Van or S/T?
- Thread starter robh2
- Start date
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
well I think its a personal thing, but i also think alot of it has to do with:
no on the road Dot inspections
no hours of service for alot of companies
no scaling
no log books
considerably less expense in maintainance cost
the ability to go and park most anywhere when not on a load
and looking for entertainment
less upfront cost
and alot of CV solo drivers are make close to if not a much as a solo ST driver
I am sure I am missing alot, and thosse that have made the move will add to the list
Oh insurance cost are also a consderation...
no on the road Dot inspections
no hours of service for alot of companies
no scaling
no log books
considerably less expense in maintainance cost
the ability to go and park most anywhere when not on a load
and looking for entertainment
less upfront cost
and alot of CV solo drivers are make close to if not a much as a solo ST driver
I am sure I am missing alot, and thosse that have made the move will add to the list
Oh insurance cost are also a consderation...
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purgoose10
Veteran Expediter
I am in the process of ordering a Chevy 3500 cutaway with a Aerocell box on the back. I will be able to handle 3 pallets but I'm still going to be under 10K. The CW Aerocell body has 500cu ft of loading space. I am also going to have a Power Deck installed so there will be no sliding of pallets on the floor, less damage to the truck and quicker to load and unload. You can see a picture of the box @ <Unicell.com>. I can build the unit with A/C, Power Slide, battery bank, etc.etc. for less than a new Sprinter. No waiting on parts, less cost, more loading area. And you can stand up, which to a C/V operator is a big plus.
Also for the guys that say I'm going to haul D Freight for less money, no If I take 3 pallets I will get more money or let a D unit haul it. But sometimes to get out of a bad area you have to do what you have to do.
Also for the guys that say I'm going to haul D Freight for less money, no If I take 3 pallets I will get more money or let a D unit haul it. But sometimes to get out of a bad area you have to do what you have to do.
purgoose10
Veteran Expediter
The reason I chose the Aerocell CW, it's not much bigger than a van but close to the size of the Sprinter and lighter than the stock van by 700 pds. I can carry 3,000# and stay under the 10K limit. It has the aerodynamics needed for fuel mileage. Adding AirTab's will also help. I'm supposed to let them know about what engine I want next week. With the reduction in weight I am thinking Duramax and a 373 gear. Pulls good but still get better mileage than a 4.10 gear. This is a single rear wheel not the dual model. I will also be adding the cargo slide unit. It has 150"x 52" loading area. With the cargo slide I can get 3 pallets in if I want to.
The reason I did not get off the dealer yard, I spec'd everything in the truck the way I want it. I will be mounting a roof mounted A/C as well. I am having the reinforcement bars put in to allow E trac on the walls. If I stay with a gas unit I will be about $35 thou, with a Duramax and Allison about 41K. They now offer the new 6.2 gas engine with an Allison but I don't think the fuel mileage will be all that great and I don't want to be the test market for it.
I hope to have it up and running by the end of Feb. As soon as I get it I will post pictures. You can see the unit @<Unicel.com> it's the CW model.
The reason I did not get off the dealer yard, I spec'd everything in the truck the way I want it. I will be mounting a roof mounted A/C as well. I am having the reinforcement bars put in to allow E trac on the walls. If I stay with a gas unit I will be about $35 thou, with a Duramax and Allison about 41K. They now offer the new 6.2 gas engine with an Allison but I don't think the fuel mileage will be all that great and I don't want to be the test market for it.
I hope to have it up and running by the end of Feb. As soon as I get it I will post pictures. You can see the unit @<Unicel.com> it's the CW model.
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
you can order the 6.0 gas motor with the 6 spd and get the 3:42 axle on the srw...don't let them tell you you can't it is available...but they will most likely want to use a "pool chassis" from Uni-cel....don't let them push you that way...if you are going to order it, for the money you will save on getting the better mile with that axle ratio and the cost of the diesel, i'd pass on the diesel...but thats just me
PS: most "pool chassis" do not have the 3:42 axle...
PS: most "pool chassis" do not have the 3:42 axle...
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purgoose10
Veteran Expediter
You are right about the pool chassis, that's why I'm ordering to my spec's through a chevy dealer who is also a unicell dealer. I have a 3.42 in my p/up but not sure how it would perform with a load. If you have a 6.0 w/a 3.42 what kind of mileage are you averaging? The diesel thing probably won't go that way though that's all I've had through the years, I might just go with the 6.0. I don't know how it will hold up in the long run say over 200,000 miles and more. Yes they are cheaper to maintain and you can pull it out and replace it cheaper than a diesel, it's just personnel preference. The $6,000 option of diesel and Allison is a high price to pay. I can get the 6.2 with an Allison but it's a new engine out this year and I don't know anything about it.
purgoose10
Veteran Expediter
Most of the (what I call yard trucks) chassis on dealer yards are standard straight trucks with nothing on them, also most have the 4:10 and 3:73 gearing. I don't mind the 3:73 but I don't need a 4:10.
