2001 Ford E350 Extended High-top van [split from 1986 Dodge B-250 ...]

[akrvbob]

I have this, highly recommended:
https://www.stowaway2.com/hitch-frames

Bob

 

[GotSmart]

MUST be unloaded? Really? Is there a swing away bar or swing away platform that can be swung while loaded?  

Lets see what I plan to have on it full-time:

-2200 Watt HFT inverter genset 
-2 propane tanks, with four milk crates to house them.

-10-30 gallons of gas for the generator (in the six gas cans I acquired).

-Maybe: the under 40 pound 2-stroke 49cc gas scooter from ScooterWholesales.com.

YES, That system MUST be unloaded. A loaded swing away is possible only by spending a lot of money.

Now, as to the explosive situation you are setting up next to the generator~~~   :dodgy:  And right in a place where someone can hit it while driving.   :s

200 lbs for gas and cans,  80 lbs for propane and crates, 40 for scooter, Generator.  About 400 lbs for that alone.  

You better sit down and google the weight of everything you WANT to cary, then become realistic. 

500 lbs off the back bumper is a lot different than 500 lbs over the rear axle.  Think of a 1,000 lb gorilla jumping up and down on your back bumper every time you hit a bump.

 

[steamjam1]

500 lbs off the back bumper is a lot different than 500 lbs over the rear axle.  Think of a 1,000 lb gorilla jumping up and down on your back bumper every time you hit a bump.

That is very true. Having an extra 500lbs sticking out your butt on a van is going to adversely effect the way the van is going to handle, no matter how heavy-duty the van is.

 

[Almost There]

I have this, highly recommended:
https://www.stowaway2.com/hitch-frames

Bob

I recommend it too!

BUT, there is still a weight limit involved that is dependent on the size and class of the hitch.

With a Class 4  Reese hitch and a 2" hitch receiver the weight limit is 250 lbs.

What DS has planned for his hitch far outweighs even the heaviest of the hitch haulers.

 

[highdesertranger]

yes that much weight will effect your ride. however it's not all doom and gloom. it's no different then the tongue weight of a trailer. it also greatly improves traction on your drive wheels. if however it causes your vehicle to sag you have to much weight for your suspension, this will cause an unloading effect on your front suspension adversely effecting the way your vehicle handles. so in review either keep the weight down or beef up your rear suspension. highdesertranger

 

[29chico]

That is very true. Having an extra 500lbs sticking out your butt on a van is going to adversely effect the way the van is going to handle, no matter how heavy-duty the van is.

Agreed.  The fact that Ford decided to go on the cheap by putting an extended body on a non-extended wheelbase van chassis makes the cantilevered effect much more of an issue when extra weight is hung out behind the bumper.

Roadmaster Active Suspension would be a huge improvement in the drive, ride, sway, weight carrying and resistance to rollover on the van in question.  Watch the video of van with and w/o the RMS suspension weaving thru cones at the limit of control.

Link:



My GMC Savana extended one ton benefits in the above mentioned ways and it DOES have an extended wheelbase that is appropriate to it's length.  Not affiliated with RAS in any way.

 

[debit.servus]

...
I wouldn't rely on bungee cords to hold heavy items, I would use ratchet tie-down straps.

You are going to run your generator in a box?? More details. Sounds like a bad idea.

Bungee cords have worked for me, especially with multiple cords holding one item down.

In a forced ventalated box like this one I saw on youtube: . The reason for the box is noise reduction and protecting it from theives as if the HONDA gets stolen, i'll be back to square 1. So I am not taking on risk where I can afford to avoid it and locking everything down to the platform with multiple bicycle locks and multiple locking points. 

...
Your going to end up making your own front receiver, and you can buy rear bumpers with built in swing away gates that will hold tires, gas cans, high lift jacks, whatever. Just be prepared to pay ALOT of money for it.

Thanks for the information. So that leaves this poor boi with two proven options:
1: Learn to weld and build the exterior storage platforms/lockers myself
2: Save my pennies to afford a ready made solution

I am thinking of the former.

I very much agree with this, but there are some people who either think it's easier to run a generator than set up solar (and end up with a totally passive system!), or they insist on running home items that are not otherwise feasible off grid. If I recall correctly Debit here requires a minimum of two air conditioners in his van. That might be his main reason for the generator.

It's cheaper to run a generator than to set up solar, in the medium term. Plus for the Mobile Dwelling Weight Watchers a generator and fuel weighs less than solar panels, mounting for the panels, wiring, battery bank, charge controller and battery boxes.

Also, unless one have a regulation parking spot of solar panel area; A genset is kind of required to power A/C.

