Best Box Trucks for my Situation?

[imbuffnotreally]

Hi everyone!

I'm new here, so I apologise if I'm posting in the wrong area. I know there are probably several threads of a similar topic, but I'd like to explain my specific situation, if that's ok.

I've been intrigued/midly interested in the idea of converting a vehicle to a home for the past several years now. And only recently I've started to seriously consider it and would like some input from you all.

The Question:
Which box trucks are considered to be the most reliable? I don't care much about it looking "pretty" on the outside. I care about it lasting me several years.

Here's what I'd like if possible:

• 14-17ft box (big enough to be comfortable in for several years and hold a relatively large sized "must have" office space for my work)
• Box extended above the cab (for bed)
• Cab to box passthrough (I can cut if needed)
• 4 wheel drive (mainly for light snow and ice, but not a must)
• 7ft minimum ceiling height inside box
• $4k - $7k purchase price
• RELIABILITY

P.S. - are there any books on the topic of converting a box truck?


The Why:
"The system" teaches us that we must always be in debt; to your car, house, etc... but I just can't imagine living like that. I'm currently 25 and single with no debt. And it seems all I ever hear about is people talking about how much of a burden this payment is or that payment is. Well, I really don't want to live that way. I'd like nothing better than to be able to pay cash for everything and never owe anything to anyone financially. Which brings me here. My idea (which obviously isn't new) is to convert a box truck into a permanent living solution, at least for a few years. This would allow me to save all the money I would be paying for a mortgage or rent plus a lot of home maintenance/utility costs. Obviously, I would still have some regularly occurring costs living in a converted truck, but not nearly as much as the norm. Living this way for a few years would, at minimum, give me a very hefty cash down payment when I decide to buy a (modest) home.


Please, if I've left out any helpful info let me know! I'm in a serious consideration/planning phase and I want to make sure I start out on the right foot.

Thank you for your help!

 

[kygreg]

When I was selecting a vehicle for conversion I first looked at cargo vans and quickly realized their narrow width was not going to work for me, They make them 12' long which is plenty, but the width ruled them out for me.
Next, I looked at box trucks in the same length and their width fixed the floor plan problems. But created new ones, nonel of which was a deal-breaker.
Then I looked at step vans and they solved the cargo van problems and the box truck issues.
I can't advise on box trucks, but you might give step van a look to see what you think.

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Buff to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

highdesertranger

 

[imbuffnotreally]

Thanks for the info - much appreciated! One thing I forgot to mention (which I'll add after this) is that I really don't wheel wells inside the box. They don't take up that much space, but the make utilizing the space around them extremely difficult. I guess it's not a deal breaker as I don't have a very big budget, so I'll have to compromise in certain areas I'm sure.

I'll certainly take a look at them!

 

[imbuffnotreally]

When I was selecting a vehicle for conversion I first looked at cargo vans and quickly realized their narrow width was not going to work for me, They make them 12' long which is plenty, but the width ruled them out for me.
Next, I looked at box trucks in the same length and their width fixed the floor plan problems. But created new ones, nonel of which was a deal-breaker.
Then I looked at step vans and they solved the cargo van problems and the box truck issues.
I can't advise on box trucks, but you might give step van a look to see what you think.

Thanks for the info - much appreciated! One thing I forgot to mention (which I'll add after this) is that I really don't wheel wells inside the box. They don't take up that much space, but the make utilizing the space around them extremely difficult. I guess it's not a deal breaker as I don't have a very big budget, so I'll have to compromise in certain areas I'm sure.

I'll certainly take a look at them!

 

[user 423]

Here's a pic of the inside of an old Ford step van I saw on CL. The wheel wells are only about 4" high:




Have you checked U-Haul,Penske,etc. for online sales? Here's a U-Haul truck that's probably typical of what you'll find out there.


https://trucksales.uhaul.com/Vehicles/Details?postal=85635&sid=828061&equip=DC4132K

 

[kygreg]

Thanks for the info - much appreciated! One thing I forgot to mention (which I'll add after this) is that I really don't wheel wells inside the box. They don't take up that much space, but the make utilizing the space around them extremely difficult. I guess it's not a deal breaker as I don't have a very big budget, so I'll have to compromise in certain areas I'm sure.

I'll certainly take a look at them!

The wheel wells are way oversized on most step vans, I'm cutting mine down to about 3-4" and half the length. The advantages of wheel wells is your floor is much lower, easier to get in and of every time.

 

[bullfrog]

Just my thoughts. Back in my early days a lot of flatbed trucks were built out. With the new lightweight building methods if you apply yourself you can make a really nice custom home on wheels. The best, easiest to maintain, newest rigs that I have seen but couldn't afford have been built on flip cab or cabover chassis using GM gasoline V8 or small diesel powertrains. Because I was poor at your age and was about to be drafted I chose military service and although hazardous it was really I feel one of the most important benefits to my life later on. Just saying.

 

[kygreg]

I just did the demo on my Freightliner MT45. When I removed the wall between the cab and box, I effectively turned an 11' living space into 16' for free.

 

[highdesertranger]

finding a 4x4 box truck is going to be hard.
finding a box truck with a over cab is going to be hard.

both of these are rare. U-Haul does have over cab boxes but I have never seen a 4x4 U-Haul.

there is another option get a 1 ton 4x4 and put a U-Haul box on it. I just happen to know where one is. I posted it on here a couple of years ago it's still available.

highdesertranger

 

[LoupGarou]

Go with whatever you can source insurance coverage on.

