiger was too bulky and hated its on road performance. My wife has very bad knees. Even with the console removed (I had to cover the air bag controller with a metal baking pan), my wife had a very difficult time going between the cab and cabin.
A few of your points open up some thoughts that I have that are the opposite of yours.
I currently own 3 Tiger CX's (2-Chevy) (1-Dodge) I feel that the Chevy GMT-400 Chassis has excellent flow to the coach, and all three of my Tigers have rotating seat bases to add more room.
maybe your experience was a bit different based on the type of truck you had.
but I fell that its much easier for me to get out of the drivers seat and into the coach than in my E-series SMB. even after modifying the center console.

A few more things to mention, I agree that the TIger CX's have a higher center of gravity. but all three of my Tigers have floating rear axles, the chevy's off course do not due their independent front end.

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Old 12-21-2016, 04:18 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wheelie View Post
A few of your points open up some thoughts that I have that are the opposite of yours.
I currently own 3 Tiger CX's (2-Chevy) (1-Dodge) I feel that the Chevy GMT-400 Chassis has excellent flow to the coach, and all three of my Tigers have rotating seat bases to add more room.
maybe your experience was a bit different based on the type of truck you had.
but I fell that its much easier for me to get out of the drivers seat and into the coach than in my E-series SMB. even after modifying the center console.

A few more things to mention, I agree that the Tiger CX's have a higher center of gravity. but all three of my Tigers have floating rear axles, the chevy's off course do not due their independent front end.


Your vehicles are older. For the last several years all pickup trucks have the air bag controller mounted atop the drive shaft hump between the front seats and by law must have the controller covered. It is not possible to order any modern pickup truck with the center console or center seat missing. Provan will remove that console and replace it with a smaller console, but it is still very difficult to clamber over the thing. I removed the console completely on my Bengal and replaced it with a steel baking pan. I don't know how old you are, but we are in our 60s. It was very very difficult for my wife to maneuver around and move between the cab and cabin. You also have to step up from the cab to cabin. I have been in older crew cabs with no console and did find it much easier to walk the transitional space. In currently new vehicles, it is extremely difficult to do. Almost all buyers of new Tigers, ERs, GEVs get out of the vehicle and reenter through the other door.

Also, modern seat configurations do not accommodate seat swivels. Mark Guild spent tons of money and time trying to make that work. He finally gave up and refuses to consider further effort. No swivels available on the market today will bolt onto modern pickup seats. Even if they did, there is no room for the modern seats to swivel due to obstructions. I looked very carefully at all the makes. I know people used to be able to do it and have seen swivels on older models. It simply cannot be done on today's models.

As far as floating axles, the axles that come with these vehicles are stock. Sure, all axles float some, but you would have to take the stock axles off and replace them. You can't get the high floats from Provan.
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