...
Well a Honda EU2000 won't run two A/C units at the same time anyways. He will need more like 4000 watts output for that. I think that for people who want a "home away from home" they should just get class-A, or class-C motorhome that have all that already built in. I saw on Craigslist just the last week a class-C with an Onan 4500 watt gen with AC for less then 4G's. Add a solar panel to the roof, and your done. Down the road ya go!

The HONDA EU2000i can't run both the 5,000 and 10,000 BTU HAIER window A/C at the same time? If so I will need to plan around that.

I can barely afford the overhead of a van, which after realizing that I have shelved doing a school bus conversion. I don't desire to live in anything larger than the FORD van, even if I could afford the overhead due to the downsides of a giant rig.

Generator power is expensive electricity, even for the quiet and efficient HONDA it still costs like $.50 an hour depending on the cost of fuel.

We didn't use the AC in our RV and don't want one in our van. It's more fun to go where the weather suits our clothes.

Agreed, it is more fun to go where the weather suits our clothes! Sometimes that is not an option, and so I have the option to run A/C and heat in their respective extreme climates.

But then, we don't stress over fuel and related costs of travel either. Our time and enjoyment are worth more than that.

Same here. Life is better spent not stressing over pennies.

are the 2 air conditioners there to keep the 55 gallons of water cool?

No. I tried out carrying 55 gallons of water in a barrel inside the van, and decided it was not a good idea as it takes up too much space and could crush stuff inside the van if it came unmounted.

So instead I am looking at carrying the two 8 gallon RELIANCE Hydrollers and two 7 gallon aquatainers, which even with my liberal water use should mean I don't have to think about water for at least a week. Some people carry just a few gallons of water for whatever reason and have to think about getting water every other day, which costs a lot of time.

Yeah I was wondering about the whole two AC thing. I would suggest buying an old Ice cream van and simply leaving the doors open to the freezers? Or buy a refrigerated van/box truck?

For the record: I like having enough A/C to have the interior of the van at a comfortable temperature, which is between 55-82 degrees F depending on humidity and radiant heat. I am working on a cooling arsenal for my summer travels, as I will be in the Southwest Summer to see my grandfathers brother who is still alive (My awesome poor boi life has me settling for seeing Bobs brother as Bob is now 6 feet under), and for EDC Las Vegas 2016 (which due to finances I will likely not attend for 2017 and beyond, so I'm going to treat this as my last EDC for the forseeable future).

The last couple of days I thought about living in the small uhaul truck, because of the ease of building a living space with straight lines and the stealthiness of the box truck.

YES, That system MUST be unloaded. A loaded swing away is possible only by spending a lot of money.

Now, as to the explosive situation you are setting up next to the generator~~~   :dodgy:  And right in a place where someone can hit it while driving.   :s

200 lbs for gas and cans,  80 lbs for propane and crates, 40 for scooter, Generator.  About 400 lbs for that alone.  

You better sit down and google the weight of everything you WANT to cary, then become realistic. 

500 lbs off the back bumper is a lot different than 500 lbs over the rear axle.  Think of a 1,000 lb gorilla jumping up and down on your back bumper every time you hit a bump.

Looks like I will need to learn to weld so I can build my own solution as I don't have a lot of money for exterior storage. Or save my pennies for the swing-away platform arm that can swing loaded.

Everybody says to leave propane tanks outside of the living space, as it's a risk with deadly reward if/when the tank leaks. I rather not have the 20 pound propane tanks inside the van if I can avoid it.
Lets see, where can I put propane tanks on the van outside of the living space? The only real place I can think is the back platform.

I know the approximate weight of everything I desire to carry outside of the van, and put down higher numbers.

You should have seen the extreme platform loading I had to do for Burning Man 2015, which I have pictures of it and need to share them with you. This was with the DODGE van with it's poorly tuned 318 engine and maladjusted carburetor.

That is very true. Having an extra 500lbs sticking out your butt on a van is going to adversely effect the way the van is going to handle, no matter how heavy-duty the van is.

I agree.

I recommend it too!

BUT, there is still a weight limit involved that is dependent on the size and class of the hitch.

With a Class 4  Reese hitch and a 2" hitch receiver the weight limit is 250 lbs.

Good to know receiver info.

What DS has planned for his hitch far outweighs even the heaviest of the hitch haulers.

I guess.

yes that much weight will effect your ride.  however it's not all doom and gloom.  it's no different then the tongue weight of a trailer.  it also greatly improves traction on your drive wheels.   if however it causes your vehicle to sag you have to much weight for your suspension,  this will cause an unloading effect on your front suspension adversely effecting the way your vehicle handles.  so in review either keep the weight down or beef up your rear suspension.  highdesertranger

Agreed it is not all doom and gloom.

