Hello from Ohio, but ultimately from our DIY Transit

[walwalka]

Hey all!

Joined a short time ago, but haven’t posted as I was using the forum for insight on class b travel and what we needed in the van. We are from Ohio, but I had barely travelled outside(even inside) the state prior to getting our van. We placed the order for the van in mid-2022 with lofty goals of “replicating” other manufactured class b vans, but better suited for my wants/our needs. The goal was to build an adventure companion that would support working my remote job, while leaving enough space for my partner, dog and bikes. The van has been an enormous amount of work, and of course it’s an on-going project! I’m very far in the process and besides the thousands of “finishing touches” there is nothing major left to complete.

We’ve been traveling in it part-time since November of 2023 and we are absolutely stoked on it. We’ve found our groove in taking 2-3 week trips where we sit still during the work week and exploring between locations close by over the weekend. The van had taken us as close by as 20 miles from home and as far as Key West. Seemingly being re-designed a little each trip we take, lol!

It’s a Ford Transit 350HD Crew Van with the EcoBoost, DRW and AWD. It drives well and we are excited for the place it’s taking us. Here is a glimpse into the current state of affairs and look forward to sharing more!

 

[@Michael]

Looks like a really nicely done build.

 

[walwalka]

Looks like a really nicely done build.

Thank you!

 

[The Eyesore]

It's gorgeous! No shower/toilet, I gather?

 

[Hatteras Jim]

Just curious. What is your total weight fully loaded? Nice work.

 

[walwalka]

Just curious. What is your total weight fully loaded? Nice work.

thanks! I did weight it again recently actually, we bounce around the GVWR depending on how long we’re going out. Last time I weighted it we were at 9940lbs.

Loaded up for 1.5 weeks with us, dog, gear, food, 20 gal of water and 34 gal of fuel(31 gas/3diesel). We’re 50lbs over GVWR on this trip, and since we got home I’ve been trimming some fat out of it to find that 50lbs. Because that 20 gal will typically get us 3 days, even washing some dishes.

 

[walwalka]

It's gorgeous! No shower/toilet, I gather?

Thank you! There’s a toilet on a slide out on the driver side, and only an outdoor shower. We live where camping is 90% in campgrounds with easy access to showers.

 

[booster]

thanks! I did weight it again recently actually, we bounce around the GVWR depending on how long we’re going out. Last time I weighted it we were at 9940lbs.

Loaded up for 1.5 weeks with us, dog, gear, food, 20 gal of water and 34 gal of fuel(31 gas/3diesel). We’re 50lbs over GVWR on this trip, and since we got home I’ve been trimming some fat out of it to find that 50lbs. Because that 20 gal will typically get us 3 days, even washing some dishes.

The picture looks like that is a duallie Transit. I thought all the duallies had about 11K GVWR.

 

[walwalka]

The picture looks like that is a duallie Transit. I thought all the duallies had about 11K GVWR.

It is a dually, but unfortunately, nope. The crew van is the lightest GVWR at 9950lbs, and there are 10,630lbs/11,000lbs cargos. That said, the only difference between this van and the 10,630lbs van is the rear spring rate. The 11,000lbs van has an upgraded transmission cooler and even higher rear spring rate.

 

[booster]

It is a dually, but unfortunately, nope. The crew van is the lightest GVWR at 9950lbs, and there are 10,630lbs/11,000lbs cargos. That said, the only difference between this van and the 10,630lbs van is the rear spring rate. The 11,000lbs van has an upgraded transmission cooler and even higher rear spring rate.

I think they may also make a 9950 rated single wheel one also, don't they. Maybe not in all the versions and models though. I don't think I would want to put up with hassle of dual wheels if I could do it with single wheel, plus the dually setup probably is using up more of your legal weight capacity than a single would

 

[walwalka]

I think they may also make a 9950 rated single wheel one also, don't they. Maybe not in all the versions and models though. I don't think I would want to put up with hassle of dual wheels if I could do it with single wheel, plus the dually setup probably is using up more of your legal weight capacity than a single would

The crew van did not come in a single wheel configuration, I primarily ordered it to get the legal seat and airbags for the second row. I’ve got a single folding seat to install yet, that’s the main driver of the crew van. But I did want a dually van for the stability at highway speeds. A side benefit was that the van could be insured as a personal passenger van prior to the conversion, which I could not do with a cargo van. It’s a little bit of a live and learn situation, it will be fine in the end.

