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Old 04-25-2011, 09:11 PM   #101
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Re: Large Family Sportsmobile

From the FAQ section for TrueTrac:
Quote:
Can Truetrac be used in the front axles of full time 4 wheel drive jeeps and trucks?
Yes, it can. You will find will find Truetrac differentials to be very smooth yet effective in either end of your vehicle.

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Old 04-26-2011, 11:24 AM   #102
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Re: Large Family Sportsmobile

Quote:
Originally Posted by jessenej
Just got back from a 4,500 mile round trip out east and back. Had some opportunities to get the van dirty both on dirt roads and mud. Spent some time with 4x4 engaged in both conditions.

From my perspective (and I was paying attention for any handling anomalies), I could not notice the limited slip in the front. That is until I started to slip in some muddy conditions. At that point it jumped into action and I continued on my way like it was cool.

From a simplistic, effective, maintenance free perspective - I can't recommend the Detroit Truetrac enough. It is performing exactly as I hoped it would.
I started another thread titled "BEST REAR DIFFERENTIAL FOR 4X2 OR 4X4?" http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/vie...hp?f=39&t=6949 to get into this a bit further. I am all ears for more about your experiences especially if you have TrueTrac in the rear too!
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Old 11-30-2014, 04:25 AM   #103
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Re: Large Family Sportsmobile

Wow! Just read this entire thread plus a few of the off-shoot threads. Long time lurker here...

I was just curious if there are any updates and/or impressions from the original poster. I know it has been a while since the last post.

I have a family of five now, kids all under 2yo and thought this was a really great thread. Our Land Cruiser is starting to get pretty small and I like the versatility of the van builds.
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Old 11-30-2014, 06:39 PM   #104
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Re: Large Family Sportsmobile

Ultimately, the "Large Family Sportsmobile" is not working for me. For a while I was angry about how it worked out, but my interior build is way outside the box os Sportsmobile's "normal" build. There are some qualiy issues with the interior, but the things that I am most dissappointed in were driven by my decisions.

On top of that, we are now up to six children...

I'll start off with my dissappointments:

The Sprinter seats are too tall. My oldest is now 13. Youngest is six months. So it will be a while before this rears its ugly head. But, I'm six feet and my head touches the penthouse bed if I sit back there..

I don't use the penthouse. Did I mention I am up to six children? We added an Adventure Trailer with a four-person tent on top. But, the children are too young to leave alone in the tent.

I live in Arizona and the factory rear a/c can't keep up. Bottom line: the plenum SMB West ran up the driver's side is too small and restricts the air flow too much. Plus, it reduces the head room even further. I sure wish I could ditch the penthouse for the factory headliner with a/c up the middle.

The 6.0L is too loud. Not for me. For talking to my family. At the end of the day, being able to talk to my passengers is more important.

Things I'm happy with:

SMB West 4x4. Sadly, I really haven't had many opportunities to use it. But, at the end of the day I' a sucker for Dynatrac and Atlas. The few opportunities I have had to play off-road, it has worked flawlessly.

If I was to do it over:

I would do a 12 passenger V10 with SMB 4x4. I would ditch the front bench in favor of a little living space and mount a chest fridge behind the driver's seat for "in-flight" snack service. That would give me seating for nine with plenty of factory a/c for the children in the back with room for luggage behind the four-person bench. That would have saved me a small fortune in custom interior cost and ultimately served my people-hauling needs better.

All that being said, when the Zombies come, we'll be able to go ANYWHERE we need to go!

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Old 11-30-2014, 08:44 PM   #105
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Re: Large Family Sportsmobile

Good feedback Twovans. Sorry things aren't working out as you planned but some good stuff to think about there.

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Old 12-01-2014, 02:53 PM   #106
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Re: Large Family Sportsmobile

Yea, a "Transformer" would have been the way to go. But, I was lusting after the 6.0L at the time and I couldn't order a 12 passenger van with the 6.0L...

That's ok. We're gonna take a trip "to the snow" this month. A/C won't be an issue and I'll be able to give a first-hand report on the handling of the TruTrac front axle application for those who are wondering about its merits.

