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These questions do have nothing to do with a …
Prevost.
But, there are quite a few mechanical wizards on this board and I do hope that I can receive some guidance.
So … we are thinking about buying a Leisure Travel Van / MB Sprinter Class B in about a year or so because we want to visit (a) Alaska and (b) boondock in areas we could never ever take Olivia in to and would not want to take her to, like Alaska.
We will keep Olivia so we can travel in style but the Sprinter will be a better choice for the areas we have in mind.
Some areas suggest that one has a high clearance 4 wheel /AWD drive vehicle.
So … my thoughts are adding a (1) Lifter Kit or (2) air ride kit or both (???) to the Sprinter chassis.
I have no clue what I am talking about because, having 2 left hands, I am mechanically challenged. But, researching this on Google, I found that there are lifter kits for Sprinter chassis and there are air ride kits, too.
My thinking is that a lifter kit will raise the chassis by a fixed number of inches.
My other thinking is that an air ride kit would have adjustable drive height.
Would one be offering more height than the other?
Which one would be more desirable?
My 3rd thinking is to buy a Unimoog.`
Please help me clearing up the fog …
Thanks,
Ronald
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16 Replies
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Ronald,
Are you planning on towing it or will it be a stand alone vehicle? This may affect the responses that you get here. Have you checked out Sportsmobile?
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Ronald,
There is also a lot of information on the Sprinter chassis and the ‘up-fitters’ at the following:
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/
ARV (Advantaced RV) in Willoughby, OH, is the most custom oriented class-B that I have seen. And, they have a price tag to match!
Mark
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Sprinters come from MB with four drive option. Our passenger van is a 4X4
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as a standalone. No towing. Although, I have seen Sprinters being towed. Even behind a Prevost … 🙂
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Keep them coming.
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Unless you are into hardcore off-road 4×4 adventures, you’d likely be very unhappy with a Unimog. Most can barely get to 60 mph, are very noisy (you sit next to the engine) and ride like a garbage truck.
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I’m trying to imagine the lure of a remote camping site that requires a lot of ground clearance or 4 wheel drive to get to it.
One thing I know about 4 wheel drive. If you need 4 wheel drive to get out to the boondocks you need to pray you do not get hung up. Four wheel drive can get you very deep into trouble and then you aren’t going to get out without help, ingenuity, equipment, or some serious skills. If you do get 4 wheel drive only use it to get out of trouble, no into it.
What say you Loc? You probably have more experience with 4WD than anyone else here.
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We have looked pretty seriously at Leisure Travel for some of the same reasons you espoused…Alaska, and/or areas where BoB is simply too big to travel comfortably or without damage. I would be hesitant to add a lift kit or radically change the suspension because they appear to me to be a bit top heavy in stock form…if you jack them up, that’s certainly not gonna get better. You gain ground clearance, but may loose the ability to drive on civilized roads comfortably. But then again life is a trade off…all depends what you want, and what you’re willing to sacrifice to satisfy the want…
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Ronald,
2 weeks ago my friend brought his 1 year old Sprinter MB up to Montana from Tahoe for it’s maiden voyage. He said he paid 100k for it with 8000 miles.
Looked nice with all the stuff you would think, inverter, frig, small bed, most everything you have in your bus but midget sized.
My wife climbed in to look and came out and said to me don’t bother I know youll get claustrophobic, so I didn’t go in.
From what we are used to in our buses that’s pretty much the top of the food chain, I personally would have a hard time living in one.
You need to watch some Alaska youtube videos on travel up there, some dirt roads turn to ice skating rinks with just a rain storm.
I liked what the old man said about using 4 wheel drive to get out of trouble, not looking for it.
My Buddy needed def but couldn’t find the fill whole, it’s under the hood on a sprinter.
We don’t know the territory well enough to go up there and we are to set in our ways to go in a caravan. Montana is far enough north for us.
Good luck, I know its the German in you that wants to wander.
Later
bv
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Seajet,
Skip the lift kit. The Sprinter is already high profile and you won’t like the way it drives with a lift. Instead, order it with the four wheel drive option. Get a 15K to 20K winch on a receiver hitch mount that you can move from front to rear. Have the Sprinter wired at both ends with quick connect wiring to make the winch easy to move from one end to the other. You will have to get a receiver hitch put up front but that is relatively easy. Having the vehicle more stock will keep you out of too much trouble. The winch will get you out if you get in trouble and will be a lot better alternative. I would skip the air bags unless they are close to stock level. Wouldn’t you hate to post my Sprinter has the leans.
The Unimog is fun but only if you intend to only do medium to hard off-roading. It is a dog on the highway and isn’t very comfortable. They do make all types of cool attachments (blades, backhoes, etc.) which could be a lot of fun but not a good road vehicle at all.
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Ronald,
My two cents worth.. Take the bus to Alaska. Keep it on pavement and use a toad to go off road. Use the Alaskan Marine Highway system to go as remote as you want. We spent about a month in Alaska with our bus and toad and it was the BEST part of our 15 month trip to all 49 states. So good in fact Lauren and I will return without the kids sometime and goto even more remote locations.. Sure there are risks but as long as you us common sense you should be fine. Happy to chat by phone or by email if you want more details. A former member of this forum Gil helped me talk my wife into going and like I said best part of the trip. We drove the Alaskan Highway in and then took the ferry out from Haines 5 day inside passage to Bellingham, WA…
Bill
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Seajet, I 2nd what Bill said:
We took the diesel pusher we had at the time from Texas to Alaska and back. Al-Can both ways. The ferry system wasn’t large dog friendly. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it now with our Prevost. We hope to do it again someday.
You’ll need “The Milepost”. It’s the travel bible to the north country.2000 Featherlite H3-45
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Leesburg, FL -
I 3rd that:
Went to Alaska for 5 months, towed 4×4 jeep and did plenty of off roading.
What surprised me was the amount of Prevost seated tour coaches on roads I wouldn’t have expected. I.E. Chicken Alaska, top of the world (mostly dirt) highway.
The number one piece of advice I was given before going to Alaska was “Take Your Time” don’t rush, wait out bad weather, travel in good weather, go SLOW (15-20 Mph) on questionable roads. If we saw the infamous rock truck barreling down the road towards us I would pull over to the side and stop which greatly reduced any impact of debris the truck may have thrown. You will be surprised how little traffic there is which allows you the freedom to pull over without hindering others.
My #1 piece of advice would also be “Take Your Time”
Chuck
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Air bags or Lift kits will not increase the ground clearance of your running gear. body clearance yes, but that is an appearance thing. The lift kits I have experienced were detrimental to the ride and air bags can produce multiple problems – particularly with potential road debris flying around. Increasing tire diameter is the only way I know of increasing ground clearance. Probably not a good idea on a Prevost or MB Sprinter.
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We took our first bus, a Country Coach, all the way to Yellowknife NWT. Towed a P-38 Range Rover. The bus handled the dirt and gravel roads just fine. But this was back in 2002. We understand it’s paved now. In 2000 we took a 1999 Airstream Cutter Diesel Freightliber chassis coach yo Dawson City Yukon. Only issue was a star in the windshield we had fixed in Whitehorse. Wouldn’t hesitate to drive scbus up the Alcan .
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