I agree it's bad practice to run a generator in a Wal-Mart parking lot - that's right up there with the guys that set up their awnings and bring out the lawn chairs and start grilling. Exactly the sort of stuff that gets "NO OVERNIGHT PARKING" signs posted. But, many people do it anyway. I would suggest that in an urban environment parking off a commercial street at night might be more suitable if you have to run a generator. If in a state park or such, it's also rude to run one for extended periods or late at night as people go there for peace and quiet.

Every Road Leads Home
Do everyone a favor and avoid running the generator in Wal-mart parking lots, even the Honda.  It's people that do that that eventually get the parking lots closed to campers.

Bad practice even for a quiet HONDA? OK.

Having a generator of really any kind on a van is a bad idea, and not really required. I own a Honda EU2000i generator and there is NO WAY your going to make it quiet enough for a Walmart parking lot. Your better off using batteries, and either a constant duty solenoid connected to your existing alternator, or solar panels to charge them.  

The generator is mainly for A/C and other huge loads that can't be supported by the batteries currently in the van for more than 30 minutes. I do plan to run 2 gauge wires with a continuous duty solenoid between starting battery and house batteries so I can take advantage of the alternator power when traveling.

Modifying the van for travel, eventual full-timing.
Need at least a few thousand miles of free travel before deciding on a career path.
Plowing my resources towards acqiring the means to travel thousands of miles ASAP.

 

[debit.servus]

You may find that you have become one of those penny pinchers that you have such a disdain for.

And I would become one of those penny pinchers out of necessity, as I would have very few pennies thus needing to save every cent. I would have to go to 5 food stores on the gas scooter to stretch every dollar on the grocery budget because there would only be a small amount of dollars in the grocery budget. I would have to park the van somewhere and take the scooter on errands to save fuel out of necessity because I can only afford 20 gallons of gas for the month. I would have to squeeze every drop of soap from the liquid soap container and lick every calorie from my plate. The only time I plan to scrimp & scrounge in my life is when I am unable to afford not to scrimp & scrounge.

I am not going to become one of those penny pinchers who freezes in the dark while having $100,000+ in the bank.

 

[BradKW]

I tried to warn everyone. Read between the lines he posts. He's trolling us!  

Sent from my SCH-S968C using Tapatalk

eh, he's a number of things, but really not a troll in the classic sense...  

 

[GotSmart]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]It's cheaper to run a generator than to set up solar, in the medium term. Plus for the Mobile Dwelling Weight Watchers a generator and fuel weighs less than solar panels, mounting for the panels, wiring, battery bank, charge controller and battery boxes. [/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Also, unless one have a regulation parking spot of solar panel area; A genset is kind of required to power A/C.[/font]

Do you have the AC's?  That brand is an energy hog. 15,000 BTU is extreme overkill. 

Solar will give you a extremely comfortable life with the exception of AC.  Then you have fans, which will make things extremely comfortable.

My solar system weighs perhaps 300 lbs, including 4 batteries. It will have cost me about $1,000 when the 3rd panel is installed. 

That is less weight than the gas and generator.

 

[steamjam1]

You also must keep in mind the heavier the van thats loaded down with spare gas, scooters, A/C units, this and that, the less MPG you'll get. The bigger the van the more energy it takes to heat, and cool it.

 

[GotSmart]

You also must keep in mind the heavier the van thats loaded down with spare gas, scooters, A/C units, this and that, the less MPG you'll get. The bigger the van the more energy it takes to heat, and cool it.

If money is going to be that tight, perhaps sell everything not essential to survival and try seeing how Grandpa lived when he was your age.

 

[debit.servus]

Do you have the AC's?  That brand is an energy hog. 15,000 BTU is extreme overkill. 

Solar will give you a extremely comfortable life with the exception of AC.  Then you have fans, which will make things extremely comfortable.

My solar system weighs perhaps 300 lbs, including 4 batteries. It will have cost me about $1,000 when the 3rd panel is installed. 

That is less weight than the gas and generator.

Yes I do. The 5,000 BTU is in the window of the bedroom in my parents house and the 10,000 BTU is in the factory box in the parents shed. Both I plan to install in the van windows this month; the 10,000 BTU in the back window and the 5000 BTU in the left side window.

HAIER is an energy hog? This implies there are more efficient A/C brands available. 15,000 BTUs of A/C is NOT overkill for Las Vegas in the middle of June, I had 11,000 BTUs and it brought the van down to a comfortable level. This time I am aiming to sleep in the low 70s with radiant heat from all the bare metal blocked by moving blankets (the insulation I will have until I can afford to have the walls filled with polyurethane then trim over the bare metal).

