We
arrived at Overland Expo mid-afternoon on Thursday and there was
an hour wait to gain access to the venue. The line of
vehicles stretched for miles and moved slowly.
The photos below are what we saw.
There
was a huge line to gain entrance to the Expo.
We had
other "truck buddies" that were attending Expo, but the camping
was slap-dash and we were not able to get a site with our
group. We spotted Len who arrived earlier in the day and
were able to park next to him.
Our
three trucks were some of the larger vehicles at the
venue. Tents were crammed into available space.
We
hooked up with Rob and Nina Blackwell and their Whiteacorn rig.
Eric and
Rebecca came in their Fuso-based Earthcruiser rig.
Rob
Pickering came in a customer's U500 rig with GVX box; he is
selling this rig for his client. Contact Rob at Terry Lee
Enterprises in La Junta, CO if interested. This is a clean
setup with many special features.
Tony and
Andy came in Tony's 6x6 LMTV with custom camper box.
Vince
decided to move his camper box from his U500 to his new (to him)
M935 6x6 truck. Sadly, Vince's ride suffered a failed
transfer case in the panhandle of Texas and required a tow to La
Junta, CO for repairs prior to the Expo.
Another
member of our group, Mark, had been busy building his own custom
rig based on a Dodge Ram 5500 and an ex-military living shelter.
Just
about every kind of camping setup was represented at the
Expo. Sprinter vans were quite popular and there were many
there in multiple configurations.
There
were a number of Earth Roamer rigs at the show. These
units are very expensive, but very capable.
Roof-top
tents are en-vogue and they were very popular. This is a
great solution to keep from getting eaten by lions, but somewhat
impractical given the danger of navigating the ladder at night
when likely drunk.
Another
variant on the roof-top tent.
This
tent was unique in that it was self-assembling. The ribs
of the tent are air bladders and when inflated automatically
raise the roof. Great until the air compressor fails.
This rig
is straight out of Africa. This model of truck is the
predecessor to Thor: a Mercedes Benz truck designated 911.
The
older style curved hood trucks are common in 3rd world
countries. We saw many of these recently in Argentina.
The
focus of the Expo was vendor displays and classes. There
was a river of humanity walking from the camping area to the
displays.
We went
to the vendor area and spotted a new GXV box mounted on a
Kenworth chassis. It seems that Kenworth has recently been
purchased by Dutch Action Forces (DAF, which produces military
vehicles) but does not make a cab-over 4x4. This truck was
custom built by Tulsa Truck with front axle and transfer case.
It was
hot and the dogs were seeking shade. Note the really,
really wimpy guard for the bottom of the radiator. This
guard is made from 1"x0.125 steel angle.
This rig
runs 426/65R22.5 tires which are wider than the 395/85R20 tires
on Thor.
Like other GVX trucks, the spare tire was mounted high on the box.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2018 all rights
reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.