Building our Dream Motorhome

Words & Pics by Graham and Pam Briden-Jones, W41523
November 2008

After looking around for some months for a four wheel drive motorhome, I realised I would need to build one to meet my requirements. I settled on a Mitsubishi Canter cab and chassis.

First up the chassis was lengthened one metre between axles, extending the wheel base and not rear overhang. This enabled a 6m x 2.4m deck frame. I was able to fit 2 x 220 litre fuel tanks forward of the rear axle. Running at 20 litres per 100 kilometres this gives me a 2,000 km range. Next we needed a closed-in workshop, other than our driveway, to weld the steel frame and use an overhead crane to lift the 6m x 2.3m fibreglass side panels for the outside walls. The side roof is 50mm aluminium foam sandwich 2.4m x 1,200 sheets; excellent insulation. It was then home to our driveway for the fit out using 9mm marine ply.

The queen size bed has a 100% latex mattress on a flexible slatted base, sealed on the underside to give a large storage area accessible from the outside rear. The toilet is a vacuum cassette type and the hot water comes by heat exchanger from the motor and thermo top diesel furnace linked to the main diesel tank. All water is pressurised from the pump and twenty litre pressure tank to the sink, toilet, vanity and inside and outside shower. Water can be fitted to mains pressure for town supply if needed. There is also a wash down hose in the rear at the external shower. The fridge is a Vitrifrigo 12 volt, 240 litre two door, with freezer on top. I can recommend this unit using five to six amps when running.

On deciding on a motorhome I particularly wanted a tilt cab. The rear of the cab is cut out and has a flexible sock between cab and rear body, and this piece unclips so the cab is fully tiltable. Power is all twelve volt via a 260 amh Fullriver AGM battery (98 kilo), charged from the truck alternator, 2 x 130 watt solar panels and a Rutland 913 wind turbine. There is also a 50 amp x 240 volt charger if required. This has not been used.

The wheels and rims have been changed from 16.5 rims to 19.5 rims, fitted with 305 x 70 x 19.5 tyres. The larger wheels give a lot more traction and much more stability, and at 100km per hour, reduce engine revs by nearly 300 rev per minute. The speedo has been recalculated and adjusted. There is a bull bar, a 15,000 lbs Warn winch and a very efficient cab mounted wind deflector. We have more than enough storage for deck chairs, a satellite dish, BBQ and much more outside, and plenty of interior storage.

The body is fully insulated and even at 40 degrees Celsius outside, the inside ceiling is still cool. The roof being 50mm foam and the wall 25mm foam, even in the snow in Tasmania we were not cold at night or cooked in the WA 40+ degrees Celsius of February 2008.

I retire at the end of 2008, then we’re off to Albany-Esperance for the summer, before heading up to the north of WA.