Getting my own van, opinions wanted

[Billy The Impaler]

I have some money coming, a consequence of losing someone. The amount is still up in the air, but it's enough to buy a van and to set it up. I don't know if the guy is still making the ones pictured, but that has my interest.

But let me back up. I'm driving someone else's van, and it's bare bones: no insulation, no battery bank, no heat or AC aside from what comes out of the dash, no power except the cigarette lighter plugs, no E-track. So I'm looking at ways to improve my situation until I choose, acquire, set up my van, etc., and figuring out what I need to do to set up the new one. So as far as that goes, I'm looking to improve my situation in the current van, which would be

• a better bed;
• taking out the passenger seat for more room;
• the ecowave AC & heat with a couple batteries;
• lithium golf cart batteries, which I guess would charge off the battery as I drive, don't know how many or how many amp hours I need;
• installing the chest fridge/freezer to run off those batteries;
• setup to cook various ways.

All of which will be transferred to the new van.

As I said in a previous message, the Chevy 3500 offered a far better ride and overall comfort and ergonomics than the Sprinter, aside from the interior height, so I'm going to want something like that rather than a Sprinter.

I'd appreciate opinions of what to get, both vehicle and equipment, and some idea of costs.

Then I have to figure out one or two companies to sign on with.

Opinions desired.

 

[LDB]

The van in the photo may be over 9999 pounds GVW. You don't want that. You'll be stuck doing logs. You could call Load 1 and ask if they'd get the owner of unit 400 to call you. If (S)He does, you can find out about that van and where to get it.

If I were going back out I'd get the tallest and longest Ford Transit that didn't exceed 9999 GVW. As far as setting it up I'd read back through the years here and find what Turtle, Moot and Geo have to say. They are experts in van setup and operation.

One thing I'd do differently is have 2 Fantastic Fans on the roof, one directly above where my head will be when sleeping and the other above my feet, the one above my head blowing in and above my feet pulling out. That should create an even stronger cooling breeze and let me be comfortable without needing A/C over a greater range. I'd also have a second side window with a jalousie lower section, maybe even a third, again adding to the comfort range with the fans.

Good luck.

 

[Billy The Impaler]

The van in the photo may be over 9999 pounds GVW. You don't want that. You'll be stuck doing logs. You could call Load 1 and ask if they'd get the owner of unit 400 to call you. If (S)He does, you can find out about that van and where to get it.

If I were going back out I'd get the tallest and longest Ford Transit that didn't exceed 9999 GVW. As far as setting it up I'd read back through the years here and find what Turtle, Moot and Geo have to say. They are experts in van setup and operation.

One thing I'd do differently is have 2 Fantastic Fans on the roof, one directly above where my head will be when sleeping and the other above my feet, the one above my head blowing in and above my feet pulling out. That should create an even stronger cooling breeze and let me be comfortable without needing A/C over a greater range. I'd also have a second side window with a jalousie lower section, maybe even a third, again adding to the comfort range with the fans.

Good luck.

There's a YouTube video about that unit. It grosses 9950.

 

[LDB]

There's a YouTube video about that unit. It grosses 9950.

In that case it's good to go, provided it isn't too heavy on the scale when ready to roll. I'd try to talk to them and ask if they'd share a copy of their scale ticket. I'd like to see inside it to see how they have it set up. I had my G3500 set up by Sportsmobile in Austin. They did a good job, not like Turtle and others would have done, but better than I could have done with my two left thumbs.

 

[Billy The Impaler]

In that case it's good to go, provided it isn't too heavy on the scale when ready to roll. I'd try to talk to them and ask if they'd share a copy of their scale ticket. I'd like to see inside it to see how they have it set up. I had my G3500 set up by Sportsmobile in Austin. They did a good job, not like Turtle and others would have done, but better than I could have done with my two left thumbs.

Here it is.

 

[LDB]

That's interesting. It's a good start. I'd want an Espar heater for winter and A/C for summer. I'd also want at least two rows of e-track along the walls. I'm picky about freight not coming forward and joining me in the driver's cabin. I'd end up with a truly comfortable enough to live in unit with maybe 3k cargo capacity or a bit better and be fine with that. Or I'd just do a stock Transit like I did my G3500 and have the same comfort with 3 skid 3k capacity and narrower profile for easier driving. It's tempting though.