Shopping Again...

[Headache]

FEMA really came through for me on money to replace my van so I'm shopping again. I want to be very responsible with this money. After some initial confusion, I've found I can spend it on whatever I want as long as it's a vehicle. This means I can buy a car, motorcycle, RV or even a bus.

I can also spend money on fixing up said vehicle to make it drivable. I cannot customize or convert, but I can make repairs or replacements of original equipment.

I've decided I want something smaller than 40 feet as many of the RV parks near my Dad won't take something that large. I also decided this because I went through my apartment and figured out the actual space I use. In this 660 square foot apartment I actually use about 130 square feet of it. The rest of the space is "stuff" storage and dead space(an empty non-traffic area not being used).

I've been tempting fate by looking at the sale trucks on the U-Haul website. I'm not overly concerned about doing this because FEMA told me that if I found a vehicle, I can also spend the money making the vehicle safe to drive on the road, which can include engine and transmission. Believe me, I grilled that FEMA rep at length to make sure I could do this after initially being told I could not. I have her name and ID number and it's notated in my records.

I've figured out that one of their 24 foot box vans will work out very well. I chose to look at these brutally used derelicts after perusing some 4x4 sites. They have some very practical ideas on why they went orange but mainly it's because of the lowest floor decks to the ground. I won't be driving a Jeep into it, but I do have to get in and out of it and the less stairs, the happier my knees are.

I also wanted the FRP walls rather than aluminum because I'm not a metal worker and not in a position to become one. I have worked with fiberglass repair so that's something within my abilities. I'm looking at this as the poor man's version of what Sharkey and others have done.

Anyone else have experience or ideas and links regarding converting box vans into a home?

[Stealth Camper]

Just from my experience with the box trucks, I would definitely recommend avoiding U-Haul anything, be it truck, trailer, or any of their equipment. Horrendous maintenance and lousy condition EVERY time I have been forced to use.

Ryder (at least in this area - OK, TX, MO) seems to have the best box truck maintenance program. Penske seems to be ok, but I have used them quite a bit less than Ryder. I have driven the Intl w/DT466 and Allison automatic quite a bit around town and some highway. Always seem to get about 12 mpg and the worst problem I have had with one was emergency brake handles I had to adjust (twist the top). I suspect I have been lucky, but it has worked out well.

Be sure to get the tall box. And as long as possible - I like 26 foot. Lift on back ain't bad either, but gets in way of a hitch for trailer. Ramp on back makes adding hitch pretty easy.

We got the experts here, so you really want their input, too!! (My input is casual - not an expert at all.)

[Headache]

I am very aware of how beat up and rode hard UHauls are(hence my description of being a brutally used derelict) but I got enough money between FEMA and what I had saved that at least in the engine and transmission department I would be covered. I also wanted one because of the attic which Ryder, Penske and Budget don't have.

I agree that U Haul isn't known for a top notch maintenance program but having worked for both Penske and Ryder, I agree they are better but not by a huge margin. For the most part they(meaning P & R) don't run their trucks into the ground and didn't rely on Fords with throw away transmissions.

I don't want a 26 footer because it will be too long to get into the RV parks around my Dad, at least the cheap ones I can afford. I want an automatic which the 26's don't have(at least the ones in my price range). I don't need a lift, I would definitely use the ramp, gotta get my fridge in somehow. =)

Mark has turned me on to looking at RV's again, lol. He's very persuasive but he backs it up logically. The hard part is finding something not far from me so I can actually go look at it. >.<

[Headache]

I think I've found something suitable, going to look at it tomorrow. In the meantime, I contacted the RMV here in Mass to find out what exactly I have to do to make the currently registered commercial vehicle legal as an RV.

I need to permanently install and sink and a toilet then go to the RMV, fill out 2 forms and pay $125. I have 7 days to do this.

I'll probably have to order my sink and toilet and other necessary goodies to make it look permanent and have them shipped next day here. Any recommendations?