I realistically need to shave about 150lbs before I can truly finish the project by installing the seat. But that’s fine, the seat is less than 100lbs and I have two the of the seat rails from the factory seat that need removed in order to install it. Those are like 10lbs each, so I’m off to a good start!

I’ve got plans to re-do and lower the bed in the future. It’s like 3 sheets of 3/4in plywood as of now, I’m going to re-do it with 8020 and 1/2in ply. It’s a bit of work, but what isn’t? Couple other weight saving things like switching to a gasoline fired heater which ditches the 5gal diesel tank. Removing the stainless cover from the A/C as it’s already in a cabinet, so it doesn’t need both.

I’ll get there, just need to keep putting in the work!

 

[The Eyesore]

I realistically need to shave about 150lbs before I can truly finish the project by installing the seat.

I ditched 90lbs by removing my spare tire. Just food for thought. New tires and a TPMS which reads pressures and temps gives me way more peace of mind than having a 90lb spare hanging way behind the rear axle.

 

[walwalka]

I ditched 90lbs by removing my spare tire. Just food for thought. New tires and a TPMS which reads pressures and temps gives me way more peace of mind than having a 90lb spare hanging way behind the rear axle.

Agreed entirely. That thought has definitely crossed my mind, because am I realistically changing a 10,000lbs vehicle’s tire on the side of the road with the dinky jack ford provides? Probably not.

I know most of the RV manufacturers don’t send the spare with the unit anyway.

 

[wmgeorge]

So your up in North Dakota or in the middle of Canada and you run over a piece of metal that fell off the truck ahead of you. Now you have a damaged tire and a special size that no one has in stock... so you?

 

[youngnretired]

Any thought to change out the rear springs to the 11K rate springs at a minimum? Unless the mounts are different, this should be a fairly straight forward change. The extra trans cooler (regardless of changing the springs) is probably a wise idea for longer transmission life.

 

[walwalka]

So your up in North Dakota or in the middle of Canada and you run over a piece of metal that fell off the truck ahead of you. Now you have a damaged tire and a special size that no one has in stock... so you?

I’m not terribly worried about not being able to find a 205/75R16 load range e, I’m certain there plumbers, electricians, amazon that all need tires too. However, I realistically I installed the tire carrier on purpose. I’ve got plenty of other options for weight reduction before I ditch the spare, including moving it back under the van and removing the carrier. The carrier was originally intended to serve as a ladder to a roof storage box, but I quickly learned that my cellar antenna cables weren’t long enough to reach the router from the other side of the van. So the antenna ended up being installed right above the rear ladder.

Any thought to change out the rear springs to the 11K rate springs at a minimum? Unless the mounts are different, this should be a fairly straight forward change. The extra trans cooler (regardless of changing the springs) is probably a wise idea for longer transmission life.

It’s something I want to do, while it’s probably an over exaggerated concern I’m trying to stay as close to GVWR as possible for insurance concerns. I’ve just been putting it off while I optimize my build, as we aren’t really that overweight at this point. The plan is to call around to some spring shops and see what’s possible for adding a leaf or otherwise before I just toss parts at it. If I do replace the springs entirely, I’ll go with the van compass opti-rate springs. Probably include a set of new shocks too.

 

[booster]

Any thought to change out the rear springs to the 11K rate springs at a minimum? Unless the mounts are different, this should be a fairly straight forward change. The extra trans cooler (regardless of changing the springs) is probably a wise idea for longer transmission life.

I was going to suggest the spring change, which may be able to be done by just adding a leaf also by a spring shop. The other option would be to add airbags, which can add about 5K# capacity to the rear on most models. It would be adjustable and probably a smoother ride with airbags.

I didn't mention it because I try to not recommend things that are not legal or could cause some monetary risk.

