For most people who’re starting overlanding, buying an expedition truck from Expeditionmeister is the first step of the journey. However, there are many who like to take a longer route by building their own custom overland truck.
Building a custom overland truck can be a fun and exciting project, but it also requires careful planning and consideration of several factors. Otherwise, you’ll just end up wasting a lot of time and money, while others who bought pre-built vehicles will be enjoying the trail.
Here's a basic game plan to help guide you through the process:
Before you start planning your overland truck build, it's important to determine your budget. This will help you make decisions about what components and features you can afford. Remember, you should be balanced in terms of requirements.
This isn’t just to conserve your budget, but it’s to help you recover your investment as well. Experts say that it can take a minimum of five years to get a return on what you’ve spent on building your custom truck.
It is common for first-time builders to spend everything in their budget just to end up with a prototype. It’s called such because this may or may not be suitable for the overlanding journey yet. And even this can take around three-plus years if you don’t work on it full-time.
The base vehicle will be the foundation of your overland truck build, so it's important to choose one that is suitable for your needs. Consider factors such as payload capacity, off-road capabilities, fuel efficiency, and maintenance costs.
Getting back to Step 2, you must keep your budget in mind. It wouldn’t be a recommended decision to go for a brand-new base vehicle. You can get a two- to three-year-old used vehicle which will feel new and will be well-priced.
Getting a very old vehicle should be fine it has been maintained well and is known for its reliability. However, even the most reliable base vehicles can have bad years. This is why it wouldn’t hurt to do a bit of research. Find more info here.
Once you have a suitable base, design the layout and features of your overland truck. This means deciding on things like the size and configuration of the living quarters, the type of kitchen and bathroom facilities, the electrical and plumbing systems, and the storage options.
With your design in place, you can begin selecting the components and materials you will need to build your overland truck. This will include things like insulation, flooring, walls, cabinets, appliances, solar panels, batteries, and water tanks. Get good quality stuff when you can and where it’s absolutely needed.
With all the components and materials in hand, you can begin building or modifying your overland truck. This may involve cutting, welding, and fabricating parts of the truck to fit your design and installing the components and materials you have selected.
Remember that you shouldn’t make the electronic and the plumbing systems too complicated. They’ll be irreparable in case things go south. If you don’t have any DIY experience, tutorials can help. If you still have a hard time, hire a professional to get the job done right.
This was the project orientation process on how to build an overland truck. Once you’re done, you can test and refine the vehicle. Ensure that everything is working by taking it on a few short trips. It’ll help identify any issues or areas that need improvement, so you can refine the vehicle.
But if all of the above is too hard for you, get a custom-built offroad truck from Expeditionmeister here: https://expeditionmeister.com/
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