As time goes on, I will periodically post my fuel mileage based on purchases, load weights, and road conditions. I feel with this newer vehicle being introduced to the industry, it is important to share information like this.
I will also post my setup for the inside - Etrak etc., GVW including CCC. (My bodyweight and all the trimmings).
Here are a couple of pics and some explanation:
With this setup - 108"L x 68.5"T x 52"W - I have chosen 2200Lbs max, although legally I can go up to 2700-2800Lbs, according to the GVWR Math (I will scale it just to make sure). It also has a little more room for odd shape cargo as far as length and width. 132" straight up the center, (imagine a roll of carpet/stack of 12' lumber) at about 12" wide, and the width can go out to 54" at the wheel wells and the back doors.
I haven't fully decided where everything should go yet so it's a little messy. Some of the details within the setup are not easily visible using my smartphone camera. The main thing I wanted to show is how I set up the wood planks and Etrack. Not that I would claim this as revolutionary by any means, but given the design of the floor by Nissan, this worked out pretty well.
I like the planks better than plywood so I can easily get a strap hook on the pallet an use that to pull out the inner pallet. The hook part of the strap can go on either side of the center of the pallet, or one hook on each side. When the forklift pulls back, the strap hooks don't rip up the wood, rather they ride in the gaps. If any part of the wood does get damaged, the replacement is easier than plywood in my opinion. The Etrack is held in place by self tapping metal screws - the placement on the floor was chosen so that the screws had the extra steel from the tophat shape of the frame support to bite into. I looked for this when I bought the truck. There are additional D-Rings as well, so if I get a really heavy pallet and feel I need the extra cargo securement, I can use them in conjunction with the Etrack, otherwise, I use the Etrack with the belt and ring clips to criss-cross the load.
The D-Rings are rated at 5000N each according to the manual. That's 1124 Lbs after the conversion, so with a properly rated strap using a D-Ring on each side, holds a rated 2248 Lbs (Although, I would only count on 1/2 of that, back to 1124Lbs) after all, let's be safe out there! There are 6 D-Rings set up through out the truck. So, if necessary, I can "read from the good book" to Mr. DOT as far as securement goes.
There are some storage baskets I hung using a system I found at the Bigbox store. I chose this because I wasn't sure how all my stuff was going to fit, and where (The system has baskets, hooks,etc.). After making room for the freight, one must make room for the driver (Me) and I didn't want to construct the normal side panels that I have seen in most vans. I felt it would restrict the width I was able to carry(54" down to 48"). I do have things like a chair, tools, etc., which are all movable to accommodate the odd sized cargo. Even though 99% will be 48" x 42" or 48", there are those occasional funky loads (Robotic welding arms and other things).
The foam is my mattress, to which I will place my sleeping bag on, and then a top blanket/sheets for summer, and simply crawl in for winter. My legs will comfortably fit between the seats, and the foam is more than enough to handle the wood planks, however, I also could use a cot or a beach chair cushion. For me, the foam is good enough. There is also enough room to sleep cross ways behind the seats with 2 pallets on board. I might have to lose a few pounds, though.
As far as mileage goes, I don't have any useful data yet, but I will post it when I get it. We are waiting for the Authority to come through (21 Day waiting period), about 1 more week and we'll be off to the truckstop.
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