seen on bangshift photo gallery from the salt flats

I have had my "dream" hauler since 2002. Since I stopped hauling gooseneck race trailers I thought about hauling a golf cart on the back of ours, but never got around to buying a golf cart. Use ours for vacations now and haul a driver car on a open trailer.

I have been all around the country with mine with and without race car trailers. Been to Bonneville 4 times so far as we have relatives in Sacramento and stop there on the way. Was never there for a speed week so I stayed on the asphalt and drove my muscle car on the salt 3 different years so far. Now my old muscle car is rusting but not my toterhome. The salt out there will eat your vehicle.

Our rig has a 16' box and is fully self contained with 125 gals fresh water with the grey and black holding tanks for it and a full bath with shower and 8K diesel genset that runs off the 200 gals of on board road fuel we carry. Plus have a inverter for our TVs and more, so the genset don't always have to run. BTW ours has a long hood and has 505 hp where as the short hoods are limited to around 300 hp.




Outer banks NC this year. Long wheelbase rides like a dream with air suspension.

It's not a dream, you could pick a similar VNL630 up for much less than what you think.

Real power, real frame, real brakes, and that Volvo cab is as quiet as any new Dodge or Ford half-ton. Some of them might even have the autoshift in them.

Wouldn't have to go like this guy did from the cab back, you could do a nice checker-plate aluminum deck, or stained wood, it would all look great.

Go get your CDL and forget about that $70,000.00 Cummins Dodge.

No CDL needed if you tag it as an RV

That's right, if it has motorhome tags then no CDL rules apply to your rig, none.

But you can not just tag any truck and call it a motorhome.

My chassis was built on a freightliner motor home assembly line and has the RV only Cat C-12 505 hp motor in it along with a full auto double overdrive trans with a real 2 stage jake brake. It'll get double digit fuel mileage pulling a open trailer in good conditions.

When I got mine used with 4400 miles and 4 months old from out of state, I had to take it over the DMV to have them look at the vin. The lady who came outside to see it asked to see inside, then the other 4 ladies inside came out to see it because they said they never seen anything like it. So I let them all come inside and see it. They were all surprised impressed with the complete interior with everything a RV has.

So I leave and have to come back to get my title and tags a week or so later. Several ladies said to me that the state called there 3 times to ask if they were sure it was a RV and luckily or by choice because they doubted it at first and all came outside and saw it for themselves and confirmed to the state 3 times indeed it was RV equipped. They said it "may have been the first FL112 licensed as a RV in Ohio" because they said the state was reluctant to issue RV plates for it. So luckily they all saw it for themselves and each time the state called each person/lady said they saw it for themselves and confirmed it was a RV.

So it is my understanding that you can't take a truck and convert it to RV plates after it was licensed as a truck.So here in Ohio you can't consider a sleeper a RV.

BTW I pulled a 49' goose almost 100k miles with it with no CDL. Actually I do have a CDL but never used it for this rig. Have had more than one state trouper pull behind us and follow for a while and run all my plates and see everything registered to me, truck, trailer and car on open trailer so they knew I was not hauling for profit or other people stuff. So honestly I have never been pulled over in it and have never gone through a open scale house even when I was really heavy with a complete alcohol operation in it with 3 motors,3 trans and hundreds of heavy clutch plates and the machine to grind the plates. Trailer weighed 24500 and the truck GVW is 36500. No lettering bragging it was a race operation.

My wife has driven ours quite a bit and so have 3 of my crew members. Stab D for drive and steer, anybody can do it.

Grand canyon.

Clingsman dome, smokey mountains and our late daughter.

I might never get rid of this rig, it has provided many great memory's. So worth the $104,000 I paid for it.

I have seen some really bad things happen to cars driven on the Bonneville salt flats...

Took the doors off a friends cool SB Chevy powered stude lark that were rusting and the interior of the door was full of salt..

Oh yea...that is real salt out there. Glad now and did not want to then, is put my toterhome on the salt.
My 74 challenger is just a driver and I kept it out of the weather for 25 years and really started using the car in all weather conditions 10 years ago and the salt flats was worth it to drive it out there. I even drove it in pouring down rain and in the snow and ice going up to Pikes Peak in July!! Still have the challenger and there is just a little rust on the front fenders now. Had the car out there and on the salt 2 more times after these pictures. Looks like I was on the moon! Car idling with the AC on on a 96° day with the wife waiting inside the car. I beat on the car hard this day, after I let my wife out of the car at the toterhome. It the car held up great in extreme conditions.

