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The new 4x4 Sunrader


linda s

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I bet the silicon valley tech millionaires will enjoy it, since they're the only ones who will be able to afford it. I guess I don't really know who the target market was for the motorhomes that this forum is dedicated to. It seems like one of the points of them, though, was that they were inexpensive relative to other RV's being sold at the time?

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Well now, hmmm.

Checked out their website and several things occur to me as a 4x4 Rader guy. First of all, like Linda and grtthegrt said, astronomical base price. Here's my observation on that : The dealer receipt written to the original owner of my stock, no extras SunRader 4x4 shows he paid paid $26,000 and chump-change out the door.

(Side Note: The guy's mustering-out retirement papers for the USAF, stuffed in the plastic owner's manual folder, were dated the same day as he picked up a new SunRader 4x4. Gotta admire a guy with a plan ;))

 

Using an online inflation adjustment tool, it turns out that his/my rig would cost $64,765 US weasel hides today.

 

Now, even if I consider the additional solar, increased tank capacities, the more "inspired" 4wd capabilities, Lithium battery bank and the truly obnoxious weather-proof speaker system they offer to piss-off people down-the-canyon, the extra $220,235 smackeroos would take care of all that and still give you a down payment on a decent house  in 45 of these somewhat united states.

 

It seems SunRader gave bang for the buck in 1984 that a middle-income family could manage with some relative financial effort.

Some other stuff, ....the TruckHouse is 4' longer than a 4x4 SR, which could make it a little bit more challenging to squeeze in to some places and, at Stage I chassis mod, is 10' high. That allows head room for a 6ft 3in person, a definate advantage. BTW, the floorplan is identical to my 'diner-in-the-back' '84.

Here's a bunch more,

BR, TG :

 

KEY SPECIFICATIONS

Chassis: Toyota Tacoma

Length: 21'11"

Height: 9'11"

Width: 7'1"

Interior Standing Height: 6'3 1/2"

Ground Clearance (@rear diff): 11"

Approach Angle: 39.5°

Departure Angle: 19.5°

Breakover Angle: 24.2°

Wheel Travel: 12+"

Solar: 600 watts

Battery: 500 amp hours

Fuel Capacity: 33 gallons

Fresh Water Capacity: 30 gallons

Grey Water: 20 gallons

Features:

  • Cabover Queen Bed and Rear Dinette Full Bed

  • Integrated Hydronic Heating

  • 7 Safari-Style Dual-Paned Windows

  • Oversized Skylight

  • Integrated Blinds and Screens

  • Multi-Speed Ventilation Fan

  • Stainless Galley Sink

  • Convection Oven/Microwave

  • Two Burner Induction Cooktop

  • Marine Grade Drawer Fridge and Freezer

  • U-shaped Rear Dinette

  • Wet Bath With Cassette Toilet

  • Dimmable LED House Lighting

  • Swivel Mounted 32" LED TV* 

  • Power Management System

  • Lithium Battery Bank

  • Luxury Woven Vinyl Flooring

  • 12v Air Conditioning *

  • Heated Floors*

  • Truck Cabin Access via Passthrough

*Optional

2021_01_14_12_13_36_the_BCT_TruckHouse_Mozilla_Firefox.jpg.529a309e40b83dc31e14c73406403bf6.jpg

 

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Saw that on Quora last night and I couldn't agree more. It's way overpriced. I may start a 4x4 RV builder when I retire! For one, the Tacoma chassis is capable to 6000lbs or more....with a couple leaves added and air bags (My 2005 base taco 2.7L I4 with utility box tops 6000lbs at the scale with 288K miles and counting)...so even with a FF axel and some additional goodies...it can't top $100K easily. oh not to mention, you can sell the taco bed for around $8k as well

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Cost. You guys do know that an Earthroamer can come in at over a million dollars, right? An XP camper now called a Nimbl camper costs around the same as this Truckhouse. The best deal around for a nice 4x4 motorhome is the Tiger Provan which is around $140,000. There is a guy in Bend Or who makes campers on his own on Tacoma frames and he's pretty reasonable too at low 100,000's. I think he's a member here. Former Host camper employee. 

So basic rule of thumb. If you want to drive an overlander in style, first sell your house

Linda S

Yes I do believe Anthony's Odyssey 4x4 is going to be worth well over a hundred thousand when he's done. Go Anthony

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7 minutes ago, linda s said:

Cost. You guys do know that an Earthroamer can come in at over a million dollars, right? An XP camper now called a Nimbl camper costs around the same as this Truckhouse. The best deal around for a nice 4x4 motorhome is the Tiger Provan which is around $140,000. There is a guy in Bend Or who makes campers on his own on Tacoma frames and he's pretty reasonable too at low 100,000's. I think he's a member here. Former Host camper employee. 

So basic rule of thumb. If you want to drive an overlander in style, first sell your house

Linda S

Yes I do believe Anthony's Odyssey 4x4 is going to be worth well over a hundred thousand when he's done. Go Anthony

I’m honored that my build was even mentioned in comparison to this piece of art! I’ve been following the guy responsible for this build for years (or at least heavily involved in the team). If you guys haven’t seen his sunrader build, it’s absolutely immaculate.

 

His attention to detail and quality of work are truly next level. 
 

6D800536-AD56-414F-933E-BB7A1F78A77E.jpeg.3cd3f7f8c13e2aff7ea97966b888d1b6.jpeg

 

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There was a guy in Colorado mating Sunrader and Chinook shells to mid 2000's Tacomas. Cub's Mod Shop - he hasn't posted in a long time so not sure if he is still at it.

 

Elevated Overland in Arizona(I think) also does some really good builds with Sunrader shells on newer trucks.

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8 hours ago, linda s said:

Anthony do you have a link for this Sunrader build? It looks so familiar but I just can't place it. Driving me nuts

Linda 

I was following the sunrader build on Instagram but it appears he deleted that profile right before releasing the truckhouse brand. If you google image search “yotahome4x4” there are a few more pics sprinkled around the internet. 

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About price...I used to do fabrication of prosthetic limbs using carbon fiber and CF's raw material cost is about 5 X that of common fiberglass. However, the big ticket item is the equipment and setup for the shop.  The equipment setup to lay up, bag and vacuume mold a single-piece shell this big will have these guys eating humble pie for some time into the future. While carbon fiber impressive stuff to use in certain applications like aircraft and hybrid parts for race cars, in my opinion, it's way overkill for a coach shell (Bling!!), even for an overland motorhome.

 

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