 

[imbuffnotreally]

Thank you all for your input! I will certainly be referencing this thread often to refresh my memory on all the suggestions. I think I probably asked the wrong question though, as I haven't really heard any info I was directly looking for (completely my fault). I'll start a new thread with a more accurate question, if that's ok.

Thank you all again! You've proved some great info I didn't realize I needed

 

[LoupGarou]

Have you searched on YouTube?



Mod edit, the video is of a box truck conversion. please include a description with all links.

 

[Pleasant Travels]

Finding any 4x4 in reliable condition in that price range is a challenge. Forget finding a van or box truck in 4x4 AND not beat to snot. The majority of the 4x4 vans and box trucks I've seen (few that they are) come from snow country, and by the time anyone sells them off, they are well ridden with body rot.

I have the same idea for my ideal vehicle. I'd love to have a surplused Uhaul box truck with the "granny attic", powered by a turbo-diesel, and with 4x4. Unfortunately, in pre-existing form, the few that actually exist in the entire country can probably be counted on one hand. They have all been custom made, and your only option to get one too is to also custom fabricate yours as well.

Looking into this option, I found at least 2 shops west of the Mississippi that can convert an existing box truck to 4x4, but the best is Ujoint Offroad. But just ordering the conversion parts will exceed $8000, and if you have them do the work, you're going to exceed $15,000. And that's not the hard part. If, like me, you decide diesel is where it's at,...Uhaul stopped using diesels in 1994,...right when the legendary Ford Powerstrokes became available in 1995. While there are some box trucks out there with good diesels,...diesel trucks cost more to begin with because they can do so much more and last more than twice as long, and therefore hold their value.

Somewhat more likely to occasionally be found already in 4x4 and diesel are the box trucks based on the Ford F450 and F550, and also the Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500 industrial trucks. (Dodge also marketed these exact same trucks under the Sterling brand, so search for that brand as well.)  I came across a 4x4 2010 Sterling 5500 with a 16ft. box and powered by the 6.7 Cummins on Craigslist back in Oklahoma 4 months ago for only $11,000! I wanted it so bad I could taste it, but couldn't raise the cash at the time. Maybe you have no intention to tow any additional trailer or vehicle behind,...but that beast would have also pulled my 24ft cargo trailer all over the Rocky Mountain west with no problem.

 

[Bigbear67]

Thanks for the info - much appreciated! One thing I forgot to mention (which I'll add after this) is that I really don't wheel wells inside the box. They don't take up that much space, but the make utilizing the space around them extremely difficult. I guess it's not a deal breaker as I don't have a very big budget, so I'll have to compromise in certain areas I'm sure.

I'll certainly take a look at them!

Hi man, hope you find the van you seek. Just a thought, here in England water tanks are available that sit round the internal arches in certain vans. Sure they will be available in your locale too, or you could certainly have some fabricated to suit whatever vehicle you decide on. I was drawn to the "stepvan" layout when I was looking to buy but as they are not really a popular layout here I struggled to find one. I ended up using a 5.5 tonne ex welfare bus which has worked well for my needs.
Good luck on your search buddy, your ethos sounds like a winning idea. Wish I'd pursued it at your age too....??

 

[HungryCoyote]

I owned a box truck that was converted to a full rv before I bought it, then gutted by me to make a toy hauler and now I live in a full size van.
I wish I still had the box van. If I ever found myself financially in a position to do another build, that is the way I would go.
Except for the four-wheel drive, the rest of your list should be easy to find. The pass though seems to be on more vans than not. I would go with a non U-Haul box van because the overhead space is bigger. Most of them also don't have wheel wells in the box. I'm not a big fan of U-Haul vehicles in general. I think they tend to be more abused and their maintenance is not as good as a local business owner who has one for sale.
One thing I would recommend that you did not mention, I would go with barn doors on the back instead of the roll up. Also if you can find one with a side access door that's a nice bonus.
Just as an example of what's available out there, here is an 04 Ford for $5,000 but I don't know what kind of doors are on the back.
https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/...ref=browse_tab&search_query=Boxvan&tracking={"qid"%3A"6844171584296526971"%2C"mf_story_key"%3A"3567544319928831"%2C"commerce_rank_obj"%3A"%7B%5C"target_id%5C"%3A3567544319928831%2C%5C"target_type%5C"%3A0%2C%5C"primary_position%5C"%3A-1%2C%5C"ranking_signature%5C"%3A0%2C%5C"commerce_channel%5C"%3A503%2C%5C"value%5C"%3A0%2C%5C"upsell_type%5C"%3Anull%7D"%7D

And an 05 Chevy for $12,000.
https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/...ref=browse_tab&search_query=Boxvan&tracking={"qid"%3A"6844171601391717198"%2C"mf_story_key"%3A"3100014780090889"%2C"commerce_rank_obj"%3A"%7B%5C"target_id%5C"%3A3100014780090889%2C%5C"target_type%5C"%3A0%2C%5C"primary_position%5C"%3A-1%2C%5C"ranking_signature%5C"%3A0%2C%5C"commerce_channel%5C"%3A503%2C%5C"value%5C"%3A0%2C%5C"upsell_type%5C"%3Anull%7D"%7D

 

[rokguy]

yep overcab bed (luton peak) is hard to find.  Second conversion I did was a longer box (pantec) which I cut a section out to make it a overcab bed.
bad idea and adds greatly to consumption of fuel.
Current self built conversion is based on a B class with raised front bed with bicycle garage storage underneath. The cabover engine design greatly increases chassis space for more living area. The tilt cab makes it easy to do any maintenance and mechanics will be happy to work on it if need be.