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Turtle Top van

Monty

Monty

Expert Expediter
Yes, same vehicle, same dealer .. new game.

Both Ford and GM deliver a 10,000 pound vehicle, in both a single rear wheel, and a dual wheel.
No modification is required on the GM, on the Ford it is delivered as a 138" wheel base, then stretched to 159".

From the pictures I have seen of the one they just completed up there, they may have indeed made it to heavy with the sleeper package. I requested a curb weight.

Which is why I'm talking with them. I have this idea, I can develop a van that is American made, (sorta, never know where those parts come from), instead of the German option ... it will be interesting to see what both Ford Transit and Nissan do. In the meantime ...
 
chefdennis

chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
Notanewbie said:
Yes, same vehicle, same dealer .. new game.

Both Ford and GM deliver a 10,000 pound vehicle, in both a single rear wheel, and a dual wheel.
No modification is required on the GM, on the Ford it is delivered as a 138" wheel base, then stretched to 159".

From the pictures I have seen of the one they just completed up there, they may have indeed made it to heavy with the sleeper package. I requested a curb weight.

Which is why I'm talking with them. I have this idea, I can develop a van that is American made, (sorta, never know where those parts come from), instead of the German option ... it will be interesting to see what both Ford Transit and Nissan do. In the meantime ...
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The availability of the 10,000 gvw on srw without the alteration of the removing the duallies is a good deal..and id have no issue with the stretch at all, with the exception of what is the added expense and does it exceed the price of the Chev/Gmc...other then that, as i have said, its a nice truck, just expensive...

Oh, one thing to check, the rear door opening height...on the Cargo Max, the height is different between the Rollup and the swing out doors... I am not that is how the Turtle Top is, but you want to make sure that you have a height that works for you and not be surprised...
 
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mjmsprt40

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Rocketman said:
Sorry dude, but you won't be selling many of those to expediters. You'll need the under 10,001# version for expediters.
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It seems 10,000 is the break point. Below that, CVs and Sprinters rule the day, box vans seem bigger but they're handicapped when it comes to payload weight (that box weighs enough). Above 10,000, you might as well go with a dock-high truck and be done with it. That's in expediting.

The van shown in the photo might do well enough in a lot of specialty markets though.
 
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Rocketman

Veteran Expediter
mjmsprt40 said:
It seems 10,000 is the break point. Below that, CVs and Sprinters rule the day, box vans seem bigger but they're handicapped when it comes to payload weight (that box weighs enough). Above 10,000, you might as well go with a dock-high truck and be done with it. That's in expediting.

The van shown in the photo might do well enough in a lot of specialty markets though.
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It is such a simple concept. In the expedite van world a 10000# GVWR or LESS=Priceless. A 10,001# or more=Worthless.

I am very aware of TurtleTop's offerings and if I were going to buy another GM van soon, I would be talking to them. But, whoever decided to invest money into an expedite sleeper conversion on a van with dual wheels and a 12,300#(?) GVWR didn't do their research.
 
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mjmsprt40

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I hadn't looked at the photos until just now. No, no, no, no, no. This van is so badly handicapped it's not funny. It has it's place in the construction industry, maybe, but in expediting--- it barely has load space for one skid. Two if they're small and you slide them in sideways.

Buy a Sprinter, and even then think three times before you try to install a PERMANENT sleeping area. Then you can fit three skids and maybe a bit more. I have a standard CV, and I daresay I'll handle nearly as much in my van as that machine in the photos will--- and I don't have to log.
 
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purgoose10

Veteran Expediter
Notanewbie said:
I dunno Scott .... we havent gotten that far .... but I'm sure they insulate those shuttle busses of their's well enough ... I asked them to read this thread ..... maybe they will respond, or send me the answer.

But I do know they build YOUR unit, whatever you wish ... so insulation should not be an issue. I was going to suggest they use the foam .. it has a higher R rating, and will never shake loose.
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Here we go again. Turtletop will custom build your sleeper anyway you want it. The insulation pkg is R-11. Again they do not stretch their chassis. They are on a 139-159-177 wb for GM and not sure about Ford but you can ask Hazmat. Also no issues with SRW again Hazmat has SRW and mine will be. Swing doors have a 70" opening in height. The only wb you can get the 9900 gvw is 139-159. The 177 is 14K.
When I say stretch I'm refering to GM products.
 
