UK Based Trucks - Forum Needed

[crinklystarfish]

Anybody fancy using this forum for UK based trucks until the Overlander is sorted? The '4 wheels' container hosts just about all we'd ever need - with this very sub-forum (Generic 4wd) perhaps being the most suited to cover the mods and developments relating to our various brands of base vehicle. I'd be reluctant to post too much in the brand specific tech sub-forum as stuff done with LDs is equally applicable in most cases to Zil / MAN / Merc etc.

Maybe the nice people at the HUBB could even be persuaded to create a sub forum for tech issues for overlanding vehicles over 5 tonnes if enough larger van / trucker types are interested.

Steve

[Zoltan]

Hi Steve,

I've arrived out of utter disappointment that issues are not getting resolved in the other place

Enough of that though, I'll go and have a look around

[crinklystarfish]

Hi Zolt,

Forgot to mention in the opener that though originally motorbike based the HUBB is a top place for detailed and up-to-date travel information and the UK show the HUBB organises in the UK tends to attract some very interesting speakers. The Dutch chaps from Expedition Truck Brokers also attended in 2012, as did a Bimobil dealer and a few other interesting tradies.

[nickyu]

Would be nice if they could split small/large 4x4 tech, as they differ quite a bit. Other than that the HUBB is a perfect place for expedition truck talk.

[Neil H]

Hi guys, fancy meeting you here

If anyone has the phone numbers of the ones we have left behind the maybe we could text them with our moving news. I willcontact Phil tonight.

In the mean time i will see if i can change my user name for continuity.

Neil and Pat

[Bromleyxphil]

Me and the MAN are here

Thanks Neil

[Neil H]

I have to say that I am a bit miffed that we all put our hands in our pockets for no result.

I appreciate that we are all busy but maybe the suggestion that we all donate wasnt the right thing if it couldnt be fixed at that time.

Neil

[chris]

Originally Posted by crinklystarfish

Anybody fancy using this forum for UK based trucks until the Overlander is sorted? The '4 wheels' container hosts just about all we'd ever need - with this very sub-forum (Generic 4wd) perhaps being the most suited to cover the mods and developments relating to our various brands of base vehicle. I'd be reluctant to post too much in the brand specific tech sub-forum as stuff done with LDs is equally applicable in most cases to Zil / MAN / Merc etc.

Maybe the nice people at the HUBB could even be persuaded to create a sub forum for tech issues for overlanding vehicles over 5 tonnes if enough larger van / trucker types are interested.

Steve

I'll give Grant Johnson a heads up to this thread. Maybe post here or send him a PM with the forum/sub-forum structure suggestions you'd like.

[Grant Johnson]

Originally Posted by chris

I'll give Grant Johnson a heads up to this thread. Maybe post here or send him a PM with the forum/sub-forum structure suggestions you'd like.

got it - sorry to hear about the apparent demise of the overlanders - just to be sure, is that www.theoverlander.org or www.uk-overlanders.co.uk/?

FWIW, I understand the spammer issue well and feel for them - we get hit about once or twice every minute by the scum, have been for years, but thus far our several layers of defence are working well - took a long time to get it really well sorted though.

Anyway, anything I can do to improve the 4 wheels section here on the HUBB, I'm happy to do so. Let me know what additional forums you need - you're the experts, so feel free to debate it and spell it out for me!

[Neil H]

Thanks Grant for your understanding

We will have a chat for the best option

The uk has a steadily growing interest in larger overland trucks , european 12 ton style, which is what we mostly have.

We also enjoy exchanging ideas regarding the planning, building and technical aspects so i think it would be a uk truck forum thatcould include these elements.

We will confer for the best option

Many thanks

Neil

[Mezo]

Originally Posted by Grant Johnson

got it - sorry to hear about the apparent demise of the overlanders - just to be sure, is that Get over it! or Welcome To Uk-Overlanders ?

theoverlander.org

Grant, click on the forum & have a look at the damage done, this would be a warning lesson to any forum owners.

