2008 T@B Overland Upgrades and Spare Parts Available

rzabel

Long time lurker on the forum and I've learned a lot, thank you! This is my first post. We have a 2008 T@B that we've owned for about 10 years, but have begun taking it on progressively more and more challenging roads and trails to join our son in his overlanding adventures.  We traveled the Rimrocker Trail from Montrose Colorado to Moab Utah last year with no problems, other than a few things flying out of our cabinets.  We already made some modifications for trips like that and the T@B has performed amazingly well. The approach and departure angles of the T@B design make it a natural for moderate off-road travel.  I know I've read in here that some may question the ALKO frame's ability to withstand off-road abuse, but the excellent design and it's strength-to-weight ratio have proven to be very durable and well suited to overlanding.  We're in the midst of a more substantial upgrade now and we'll have some parts left over that may be of interest to the group. 

Past upgrades:
Larger tires for more clearance
Added ALKO shocks
Removed surge brake and hitch, replaced with Max-Coupler off-road hitch
Spare tire rack on tongue
Installed 100ah lithium battery (LiFePO4), replaced converter, added port for portable solar panel, installed dc/dc charger (including charging upgrade for TV)
Interior changes including removing upper cabinets, installing shelves, removing table, making twin bed swags

Upgrades in progress:
Timbren axle-less suspension and new tires/wheels
Replace front storage box
Add second 100ah lithium battery
Remove Cool-Cat A/C unit, use space for portable toilet
Mount larger fresh water tank
Replace refrigerator with larger Dometic 12v
New cabinets and L-shaped countertop (looking at utilizing an existing mid-century teak credenza with drawers and tambour doors)

Here's the list of available parts:
Cool-Cat A/C and thermostat - worked fine the last time we tried it, but that was years ago
Norcold DC0040 12v refrigerator - good working order
Original Alloy Wheels with nearly new larger 205/75R16 MS tires
Original ALKO axle with surge brakes and hitch 
ALKO shocks - imported from Germany and installed about one year ago
Miscellaneous original cabinet doors
White plastic front storage tub - has a couple of cracks where it mounts, but repaired and not visible 
Original pull-down shade for porthole window
Original 5-gallon fresh water tank

Not looking to make money, we just don't want these things laying around or going to the landfill if they can help someone.  If anyone is interested in anything, I'll take some pics, provide details, and we can talk about price, pick up, meet up, or even deliver, since we travel throughout the west regularly. 

Please let me know if anyone is interested in any of the parts or would like information on any of our upgrades.  I've placed the list with more information in the For Sale - Camping and Trailer Gear discussions. 

Below is a photo of our T@B on the Rimrocker Trail.  When we're not traveling in the T@B, we're in our renovated 1948 Spartan Manor.  We just returned from 6 weeks going to Mexico and back to see the total eclipse in Durango Mexico.  I've added a photo of that too.  Thanks again for all the great info in the forum. 

Regards, Rick 
rzabel at yahoo dot com

Sharon_is_SAM

This post was edited as the OP created a sale ad here:

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/18413/2008-dutchman-t-b-parts-available#latest

Please discuss part adoption in the linked sale ad.