My dismountable

[bimobil]

Hi everyone, here is my dismountable in the dolomites this year wildcamping!

 

[miller]

ooooh i like that a lot!

 

[vindiboy]

Hi , looks great and I like your De Mountable, I had one for a number of years and loved it ,and of course you can change the truck easily.

 

[Randonneur]

They always look top heavy to me, especially when they're mounted on a double cab pickup. Must sway a lot round corners.

 

[bimobil]

It is not as top heavy as it looks cause all the weight is at the bottom of the kabin, it is made in germany and is excellent build quality, fully winterised, heated, inside tanks etc..

It also had Air-ride suspention fitted which helps a lot.

It would be nice to hear from any other demountable owners on here!!

 

[vwalan]

hi. i have had a couple of suntrekker demounts . built by walkers ,now all sold to island plastics on isle of white. nice kit . i now run a lynton mini artic converted to a 5er, but miss the demount sometimes. the main thing is enjoy it. cheers alan.

 

[dependencies]

I bought an NSL a couple of months back

As mentioned the weight is mostly at a low level,

the air assisted suspension option stiffens up any swaying about & corrects the slightly tail heaviness, although at around 600KG it doesn't much bother these modern pick-ups just corrects the headlight height!

 

[wildweekend]

Hi I've had mines about six months.

Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket

There was a bit of discussion about demountable campers here a few months ago. Here's the link if anyone missed it and is interested.

http://www.wildcamping.co.uk/forums/general-chat/5598-new-demountable-camper-design.html

4x4 truck campers and wild camping go together like peas and carrots as Forrest Gump's maw said.

 

[vindiboy]

There was a thread on one of the Motorhome pages asking if it is LEGAL to carry passengers in the rear part of the unit, I asked a Salesman this question at the Lincoln Show and the idiot replied that it was Legal to carry animals in the unit, I used to carry passengers in mine and never thought about it being legal or not, any one know for SURE ??

 

[dependencies]

Passenger carrying doesn't. Sound such a good idea, I mean its no more attached to you car than a roof box essentially, and you probably wouldn't transport a dog in that,
any more than you would your nearest & dearest.





Right?

 

[bimobil]

HI Vindiboy, it is not something I have put much thought into as I have seating for 5 up front and sleeping room for 3, but if the seats are belted in the rear I cant see the problem.

 

[5thElefant]

Another demountable here

I've got airbag suspension as well, makes a big difference.

 

[dependencies]

This is encouraging at least,
I can now say with certainty there are at least Six of us in the UK.


All I've seen so far on camp-sites is slack jaws

 

[Deleted member 207]

Demounts are fairly common in Australia and over the years I've read plenty of discussions about them - the one recurring issue seems to be weight distribution. The rear axle tends to be overloaded and the front axle tends to be light, this is because the centre of gravity of the demount is behind the rear axle (especially with crew cabs) and it acts like a lever lifting the front. Even adding air assist springs does nothing to move weight off the rear axle and onto the front axle - but it makes the vehicle look level.

 

[dependencies]

Another demountable here

I've got airbag suspension as well, makes a big difference.

Are these the same camper?

( I looked at the bottom one on E-bay some time back but stupidly didn't buy it, it was a bargain in the end)

 

[bimobil]

Demounts are fairly common in Australia and over the years I've read plenty of discussions about them - the one recurring issue seems to be weight distribution. The rear axle tends to be overloaded and the front axle tends to be light, this is because the centre of gravity of the demount is behind the rear axle (especially with crew cabs) and it acts like a lever lifting the front. Even adding air assist springs does nothing to move weight off the rear axle and onto the front axle - but it makes the vehicle look level.

Cant say I really notice the front end being too light at all, they will never be sports cars but I drove mine over the dolomites this year up and down 2000m passes with no probs

 

[dependencies]

When I collected my camper the other month, I was surprised that the rolling I'd heard about from everyone wasn't from side to side on bends, but in fact from front to back on braking and acceleration!

Since I had the air bags installed above the rear axle this has been corrected.

Only a very ambitious off-road excursion, or some high speed cornering would cause an accident, but you'd need deep pockets to drive like that

 

[Firefox]

I think it is legal if they are safely carried. For example, if it had reward facing seats with lap belts, with proper fixings to the frame, and the fixings of the demountable are designed so it stays on the truck in a 50 mph collision then you are OK.

Whether seat belts are fitted or not, the police can prosecute the driver if they are carrying passengers in a dangerous manner.

 

[wildweekend]

I put 45 psi in my airbags and the vehicle drives perfectly. One thing I have to do is trick the rear brake compensator into thinking the vehicle has a maximum load for safe braking capacity. With 45psi the truck looks like its carrying nothing and so the comp thinks its carry nothing as well. In my case I just need to take the large expansion spring off the comp, carry it in the cab and put it back on when the campers off. It makes a huge difference when braking.

On the top heavy question - I watched 3 or 4 videos on you tube the other night of some guy taking part in a 4x4 trial with an L200 fitted with a large demountable truck camper romping around as you would with a land rover. He gave it some beating including finishing of by doing doughnuts in the grass and still it never toppled over. Unfortunately I cant find him again to link here.

 

[dependencies]

Reminds me a promotional video by a German manufacturer (Wohn) I think,
anyway he was off across a field like he'd stole it as well.
Not sure the crockery and TV etc would appreciate a shake-up still.

Mines held on with Four substantial hook & eye bolts I wouldn't claim it would hold it in the event a roll over, although I'd expect the base to stay attached if nothing else remained

As mentioned in the poll on buying these though, the sort of people needing transport & accommodation off-road are unlikely to risk their photographic/scientific equipment pratting about,

besides which the AA don't offer much help in the wilderness