September 5, 2011
Introducing the all new Buckstop Bumper (www.buckstop.biz) for The Turtle V. Fresh out of the paint booth, you can see some of its interesting features; left and right locking weather-tight storage compartments, dual 2” receivers, vertical bars to protect the headlights, custom mounts for PIAA (www.piaa.com) HID driving and 510 Series Xtreme White SMR Fog […]
August 26, 2011
Another sneak preview. After many years of using PIAA lights, (www.piaa.com), the choice was easy when we were designing our Buckstop Bumper, (www.buckstop.biz), for The Turtle V. The all-new PIAA RS 600 Shock Lamp H.I.D. Long Range Driving Light has an internal ballast. It has a black polyamide and fiberglass housing, and the polycarbonate clear-coat […]
August 24, 2011
As final assembly of our new Buckstop Bumper for The Turtle V continues, a Warn 16.5ti electric winch was installed. www.warn.com The frame of the Buckstop Outback Bumper was configured specifically for the Warn 16.5. This is the highest capacity, most technologically advanced winch for big trucks. The Gen II series wound motor combined with […]
August 15, 2011
As final modifications were made to the new Buckstop bumper for The Turtle V, Gabriel Arreola used a plasma cutter to trim off the wing tips to match the flares of the front wheel wells. We robbed the rock guard that protects the power steering cooler and adapted it to the new bumper. Factory tie-down […]
August 10, 2011
As the details of our new Buckstop Heavy Duty Bumper for The Turtle V took shape, practical ideas from previous designs merged. Of course, we added 2” receivers on both sides, off-set so when we are pushing a trailer into a tight place, the driver can see where it’s going. Dual receivers open the possibility […]
August 8, 2011
Working with Dorian Hartfield, owner of Buckstop, and his chief fabricator, Gabriel Arreola, the process of hand-carving our custom Buckstop bumper for The Turtle V began with the design of cross bars and a light bar. This is the frame around the picture, so both function and great looks were equally important. Tube bending is […]
August 5, 2011
I posted 5 photos on Facebook in the album “Two Turtles at the Overland Expo 2011” http://fb.me/ZiUAiYCU
August 5, 2011
After studying the designs of our last nine bumpers, we realized that the upright support bars needed be at an angle that would push large animals like deer, cows and burros away from the truck, not up into the windshield. The basic shape of the Buckstop Outback was a good compromise. The welded box design […]
July 31, 2011
When we originally designed The Tortuga Expedition Camper, we installed a microwave oven. In real life on the road, we used it only occasionally to reheat coffee or a bowl of soup. Since propane is the best way to cook, and it is readily available everywhere in the world, the microwave was really an unneeded […]
July 27, 2011
For those of you who are familiar with The Turtle V and its European-style Tortuga Expedition Camper, you may recall that to maximize use of space, the shower and Thetford Porta Potti are in the doorway, a space that is always there. The Porta Potti simply slides out when needed. The problem was that the […]