Step/Box truck recommendations?

[AndrewB]

My wife and I have purchased a very gently used ancient Road Trek popular 190. It has been an absolute hit for taking it on vacations. Unfortunately, the layout has lots of wasted space and not much room for storage, solar, batteries, etc. With a thought towards preparing for full timing in a vehicle, I thought something a touch larger would be in order. I like the idea of a box/step truck, having square sides and lots of space. Moving to commercial brands, I no longer have any knowledge of what are good brands/motors/transmissions, etc. Anyone have any thoughts on what to avoid and/or what to look for? 

The requirements I do have are: 
Walk through from the cab to the box.
Fits in a normal parking spot (~20 ft long)
Box is at least slightly larger than 6' wide x 6' tall. I'm 5'9" and would like at least 2" of insulation all around. 3" would be ideal.
Not require a CDL.
Parts easy to come by.

Preferences:
Box made of aluminum or fiberglass (rust is annoying!)
The room above the cab be open from the inside. A bed over that spot would be ideal if there is enough vertical space.
Higher ground clearance for some off-roading capabilities.

 

[Willy]

A Grumman stepvan with a 12-14' ft would do ya. That's what I'm living in. ..Willy.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

Or  a Grumman with 10 foot box they also come in an 8 foot but are rare and maybe a bit small, mine is a 10 foot fits in any city parking spots same length as a pick up truck. the 10 footers are usually a bit shorter inside, mine is 6 foot one with some insulation the 12 footers or 14 footers are bit higher, maybe an extra six inches, they usually have duallies and are bigger trucks overall. wider, higher longer heavier. It ticks all your boxes, it is all aluminium, walk through, over six feet, and has good ground clearance, on mine I have added some skirts on the bottom in an attempt to increase fuel economy but pretty good ground clearance just the same, it is less then 20 feet long, you could put a bed up above the cab area if you figured out a way to lower  and raise it, other wise that would not work. most of these are based on Gm or Ford chassis all parts are easy to get and available everywhere. If you can find one with a Cummins 4bt you will get fairly good fuel economy.
Here is some pics of mine to give you an idea.  

 

[BradKW]

From your title, I'm not sure if you are considering both box trucks and step vans, or if you're just mixing up names...as I was doing not so long ago

But I have yet to see a box truck with a stand-up pass through...assuming you're over 40" tall anyway. From a question I posted earlier, I've learned that box truck up-fitters have to pad off the main beam, raising box floor height over that of cab. But if you happen to see something that looks like a taller pass-thru, please do post a link.

Step vans have been added to my list of vehicles I'm considering and do searches on, and what I've found so far is this:

1) Step vans in newer condition or low mileage are far from cheap, holding value well above standard cargo vans. At least in south FL anyway.
2) Step vans that drop into the $10k-and-under range often have very high miles.
3) For reasons unknown, $10k-and-under vans have a "cockpit" that is usually beat to crap, instrumentation often looking so bad I'd want to replace everything there.
4) Having never tried to work on one I'm not sure, but it appears access to mechanicals may be even more challenging than a standard van doghouse.

But if the right vehicle/deal popped up, I'd certainly be happy with the conversion ability of a step-van.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

4) Having never tried to work on one I'm not sure, but it appears access to mechanicals may be even more challenging than a standard van doghouse.

no this is not so Brad, the engine is right there when you open the dog house and the hood is longer so better access from the front as well, not only great access to the engine but most have a plate that is removable behind the dog house to access the transmission. so very good access the only rig that would have better access would be one with a cab that tilted up

 

[ascii_man]

The lack of depreciation may not be a negative; especially for someone who owns a RoadTrek. Depreciation is a huge cost on most vehicles, and RV's and conversion vans are notoriously bad. So if you're putting personal vehicle miles on it, it might hold its value really well.

I would also be concerned with lack of stealth. One town I used to want to visit has an ordinance against parking commercial vehicles overnight. A van, or even a RoadTrek might slip by, but I'm pretty sure that a commercial step van would be too obvious.

How are the driving dynamics?

 

[Willy]

I measured my Grumman steppie (14' box) and it's basically the same length as an extended cab full sized PU truck. As for servicing, it's night 'n day when compared to a regular van. TONS of space and, if one were to remove the floor plate behind the doghouse you could stand on the ground and work on the engine tranny! Right now, I'm pulling a 7.3 diesel out of an E-350 class C and am living the cramped horror.

