Custom Off Road "Towverlander" Build; Cheap Earthroamer

[@1320Jason]

Look forward to watching the series!!!

[@starkastic]

I appreciate the “use what you have” mentality.

[@Grizzlyowner89]

Can't wait to see this build. Lifted duallys are pretty cool.

[@BigTireGarage]

They're even cooler when they're purpose-built like this one!

[@danwahl5231]

Looks like another great interesting project. Thanks for keeping it in the obtainable realm for the regular folks.

[@johntotten4872]

This build is going to be awesome. Growing up my Dad had a Cab over camper (What we called them) we used for hunting, camping and when we would go on long road trips (Visited Yellowstone in it) The ole 71 Chevy C20 drove like a champ with it. Cab overs are far from perfect but give you the basics in a compact package.

[@cjg1482]

I’m on a similar journey. My 2016 f250 was totaled a few months ago. I went with a 2024 f350 srw crew cab. I have a Lance slide in camper and will be getting a flatbed trailer for my off-road rig. You have more fab going than I will. My 2016 was a short bed, the 2024 is a long bed. My Lance is a full hardside and bigger but My wife and I have lived out of our Lance for months at a time. We went hardside for better temperature control. We have some months in the southern heat in the summer and the dead of winter in the north. I’m looking forward to the full build.

[@cjg1482]

You can’t forget that tongue weight adds to rear axle weight. I’ll be using a weight distribution hitch.

[@WastelandgarageAMC]

It's going to be a cool build and stand out I like unique off the wall builds

[@benjones3329]

I’m stoked to see this come to life

[@thelonewrangler1008]

That camper slide in looks great

[@demmarcsxr]

Interesting. Instead of a stretch, consider shrinking the cab to a single or possibly a 'club' config, while making the bed longer for the camper?

[@BigTireGarage]

That would be a lot of sheet metal work...plus I want to keep the quad cab

[@99unclebob]

this will be a very interesting series to watch Ian, A friend of mine here in Central Canada had a Titan XD and so many people bad mouthed him for his choice of truck and meanwhile some 7 or 8 yrs later, the ones who had bad mouthed him bought from the big 3 and have had nothing except trouble with their trucks and his Titan XD like your has been routine diesel maintenance and batteries twice these Canadian winters are hard on all batteries especially when your starting your truck in -35 weather and have an engine block heater, i think he has done an alternator also, it is a good truck to build into your own version of a Towverlander ,look forward to the build 👍

[@jamesshirley5875]

Hell yeah I’m gonna keep track of the build, I think it’s a great idea!!!

[@thisballcaplife9696]

Gonna be a good series!!

[@patricksilvester9879]

Ever since you first got your nissan titan xd with the cummins and talked about it on xtreme 4x4 I have always wanted one. I pulled the trigger and finally got a 2016 titan xd with the cummins on new years eve this year (2024). Had 65k miles drove it for 2 weeks and the turbo went out 😢. I ended up getting a new low pressure turbo for it and swapping it out. I also did some other things to hopefully make it more reliable so it don't happen again down the road. Looking forward to racking up some crazy high miles on it now. You do some crazy awesome builds and inspires me and what I did with my old jeep wrangler rock crawling it and now this nissan titan pulling a 31 foot camper that me and my girlfriend fully renovated 😎. Thanks for the inspiration bud.

[@BigTireGarage]

Sounds like a rough start, but glad to hear you got it sorted out!

[@Cheeser1764]

I thought about exactly what you’re doing, Ian; but in the end I went with putting the truck camper on a gooseneck trailer and just pulling the one trailer with both the rig and camper on it. It also allowed me to build compartments under the camper (where it would normally slide in the bed) for tools, parts, generator, etc. Since my tow truck was already a Ram Cummins, this was the most economical way to go.

[@BigTireGarage]

I thought about that...but I occasionally want.just the camper

[@charliebrown1828]

Yes!! I’m just as excited about this as I was the Apocalypse vehicle.

[@evloftis4143]

Cant wait to see this build

[@reecewatson5311]

Ian my parents had one back in the 70's all though their's was in a 65 chevy truck. 350 granny low tranmission only problem was no 4 wheel drive and it wasn't a pop up. We camped with 3 kids and my parents, we loved it. So you should love stretching the truck.

