UPS Truck + Winnebago = ?

Kinja'd!!! "SteveLehto" (stevelehto)
09/12/2015 at 10:20 • Filed to: None

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What happens when a Winnebago collides with a UPS truck? Better phrased: “What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object ?” Well, thank the good folk of Ontonagon County (Michigan) for running the experiment for us.

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Yesterday around 5:00 p.m., the UPS truck you see here reportedly pulled out into the roadway. Said roadway being used at that time by a Winnebago traveling to and/or fro. The two behemoths collided and ended as illustrated in the pics. I remember studying this in Physics but that was a long time ago.

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No one was killed and the best we know is that the RV driver exited through the handy gigantic hole in the back of his unit. I suspect that was not there before the accident, but !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . That’s the kind of thing a manufacturer would tell you is fixable if it happened without colliding with a big brown truck.

As for the UPS guy? I am sure he just waved and headed out to finish his route as efficiently as possible, once he had swiftly dealt with law enforcement at the scene.

I will keep you updated on any further experiments of this sort performed by the good people of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Shortly, they will be conducting them with snowmobiles.

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DISCUSSION (26)


Kinja'd!!! Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > SteveLehto
09/12/2015 at 10:30

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Why do RV’s have the structural rigidity of water vapor? It’s amazing how poorly RVs survive ANY crash. Compared to even like a base model Hyundai elantra. I bet the driver was 146 and also legally blind but were still allowed to have a drivers license.


Kinja'd!!! XJDano > SteveLehto
09/12/2015 at 10:33

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I bet the UPS driver will get fired.


Kinja'd!!! Eric @ opposite-lock.com > SteveLehto
09/12/2015 at 10:34

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How did they get two vehicles within close enough proximity to collide up there? So few people/cars... Beautiful area, though.


Kinja'd!!! duurtlang > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
09/12/2015 at 10:34

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Why do RV’s have the structural rigidity of water vapor?

In an RV you want large size combined with low weight and a low price. Result: materials that don’t do well in a crash.


Kinja'd!!! SteveLehto > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
09/12/2015 at 10:38

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In all fairness: That RV may have looked like that before the crash. Other than the “lying on its side” part.


Kinja'd!!! SteveLehto > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
09/12/2015 at 10:39

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Yes, it seems like someone was asleep at the switch on this one.


Kinja'd!!! facw > SteveLehto
09/12/2015 at 10:47

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Sadly, I couldn’t find a good delivery van camper conversion, though this comes close:

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Here’s a pretty clean Penske moving van conversion though (incomplete at the time of the post I saw, he plans to add a kitchen and bathroom):

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The translucent ceiling is a good choice for creating a nice light space (UPS truck would have that too), though I have my doubts that the little vent to the cab would be sufficient for climate control.


Kinja'd!!! ThreePumpTrump > SteveLehto
09/12/2015 at 10:47

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TIL: There are ProMaster RVs... *Shudder*


Kinja'd!!! Urambo Tauro > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
09/12/2015 at 10:47

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RVs are not built to handle much more than a fastball. That’s about as far as their “crash testing” goes.


Kinja'd!!! VincentMalamute-Kim > ThreePumpTrump
09/12/2015 at 11:29

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ProMaster RV’s make complete sense - FWD should mean they have low floors?


Kinja'd!!! ThreePumpTrump > VincentMalamute-Kim
09/12/2015 at 11:50

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It’s based on the ProMaster chassis cab, so I’m not sure if the low floor carries over?

My Shudder was more from seeing a Winnebago logo on a Fiat.


Kinja'd!!! VincentMalamute-Kim > ThreePumpTrump
09/12/2015 at 12:12

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“My Shudder was more from seeing a Winnebago logo on a Fiat.” - yeah, I knew that and know what you mean. But everything’s international today - Lambo owned by Germans, Jeep/Ram/Viper owned by Italians, Jaguar owned by Indians?, Land Rover owned by Chinese? Can’t remember who owns what. Wasn’t Lotus owned by Indonesians at one point?

I haven’t been inside a ProMaster, only seen a couple on the roads. So the FWD layout doesn’t translate into a low floor because of the rear frame? That would be disappointing - it would have been one of the major reasons for me to wait for an old used ProMaster instead of a Sprinter (plus Sprinter rust) or Transit. You give up a lot of towing capacity for the FWD layout.

And it’s hard to tell how low the floor is on that Winnebago in the pictures!


Kinja'd!!! BATC42 > VincentMalamute-Kim
09/12/2015 at 12:28

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Over in Europe, the Fiat Ducato (on which the ProMaster is based) is actually the leader when it comes to RV conversion. Second place goes to the Renault Master I think.


Kinja'd!!! ThreePumpTrump > VincentMalamute-Kim
09/12/2015 at 12:29

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I just did some digging! The ProMaster chassis cab does have a different frame than the van (ladder vs unibody), but it still retains a low load height!

In theory, this should mean more headroom, but I wouldn’t be surprised if RV builders don't add extra height to the interior.


Kinja'd!!! VincentMalamute-Kim > ThreePumpTrump
09/12/2015 at 12:48

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Thanks! Why bother google when you can get someone else to do it? ;)

That’s going to be a difficult choice. I heard the ProMaster has a 5000 lb tow capacity vs up to 10,000 lbs for the others. Which means you can’t tow a trailer and race car.

BTW, what does “TIL” mean?


Kinja'd!!! VincentMalamute-Kim > BATC42
09/12/2015 at 12:51

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I don’t have any issues with Ducato’s/ProMaster’s being made into RV’s. It will take time and kindess for our rigid American minds to get used to the idea of foreign companies underlying our traditional American brands.


Kinja'd!!! jkm7680 > XJDano
09/12/2015 at 12:53

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Undoubtedly.


Kinja'd!!! Amoore100 > BATC42
09/12/2015 at 14:07

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I would have thought Transit caravans would be more common...

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Kinja'd!!! BaconSandwich is tasty. > VincentMalamute-Kim
09/12/2015 at 14:19

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It stands for "Today I Learned".


Kinja'd!!! BATC42 > Amoore100
09/12/2015 at 18:04

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Depends where. In Continental Europe not so much, in the British Isles definitely. They have this weird fetish for Ford.


Kinja'd!!! Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > SteveLehto
09/14/2015 at 14:35

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Beacon!


Kinja'd!!! Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
09/14/2015 at 14:36

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Unless they had their tuning done by Abarth...


Kinja'd!!! Titan-E34 > XJDano
09/14/2015 at 14:57

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Absolutely not. They are Teamsters. They don’t get fired.


Kinja'd!!! Randonymity > SteveLehto
09/14/2015 at 15:23

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*picks up phone* Hey, Mr. Dealer, on second thought, I'd prefer to have the full bathroom instead of the wet bath. Any chance I can swap them out? Yes? Great. I'll work on uninstalling the wet bath right away.


Kinja'd!!! Britt > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
09/14/2015 at 15:36

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our laws concerning roadworthiness for RV's are virtually non-existent... at least that is my guess after knowing/working with ambulance drivers/paramedics.


Kinja'd!!! Leon711 > ThreePumpTrump
09/14/2015 at 18:07

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you better believe it!

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