Mezo.

[Silver Nomad]

Would it not make sense to refer to these vehicles as Overland Campervans, as described by Stephen Stewart (Silk Route site founder) and then subdivide into two categories based on weight, as others have suggested i.e under and over 3500kg? The advantage is that whilst such vehicles would be differentiated from those which are either 'camp beside' or 'camp on top', demountables and tray-backs would find a natural home.

[tacr2man]

The 3500kg split would seem the most logical , as that is where most points change , if not driving licence requirements JMHO

[crinklystarfish]

Originally Posted by Grant Johnson

got it - sorry to hear about the apparent demise of the overlanders - just to be sure, is that Get over it! or Welcome To Uk-Overlanders

FWIW, I understand the spammer issue well and feel for them - we get hit about once or twice every minute by the scum, have been for years, but thus far our several layers of defence are working well - took a long time to get it really well sorted though.

Anyway, anything I can do to improve the 4 wheels section here on the HUBB, I'm happy to do so. Let me know what additional forums you need - you're the experts, so feel free to debate it and spell it out for me!

Hi Grant,

Get over it! was the site affected. That said, one of the chaps there has rushed through some upgrades and has resurrected a forum facility so they might be in business - users are already drifting back, it seems.

As you asked... Regarding The HUBB generally, the knowledge pool is vast and it's altogether a fantastic resource. I'm sure I speak for thousands that are grateful for the facility.

However, regarding the 4 wheels container specifically, I personally always found that the '4 Wheel Overland Tech' and 'Other 4 Wheel Overland Tech' something of an artificial and confusing division. Dropping in from time to time it seems I am not alone as the posts in each sub-forum are pretty much arbitrary and do not meaningfully adhere to any 'generic' and 'brand specific' division.

I confess to losing patience in dropping into two sub-forums that essentially contain much the same subject matter. Furthermore, it's difficult to work out on which sub-forum to pose a question that will encourage the most informative responses. It's part of the reason I gravitated towards the Overlander in the first place.

A much more useful division would be a '4 Wheel Overland Tech - Light Vehicles' and a '4 Wheel Overland Tech - Heavy Vehicles'

The 'Heavy Vehicles' creation would, I suggest, be very attractive to a number of contributors / researchers. Though there is some crossover with the tech side of light and heavy vehicles it is not vast and it's fair to say that light and heavy overlanding vehicles are frequently subject to very different design / equipment / systems issues.

I'm aware that there is a growing number of people globally that are interested in converting / travelling in what we in the UK call 'trucks' - ie vehicles originally designed to carry goods that comprise a separate cab and skeletal ladder chassis, onto which is usually built a sub frame that supports living accommodation.

In summary, I personally think that the current generic / brand specific division makes the 4 wheels container unwieldy and furthermore the lack of a distinct division for 'heavy' overlanding vehicles is a trick the HUBB is currently missing.

Meant to be constructive - please feel free to utterly ignore me.

[Grant Johnson]

good stuff, thanks!

That IS exactly what I need to hear - to me it's all just 4 wheels but I am absolutely behind anything we can do to make the HUBB the best resource for 4 wheels possible.

One of the things that has always driven me crazy is the proliferation of tiny sites that cater to a very small niche, and that then disappear with all their good info - so as with the motorcycle side, we want to be the first place to go for all overland travellers, whether it's powered 2 wheelers, bicycles or 4 wheelers - much of what we all need is the same.

So to be clear - you're suggesting DROPPING the "other 4wd tech" and combining into 4wheel overland tech - light, and then adding '4 Wheel Overland Tech - Heavy Vehicles'?

Looking at the thread numbers for Toyota and Land Rover, it does look like they're rather pointless, so combine them into 4wheel overland tech - light?

Any other thoughts, or does that do it?

How would you like to be a moderator for 4 wheels?

thanks!