Legal wise is if you happen to get weighed by a jurisdiction weight checkpoint, they will go be the weight sticker so you will be tagged. In general that doesn't seem to happen, however, as RVs are generally not required to at weigh checkpoints, only commercially registered trucks over 10K AFAIK. It is also possible to travel with empty tanks, except for gas, when you are going most places. Just make sure there is water available where you are going. Some even carry a collapsible water jug so they can hand fill from a normal faucet that isn't for hookup to fill. We generally leave home with about 5-6 gallons in the fresh tank and fill on the second day if we are doing a quick layover the first night, or on the first arrival if it is our destination. We are not overweight so we don't need to but good to be lighter. We would be about 9200# that way and loaded for a trip, I think, on a 9600# gross weight rating single rear wheel Chevy.

Financial risk would be from if you got in and accident and got sued for it with proof you were overweight. I have not personally heard about any of that on RVs, but have on commercial vehicles a couple of times over the years. Usually a semi that has a brake failure and mows down and bunch of cars or a bus full of people.

IMO, a large transmission cooler, with a thermostatic bypass, should be on all RVs.

 

[walwalka]

I was going to suggest the spring change, which may be able to be done by just adding a leaf also by a spring shop. The other option would be to add airbags, which can add about 5K# capacity to the rear on most models. It would be adjustable and probably a smoother ride with airbags.

I didn't mention it because I try to not recommend things that are not legal or could cause some monetary risk.

Legal wise is if you happen to get weighed by a jurisdiction weight checkpoint, they will go be the weight sticker so you will be tagged. In general that doesn't seem to happen, however, as RVs are generally not required to at weigh checkpoints, only commercially registered trucks over 10K AFAIK. It is also possible to travel with empty tanks, except for gas, when you are going most places. Just make sure there is water available where you are going. Some even carry a collapsible water jug so they can hand fill from a normal faucet that isn't for hookup to fill. We generally leave home with about 5-6 gallons in the fresh tank and fill on the second day if we are doing a quick layover the first night, or on the first arrival if it is our destination. We are not overweight so we don't need to but good to be lighter. We would be about 9200# that way and loaded for a trip, I think, on a 9600# gross weight rating single rear wheel Chevy.

Financial risk would be from if you got in and accident and got sued for it with proof you were overweight. I have not personally heard about any of that on RVs, but have on commercial vehicles a couple of times over the years. Usually a semi that has a brake failure and mows down and bunch of cars or a bus full of people.

IMO, a large transmission cooler, with a thermostatic bypass, should be on all RVs.

You nailed it and that’s exactly why it wasn’t something I mentioned. In my head it’s about being under and using the upgrades to improve the experience. You’re absolutely right, we could run with 10 gal of water and be under again even fully loaded up. It’s all a balance and we’re finding that now. It’s not like I’ve totally blown the weight capacity of the van by any means.

 

[wmgeorge]

I’m not terribly worried about not being able to find a 205/75R16 load range e, I’m certain there plumbers, electricians, amazon that all need tires too. However, I realistically I installed the tire carrier on purpose. I’ve got plenty of other options for weight reduction before I ditch the spare, including moving it back under the van and removing the carrier. The carrier was originally intended to serve as a ladder to a roof storage box, but I quickly learned that my cellar antenna cables weren’t long enough to reach the router from the other side of the van. So the antenna ended up being installed right above the rear ladder.


It’s something I want to do, while it’s probably an over exaggerated concern I’m trying to stay as close to GVWR as possible for insurance concerns. I’ve just been putting it off while I optimize my build, as we aren’t really that overweight at this point. The plan is to call around to some spring shops and see what’s possible for adding a leaf or otherwise before I just toss parts at it. If I do replace the springs entirely, I’ll go with the van compass opti-rate springs. Probably include a set of new shocks too.

My carrier is mounted on a welded to the frame 2 inch hitch. You have never been to Canada and drove for an hour, never seeing another car, and no cell coverage?

 

[walwalka]

My carrier is mounted on a welded to the frame 2 inch hitch. You have never been to Canada and drove for an hour, never seeing another car, and no cell coverage?

To answer the question, no I haven’t and I do have starlink if that’s the situation. I live and do most traveling in the eastern US where there are people every 20 minutes at most.

I have an owl tire carrier installed already(photo attached above), and only said that the thought has crossed my mind with some reason to why it has. I’d remove the carrier and put the tire back under the van before leaving the tire behind if it came to that. I do agree that the modern TPMS system gives me more piece of mind that just having a spare tire, but things happen either way.