[@marcocasillas5023]

That's exactly what I've been looking into. But with tandems in the back

[@bsterris1615]

I built a capable 1976 Woodsman RV. It's built on a std wheelbase Dodge pu. It came with a 360, 727 & 203, 44 front & 60 rear - like a good old Dodge would. If's been a journey... I change it to a 6BG1T, Allison, 205 twin stick, 60 front (2009 dodge big brakes), 11.5"14 bolt rear (2009 Chevy), hydro boost, air bags in all 4 corners, etc = AWESOME! I'm in to it for $54K all in. (onboard air system, SS 20 gallon water tank, fireplace, new fridge/stove, flush toilet, etc - proper RV).Those dam single tires rear do limit you, but duals suck off road. I'm at 5500# front and 4800# rear (loaded), without a trailer.

[@iddddaduncan]

So cool, I'm looking for one to go in my F250

[@squeakin3]

Stoked to see this!

[@xozindustries7451]

You must be the only guy with one of those Nissan Cummins that didn’t puke the drivetrain, most around here are gone now. Don’t get me wrong that is the truck Dodge should have built instead of the Eco Diesel, it’s too bad they had drivetrain issues

[@BigTireGarage]

I agree with that

[@DestinationBFE]

Liquid spring suspension! Spendy but awesome.

[@DJ-yp4kc]

good plan ..... what i would call a Utility Box

[@craigdonalson3573]

i have 60 years of hauling a 4x4 coast to coast. my current rig is a 97 chevy 3500HD standard cab service truck. the bed is 9'x 7.5' of enclosed space with a/c, microwave, sink and shower, 3500 w gen, all the space i need for up to 2 weeks. gvw of the truck alone is 15k. lots of room for tools and spare parts for the buggy, jeep or RS1. i'm into it for about 14K. i was just at the hammers and will soon go to sand hallow. i have had every kind of tow pig camp setup you can think of and have boiled it down to this. everyone has different idea of what works. find what works for you

[@KyleRoss-r9p]

Omg!! You read my mind. I’ve got a 32’ gooseneck with a lance truck camper and a Cummins. I’ve thought about extending my Cummins and permanent mounting my camper lol

[@jeffmofo5013]

I have to point this out, although you should already know this. For as long I have been watching you, you know this. Brakes and Frame account for GVWR You over load the frame, it's going to fold. granted you are welding it up and may over engineer it. then brakes, stopping distance will be compromised.

[@BigTireGarage]

You are partially correct, but GVWR is Suspension and axle primarily. If you compare the two GVWR ratings for a DRW and SRW you will see a difference, even though they share the same chassis

[@johnconcentrius]

GVWR is only there for the average person. An enthusiast understands what additional weight does so they know how to modify and drive the vehicle safely with additional weight.

[@ALMX5DP]

I’d go a step further and say that many, or perhaps even a majority, of enthusiasts still lack the awareness to build, load and operate their rigs appropriately.

[@bigmackthomas9314]

Curious on how the srw axle and dually thing is gonna work out

[@jasonpereira4544]

Has that powertrain truly been reliable? I've seen some bad things about the Cummins titan, including from other KZbin channels

[@BigTireGarage]

250,000 no issues

[@jasonpereira4544]

@BigTireGarage that's great to hear. Currently use a qx56 with the 5.6 v8 for towing but definitely need a change in the near future.

[@bigshafe]

Any thoughts to a weight distribution hitch to put load back on the trailer axles? Probably wont fix all your weight concerns but could get close, maybe the stretching is enough and won't need duallys.

[@marcpikas2859]

Good plan. Will be watching..

[@TheOffroadCamper]

As the owner of two Forest River products that both had massive problems from the get-go off the dealer lot I can tell you welcome to leak Central.

[@azpaquin]

Love the plans for this! Excellent strategy!!

[@leestefanski1989]

Isn’t the Titan XD a 5/8ths Ton truck?

[@BigTireGarage]

Everyone says that...but it has same towing cap as single rear wheel F250 crew cab short bed same year

[@randypruett5681]

Sounds like a cool build.

[@kyle-of-For-When-I-Forget]

Cool idea! Can’t wait to see it come together

[@chriszasada9756]

I am in the similar situation, looking for a truck I can plow with and a half ton would be big enough but can't justify the 55000 dollar price tag and don't trust the used truck market in my area

[@chuckfowler4754]

Can’t wait to see the build

[@tomkelly3896]

Just build a 10 foot flatbed...you get 2 feet of storage in front of camper....and more storage on each side....or build a tray like the aussies do😅

[@BigTireGarage]

I have my own ideas for that space in mind.