Another nice thing about the Grumman is the easily removable front assembly where the rad is located. The whole works comes out, including the top brace, so just have to hook up an engine hoist and slide out the engine. It's almost like working on a PU truck.. except I can do so and stay dry when it's raining. ..Willy.

 

[AndrewB]

Lack of depreciation is very bad when you are planning to drive it into the ground. If you spend lots of money & time customizing it, you aren't going to ever sell it, and if you are, certainly not going to be able to get the money back out of it.

I haven't heard of cities banning overnight parking of commercial vehicles. A full size van looks like commercial just as much as a step van. Even so, looking like a commercial vehicle is the best stealth you can get in most situations. Most people assume a commercial vehicle is parked at a location for a reason. You would need to leave it there multiple nights before people would start to question it.

Chevy box van have any major issues? This one just popped up nearby: https://kalamazoo.craigslist.org/cto/5477325367.html

And yes, I know the difference between the 2. Open to both, as they both can potentially fit my criteria. Most box trucks I have seen don't have the pass through. A few do though. Most that do look small but workable.

 

[Patrick46]

Andrew

that box truck you posted has a roll-up garage door on the back. You're going to have to remove it and build either a new rear wall, or build some barndoors for it.
Roll-ups take up a bunch of interior space and headroom...so be prepared. (or keep looking.)

I'm a huge stepvan proponent as well. 8 of 'em so far.

 

[AndrewB]

I haven't seen many with the barn doors. The couple I have seen so far that have barn doors are the utility type trucks with lots of outside cabinets. I guess I could glue the doors of the cabinets shut and cut out the interior bump-outs to get the interior space back. Living in a smaller city means I don't see many step vans, so it might be worth it getting one with a rollup and then trying to locate a set of barn doors. You ever do the replacement surgery? I can't imagine it is easy.

How much space is there under the box? Room to keep the battery bank and maybe the water tanks?

Also, the Roadtrek is a '92 that we picked up for $8k. Not much depreciation left. Only 88k miles on her though, so plenty of life, especially with no rust.

 

[BradKW]

There's a couple threads with roll-up conversions:

 https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-The-Cube-U-Haul-to-RV-camper-conversion?page=4

https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Twinkie-Hotel-Improvements?page=7&highlight=grumman

 

[BradKW]

This is a pretty good example of what's in the $10k range here: http://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/1999-Freightliner-Mt45--117042658

Although I do see a fair percentage that have rear barn door instead of roll-ups, so probably just a case of keep looking. The link above goes to a good listing site...set up some local searches if you don't use it already.

 

[AndrewB]

I have been trolling craigslist, but another source to look through is definitely welcome!

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Don't know what your budget is.  If you are interested in a box truck instead of a step van, you should know that Penske, Budget, U-Haul, etc.  all sell their older trucks used.  A quick Google search will show you their web sites for used sales.

Regards
John

 

[LoupGarou]

Here's one of my favorite conversions.
http://tinyhousepins.com/work-van-converted-into-classy-motorhome-just-4500/

Before you buy, run the VIN past your insurance company. Getting insurance on a commercial rated truck can be problematic.

 

[AndrewB]

Don't know what your budget is.  If you are interested in a box truck instead of a step van, you should know that Penske, Budget, U-Haul, etc.  all sell their older trucks used.  A quick Google search will show you their web sites for used sales.

Regards
John

None of the mover style trucks I have seen have a pass through from the cab. Has anyone seen a pass through box truck from Penske/Budget/U-Haul?

 

[BradKW]

I'm kinda going under the impression that adding a pass thru to a box that shares a common wall with cab should be a pretty straight forward modification, i.e. chop a hole and viola, pass thru.

 

[AndrewB]

I was under the impression that the cab and box move independently and have separate walls. Creating a pass through would need to be flexible to deal with the separate flexing.

 

[BradKW]

[quote pid='186350' dateline='1457362961']
I was under the impression that the cab and box move independently and have separate walls. Creating a pass through would need to be flexible to deal with the separate flexing.
[/quote]

I'm pretty sure that if cab and box share a common wall that's not the case since it would already be sealed around cab roof etc.

 

[Patrick46]

I was under the impression that the cab and box move independently and have separate walls. Creating a pass through would need to be flexible to deal with the separate flexing.

True...but it'd still be an easy modification to do. (provided you have some basic mechanical/construction know-how)

Same with building a new back wall or doors.