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purgoose10

Veteran Expediter
mjmsprt40 said:
I hadn't looked at the photos until just now. No, no, no, no, no. This van is so badly handicapped it's not funny. It has it's place in the construction industry, maybe, but in expediting--- it barely has load space for one skid. Two if they're small and you slide them in sideways.

Buy a Sprinter, and even then think three times before you try to install a PERMANENT sleeping area. Then you can fit three skids and maybe a bit more. I have a standard CV, and I daresay I'll handle nearly as much in my van as that machine in the photos will--- and I don't have to log.
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Obviously your looking at the wrong pictures.
 
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Rocketman

Veteran Expediter
purgoose10 said:
Obviously your looking at the wrong pictures.
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Actually, part of what he says is spot on. The sleeper is quite likely taking up at least 5' of the available 14' leaving 9' (or less) for cargo and his standard cv will likely have 9' or more of available length. So, your left with a 2 skid van over 10,000# gvwr and dual wheels.

I know that they can and do build a nice unit for expediters, but the van pictured in the photos that he posted is not one of them. If I were TurtleTop, I would send all of those DRW vans with sleepers back to Midway and have the sleepers removed and re-installed in SRW vans....or I would make the modifications required to de-rate and re-tag those DRW chasis to 10,000#
 
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mjmsprt40

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
purgoose10 said:
Obviously your looking at the wrong pictures.
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I was looking at the photos in Sturtle's last post. The living space looks great, but the load floor is seriously short. I don't think it's as long as my standard CV floor is, and as you know it can be a job getting two skids in on that. Then, there's the weight of the box. Now, I have to think that if this van is under 10,000, his payload is less than mine-- and I drive a 2500 with an 8,600 GVWR. So, I can haul more in my lighter, less "flashy" van from the looks of it.
 
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purgoose10

Veteran Expediter
mjmsprt40 said:
I was looking at the photos in Sturtle's last post. The living space looks great, but the load floor is seriously short. I don't think it's as long as my standard CV floor is, and as you know it can be a job getting two skids in on that. Then, there's the weight of the box. Now, I have to think that if this van is under 10,000, his payload is less than mine-- and I drive a 2500 with an 8,600 GVWR. So, I can haul more in my lighter, less "flashy" van from the looks of it.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry I didn't see the photos above and your right about the sleeper and the DWR. Seems like some research would have helped, but new market for them. I think they have one like that running for Tri State but it's probably a 12K unit.
 
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Driver2

Seasoned Expediter
Partly, it's sold now, but it was a great setup if not for the things I mentioned. Granted you could only haul 2600 lbs if it were 10,000 gvw but that means you can carry a 100lb generator with you an still have 2600lb. No problems with stability at all even with a flat floor. Got about 12mpg with that setup, lower the box and get a very lightweight aero package an you would get 13-13.5 probably.
 
xiggi

xiggi

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Driver2 said:
Partly, it's sold now, but it was a great setup if not for the things I mentioned. Granted you could only haul 2600 lbs if it were 10,000 gvw but that means you can carry a 100lb generator with you an still have 2600lb. No problems with stability at all even with a flat floor. Got about 12mpg with that setup, lower the box and get a very lightweight aero package an you would get 13-13.5 probably.
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13 - 13.5 is horrible mileage for this work.

Sent from my Fisher Price ABC123 via EO Forums
 
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Driver2

Seasoned Expediter
I agree, unfortunately it's the best you're gonna do in a cube van with any sort of power and reliability.
 
mxzane933

mxzane933

Seasoned Expediter
Notanewbie said:
I have been talking with Turtle Top about an expediter conversion with a sleeper.

They have one on the ground now at their plant in Indiana .... but all they did was copy the Midway Conversion.

I have been discussing the 10,000 pound model for both a Ford and a GM product. Both manufacturers offer a single wheel, and a dual wheel, model.

My discussion with them involved the loading of a max 10,000 pound load on a single wheel. I had three points of concern.

1. Stability .. especially in crosswinds.

2. Traction .. in snow and mud

3. Overload .... while none of us, (I think), would consistently load to max weight, and beyond, it does happen. And that ocassional overload on a single tire, (in my opinion), would place to much stress on the vehicle.

Anyway, my conversations with them continue .....

Any thoughts from the rest of you?
Click to expand...

Do you have a site link?
 
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