[@brucea822]

@@BigTireGarageno doubt Your imagination and talent will be awesome to see the end result

[@ferngullyfarm]

Going to be a great build. Awesome explanation.

[@LeeGabriel1.0]

Really looking forward to your project Ian. I like how you think. My rig, 08 F450 4X4 crew cab, with an 06 Cummins, 975 Lance camper towing a Jeep XJ. Popup camper should be great.

[@mmatthews7]

👍 can't wait to see the build

[@Weed8Gone]

No offense to your other projects, but I like the prospects on this one more than any I've seen in years.

[@darrend5741]

DIY Earthroamer! Great idea! Yeah not excited about the Nissan Titan…. Like you said… but your plan is solid. Can’t wait to see it done!

[@icarusflight2396]

6x6! Let's go!!!

[@nicholasfuller8097]

love this so much...wish you could build me a 4 door tundra!

[@TheHotcammer]

Bro !!! I’m inn! Thx for this.

[@EricBartel-q4m]

Im digging it!

[@BrianW2979]

Are you going to include some of the value of the truck in your price tally? I know you already own it, but it still has value.

[@joshuaball8870]

Nice project, I’ve got the same itch to build something

[@TheOffroadCamper]

I’d really love to hear more about your Nissan Titan. I’ve been looking at the titan HD’s, as a possible low-cost tow vehicle for my new almost 10,000 pound GVWR Basecamp trailer.

[@TBGaels32]

This seems like a cool build. Why aren’t you considering the 14 bolt rear end from GM or what GM has to offer?I think another option would be a Dana 60. In terms of price, I would assume the Chevy/GMC would probably be in the ball park in terms of price, but I believe they still came either full float 14 bolt even in the later trucks.

[@reecewatson5311]

Ian before you put the new rear axle in put the old axle next to the old. That pumpkin look twice the size of the pumpkin of the old Titans rear axle...

[@troymotter7422]

What about extending the frame long enough to add a tag axle behind the rear drive axle like the 90's era serro Scotty camper's

[@BigTireGarage]

I thought about that...but I didn't like the look

[@johnbroom3725]

Any chance you're going to sell the GMC tow rig?

[@BigTireGarage]

You interested?

[@BigTireGarage]

Shoot me an email

[@302barry]

Awesome

[@brandonholt1475]

You have to include the price of a used titan xd pro 4.

[@javierestrada2637]

Looks badass! Are you converting the front axle to dually wheels as well? That way you only have to carry one style of spare wheel

[@BigTireGarage]

Yes

[@norcoredneck]

Bowen Custom flatbeds.

[@BigTireGarage]

I have talked to him about his flatbeds

[@eagleeye388]

There is also nomad flatbeds they have some amazing designs

[@tomkelly3896]

I have a 2000 d ram 2500 4x4 ....crew cab...5.9...cummins...suncoast trans....260,000 miles....for sale...24, 000 usd

[@J.Young808]

Do you mean Quad Cab? Your 2000 has the suicide style doors for the xtra cab style backseat, correct?

[@jeffwilliamson7831]

A Super C is the exact same thing but a little smaller

[@J.Young808]

Most Super C’s I’ve seen are built on a Freightliner Class 6-8 frame are huge and less off road capable than Sprinter van conversions

[@kbakeritsallaboutnobody.5761]

Flatbed

[@roberttolliver1019]

Get a little bit longer trailer and slap that sleeper on the front of it

[@Chicanoverland]

Ramcharger baja Micro overlander! Just saying. 😊

[@markcumpson1570]

Flat bed.

[@tomkelly3896]

4wd van....great option

[@stuartstogdill2406]

Not enough towing capacity.

[@StreetMachine18]

Normal guy: go to the junk yard and buy the back half of a one ton and weld it onto your daily driver… frame axle suspension bed everything. KZbinrs: buy a truck from copart use what you want sell the cab and engine and make money…

[@scammajamma]

Heating your food with a microwave completely encased by plastic like that is really really bad for your health.

[@jerrydebaca8697]

At $13 grand and haven't even touched it yet, you're already talking only to those guys who can afford the million dollar earthroamer.... Giant axles and huge loads is going to kill any gas mileage you may have had. Why didn't you just go buy a camper that fit?...

[@VinceGuzman]

@bigtiregarage - Ian thank u for creating cool builds cause i watched ur @powernation series like trucks & extreme 4x4 with jessie and ur other how to series off roader, so thanks for everything and hope continue to build total awesome builds.

[@launceherron]

Awesome