Redwood Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 ok, and, Thanks to those who answered my first questions! well, a Lifetime ago.. when I was a youngman.. I made a camper for my pickup... wife Hates to camp, so, I had it All, hot/cold running water, shower, toilet... on an 8 ft truck.... I'm a cabinetmaker by trade.. so, this was just a fun project... now, I think I"d like Less work, and More fun.. but, I'm not afraid of repairs... so Fiberglass or aluminum? which is Lighter? ... which is Most prone to leaks? I looked thru all of the pics on this site... the Sunraders do look sharp! do they also cost/hold their value More? When you are traveling.. does anybody ride in back, maybe fixing lunch, etc while in motion? or.. is this NOT a good idea? can you move easily, from the cab to the coach while in motion? IF you do ride there, is the dinette up front, or in the rear more comfortable for riding? those duel AXLE units look interesting! don't think I"ve ever seen one on the road.. if/when you Do make roof repairs.. would a domed fiberglass roof make sense? I've done very Little fiberglass work, Only making the shower base in my first camper, but, it seems to me, that it is heavy? am I wrong? thanks, I won't thank and respond to each reply, makes thread too long, but, Thanks in advance! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoprat Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 To answer a couple of your questions, No- you can't move from the cab to the rear easily. Ifin' your young and supple, you can spin around in the seat, crawl over the seat back, then fall on your face on the house floor. Imagine getting into the back seat of your car by going over the seat back. Yup ! You can ride in back, and walk around, maybe even fix lunch. But what happens if you have to stop quickly. Keep that in mind. Which is lighter ? Probably Aluminum. I weighed my 21 foot Sunrader and it tipped the scales at 5800 pounds. Sunraders cost more- hold their value better. But if they are neglected, all bets are off. Common sense here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokepolehall Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 The fiberglas models are more water resistant, not prone to leak. The windows or vents may if not cared for. Even a non running sunrader with missing parts, actually its a parts rv will cost over a grand! Folks talk about how slow and heavy sunraders are with 4 cyl. Thats good for me, we want to enjoy looking at the country as we ease thru it. I want a sunrader 4 cyl. 4 spd. would be dandy, 18' or 21'. I will have to save up for one, it won't be this year. Have more than my hands full on the Odd Duck i own now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Folks talk about how slow and heavy sunraders are with 4 cyl. Thats good for me, we want to enjoy looking at the country as we ease thru it. You want slow and plodding... try driving a 70 hp non turbo diesel It never goes below 40 mph on any hill with the 456:1 gears but it sure does belch black smoke (unburned diesel) when pulling real steep hills. This is a plus in some ways as if someone is tailgating all I have to do is floorboard it and they drop back real fast.... Ahhhh..... Nothing like the smell of partially burned diesel fuel to start your day off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 You want slow and plodding... try driving a 70 hp non turbo diesel Now, now, you want to try to find a VW 1.9 TDI to drop in there! Or better yet, a 4 cyl Cummins from a bread truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Now, now, you want to try to find a VW 1.9 TDI to drop in there! Or better yet, a 4 cyl Cummins from a bread truck. I am VERY happy with the Toyota 2.2 liter diesel. It is all mechanical injection so there is nothing that can ever go wrong outside of throwing a rod... It hums along at 65 mph and consistently gets 16-20 mpg. It never needs a tune up, never needs the timing set, never needs anything except an oil change and an "atta boy" every once in a while. I've thought about turbo charging it as all that would be required is the exhaust manifold/turbo, the air cleaner parts, and the progressive injector pump but it is just fine the way it is. All of this is just "bolt on stuff" so I can do it anytime in an afternoon. With no ECU things are very simple. When we did our house renovations the diesel sat parked for 3 years. At the end of that time I put in both batteries and turned the key. After 3 years it was running by the time the 3rd piston came up on compression. No coughing, no sputtering, no smoking, just a solid clankity, clankity, clank that diesels always make. I do not think that any other engine would have sat still for that long and then run as good as it did the day it was shut down 3 years earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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