Chasing a dream

77GreenMachine said:
It is a custom chassis. Idk who’s it is, I believe just a one off custom.

I offered $50k on the white M&M buggy and the guy wouldn’t budge so I passed. I sure am glad because this one has all the same parts plus more and was substantially cheaper.
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A M&M turnkey and this rig are not on the same price bracket due to a lot more than the parts list.

That said, I'd say you did good.
 
Bebop said:
A M&M turnkey and this rig are not on the same price bracket due to a lot more than the parts list.

That said, I'd say you did good.
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That’s not what I meant, nor implied. I’m well aware of the difference. The white one is much nicer than this rig. But I also saved a lot of money and got a lot more than I paid for.
 
Limousine! Nice. As for the diamond plate I'll be happy to oblige or we can put a whirly bird red light on the front stinger and call it a 'Fire" truck. Red paint is cheap enough.

The extra length looks like it was justified by very ample rear cargo. I dig that completely. Does the wheel base equal a bit more comfortable leg room in the steering wheel holders area?
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
Does the wheel base equal a bit more comfortable leg room in the steering wheel holders area?
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I hope so. It looks quite roomy and the PO says it is. He’s had adults sit in the back before and his teenage sons back there regularly.
 
The eagle has landed. I am so excited to get there and see this thing in person!
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We had a fun educational adventure today. Touring the battleship was amazing. I really didn’t realize just how big the guns, and ship overall was.
Then we went downtown in Wilmington for lunch and some food coffee. We also saw where they are filming the show “the summer I turned pretty” on Amazon. That was pretty neat.

Parking and navigating the Mega Hauler really wasn’t a big deal. I did have to pay for 2 meters but no worries.
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77GreenMachine said:
Parking and navigating the Mega Hauler really wasn’t a big deal. I did have to pay for 2 meters but no worries.
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We had luck a couple of times on our trip with the motorhome picking out a church in a busy downtown area and calling for permission to park for a while. Both times got an invite to spend the night in their parking lot if we wanted to.
 
Man this is awesome, just saw your story and am jealous! Lol! would Be awesome to take a few years and travel with the kids. safe travels and looking forward to your posts on here! If you ever need a spot to park for a few days or so in mt airy, pm me I’ve got a 30 and 50 amp hookup rv spot next to my shop. Really like the 4 seater buggy been kinds looking for one myself.
 
We had to eat at this place again before leaving town. It was so good, again.
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We weren’t supposed to leave till Friday but decided to go ahead and leave. I was excited to see the new buggy and we have a lot to do this weekend so it made sense to come on back. Now I’m mooch docking in my buddy’s yard for a long weekend.

As for the buggy, I’m incredibly happy with it. I can’t wait to see it in the day light! It’s comfortable, roomy, easy to get in and out of and just overall very nice. I will be changing out the front harnesses right away however. It has 4 point easy buckle PRPs and I much prefer 5 point with the latch. I’ve been so happy with Aces Racing in my past 2 rigs, so certainly going back with them.


Also, since coming back on 74 is so straight and easy with minimal traffic my wife offered to drive for a bit. She’s never pulled a trailer before, ever. So why not have the first thing she pulls be our home right?!?
She done really good and I’m very proud of her. She drove for about an hour or so and I appreciated the little break it gave me. I’m gonna need that help soon when we head west.
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Also, glad to report that I replaced the fan clutch, again, and this time it made a massive difference. Truck never got above 204° coming back. That was a lot more peace of mind.
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@77GreenMachine ....thought of this thread when I saw this....on the info packet at one of the campgrounds we stayed at:

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Yesterday I got to drive the buggy. But not before spending several hours working on it. The front drive shaft was literally about to fall out. I was gonna take it to Uwharrie but noticed that luckily. The U bolt straps were loose and a couple nuts missing. I bought a new strap kit and decided to drop the skid to check everything else out. That was an ordeal! 4 bolts to drop the skid but it’s been a little tweaked so getting it back in was a real pain.

I ran out of time and we decided not to go to Uwharrie in it.

4 New Harnesses are on the way, and I am going to test fit some Corbeau XPs to see if they will fit. Might consider PRP seats as well. I really like the drain option and I’ve sat in @NCJeeplover seats before and they are very comfy.

I also want to get it sitting lower. There’s a lot of shaft showing and room to come down. Overall I’m very happy with it and love it, just need to address a few minor things and put my own touches on it. Going to remove all the panels, hood and grill, and have it wrapped soon too.
 
Buggy fits on the truck. But I still want the stinger gone. Hoping to have that done soon. I can cut it off myself and make it fit better, but I want it to have a simple small hoop over the winch and remount the light bar. It fits like it is, but I don’t really like the stinger plus without it I’ll be able to pull it all the way up and that will be better.
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On to the next stop. Rolled out of Camp Hollingsworth (AKA @Curtis_H backyard) it was great and probably my favorite stop so far :laughing:

But now we have moved into Jellystone Campground where we will be for the rest of the year, minus breaking away for a wheeling trip or two.

We have decided to replace all the seats, going with heated Corbeau XPs, and Baja rear bench with headrests in the back. Me and the wife both love the XP seats, they make her feel way safer and more comfy and since it’s already wired for the heated seats it just makes sense to keep that option. I’ll be selling the seats in it, the front are heated.

I’m also dropping the buggy off next week to have the front reworked and a few other things moved around.
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jeepinmatt said:
YE$$$$$?
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My sis & bil having been living in a camper for ~3yrs now, and typically rent atleast 1 month at a time. The rate is typically lower than 3weeks at the weekly rate.
 
orange150 said:
Are these campgrounds generally ok with people spending 2+ months there?
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At one point that was actually me and my wife's retirement plan. A couple months a year at various on-the-water campgrounds, from the OBX to Florida. They're more than ok with it, and some of them even mentioned if you intend on spending that much time there, they'd make you the 'campground host'. Usually meant free/heavily discounted rental spots, hook ups, etc. Kinda like being an RA for the campground, except no one bugs you because you only get a site if you're an adult.
 
orange150 said:
Are these campgrounds generally ok with people spending 2+ months there?
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Absolutely. It’s extremely common, and it’s far cheaper to rent by the month. Which is how we can afford this. I couldn’t do this if I had to pay a month worth of “normal” rates.
 
I forgot to mention that driving the truck with the buggy on the back and pulling the camper was the best it has ever rode. I mean like an entirely different truck, it’s insane. I also had very full gray and black tanks on the camper, but figure most of that is the weight of the buggy. The ride quality felt like I was pulling with a regular pickup. I am very excited about how well the whole setup does. Between that, the better towing temps and and extra power from EFI Live, I’m very happy!
 
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