Couple Transform Military Truck Into Dream Mobile Home
A COUPLE have converted a retired military truck into a purpose-built, one of a kind off-road mobile home. Kourtney and Trevor Smithson of Virginia, USA built their very own home on wheels using an original Stewart and Stevenson M1078 LMTV troop carrier which they picked up at a military auction. The conversion took just six weeks to complete and cost the couple around $37,000, including the purchase of the truck. Its owners named the ex-combat vehicle turned cosy mobile home, ‘Wazimu’, which translates as ‘crazy’.
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00:00 Everybody's like, "Oh, how many miles to the gallon? How slow is it?"
00:03 Blah blah blah. I'm like, "You know what? How fast is your house?"
00:06 Check, check, check.
00:22 Alright, here we go.
00:26 This might look like a military vehicle, but it's actually so much more.
00:31 Together we built our own M1078. We named it Wazmo.
00:41 Owners Trevor and Courtney have customized this purpose-built army truck into their very own mobile home.
00:50 And what's more, the couple did it on a tight budget.
01:15 We did our entire build for $37,000. That did include the purchase of the truck.
01:19 We got it at auction out of Daytona.
01:21 So $37,000 later, this is what we have.
01:25 Instead of taking our time to make the absolute perfect vehicle from the very beginning, we just did it.
01:31 Got on the road.
01:33 So this used to be where our generator sat, which is now back here.
01:37 Updated our entire solar system with lithium batteries.
01:40 Went from good air conditioning and good heat for about six hours, depending on the heat outside, to we have it for days.
01:49 Having a truck built for extreme purposes has some unusual advantages.
01:53 Now this truck is designed to be able to handle up to four feet of water.
01:58 We've done about three feet, had no problems.
02:01 So that actually is our cross through.
02:06 So while I'm driving, Courtney and the boys can jump on through, no big deal.
02:11 And on the other side of that hole, the truck's original army features are unrecognizable.
02:18 We have a U-shaped couch, which is also used for our clothing storage at the moment.
02:23 And then on top, as you've probably guessed, is our bed, which is on a crank system that usually people use in their garages.
02:35 We just crank it down at night.
02:37 We're going to live like hippies. I didn't want to smell like hippies.
02:45 So I really wanted a nice bathroom situation.
02:47 Our shower is actually super spacious.
02:50 It's actually big enough for me to even sit down and read a book and take a bath.
02:54 Originally, we had an actual refrigerator.
03:01 And one trip off-roading, it detached and laid itself on our couch and all the groceries were everywhere.
03:09 So that didn't last long.
03:14 We've always talked about living full-time on the road or just traveling a lot.
03:18 We purchased a vehicle about a year and a half before we actually started working on it.
03:22 The build of this truck served an additional purpose for the couple and simply providing a home for them.
03:29 I wasn't a very good husband at that time.
03:32 Turns out I was quite a bit of an alcoholic.
03:35 While Trevor was going through his sobriety is when he was building the truck.
03:40 It was probably as chaotic as it was, it was the best possible way to get sober.
03:44 Because I wasn't focusing on anything other than burning my hands, busting my knuckles and getting the thing done.
03:51 It's a very privileged lifestyle.
03:58 I tell people that all the time.
04:00 We are super, super lucky. It is not for the faint of heart.
04:03 It's not for everybody and it's really not that easy.
04:06 It's worth it if it's something that you want.
04:08 We love it.
04:10 So how does it feel to drive?
04:13 It drives like a Cadillac, like a big old boat.
04:16 We're a slow truck in a fast house.
04:19 I like that.
04:20 We did save up for three years and then we sold everything we had.
04:25 We quit our jobs, you know, all that kind of stuff.
04:28 It's a gamble.
04:29 I mean, and I definitely like always encourage people like, yes, like don't wait until tomorrow.
04:34 If you've got like a dream, especially like with your spouse, definitely do it.
04:37 [Music]