A Cautionary Tale: "A Lesson Learned On The Roads to Tuk"

We take responsibility for the unexpected repairs that occurred ...

A couple of photos of what LOAF looked like after our return drive on the Dempster and Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highways in 2018. Your rig will take a beating ... washboard gravel roads will pound all suspension components; from tires through to the shock absorbers. Flying gravel from passing tractor trailers and other vehicles will pummel windshields, headlights and body panels.

Just outside Tuk ... heading south

Upgrading LOAF's Rear Suspension

' Technical posts, like this one, usually only get published on our other website / blog MEET LOAF. However,  this time I felt it was appropriate to also publish it here. There is a constant process of repair, modification and upgrade required to keep rigs, like our truck camper, safely conditioned for extensive adventure travel. 

We have travelled over 70,000 kms in 4 years, with this current set-up. 

This is our most recent upgrade ... it's just one example, but it places the continuous maintenance that is required, in perspective. '

Post follows ...

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Supersprings model ss13, were installed in June 2014, in an attempt to strengthen LOAF's rear suspension. After driving an additional 50,000 kms, we noticed they 'appeared to have lost their effectiveness' and we weren't sure why?

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Contributing technical author for this post, Shane Hanthorn, has been LOAF's passionate, lead mechanic since June of 2015.

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A Journeymakers Garage

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It's been difficult for us ... to find a shop that will work on LOAF. 

LOAF is 13 feet tall and weighs more than 6 tons ... he's hard to get through a door and even tougher still to lift!

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Overland Explorer

" We were super-impressed with these ‘Manufactured In Canada’ Expedition Campers ... "

A couple of years ago we attended Overland Expo East, an event for overland adventurers that included classes, seminars, exhibits and vendors. It was a very interesting couple of days and it peaked our interest in expedition style vehicles. We are currently travelling in the second truck camper rig we have owned. It raised the question ... should we continue to upgrade and maintain this vehicle or, should we investigate the enhanced travel capability that an expedition camper presents?

This past spring Overland Expo West was held in Flagstaff, AZ and a new expedition vehicle, the Overland Explorer; manufactured by a Canadian company LITE Industries, garnered rave reviews. After looking at their website and Facebook pages we realized that a slight detour in our route north would allow us to visit their facilities.

Fuel Cost Comparison

Since leaving Ontario on November 09, 2014, we've driven 

3712 kms and had 14 fuel fill-ups ... 

We use Fuelly.com to track and monitor our driving economy. Our statistics combine driving with and without the Lance camper loaded ... but mostly with the camper on. Don't forget ... the Lance adds nearly 4000# to our overall weight and has a noticeable affect on our fuel economy. This does not compare to ...  'just throwing a couple of tennis rackets or a bag of wine into the back of your Prius'! ... and, then becoming outraged because you lost a km or two / litre in fuel economy!!!

At Six Tons, You'd Sag & Sway Too !

NO!, I'm not referring to us in this posts title, we're not that fat or worn out. 

I'm referring to LOAF, our travel rig ... driven hard & put away dirty!

We'll be off-line for awhile. 

Adventure Journal TRIP #133: NO bad stuff happened, 2 provinces, 19 states, 60 days, 12000+ kilometres driven. 

We're home now and as is our usual post-trip regime, we'll take a couple of days to do mostly nothing, take many soaks in a hot bath tub, sleep in a king-sized bed and watch some movies on a big screen TV. It's now time for some rest, some rig service and maintenance and several more planned modifications to the truck and camper.