Everyone who sees the truck and car take pictures. Everywhere we go people take pictures of the truck, even today still. Damn glad my toter was never on that nasty salt.

The salt is even hard on your trailer and tie downs even after everything was thoughly pressure washed at home. Days later when we got home the trailer deck where the tie down straps rubbed rusted on the steel deck. The hardware on the tie downs started rusting.

Totally worth it for the experience of driving wide open throttle for as long as you like or have balls to.
See that little strap? when you trailer 5000 miles in one trip that strap wears out the paint on your trailer deck.



How fast can you go?

I have a local company make and re-webb my tie downs every couple years. These were re-webbed right before this trip to Bonneville, Reno, South lake Tahoe, San Fransisco and Sacramento and back to Cincinnati. About 4971 miles if I remember correctly. Have had them re-webbed at least twice since then and have logged more than 60K mile trailering since 2010.

We stop in Wendover going both ways for the night when we go to Sacramento. Stay in a truck parking lot overnight, she gambles and I drive my car on the roads around Bonneville and Wendover. Only on the way home do I beat my car on the salt so it was not trashed for the whole trip each time.

Most of this wear is from the salt and putting the car on and off the trailer like 6-8 times during the trip that took 10 days. Love to drive that rig, it's a pleasure rolling down the road with my wife, dog and 500 HP with air ride on the open road.

Another trip of a lifetime for us. Good times!

Destin Fla 2015,

Been to 36 states so far with our toterhome.

Car got pressure washed real good within 24 hours of being home.

It don't take long for the rust to appear either.

Look at my rear valance!! Was loaded with salt, imagine if you didn't get that off. Looks like snow!

I have done some checking and as far as the info I can get is that a truck that was licensed as a commercial vehicle previously can in fact be switched to a RV tag as long as the truck is used as an RV. And this makes sense to me since the new owner of my 81 W900 Kenworth bought it for just that purpose. As far as state to state I'm not sure. But here in Ky a big rig can be switched to an RV tag with an inspection by the fire marshal.

Yes I think your right, it is possible in some states to get a used commercial truck changed to motor home plates.

They want 4 or 5 minimum requirements to be considered a motor home... fresh water, fridge, sleeping, toilet and stove sometimes or a microwave.
But then as I understand it, insurance is tough to impossible to find for it. There is no easily way to put a value on a custom truck conversion and insurance companys don't like em.

Another nice thing about a big truck conversion, is the view. One of the best ways to see the good old USA from the seat of a big truck. We can see over other cars and SUVs and see lot's of stuff they can't see from the highways.

Found some more info and Ohio allows it also and it sounds really easy. 2 forms you can download from the Ohio DMV, fill them out, get your inspection and your good to go. State farm and progressive can do insurance easy also. I'm looking for an older truck to convert so the wife and I can see the country.

What is your trailer rested for? I'm assuming 7K? What kind of rubber do you use on it and how long do you get out of a set of tires?

My open trailer is a 7000# trailer and is registered like that.

I have been running Goodyear marathon ST trailer tires for 25 years now. I run them at 10 PSI over what the sidewall says and tow up to 80 MPH for hours at a time. My trailers are not overloaded, has no extra tool boxes on the tongue or heavy wood kitchen cabinets inside.

Been over inflating my trailer tires by 10 psi forever now and have only had one blowout many years ago on a old open trailer with original tires. I do check them often for the correct PSI and can predict how often I have to add air. The seasons change the air pressures also. Do my best not to "curb" the tires also.

Checkout this trailer tech from the tire rack, it originally was written by Goodyear.


Link Be sure to read all the way to the bottom of the page.

I was told to over inflate my trailer tires by a local tire supplier who is right next door to my business, 25 years ago and it sure works I am here to say.

I get about 30-40000 miles out of my trailer tires. I do about 6-12 trips a year. Last set I got 44K miles out them.

Goodyear link for trailer tires.

I am saying...over inflate your tires no matter what the load is, it is way better than under inflated and won't hurt your tires being over inflated. I also use steel/brass screw in valve stems, no rubber stems here.

My current set of tires were made in China now...I know sucks. I ran them out west last summer at 80 MPH and in 115° temps with no trouble. This year I have been to the east coast, Maine and Fla with no tire trouble..."knock on wood". Last year we went to Sodona, grand Canyon, and Moab Utah when it was 100+° and pulling our heavy azz durango on our open trailer with new china tires. I was worried a little on that first trip with my china goodyears but all has been well since then.

Use potatoes chip bag clips to keeps our tie down straps from waving in the wind and damaging our trailer or car.
Monument Valley.