It’s not every day you see a horse truck tiny home conversion. But a guy from the Netherlands did it all by himself. He transformed an old Mercedes-Benz flatbed light truck into a cozy tiny home on wheels. But the DIYer didn’t stop there, though. He designed a cool mobile sauna as well.
In 2015, Matthew Jansen decided to leave his job at the hair salon and switch to a nomadic lifestyle. So he got a Toyota van and hit the road, combining his love for music and hair with traveling.
The result was a tiny home on wheels that also doubled as a salon. But since the vehicle didn’t offer much space to move around, he turned to a horse truck. More specifically, he found a 1986 Mercedes-Benz TN/T1. Introduced in 1977 and produced until 1995, the TN/T1 was available as a box van, a flatbed light truck, or a minibus.
Matthew got a 409 D fitted with a cargo box used to transport horses. The chassis was surprisingly good, so he kept most of the elements. Under the hood, the vehicle has a 2.5-liter,inline-five OM602 diesel engine capable of delivering 90 hp and 154 Nm (114 lb-ft) of torque.
He bought the truck at the incredible price of €3,000 ($3,058). Moreover, to build the tiny home, he only spent €2,000 ($2,038), which is peanuts for a DIY truck conversion. That’s because Matthew tried to reuse as many items as possible. As a result, the mobile home has a cozy cabin vibe, and it features vintage furniture, as well as different recycled things.
The cargo box offers him plenty of wiggle room. Plus, the build includes a deck extension that maximizes overall living space. This outside area can be accessed directly from the inside since there is a double door at the rear.
The wood interior has a little bit of everything. There’s a rocking chair, a foldable table, a small kitchen equipped with a two-burner stove and a sink, and even a bedroom with a bed that can sleep two people. Unfortunately, the tiny home doesn’t have a bathroom, but it does include a small cassette toilet.
Of course, you’ll also notice Matthew’s guitar on the wall and a barber chair. But he also has a useful little addition that he built together with his father: a mobile sauna. He often carries it along with him on his travels, and sometimes it rents it out too. Although compact, it allows up to four people to enjoy the heat and relax.
Recently, the folks from Alternative House offered a tour of his cool builds. You can click the clip down below to find more about Matthew’s horse truck tiny home conversion and DIY sauna on wheels.
Florina taught herself how to drive in a Daewoo Tico (a rebadged Suzuki Alto kei car) but her first "real car" was a VW Golf. When she’s not writing about cars, drones or aircraft, Florina likes to read anything related to space exploration and take pictures in the middle of nature. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News