I also need a rechargeable tool outfit because I'll be parking my truck in a warehouse and may not always have access to power. Any recommendations for rechargeable tools?

[dburt]

See if you have any RV salvage places around where you could buy salvaged RV items like sinks, toilets, 'fridges, etc. You can get pretty good deals on RV fittings and furnishings from wrecked RVs. Or you could go to an RV supply store and buy new. See if you have a Camping World RV store nearby. They are often associated with an RV dealership.

Some of the best rechargeable tools are made by DeWalt. You can buy them at Lowe's or Home Depot at reasonable prices. I use thier 18volt system tools alot in my work and projects, and they are tough and hard to beat. Look for a package sale where you can buy several tools such as a drill/driver, saw, flashlite, etc in the package to get the best deal. Don't buy consumer products like Sears Craftsman or Walmart tools. They do not hold up. Rigid, Milwaukee, and Makita are all good brands as well. Ryobi is a cheaper cosumer brand, they make the Sears Craftsman line of tools, not very good stuff over the long run.

Are you going to get a school bus type rig or an X-Uhaul truck?

[Headache]

I'll be getting a UHaul type and it's a 24' box meaning I have to park it in storage for the time being. The apartment complex won't allow it here. This is one reason why I won't be able to get out and do any "real" salvage yard shopping because I still won't have a daily driver(unless I pick up a moped) to get around with. The closest Camping World is 100 miles from me.

The other is that I can't drive a tranny of that type so I'll need to swap it out for something I can drive, like a 10 speed "if" I can make that kind of swap. I made a post on Oil Burners asking about that kind of a swap because I'd also like to get the turbo kit for it and the kit is for a 7.3 IDI with a 5 speed.

However, I only have 7 days to get a sink and toilet installed or I end up paying $3600 to the RMV because the truck will still be considered "commercial", so the plumbing items usurp a tranny.

I've been told to get DeWalt a number of times so a web surfing I go...off to spend some money....

[dburt]

Just don't spend all that money in one place . . . . . .

[splummer]

maine has aplace but to far for you,we pulledin with our bus once and she looked out of place ,but did get a chance to look around, oh yeah the place is call of thr wild in oxford me.have fun buying . steve

[Headache]

I've decided that if I do end up buying the truck I'm going to look at today, that I'll have to get at least part of the floor in asap. I need to do this within 7 days to make the registration cutoff and get the "house car" registration by "permanently" installing a sink and toilet. I'm not going to put in a bathroom sink since I'll be putting in a full size kitchen sink.

It has an aluminum slat floor which means I'll need to insulate it and I'm assuming put down some form of vapor barrier. I'm only going to do enough to take some pictures into the RMV in case they look confused. Since it has an 8 foot ceiling it won't be an issue to use 2x4s for the floor framing.

Has anyone ever worked with these kinds of floors? Did you seal it in some way(such as undercoat the underside or do something to the top of it) before framing your floor?

I'm trying to find info others have posted on what they did with their floors.

[dburt]

Well, you could always fasten a toilet down, and a sink in some kind of cabinet to get you by the DMV process, and then take them back up to put a floor down properly as you have time and money to do it right.

I'd put down a layer of good heavy black plastic and then over that I would put down 2-inch rigid foam for my insulation.
Then I would probably put down 1/2-inch plywood over that for a flooring base to attach whatever type of flooring I was going to put in. I think I would glue the plywood to the foam with a construction type of adhesive. Once you get your counters, walls, and different cabinets in, they will hold everything down and in place.

[rlaggren]

That "solid" foam floor sounds pretty good. Should take care of the vapor barrier too if the seams of the foam were sealed or taped or something. Couldn't run utilities in the floor, but the simplicity and speed and the elimination of the vapor problem - I'd say it's a winner. Just seal the outside shell real good so no little rodent friends come to live with your!

Rufus