NYC Vandwelling

[jbhernandez]

I hope it's not too forward of for my first post to start a thread. Especially since I'm NOT a vandweller. I have slept rather uncomfortably in my Honda Accord, when it's been a better option that sleeping in my bed with the wife.

Anyway, I'm interested in the simplified lifestyle and am always on the lookout for vandwellers and have found a few here in Queens, NYC. Not far from me is a small shopping strip that's home to a reluctant vandweller. It's obvious he's there nightly, and no one bothers him. In a small enclave here in Queens is an area called College Point, and I seen vans there with electrical lines running into a house, definitely being lived in.

Just off the Long Island Expressway in Woodside is a 70ish Winnebago with trailer that's always parked there, definitely being lived in.

My point is that it's very easy to van dwell in NYC, and not even be stealth. Yeaterday I was driving through Brooklyn underneath the Gowanus and counted at least 3 RV's that looked lived in.

Maybe it's just me, because I'm more aware of this, but I see quite a few people vandwelling, and I'm pretty sure unless your some very nice neighborhood in Manhattan, you'll be good.

 

[jbhernandez]

This is a pic of a nice rig. A Ford F450 with a ridiculous setup that's always parked by me. The poor guy probably works so much never has time to enjoy it. This is not lived in but easily can be.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/20chempr76hrjhe/photo(50).JPG

 

[cyndi]

JB, welcome!

Everybody is welcome here. And we've had a few NYC van dwellers post on occasion.

That is a nice rig. Similar to Tony & Karen's that post here.

 

[jbhernandez]

Thanks, as they say long time lurker.

Yeah. The reason I took the picture was because of the difference in size. If you notice, there are 2 lines on the street and the Smart car fits neatly in between. They are SMALL.

650? Didn't know they existed.

 

[kyonu]

650? Didn't know they existed.

They are tremendous trucks, and IMO WAY to loud (even without conversions). I have a bunch of "dude bro's" that live on my street in a duplex. Each duplex has 3 bedrooms per half, and they all have these trucks. :-/ It's like an F-650 gang or something. And every single one has raised axles, large tires and a "loud kit" to make it super annoying. Oh, best part--they leave at 6:30 in the morning. all of them. It's like a train driving down your tiny neighborhood road. /endrant

 

[Vic.]

Cool juxtaposition in that photo.

 

[jbhernandez]

Cool juxtaposition in that photo.

That's the word I was looking for, thanks.

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They are tremendous trucks, and IMO WAY to loud (even without conversions). I have a bunch of "dude bro's" that live on my street in a duplex. Each duplex has 3 bedrooms per half, and they all have these trucks. :-/ It's like an F-650 gang or something. And every single one has raised axles, large tires and a "loud kit" to make it super annoying. Oh, best part--they leave at 6:30 in the morning. all of them. It's like a train driving down your tiny neighborhood road. /endrant

Is that TX?

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The 650s are all conversions of regular commercial truck running gear as far as I am aware. Here is one of the conversion sites.

http://www.himarcconversions.com/

Those are some serious trucks!

 

[kyonu]

Is that TX?

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Why yes, yes it is. West Texas. Compensation capital of the world.

 

[jbhernandez]

Why yes, yes it is. West Texas. Compensation capital of the world.

Lucky guess.

I've been all over TX, not really, just Austin to San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, and once driving across the US drove through the panhandle.

When I think of Texas, I think of Ford Trucks, so it was an easy assumption.

 

[MK7]

They are tremendous trucks, and IMO WAY to loud (even without conversions). I have a bunch of "dude bro's" that live on my street in a duplex. Each duplex has 3 bedrooms per half, and they all have these trucks. :-/ It's like an F-650 gang or something. And every single one has raised axles, large tires and a "loud kit" to make it super annoying. Oh, best part--they leave at 6:30 in the morning. all of them. It's like a train driving down your tiny neighborhood road. /endrant

See man, this is them being A-holes. I have loud, highly modified Mustnags too but would never even start them up early in the morning unless on rare occasions I would take 1 to work. They're very finicky and needs the oil warmed up to be on the safe side, but I don't and try to leave right away to not mess up someone's sleep.

One guy kept revving up his POS truck with aftermarket mufflers and tearing down the road at like 5am in the morning when he went to work. This just tells me that he needs to go to bed early, like around 9pm. I'm a night-owl so around 12am or 1am, I'd start peeling out in 1st and 2nd gear around his block a few times. After 2 nights, he got the message.

 

[jbhernandez]

See man, this is them being A-holes. I have loud, highly modified Mustnags too but would never even start them up early in the morning unless on rare occasions I would take 1 to work. They're very finicky and needs the oil warmed up to be on the safe side, but I don't and try to leave right away to not mess up someone's sleep.

One guy kept revving up his POS truck with aftermarket mufflers and tearing down the road at like 5am in the morning when he went to work. This just tells me that he needs to go to bed early, like around 9pm. I'm a night-owl so around 12am or 1am, I'd start peeling out in 1st and 2nd gear around his block a few times. After 2 nights, he got the message.

That's awesome. I love leaving those types of messages. Speak to them in a language they understand.

 

[kyonu]

See man, this is them being A-holes. I have loud, highly modified Mustnags too but would never even start them up early in the morning unless on rare occasions I would take 1 to work. They're very finicky and needs the oil warmed up to be on the safe side, but I don't and try to leave right away to not mess up someone's sleep.

One guy kept revving up his POS truck with aftermarket mufflers and tearing down the road at like 5am in the morning when he went to work. This just tells me that he needs to go to bed early, like around 9pm. I'm a night-owl so around 12am or 1am, I'd start peeling out in 1st and 2nd gear around his block a few times. After 2 nights, he got the message.

Haha, wow, what a message. Problem is, there's so many of them here (not specifically F-650's, but other households with loud F-150's and F-250's), and just recently, a house with two mohawk-dawning helmet motorcyclists with super loud engines also. It's gotten pretty horrible, especially since I have to pay 1100 minimum a month to live here (thats including all my household bills.)

 

[jbhernandez]

Why yes, yes it is. West Texas. Compensation capital of the world.

Lucky guess

 

[David]

The 650s are all conversions of regular commercial truck running gear as far as I am aware. Here is one of the conversion sites.

http://www.himarcconversions.com/

Every time I see one of those things, I think it must be the redneck version of the Ferrari to make up for a small....