He’s not a mechanical engineer, they spend their days behind a desk and can’t turn a wrench to save a life. This man is what all gear heads hope to become when they retire.
@David_Richard_241 That makes me feel some better. Knowing that there are others that function on 2 to 4 hours of sleep. I can sleep a bit more on the weekend..but during the week and I'm working taking ambien helped me get maybe an additional amount hour or 2. For a while then that didn't do a thing. I'm retired now due to a spinal injury requiring emergency surgery. .you talk about a man about going nuts..I was a workaholic but never gave it a thought anyway Have a Blessed Day and God Bless All!!
I had a crazy dream back in 1990 when I had a '61 B Model Mack cab and long chassis (former farm truck). That dream told me an Airstream would look good on there. MY dream never came true. But HIS sure did.
@@yyiii276 I know this is original. My idea, had I acted on it, would never have been remotely as cool as this one. People can have the same type of idea. But some folks actually finish that idea with astonishing results. I was not that guy. Thanks for humbling me a bit. The old ego HAS been a bit out of control lately.
That guy isn’t your average trucker - he’s an automotive engineer, electrician, plumber, interior designer, mechanic, welder, home repair handyman and sculptor….
Genius, genius, genius! And skill to pull the entire thing together...wow!! Mike, thanks for dedicating yourself to trucks and finding the people who love them as much as you do.
Love his dream Stream because it’s one of a kind build. Building it himself is better than a factory one. Plus his Texas size smile on his face while showing his pride & joy
Fastest simplest setup for once you park is what you want. I've lived camper life years ago, and I've trucked 49 States. Simple and fast setup and take down when parking is what you want. And prepare for costs, nothings free, not parking, not water, not dumping waste, not electricity, not anything. Even keeping the fridge running will cost money. If you're watching this and older, the dream is better than the reality. Keep the house, get a small vehicle for travel. An RV will bury you, especially after every shop bends over backwards to rip you off.
I'm amazed he is a retired truck driver, the stuff he did would take a well-educated engineer. I'm a 31-year truck driver and I have never met a driver who could pull that off
Guy is ready for the apocalypse. Only other need is a hidden fuel depot tanks stashed underground in a accessible location like an old dilapidated warehouse w/big doors
Man oh man! I can see a few of these being married together. This is an amazing innovative trucker retirement home. I would love to see a longer more detailed video on this beautiful machine.
At first I thought about how fast my truck can accelerate from 80 to 100 and thought easily I'm faster, but if I throw a trailer behind it, maybe not... depends on trailer. Probably still beat 10 seconds 80 to 100 with jet skis. Even more impressive is the fuel economy.
@@cmcconn100 no joking around KTTA Cummins ain't no joke at all ,,i've got my own beast that's not quite that pretty ,,my truck is a pete 359 built in 1977 ,,it's used as a farm truck but i have about as much power as he does only mine ain't quiet ,,,16V71 quad turbo 2 stroke ,,900HP at 2400 rpm
I had seen this thing online years ago but recently I caught up with him headed down I-81. It is even better in person, and it is fast. I'm not governed and was light and still couldn't keep up with him at all.
I've been driving for 45 years and have never seen anything like this. What an amazing build, very clean and well thought out. I was curious what transmission he had in this truck, it was never mentioned. 6.5 MPG with a 1000 HP KTAA is AMAZING, considering the amount of weight and towing an F150 crew cab. Absolutely beautiful!
That’s the coolest rig I’ve seen yet! Love to see a video of actual on the road action. I’m sure the power and speed of this vehicle surprises a lot of people. Cheers! 🍻
I worked on a racing team in the 90's that had a full size truck with a motor home body attached. It was registered as a motor home too, but the enforcement cops pulled us over all the time and we kindly pointed out the tag and they almost always said, "have a nice day".
Holy S!!! That guy definitely is using his mind and enjoying his retirement. Many years ago, there was a few weeks when I saw a similar type of rig running 24. It was a Peterbilt cab with a Prevost body. Only saw it a few times and the poof. Never thought I would see something like that again.
Excellent video. However, I'd like to see an extended video showing the tool storage, rubber boat, and all the details. It seems to me that this rig, technically, is much more than just a cool ride. I'd like to know how he made a living for the past 5 decades, and where he had access to a shop to do all the modifications. I would especially like to see a photograph slide show depicting the original truck and the details of the transformation. Thank you so much for making and uploading this video.
