Converted Semi Tractor Fitted With 21-Ft. Travel Trailer

Converted Semi Tractor Fitted With 21-Ft. Travel Trailer TRUCKS Conversions 30-3-35 As a professional truck driver, Norbert Kluck had always wanted to drive a Peterbilt semi tractor. The Mosinee, Wis., man finally got his wish when he bought a used Peterbilt and combined it with a used travel trailer to create a one-of-a-kind, self-propelled 33-ft. motorhome. "It sleeps six and has a bathroom, sink, kitchen, and dining room - everything an average family needs to feel at home on the road. Best of all, I spent only about $12,000 to build it," says Kluck. The used 1980 Peterbilt 359 tandem axle semi tractor is equipped with a Cummins 400 hp diesel engine. He removed the fifth wheel hitch and the sleeper from the semi tractor cab, leaving a hole on back of the cab, then mounted the 1972 24-ft. Coachman travel trailer backward on the truck frame so the back end of the trailer sets against the cab. The trailer bolts to the semi tractor frame at 10 different places. He cut a hole in the trailer so he can walk into it from the cab. The semi tractor was originally equipped with tandem axles on back, with a driveshaft extending from the transmission back to a "power divider" on the tandem axle. To improve fuel efficiency, he removed the forward rear axle and then moved the rear axle to the forward position. Then he hooked the driveshaft back up. "I don't need tandem axles any more, because the travel trailer is relatively light so the semi tractor isn't carrying as much weight as it was designed to." The travel trailer is equipped with an electric hot water heater and a propane furnace. The propane tank is located in an outside compartment below the cab. The semi tractor was originally equipped with two fuel tanks, but Kluck converted one to store gray water. "It runs like a top and I enjoyed putting it together," says Kluck. "I've driven it all over the U.S., and wherever I go people always tell me how much they like it. It has unbelievable power and pulls like you wouldn't believe. I added a hitch on back of the trailer so I can pull a boat or van behind it. One time I was out West pulling a big boat behind the trailer and had to climb a big mountain. I was going up a steep grade and even though I was in high gear, when I hit the accelerator pedal I actually started to gain speed. Not many motorhomes can do that. It gets 8 to 10 mpg.I cut 3 ft. off the trailer hitch so the travel trailer is now only 21 ft. long. "It doesn't have all the amenities of a new self-propelled diesel motorhome but they sell for about $250,000. I chose the 1980 Peterbilt 359 model because I like the way the long hood sticks out in front." He says the motorhome is economical to license and insure, since it qualifies as a motorhome. License plates cost just $88 per year. "The state told me that as long as the driver has access to the passengers inside the travel trailer, my rig can be licensed as a self-propelled motorhome and not as a semi tractor or travel trailer. The title says it's a 1995 reconditioned motorhome," says Kluck. The semi tractor has air bag suspension on the rear axle, but not on the front steering axle. "The front end rides a little rough, like a school bus, but I plan to install air bags on the front steering axle which should improve the ride," notes Kluck. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Norbert Kluck, 4022 Birch Dr., Mosinee, Wis. 54455 (ph 715 693-8021).

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