Since I don't obsess about every pound of moving weight and every pint of fuel the weight of more solar panels and batteries is not stopping me from more solar panels and batteries, the cost of more solar and batteries is stopping me from more solar and batteries. I am not holding my breath for a breakthrough in solar power or battery tech or a dramatic price drop in silicon solar panels and lead acid batteries.

Eventually I desire the setup to be generator for A/C and cloudy recharging, and solar for everything else. Fans are for nice day ventilation and interior air recalculation, not a replacement for A/C in sweltering environments (like Las Vegas in the middle of June).

You also must keep in mind the heavier the van thats loaded down with spare gas, scooters, A/C units, this and that, the less MPG you'll get. The bigger the van the more energy it takes to heat, and cool it.

I know this. If that is the cost of carrying a few days worth of genset fuel, backup personal mobility, heat transfer appliances with the machine to power it so I don't have to swealter; so be it. So 1 or 2 MPG is lost because I desire a microapartment on the road.  

Not to be judgemental here, keep in mind the more one stresses over pennies, pounds of moving weight and pints of fuel the less Life Quality Per Dollar one gets (unless one like to save pennies, pounds of moving weight and pints of fuel; and enjoys the gains from it no matter how small they are).

If money is going to be that tight, perhaps sell everything not essential to survival and try seeing how Grandpa lived when he was your age.

I am saying that I would only pinch pennies due to having a very limited amount of pennies, out of necessity & not out of desire. You bet a billion pennies that when the income stream flows with enough money to afford my dream life that I will resume my dream life as close to where it left off as possible.

I don't believe in scrimping and scrounging when I can afford a higher standard of living which doesn't necessitate scrimping and scrounging.

 

[GotSmart]

You don't have a billion pennies.  

2 MPG off of a 10 MG rig is a lot.  That is 4 miles out of every 200 you are unable to travel.  

If you want a mini apartment, stay at home. 


You will learn the hard way.  

And I would become one of those penny pinchers out of necessity, as I would have very few pennies thus needing to save every cent. I would have to go to 5 food stores on the gas scooter to stretch every dollar on the grocery budget because there would only be a small amount of dollars in the grocery budget. I would have to park the van somewhere and take the scooter on errands to save fuel out of necessity because I can only afford 20 gallons of gas for the month. I would have to squeeze every drop of soap from the liquid soap container and lick every calorie from my plate. The only time I plan to scrimp & scrounge in my life is when I am unable to afford not to scrimp & scrounge. 

That is now.  on your income, you have no choice.  YOU MUST SCRIMP. 

Make a budget of how you will spend your money on the road.  

Remember you will use more than 20 gallons just to keep the AC running.

 

[highdesertranger]

there is nothing that could get me to go to Vegas in the summer. therefore I cold get rid of 2 AC units, generator, and the fuel. highdesertranger

 

[steamjam1]

there is nothing that could get me to go to Vegas in the summer.  therefore I cold get rid of 2 AC units,  generator,  and the fuel.  highdesertranger

Heh.. "Not going to the desert in the middle of the summer" could be a good strategy for not sweltering in a van.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Debit, if nothing else you are quite the character and you are unique, I do find your threads entertaining. Hope to meet you and see this rig of dreams at the 2017 RTR.

 

[GotSmart]

I think that was meant to be 40 miles out of 200.

Guy

Thanks.  I am missing a lot when typing lately.  :blush:

 

[debit.servus]

there is nothing that could get me to go to Vegas in the summer.  therefore I cold get rid of 2 AC units,  generator,  and the fuel.  highdesertranger

For me it's Electric Daisy Carnival. It would be better for everybody involved to move EDC to a cooler time of the year, while keeping it in Las Vegas.

Heh.. "Not going to the desert in the middle of the summer" could be a good strategy for not sweltering in a van.

Yes it is. Fremont Street, The Strip, Railfanning, the Hoover Dam, Museums and the nature surrounding Las Vegas is there in the wintertime as well. So I am better off attending EDC, then eating in one of the $15 or less Air Conditioned buffets; minimize the amount of days in the Las Vegas summer.

I think that was meant to be 40 miles out of 200.

Guy

The van is 18MPG and running on diesel. So a 2MPG decrease from 18 MPG is NOT significant.

 

[GotSmart]

There is no way you will be getting 18, 16 or even 14 with the things you are proposing to do with that van.  (14 is a 20% decrease) 

Honestly, list the things you NEED to take, and their weight.  When you are loaded down, and traveling uphill, mileage is way smaller than when rolling on flat land lightly loaded. 

When you are a poor man, and need to cover distances on a budget, every MPG counts.  

Travel smart, or get stuck.