• DCRC 2024

Which rv/5th wheel solution for full time?

nnnnnate

nnnnnate

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
WVC, UT
So the plan is to use the van as a garage (store the mtn bikes and whatnot) and a bumper pull trailer to live out of?

I know you guys are into the minimal living but that is not nearly enough room for me.

I hope its okay to ask this question since I haven't read through all the pages. What are you really hoping to get out of a Van that you wouldn't get with a truck? Are they cheaper, more reliable, easier to work on, more unique, easier to find parts for, have better towing capacity? Is it just a novelty?
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Yes, the plan is to tow a 27' airstream behind a van. I think we'll be fine space-wise. We're small people, and we don't own much stuff anymore. :)

Pros of a Van:
We can almost stand up in one. We're slightly hunched over, but moving around inside is a lot easier
Higher roof than a truck with a shell. More storage space. We could store the bikes without removing any wheels (which we may or may not do)
You can access the back of a van from the front seats without having to get out. Sounds like a stupid thing, but I think it's pretty cool.
TONS more storage options and space, since a long object can slide all the way into the cabin area. not that we're going to be hauling 16' of lumber, but we won't be limited to the length of the bed of a truck
Easier to sleep inside, especially once bikes are loaded. I'm not sure I could sleep inside a truck bed if the bikes were in there with us.
Gear is accessible from all angles: from cab, from side doors, and from rear doors.

Cons of a van:
Van is more expensive
Van is more rare
I'll have to do a 4x4 conversion, which won't be cheap and won't be quick
Vans are bigger
Vans are tougher to work on the engine (which I hope isn't very often)



We're sold on a van. I think it's the right solution for us.
 
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jeeper

jeeper

I live my life 1 dumpster at a time
Location
So Jo, Ut
I think the major upside of the van is the access to all your stuff while driving. Need a sandwich? go back and get it. Need a drink? want to swap your book? maps? all accessible without pulling over.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Two more benefit of a van:

1) I can access stuff from the front or the back. In a pickup truck with a shell, if my bikes are in the bed, the only way to access other stuff in the bed is to take the bikes out, climb back in there on all 4s, and then grab it. With a van, I can walk back there, and access it from the side door, from the cabin area, or from the back cargo doors. That's a HUGE plus for us.

2) I can live in it down by the river... and haven't we all wanted to do that at some point in our lives?
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
I need a place to document the van 4x4 conversion cost options

Cost of van - $15k
UJOR 6" kit with stage 2 and RSC upgrade: $11.5K
NV271 - $850
big fuel tank - $1400
Drivelines - $$$
Wheels & tires - $$$

This isn't going to be cheap.


I think I'll source my own axles. I'm not sure what it'd take to get F550 brakes on a 99-04 F350 D60. I've got some researching to do.
 
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sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
You bring up a good point. Maybe I'm being too picky.

Quigleys are kind of the budget 4x4 conversions. Supposedly they don't ride very well either on or off road. That's what I've heard at least. Ujoint is one of the only companies that sells individual parts for these vans, which is appealing. If I could find a quigley that used the BJ D60, it'd be simple to swap the parts over. I'm pretty sure I want a ujoint conversion. Leafs don't ride as soft as coils, but I like the simplicity of leafs. I've preferred my leaf-sprung solid axle rigs over coils.

Yeah, i'm being too picky. I think that van could be great. For some reason we prefer the idea of a van with windows all around, but now I'm starting to question what's best for us: a cargo or passenger van. The passenger vans feel much more open. The let in more light, you have much better visibility, and feel less like you're in a cave. But you can't stack stuff as high, glass weighs more than metal, it's easier to steal things in a passenger van, and people can potentially see in. If I do go with a passenger van, it'll have limo tint all around to keep peeping toms to a minimum. (well, they can peep, but they won't see much).

As you can tell, I'm a little all over the place on which van model I want. Ideally, I think a EB (extended body) passenger van (like the one in the video above) is what we want.
 
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Greg

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Why not a Dana 50 and Ford 10.5 from a F250? Get axles with matching gear ratios, bolt pattern, newer brakes, etc. IMO a Dana 50 would be sufficient for a van that's not going to see 'rock crawling' use.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Agreed, a D50 would be fine. From what I read online, a D60 shouldn't be much more $, and parts are more readily available (both aftermarket and stock). But you guys are the experts. I don't know anything about 1-ton running gear. Which axle would allow me to run big F550 brakes on it?
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Finding a built UJOR 7.3L in the trim we want is going to be impossible, or $50k. These are rare vans in 2wd form, let alone 4wd.

I just need to be patient (not easy for me) and wait for the right one. I appreciate all the tips and advice, I'm learning a lot.
 
nnnnnate

nnnnnate

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
WVC, UT
Thanks for the insight.

I guess a few things I think about when you talk about having the storage and whatnot. I would assume that you will want all of your living things in the trailer and not mixed between the two. Bad example: you aren't going to be storing all of your shoes in the van then waking each morning in the trailer and having to go to the van to get them. I see it the same with food and snacks and whatnot. Sure having a bag a trail mix in the back seat is one thing but I wouldn't think you'll have a cooler in the van to use while driving when you have a fridge in the trailer. In this case I also don't see pulling over being a big deal because you're living out of it. With this in mind what do you plan to actually store and need frequent access to in your vehicle? (regardless of if its a van or truck) If there was something I needed to use every day I would want to be able to access it from where I was living. I would want it to be very accessible and easy to get to (which I understand is a plus for you about the van). If it was something I'd need every month, or longer. I think I'd be okay with it being put away a little more if that makes sense.