I saw this guy here recently down here passing by! Awesome truck... I even told some friends about it. That guy really knows what he's got and what he built. that's impressive! Great video my friend. Have a good holiday weekend I'll be out here trucking. 👍
This is exactly what I want to configure!....Exactly! Started out with two school busses a couple of high top vans, but never felt satisfied. Looking to get an International 4700 or 4900 and put a small airstream on it. Glad to see someone beat me to the idea!!
Awesome project! Now I have some more ideas of what to do with my 1978 Model 359 Peterbilt sitting out back here to make it into an RV. Thanks for sharing!
I had some weird dreams in my life but I don't think this incredible feat would have ever crossed my mind! I truly admire this professional driver.... and the professionalism never wore off either! what a guy. thanks for sharing with us
Ingenuity, creativity, practicality and resourcefulness shining bright in this incredible build. Awesome job, especially on the drivetrain and chassis work. That's one helluva hotrod!
This reminds me of a build I saw years ago. This early retired couple wanted a fun and cheap way to see the world, so they bought a stainless steel milk transport container that would typically be on an 18 wheeler, and then set to customizing it to sail or motor the oceans. It had a 6 wheel drive system for the land and a propeller for the seas. An amphibious vehicle in a nutshell. It was impervious to water coming in, unless they had the hatch open. Its ballast tanks kept it trimmed, and they had a topside deck when in calm seas, and a boom sail. Someone asked what do they do in rough seas, and they said that they batten down the hatch and strap into their seats, and ride it out. They said that they were simply like a cork in the water. A little scary, but also exciting. They also had windows to see the underneath and all directions. Many times they saw whales up close and personal. They seemed to be curious. And of course, when they reached land, they simply found a launch area, and drove ashore, and drove all over. They believed that they were the first to create what they called the Geo-Vehicle.
This gentlemen is on the ball his ability to do what he has done to this truck/camper is magnificent. He probably should have been a engineer or a designer . He can look at something and it appears in his head and then he makes it amazing
I saw this rig headed east on Rte 7 (Hoosick Road) outside of Troy, NY a week or two ago. Rte 7/Hoosick Rd heads east to Bennington, VT, then toward NH. I thought to myself, what a great idea putting an Airstream on a rig. I thought it was a Pete as it went by, he was moving along pretty fast. How cool to stumble upon the rig and the builder!
Mid career. Got me to thinking that would have been around 2000 for me. There were still small fleet company jobs that were sweet gigs. I found one of those and I hung on to it until I retired.
@@David_Richard_241 I've got one like that. Good on the backend anyway. ESOP company, my own rig etc. Just the upfront wages suck for Canadian cost of living (owned by americans) as a city driver I'm currently about 3 to 5 bucks an hour under the average for my area.
@@somewhereinagalaxyfarfaraway I was driving new full-service Ryder lease trucks for my company. I never touched a fuel hose for 10 years. I got paid by the hour for 2500 miles per week doing LTL frozen, for every minute on-duty. Parked it on Friday, turned the report into the shop, went home and forgot about the damn thing for 2 or 3 days. Never even considered buying my own truck. Being a company driver was good to me.
@@David_Richard_241 oh ya I would NEVER buy my own working rig in today's market. Ever. I'm a company driver too. I meant i want this kind of rig when I retire haha if I can ever afford to.
@@somewhereinagalaxyfarfaraway Thirty years ago my ex-wife asked me why I had not considered buying my own truck. I told her the truck would need to get paid before she did. She was less than enthusiastic about that idea after that.😄
Am stymied at this conversion...understands transitions to make things work...living a dream...most enjoyable interview...one of a kind toy and practical living quarters on/off the road!
Thank you so much for posting this!!! I have loved big trucks AND Airstreams since kindergarten .... at nearly sixty now, that's still true and this guy combined the two in an amazingly well thought out and beautifully executed way. AWESOME!!!
It's like a father showing off his new baby. He has the mind of an engineer who has the ability to build his own motor home. I loved it when he said that towing his F-150 Crew Cab at 80, he can drop the hammer, there's a puff of smoke and in 10 seconds, he's at 100.
Beautiful rig, I wish I had the money to do something like this. Out of all the conversions I've seen, rv, trailer, this is the one that was thought out just for Pugs. Happy Trails !!!!
How many truckers on the road today can go buy a truck that's been sitting in the woods for 12 years and getting running in an hour? Not many. This dude's the real deal, the O.G...
WOW... dam this guy is a mad creative genius. 1,000 HP HOLY SHIT...lol. using old fuel tanks for storage. I would love a good sit down chat with this man.