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Old 12-01-2014, 07:28 PM   #107
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Re: Large Family Sportsmobile

Appreciate the feedback! There are definitely numerous variables to consider and always a compromise somewhere... I hope you and your family have been able to enjoy the van as much as possible. Hearing your lessons learned helps shape my idea of an ideal van. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Looking forward to your experiences with the LSD.
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Old 12-02-2014, 03:13 PM   #108
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Re: Large Family Sportsmobile

Probably the best reason to go with SMB is that they are so flexible in being able to create one's vision. But I remember a number of warnings we were given while touring the factory in Fresno: "A shower/bath takes up huge amount of space," "One of the biggest ways to loose space is to have an aisle from front to back." So they do try to warn customers of pitfalls. TwoVans issue with the Sprinter seats not working out due to a detail that would be hard to realize until it is too late. I always wondered how another build from around the same time (not by SMB) designed by Advanturetek fared as it had some pretty wild features like a composting toilet, fancy shower, a large number of batteries under the chassis, etc.

Recently, I have been looking into having Ricaro seats put in our 2008 that has a power driver seat. My head was spinning with all the details that somehow would have to work out just right for the finished product to give me enough room given that I am quite tall, so that is now on the back burner. Our SMB, done in Indiana, got a bubble top that has 6'7" interior standing height and lots of upper storage space (the Cruiser II top that might be the only one ever put on by SMB). It also has solar panels mounted on a Thule rack system for future mods but adds height. But I was so worried about whether the overall height of the vehicle would be a bad idea if we really wanted a go-anywhere camper fully decked out with a good 4x4 system such as QuadVan's. So we did the build without the 4x4 expecting to add it later, have traveled extensively (http://www.LugNutLife.wordpress.com), and many times realized it would probably be best to tow a really fun small fully capable 4x4 vehicle for playing in the sun and returning to a mother ship would be better that a top heavy, very tall van made even taller with 4x4 getting stopped in its tracks as much by terrain details due to the height issues than traction issues. The scariest times have been on Jeep trails that were so pitched to side, with steeper drop offs on the downhill side it seemed like we were taking our lives in our hands trying to get through.

So think very carefully through the design process. We did not get everything we were hoping for, but did end up with a four season camper that we have easily lived in for three months+ at a time with lots of solar that ended up being very nice to have. Oh, and that little 4x4 we might get to tow---it could be bought for less that adding 4x4! Yet towing something has its drawbacks too.
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2008 E-350 6.0L diesel: Bought new in 2010, 4x2, 4.10 LSD, HD spring-lift all 'round,
Cruiser II Top, 6'7" inside, full-time upper bed w/ kind'a EB50 layout, cozy 4-season rig
Solar: 540 W of Kyrocera w/ Blue Sky 3024iL, 3x100 AmpHr AGM's
Electrical: 4 cf fridge, nuker, water heater, compressor
Propane: stove top, furnace Travel: https://www.lugnutlife.wordpress.com
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Old 12-02-2014, 03:43 PM   #109
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Re: Large Family Sportsmobile

Good points! I think we are on the same page, as part of my plan is to incorporate a tow-able 4x4. Although I'll be honest I hadn't considered keeping the van 4x2, that is another interesting point and could save some serious $$$.

My biggest issue, which is why I stumbled upon this thread, is proper and safe seating for 3 kids. All of which at this point will be in car seats for at least 5-6 more years. For me, I won't compromise on this and I need forward facing seating. I'd also like to be able to seat at least 2 more people, so 7 total. Hence my initial inquiry into TwoVans review of his set up. I don't want to hijack his thread... alot of good ideas here.
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Old 12-02-2014, 06:34 PM   #110
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Re: Large Family Sportsmobile

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChuckB
My biggest issue, which is why I stumbled upon this thread, is proper and safe seating for 3 kids. All of which at this point will be in car seats for at least 5-6 more years. For me, I won't compromise on this and I need forward facing seating. I'd also like to be able to seat at least 2 more people, so 7 total. Hence my initial inquiry into TwoVans review of his set up. I don't want to hijack his thread... alot of good ideas here.
Three carseats and six passengers = Transformer (or something like it)

With that much people hauling, I would plan on towing your sleeping arrangement.
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