You have to find a dealer that will work with you, most don't because of limited mark up on the vehicle. To me if I'm going to spend that amount of money and have to spend most of my life in the truck, I'll get what I want, not what the salesman say's I should have. 10-4?
guido4475
Not a Member
Is it a SRW or Dual rear wheel cutaway?You may want to watch youre emprty weight, including everything you put in it, because I have a freind who did the same setup, and ended up only being able to haul a little over 1,000# in it after it was all said and done.And michigan pulled him over on telegraph and put him on the portable scales and had a field day with him.He ended up parking it, and selling it.What are you really going to gain by having a cube? MPG will be less also.
purgoose10
Veteran Expediter
This is not a cube. The is the CW model with single wheel. Street wide version. 3500 chevy. Gross weight 9600 pds, the same as a van. It's fiberglass van body. See it @ <Unicell.com>
I don't want anything that will raise the gvw of the vehicle over 10k. The only problem with this vehicle is exposing it to side wind (get a little nervous). The Sprinters do it though so I guess I can. I should be able to scale 3k with all my junk in it and be legal.
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
No my van is an 05 with a 4.8 and a 3:73 with 367,325 mile right now....
I know you are in the business now, but keep in mind that 90% of you driving is at cruising speeds on the hyway.... I sold those chevy trucks for 10 yrs and If I were ordering a cutaway today, It would be a srw. 6.0. 6spd and a 3:42 axle..Id then have it drop shipped to uni-cel and have them install the CW box and have them the the factory roof out and install the front wind deflector with an open ceiling so i could stand up between the seats....but since that box in its longest form is only 12 ft, I won't be getting one....my next CV will have a 14 ft inside load floor length.....on a 9600 gvw srw chassis.....I also know where there are a few 09 10,000 gvw chassis that havs a conversion to SRW and are still tagged at 10,000 gvw....but they do not have the 6 spd....
Oh, from what I have been able to gather, the 6.0 with the 6 spd and the 3:42...mileage should be in the 18-19 range and with good driving habits (that leaves me out) upwards of 20 mpg on a reg basis....
I know you are in the business now, but keep in mind that 90% of you driving is at cruising speeds on the hyway.... I sold those chevy trucks for 10 yrs and If I were ordering a cutaway today, It would be a srw. 6.0. 6spd and a 3:42 axle..Id then have it drop shipped to uni-cel and have them install the CW box and have them the the factory roof out and install the front wind deflector with an open ceiling so i could stand up between the seats....but since that box in its longest form is only 12 ft, I won't be getting one....my next CV will have a 14 ft inside load floor length.....on a 9600 gvw srw chassis.....I also know where there are a few 09 10,000 gvw chassis that havs a conversion to SRW and are still tagged at 10,000 gvw....but they do not have the 6 spd....
Oh, from what I have been able to gather, the 6.0 with the 6 spd and the 3:42...mileage should be in the 18-19 range and with good driving habits (that leaves me out) upwards of 20 mpg on a reg basis....
guido4475
Not a Member
That's excactly the way I'd do it,or set it up, only in a Ford chassis.Yes,the 14 ft would be nicer than a 12.But since I have only seen them in a 12, I am figuring 8 for cargo, 4 for sleeper.Ever notice the chassis and box lenghts in Laredo, that come over the border from Mexico? I have seen somany 350's to 550's with 20 ft boxes on them, with the wheelbases longer than I have seen here in the states.What's up with that? Outside source cutting and stretching them, I wonder?
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
I talked to Uni-cel and Supreme about stretching a cut-away chassis and they won't do it because of Fed Regs... the engineer at Supreme told me that there are a few box companies that will farm it out, but he wouldn't tell me who, he left that to me...Well I know where I can get the 2009/10 cut away chassis that is 10,000 gvw that will take a 14 foot box with the srw...so that will be the direction I go within the 1st half of this yr...but it will not be the 3:42....
guido4475
Not a Member
If it is a length thing that is being regulated,I didnt know.I often see these chevy of Ford motorhome chassis with a 24-to 30' motorhome body on it, and often wonder, besides a possible weight issue, Witht the empty weight vs. the gvw,why we cant do that?
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
The way the engineer said it, they CAN do it, but the issue is that they don't feel that they will sell enoigh of the bigger boxes on the 9600-10,000 gvw cut aways to justify the expense of building the need numbers for Fed testing and approval...the crash testing and such...he said they would have to build a min order of 500 including those for testing to be in a good profit area....so it is not worth it to them...the motor home market is muc bigger so the auto companies do the Fed compliance stuff on the chassis not the motor home builder...
purgoose10
Veteran Expediter
That's a good idea about standing between the seats, makes it easier to get around. I like the SRW/ the drawback from what I see is when installing an a/c on top you loose 90% of the aerodynamics. Their is only one place you can mount it because of the fiberglass roof. That's another thing, the fiberglass panel, wonder how long before it leaks?
purgoose10
Veteran Expediter
The key word I think is Motorhome. They build those chassis for that industry. You see Swifty Swift loaded with them all the time.