Driving On/Off-Road
On Road
As much as we would like to imagine that the majority of our time on an expedition will be spent camping in remote and exotic places, the fact of the matter is that the journey will likely end up being 90% of the adventure, not the remote destination itself. Being able to cover long distances comfortably at highway speeds becomes more than just a luxury when you are on an extended expedition. Most large commercial and military trucks that expedition vehicles are based on are designed for hauling large, heavy loads at relatively slow speeds and driver comfort is, at best, an afterthought. Ford continues to make improvements to comfort and drivability with each new iteration of the Super Duty truck line. The quietness, smoothness, and comfort of the new commercial duty trucks introduced in model year 2017 is nothing short of amazing. The Ford designed 6.7L engine is so quiet you can barely hear it running, and it runs so clean that the inside of the exhaust pipe looks like new even after thousands of miles of driving. With a massive 750 lb.-ft of torque coupled to a new six speed automatic transmission that features manual shift override and tow/haul mode, the EarthRoamer LTi has plenty of acceleration and grade pulling power.
Off-Road
The ability to drive off-road on trails and unimproved roads is the single most important factor separating EarthRoamer XVs from traditional RVs. While four-wheel drive is a necessary requirement for off-road driving, four-wheel drive alone is not enough. Without sufficient ground clearance, robust tires with aggressive tread patterns, a low center of gravity, good articulation, and sufficient power, no vehicle will make it very far once it leaves the pavement. With a limited slip differential and good ground clearance, the base Ford F-550 4X4 is a very capable off-road vehicle by itself, but after we convert the Super Duty base to the LTi, it becomes an incredibly capable off-road machine.
Approach, departure, and break-over angles are substantially improved with our conversion. By upgrading to 41-inch military grade tires with aggressive tread patterns on double bead lock rims, EarthRoamer maximizes ground clearance, approach, departure and break-over angles and achieves the maximum in off-road capability. Along with the tires, a full suspension swap is performed with new air-ride suspension, shocks, and sway bars to handle even the toughest terrain. In addition, a standard on-board high capacity air compressor makes it easy to air tires back up after airing down on trails.