As far as accessing things in a truck bed. I know they make platforms much like the drawer systems for our rigs. At a previous job they had a suburban outfitted with a drawer system on rails that would extend all the way out of the vehicle. It replaced the middle seats and would have fit perfect in an 8' truck bed. You could have "organized" storage in drawers and a place to mount bikes above the drawers and all of it could slide out of the bed of the truck so you wouldn't have to crawl back there to get to something. You're wife wouldn't necessarily be able to get to it while you were driving to something but I still don't think thats that big of a deal. You could get a high clearance shell that would give you extra height inside and instead of windows that slide you can get flip up ones for side access. Your point about getting a real long item in a van, you can do the same thing by opening up the access window from the truck cab and sliding the item through from the back. If I had expensive things always stored in my vehicle I would also want the least amount of windows or portals so that others couldn't look in and see all my expensive cool stuff. I don't want someone to bust a window and make off with it all.

Last point. You mentioned the possibility of wanting to sleep in the back of the van. Why? You'll have an awesome trailer that will be your home and if/when you are away from it why wouldn't you pitch a tent like you do now? Have you ever slept in your runner? Do you plan to get rid of all your camping gear? Needing to pitch a tent now hasn't stopped you from going out and exploring or seeing something neat, why would that change in the future.

Again, I'm not trying to be over critical. A big problem I face is that I often get focused on one thing and have a hard time seeing pros/cons from a neutral stand point, I bias pretty easily. I figure if I can give some constructive criticism it might give a different angle at a problem or solution that you may face.
 
jeeper

jeeper

I live my life 1 dumpster at a time
Location
So Jo, Ut
nnnnnate said:
Thanks for the insight.

I guess a few things I think about when you talk about having the storage and whatnot. I would assume that you will want all of your living things in the trailer and not mixed between the two. Bad example: you aren't going to be storing all of your shoes in the van then waking each morning in the trailer and having to go to the van to get them. I see it the same with food and snacks and whatnot. Sure having a bag a trail mix in the back seat is one thing but I wouldn't think you'll have a cooler in the van to use while driving when you have a fridge in the trailer. In this case I also don't see pulling over being a big deal because you're living out of it. With this in mind what do you plan to actually store and need frequent access to in your vehicle? (regardless of if its a van or truck) If there was something I needed to use every day I would want to be able to access it from where I was living. I would want it to be very accessible and easy to get to (which I understand is a plus for you about the van). If it was something I'd need every month, or longer. I think I'd be okay with it being put away a little more if that makes sense.

As far as accessing things in a truck bed. I know they make platforms much like the drawer systems for our rigs. At a previous job they had a suburban outfitted with a drawer system on rails that would extend all the way out of the vehicle. It replaced the middle seats and would have fit perfect in an 8' truck bed. You could have "organized" storage in drawers and a place to mount bikes above the drawers and all of it could slide out of the bed of the truck so you wouldn't have to crawl back there to get to something. You're wife wouldn't necessarily be able to get to it while you were driving to something but I still don't think thats that big of a deal. You could get a high clearance shell that would give you extra height inside and instead of windows that slide you can get flip up ones for side access. Your point about getting a real long item in a van, you can do the same thing by opening up the access window from the truck cab and sliding the item through from the back. If I had expensive things always stored in my vehicle I would also want the least amount of windows or portals so that others couldn't look in and see all my expensive cool stuff. I don't want someone to bust a window and make off with it all.

Last point. You mentioned the possibility of wanting to sleep in the back of the van. Why? You'll have an awesome trailer that will be your home and if/when you are away from it why wouldn't you pitch a tent like you do now? Have you ever slept in your runner? Do you plan to get rid of all your camping gear? Needing to pitch a tent now hasn't stopped you from going out and exploring or seeing something neat, why would that change in the future.

Again, I'm not trying to be over critical. A big problem I face is that I often get focused on one thing and have a hard time seeing pros/cons from a neutral stand point, I bias pretty easily. I figure if I can give some constructive criticism it might give a different angle at a problem or solution that you may face.
Click to expand...


This has been actively discussed. They plan to ditch the trailer sometimes and go further in with just the van..
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
You bring up some good points nate.

Why would we want to sleep in the van? Well, if we were going to head to Alaska for a few months, one options would be to take the van and leave the airstream in storage. While I'd still tent-camp a lot of the time, it'd be nice to be able to just pull over and crash for the night.

Perhaps I'm laser-focused and trying to make everything point to the van as the ideal situation. With all the RV shopping we've done, the only thing that feels remotely good right now is a van pulling an airstream. I almost built up a 4x4 diesel van about 4 years ago, but ended up changing my mind at the last minute. We'll keep exploring options, and I appreciate suggestions.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
idahoyj said:
Is there any chance that you like the van idea, because it's a project at a time when you are project-less?
Click to expand...


Great question. Honestly, the thought of a project is more overwhelming than attractive to me right now. I want to hit the road more than wrench. I'd love to find one already built.
 
Bart

Bart

Registered User
Location
Arm Utah
Maybe you've already covered this, but have you looked at old ambulances? I know there are some with the 7.3 in them.
 
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