Terry Weier Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 I purchased my Argosy a month ago and started building the beaver tail or should I say my welders did. I am a weld inspector and hired three welders from work to build it. I have roughly $4000 in materials and labor in the tail and ramps but it is a thing of beauty it is extremely over built but better to much then not enough. I fond a deal on craigslist on a TS3 hitch not my first choice but for $300 I could not pass it up. I plan on spraying the front cap of the truck and the entire bed with a bed liner of some kind I am doing research on brands I also plan on putting a mirror finish on the rims and tanks and will install a huge moose bumper on the front it should be impressive when done. Here are some pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alie&Jim's Carrilite Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 Sweet! Jim's Adventures Old Spacecraft.... Who knows whats next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickS Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 Terry.....that looks great. What is the length of the truck? Rick & Carey,Excel W41GKE Wild Cargo Toyhauler Volvo 730, D13, I-shift, 500/1850Brabus Smart Car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Weier Posted October 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 It is 34 feet from bumper to king pin plate and my Elite Suite is is 38 overall it should be 72. I will be hauling a custom Toyota FJ and maybe a Harley if there is room my Elite also has a lot of black paint on it, it should look sweat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERO Maker Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 Nice job. That should be pretty sharp when finished. It sounds like it will meet your needs. Rocky & Sheri Rhoades '01 Volvo 770 2016 DRV Mobile Suites, HoustonHERO Makers Ministry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alie&Jim's Carrilite Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 Before you spray a permanent coating on the nose, consider doing the Plasti-dip coating. Available at Lowes and such, it applies over a clean surface and is easy to remove- peels off. That way you can see the results of a protective layer without messing up the paint. Jim's Adventures Old Spacecraft.... Who knows whats next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Weier Posted October 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 The reason I am putting bed liner on the front cap of the truck is to hide the 20,000 rock chips from 680,000 miles of driving I figured if I used bed liner I would never need to worry about rock chips anymore. The rest of the paint is great because Bass Tracker had the truck wrapped in vinyl advertising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quinntheeskimo Posted October 28, 2014 Report Share Posted October 28, 2014 I found that bed liner did not stand up to gravel road repairs on trip to Alaska. I had applied bed liner to the leading 4" edge of the bed that was wider then the truck cab. That leading edge now has a piece on aluminum diamond plate, no paint to chip and looks better then bed liner. Others may have had better luck. Gail & Bonnie Quinn (Full-timing since July 18, 2004) 2001 Volvo 610 autoshift (Ultimate V Rod) 465 HP, 1650 Torque, 3:42 gears with air locker, pictures of build can be seen @ http://community.web...theeskimogquinn 2010 New Horizons 45' custom Majestic, pictures of construction can be seen @ http://picasaweb.goo...com/gailquinn48 2003 Harley Davidson FLHTCUI, 100 HP, 118 Torque; Blog of 2007 Alaska trip @ http://quinntheeskim...nn.blogspot.com 2013 Smart Passion fortwo coupe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RRoger Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 Ah an Argosy. I drove one of those one time and thought it was great. I especially liked the fold out staircase and the ease of backing up. If you don't mind me asking, what did the tractor cost you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDR Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 Terry; Good to see another "liner" joining the group! Now do yourself and the truck a favor and sign up on "AccessFreightliner", and reap the benefits! Curt 2001 Freightliner Century, 500hp Series 60, Gen 2 autoshift, 3.42 singled rear locker. 2004 Keystone Sprinter 299RLS (TT) 2 & 4 Wheelers! 2013 Polaris Ranger 800 midsize LE Our motto "4 wheels move the body, 2 wheels move the soul!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lostinaz Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 I had a cabover for 15 years. It was a real good truck. Didn't ride so good-spring ride. You learned to back up in one try-no power steering. There's 3 drawbacks to cabovers: You are the first one there if you wreck. In a conventional with the engine out front you might live. In a cabover at the least your legs are cut off at the knees, if you live at all. There is also that thrill of sitting right near the centerline meeting oncoming traffic. When the smallest thing needs fixing, you have to jack up the cab. You can't sleep in the cab if you hire someone else to fix it . When you do jack up the cab, secure every last little item in the cab- or watch your thermos come crashing out through the windshield. I loved my old cabover and survived 1.7 million miles driving it, but as for the above mentioned facts- I know of what I speak. That's why nobody drives cabovers anymore. I still have a spot in my heart for the looks of an old 352 Pete or an IH 4070B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spindrift Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 I'll add to Lostinaz's list. Back in the day, when a cabover came into our shop the first thing you did before raising the cab was to look for the "portable" potty. You certainly didn't want a driver's forgetfulness, or sheer rudeness, to ruin your day. 2012 F350 KR CC DRW w/ some stuff 2019 Arctic Fox 32-5MCindy and Tom, Kasey and Maggie (our Newfie and Berner) Oh...I forgot the five kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dblr Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 I drove cab over Macks at UPS for a lot of years, cut my teeth on old F models with no power steering then moved on to a mh still without power steering, got stuck in a Volvo cab over with power assist steering and cried for my old Macks back. Finally got a mh model WITH power steering and they had to pry it from my hands when they junked it. Good luck, nice truck. 2017 River Stone Legacy 38MB 2001 T2000 Kenworth 2009 Smart Passion ET Junior hitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star Dreamer Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 You are the first one there if you wreck. In a conventional with the engine out front you might live. In a cabover at the least your legs are cut off at the knees, if you live at all. There is also that thrill of sitting right near the centerline meeting oncoming traffic. ... I guess a diesel pusher motor home would not be much better. No motor to help absorb some of the impact. 2005 Freightliner Century S/T, Singled, Air ride ET Jr. hitch 2019 46'+ Dune Sport Man Cave custom 5th wheel toy hauler Owner of the 1978 Custom Van "Star Dreamer" which might be seen at a local car show near you! Check out http://www.hhrvresource.com/ for much more info on HDT's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lostinaz Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Pretty much the same. Just that in a big truck with a heavy load behind you, the impact at high speed is more severe. I've seen some awful wrecks in my time, like trucks running into the back of another, or into concrete overpass supports, with all that weight behind you that doesn't stop so fast. On a cabover, the whole cab can come off the frame easier than a conventional, and go quite a ways. Never much thought about safety, cabovers were made in response to length restrictions only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkennell Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Different story everywhere but the US and AU....don't believe I saw anything BUT cabovers in the EU. Maybe being first to the accident isn't so critical when you can't drive over 30--or 20? I've always enjoyed seeing how slightly different situations can result in major differences in actual operation while still being "efficient". There is no 'one size fits all'! No camper at present. Way too many farm machines to maintain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lostinaz Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Even in Europe, it's about length. I used to live in that cabover and thought it was good. When I got a conventional and could stand up in the sleeper and change clothes it was a lot better. People were not watching you lying on your back trying to put your pants on or use that jug. I guess there are flat floor cabovers with stand up sleepers now, but there sure weren't when I was driving that cabover. I like that big engine out front in cold weather too-sometimes the heater was pretty marginal when the front of the cab was coated in ice. I guess you would have had to put some time on the road in an old cabover to appreciate what we have available today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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