Is that just a 2" or 4" slab of memory foam for the mattress?....
Cargo Van Van Purchase
- Thread starter Steviegoblue
- Start date
If an older model eats lots of lasagna and cake they can get wider right away. 
If an older model eats lots of lasagna and cake they can get wider right away.
Oh heavens, like all the way to a size 6? Then she'd have to work as a plus-size model
. Meanwhile, Ms. Average American Woman is a 12 or 14....
No its a memory foam matress from ikea can't remember for sure, 6 or 8 inch.
Get your mind out of the gutter!Ok everyone, who is willing to take a swing at that pitch? Ragman?
Did mine with a bulk head. The company I'm with only requires 8'6" of floor space. The bed and bulk head roll forward when I need the whole floor. Micro wave, TV, DVD, and Wii all move with the bed. It's a standard mattress I had cut down at the manufacture for $50,00. I really like the genset under the truck tht Bill has. Great idea. Have been looking around for places on my Promaster to put one. Roof top air and Espar heater coming next. 2 batteries under the bed with a 1500 watt inverter. Ton of storage under the bed as well. My grandkids like to watch TV in the van when I'm home. 
Very nice! Could you detail how the bulkhead roles and secures?
I made a 2x2 steel frame the size of the bed. Boxed it in with plywood and added the bulkhead wall. The metal frame has garage door rollers welded on it. the rollers run in a track on the floor made from snowmobile hyfax runners. The whole thing locks down from the backside into the E-track on the floor. I have 2 ratchet straps and commercial dead bolt hasps. The dead bolts drop into the E-track then I pull it down tight with the straps. Takes less than a minute to unhook and roll forward. I had to fur out the walls on the van so it was smooth on the sides and roof. I think it's easier to heat and cool with a smaller living area. I may miss a load or three a year because I can't handle the 3rd skid but when I sit for 3 or 4 days waiting on a load I'm glad I have it. 
I added about 550 +- I think it's around 6000 lbs now if I remember right. It's looks more than it is. 2 sheets plywood 3 2x4's, thin wall tubing, cabinets and micro wave. The walls floor and ceiling I would have anyway. I contracted @ 2500 so I'm good with weight. If I was to change companies I may have to change it a bit. I know some companies want 3rd skid option and more weight. For me 2500 -3000 lbs is all I want on this anyway. Heaviest I've on it to date was 2750 +- I get an average of 19.5 on the computer and 21-22 highway depending on the road and wind.
Im a little bit out of conversation but what is a van that would be best for the job? I like Ford Transit and also Sprinter but I don't know if I afford service to the Sprinter. Nice rides btw from those pics, I'd like to have a van like those.
A Sprinter, Promaster or Transit are all excellent for expediting, but they are all going to be expensive to maintain and repair. Find a good dealer whom you can trust for honest repairs, and that will let you supply your own parts and fluids. Find a good non-dealer mechanic who will do the same thing, for times when you have just regular repair work that doesn't require a mechanic specifically trained in that vehicle (for example, you don't need to be a trained Sprinter tech to replace brake pads and rotors). Learn as much about the vehicle as you can from forums specific to that vehicle, learn what has gone wrong and what could go wrong, and how to fix it (even if you can't fix it yourself - you'll at least sound intelligent, and be less likely to get hosed with a misdiagnosis by the mechanic). Learn the maintenance schedules and follow them. Set back a percentage of your gross revenue for maintenance and repair, cause there is no getting around it. You'll put 5 years of mileage on the vehicle every year, so you'll be doing 5 years worth of maintenance every year. You'll change the oil and filter every 6 weeks or so, so learning how to do that yourself is at the top of the list (right below getting a Fomoto Drain valve).
Thx for the tips. I'm learning slowly about a vehicle since I've never paid attention to oil changes and ect. I've been researching the hell out of those 3 vans. I like the Promaster but the Ford keeps taking my attention. I want something that is going to give me great freight opportunity and be good during winter driving. How it would be nice to roll in a Benz Sprinter.
Some of you guys really have some good set-ups in your vans. I have seen the generator that mounts up under the van. I think the news trucks use those. I eventually want one of those. You just flip the switch and you have power and air. The fuel comes right out of your fuel tank. I like your bunk area. It looks like a small hotel room. Very nice set up. I'm taking notes.
Don't rule out a good used van either. Being in FL, most of the vans are pretty clean.