Hybrid Foamie: Wild Wanderer in Foam-now with sketches

[GPW]

Per bottom drawing ... is that all wood framing inside ???

[Wobbly Wheels]

How does the back wall stow for travel when the 'lid' is down ?
Does it come apart with a dutch door like on a pop up or are you working on something else ?

[Ned B]

GPW yes, poplar 1x2 skeleton 16" on center have to support the tilt up roof.

WW this will have a fold forward back wall as in mikes OWW plan

Lori saw my sketch & said why have the seat & cabinetry? So. I may be going to a rear galley design.

I think I'm going to split that off into a separate design thread though.

[GPW]

Ned, after having used a considerable amount of wood framing in the FoamStream, I can't help but to think that's a really Good idea , as long as it's kept light ... not only providing more "structure" but a whole lot of places to hang and attach many things ... That alone makes it COOL !!! With your woodworking skills I'm sure the frame will be very Nice.

[Ned B]

GPW, I'm glad to hear you think so! After watching the foamstream go together, I'm taking a lot of cues from your build plus the OWW layout as inspiration.

As for light.. I've got a target, but with the Prius woes, let's be honest I'm probably getting a new tow vehicle later this year. I'll patch the Prius enough to trade it in on a pickup or SUV. My commute is only about 20 miles round trip, and I should be able to feed a small pickup for that with no problem.

I'm leaning toward a Tacoma or a Colorado/Canyon or an f150., any of the above from the late 2000s would work.
My son just traded his Mazda 6 in on a silverado. Great truck, but too pricey for my budget.

[GPW]

Ned , I’m still driving my 2001 Silverado (6 cyl.) ( just turned 70K miles) ...it's been a good truck , gets an average 20 mpg (21 with the windows rolled up) ... and I can haul all kinds of stuff... Camper top on the back makes it “another camper “ .

[Verna]

Ned, I had 167,000 miles on my '04 Canyon, 5 cyl, extended cab, 4x4. The transmission started going out, so I traded to an Escape. Now I have a '15 Tacoma, 6 cyl, 4c4, TRD, extended cab with a cap on the rear, and it's towing like a dream. It doesn't even strain towing up hills/mountains and the Silver Shadow at 1,500 lbs loaded doesn't push it down hills/mountains. It drives very similar to the '04 Canyon--a bit taller and more rear seat room.

[Ned B]

Ned , I’m still driving my 2001 Silverado (6 cyl.) ( just turned 70K miles) ...it's been a good truck , gets an average 20 mpg (21 with the windows rolled up) ... and I can haul all kinds of stuff... Camper top on the back makes it “another camper “ .

70,000? that's just getting broken in! Adam's truck is quite handsome, just a bit too steep on price for my tastes.

Ned, I had 167,000 miles on my '04 Canyon, 5 cyl, extended cab, 4x4. The transmission started going out, so I traded to an Escape. Now I have a '15 Tacoma, 6 cyl, 4c4, TRD, extended cab with a cap on the rear, and it's towing like a dream. It doesn't even strain towing up hills/mountains and the Silver Shadow at 1,500 lbs loaded doesn't push it down hills/mountains. It drives very similar to the '04 Canyon--a bit taller and more rear seat room.

I had a Sonoma which was what the Canyon replaced, and that was about 'right' for my hauling needs. I had the 4 cyl, which honestly, I would never go with again. Yes the Canyon comes with the inline 5, but I'll have to see what I find when the time comes later this year.

[KCStudly]

I'm a Chevy man myself. Just happened to inherit a V6 Escape. It has been a great vehicle. A little harder to just throw stuff into than a p/u, and have to worry about keeping the cargo area upholstery and carpet nice, but it has been a good vehicle. 21 mpg mixed, 22 highway, 3500 lbs towing.

[Ned B]

I'm a Chevy man myself. Just happened to inherit a V6 Escape. It has been a great vehicle. A little harder to just throw stuff into than a p/u, and have to worry about keeping the cargo area upholstery and carpet nice, but it has been a good vehicle. 21 mpg mixed, 22 highway, 3500 lbs towing.

Yep, an escape is on the list... especially since we have the Hybrid version already in the driveway. Good size, but I'd go with the 6 cyl for the next one.

If I had my 'druthers right now, I'd trade the prius in as it stands in a heartbeat. Not happening though, with the dashboard of death light show going on.

dang, I just found a '99 powerstroke with low miles for a price I can afford. wonder what they'd take in trade? bit more truck than i Need.. strictly speaking... supercab with an 8' bed, but...

[Wobbly Wheels]

From a Prius to a Powerchoke ? Wow, talk about opposite ends of the spectrum

Bought my 4cyl Ranger new in '96 and it's been great, though it's getting a little long in the tooth now (255K km) and will get replaced this year.
Food for thought: I bought it as a dealer's lease return with 20K km on it. I had 5 of the 6 years' warranty and paid about 25% less than a new one. The second half of the warranty was third-party and non-transferable but, because it was a Ford lease return, I was still the first owner on paper.
Dunno if it works the same in the US (I assume it does...) but it might save you some coin.

[Ned B]

yeah... bit of a change there. My son the mechanic who just bought the 'new' truck is a duramax fan, I'm a bit more ford oriented, but it comes down to what's available when I'm buying. In today's economy, 'good used' is almost as easy to finance as new... and who can afford $50,000 for a vehicle? (I realize some can...). I've never spent more than 10k on any vehicle I've purchased... so I'm setting an upper limit of 15k on the used market... 20k if the finances lined up well.

[Ned B]

Just got off the phone with my best friend's Dad. He's got the battery parts for the Prius! Not only that, he also had the guy who'll do the swap of the cells for me!

[dales133]

Nice work ned!

In vehicle consideration don't overlook an 80 series land crusier or lx450 as they were re badged there.
You get ALOT of bang for your buck.
Mines 20 years old and never missed a beat,350, 000 k's to boot.
The first owner paid 79.000 aussie for it and I paid 8500 5 years ago.
Comfortable and made in the era when toyota deserved it's reputation

[Ned B]

NO matter what, I'm going to have to let things settle in with the prius expenses before i make a move. did a little research when things settled down this evening at work, and found that while I like the idea of the powerstroke... there are better trucks available for me.

At this point If I were to write my wish list for 'the ideal' truck/suv for me (the car, I already have...) I'd say that either a Diesel 2006 jeep liberty, or another Escape Hybrid would fit the bill. of the two, the FEH is much easier to find, I would even be willing to give up the all wheel drive to have just fwd and gain a few more mpg. I'd love to have more weight capacity for towing, however. so the Diesel jeep comes back into play, despite 'horrible' mileage vs what I have now. The ability to truly tow up to 5000 lbs is a big plus... though to be honest I can get that same capacity in a gas pickup and have more overall utility.

back to the drawing board... still working on my non oww version of a 5x8 NT based foamie... lifting roof and a 'traditional' galley setup.

On a whim, I just googled towing capacity of the FEH , and officially it is rated at 1000 lbs, however many users on a couple of different forums report no issues towing up to 2500 lbs long term with no Ill effects

I found this article of particular interest: http://www.starclass.org/artman/publish ... _357.shtml

At that point I'll keep both hybrids and simply build my Foamie ! My goal is 1000 lbs. my design will have as aero a profile as I can manage . If I go over even 500 lbs I am confident the FEH will handle it. Despite the current woes I really like Both of my hybrids ; the Prius is nice & high tech plus it is very comfortable. The FEH is more rugged, yet still brings nearly 30 mpg.