Does anyone know much about Luton vans?

[pagey]

I think the distance between the chassis rails will be the limitations of swapping the body to a different manufacturer

 

[Carpmart]

I think the distance between the chassis rails will be the limitations of swapping the body to a different manufacturer

Agreed…

Unlikely to be perfect fit if swapping over boxes across chassis but you would just build/weld up a sub chassis to adapt between the two.

 

[pagey]

Needs to be a low sub chassis to keep the floor of the box as low as poss

 

[Dutch 68]

I've driven a few, years back, not aerodynamic and you lose usable space above cab. We were parked next to a converted transit last year, the couple needed big steps to get in and out. Also lost space at chassis height where we would have lockers.

Plenty of lowloader Luton vans, that’s the one to go for, saying that Gromett have you thought about an ex 7.5t or beter a 12 t removal vehicle, they are great base vehicles

 

[pagey]

One of the lowest is on the renault

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[Gromett]

Needs to be a low sub chassis to keep the floor of the box as low as poss

Plenty of lowloader Luton vans, that’s the one to go for, saying that Gromett have you thought about an ex 7.5t or beter a 12 t removal vehicle, they are great base vehicles

Low loaders are less likely to be swapable because of the location of the wheels and ancillaries. I also want the higher box for a few other reasons.

I won't be looking at 7.5T as I let my C1 lapse as I never used it anymore. I am a post 97 license holder so have to take a medical every 5 years from age 45.

 

[The Wino]

Ex delivery fridge vans look pretty cheap although high mileage

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[Gromett]

I think the distance between the chassis rails will be the limitations of swapping the body to a different manufacturer

I doubt the distance between them is likely to be much different between manufacturers as it is dictated by wheel spacing?

That said. I can weld and am not adverse to getting stuck in with adapter plates...

 

[Gromett]

Ex delivery fridge vans look pretty cheap although high mileage

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Way too much work on the side doors. Box is fairly small. Not full height. I will be looking for a full 4Mtr box, full height, plain white with roller shutter and on LWB.

But thanks for the suggestion.

 

[gus-lopez]

Ex delivery fridge vans look pretty cheap although high mileage

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Amazing .That would be around 20,000€ at least here, & with that mileage but in kms

I'd be looking for a either a delivery van with insulated side panels & roof but without odd doors in sides or a removal truck that is built on the lower floor chassis vans like mentioned .

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[Reallyretired]

Lots of help fro knowledgeable folk here. All I know is that the Luton van was named after the town, famous for hats, who needed a spacious body for light loads to transport hats. The first ones were horse drawn

 

[Tea Bag]

I am going to be buying and converting a Luton van next.

I have a few questions.

The main one is this. How interchangeable are the boxes?
For example will a Box off a Ford fit on an Iveco, or a box off a Merc fit on a Fiat?

ok. Reasoning. I am looking at a Luton for 2 main reason.
Nice big square box is easier to build in than a panel van.
If the van lets me down I can swap the box onto a different chassis.

If the boxes are interchangeable I won't be too fussy about my first van and pay more attention to the box. I have the space and means to swap boxes here so I am not bothered about the actual swapping if it becomes necessary.

Thanks in advance.

Hi.
I am sure you to have seen the old " Luton van Horse boxes "........ Being " Rehomed ?" on a newer/different
chassis. I would imagine there would be no drawbacks.
While your at it ( You have started so you can finish.... ) and your licence covers you...... Fit gear that enables you to drop it and drive away from underneath it,( REMEMBERED THE WORD..... Demountable....DOH !! ) then when changing cab/chassis, you can sort it easier the second time . Best of luck,keep photo's coming.
Tea Bag

 

[Gromett]

Fit gear that enables you to drop it and drive away from underneath it,( REMEMBERED THE WORD..... Demountable....DOH !! )

Yes, that was a consideration. But I wouldn't be using it a lot. Perhaps at MOT and when moving chassis. So a lot of work and quite a bit of weight for something I would rarely use.
It is on the cards though.

 

[pagey]

Have a look at this on on ebay is half way there
286009603243

 

[Gromett]

Have a look at this on on ebay is half way there
286009603243

I don't want a low loader.

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[Gromett]

This is more along the lines of what I am looking at.

It is not a low loader.
It has a plywood box not an aluminium box.
It has roller shutter door. (gives me options)

2018 CITROEN RELAY 2.0 2.0 BlueHDi 35 LWB LUTON VAN | eBay

DM VANS - Call us on +441494419113 or click here to find out more.

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[Outdoors Dad]

I like the look of this stream lined Luton

 

[Minxy]

Ex delivery fridge vans look pretty cheap although high mileage

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Love the colour!

View attachment 935890I like the look of this stream lined Luton

Even better imagine a big Funsters smile face on the side.

 

[The Wino]

Love the colour!


Even better imagine a big Funsters smile face on the side.

You'd be daft not to call it Kermit if you converted it!

 

[dunnah01]

Why not just make your own box to suit whichever chassis configuration you want. You’re changing most of the Luton bit anyway so why pay the premium. You would also be able to make it a proper insulated structural box. SVA would be fairly simple if the base vehicle wasn’t changed much.

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[mitzimad]

avoid fridge vans like the plauge everyone ive ever seen has rust problem from where they are washed out daily

 

[pappajohn]

Much easier to get a flatbed and a caravan.
You could have it all up and running in a weekend!

View attachment 935677

Dont know where that's gone.
The owner died quite some time ago.

 

[Gromett]

Why not just make your own box to suit whichever chassis configuration you want. You’re changing most of the Luton bit anyway so why pay the premium. You would also be able to make it a proper insulated structural box. SVA would be fairly simple if the base vehicle wasn’t changed much.

I am happy with the box that comes with them. Making my own would be hellishly expensive.
All I will be doing is resealing it then adding 50mm celotex with 100mm celotex top and floor.

 

[Brains]

On a serious note, have you looked into buying a container ?
20' long, 8' wide and upto 9'6" high.

That would give you more than enough space to make a habitation module
A basic container weighs about 2.5t before you add the internals.
Which means I'd guess that adding a base vehicle would get to up to the 6-7t area.
Still within the C1 licence permissions.

It would also be a fairly simple thing to change the base vehicle, so you could afford to fit out the habitation area nicely and simply change the base vehicle every few years as required.
You could even 'park' the habitation module anywhere you liked without the base vehicle.

Plenty of 4x4 & 4x6 options here, but it does not need to be a serious Overlander.
A 20' TEU (Twenty foot Equivalent Unit, a standard 20' Container) would fit on the back of a normal supermarket delivery van.

 

[Tea Bag]

On a serious note, have you looked into buying a container ?
20' long, 8' wide and upto 9'6" high.

That would give you more than enough space to make a habitation module
A basic container weighs about 2.5t before you add the internals.
Which means I'd guess that adding a base vehicle would get to up to the 6-7t area.
Still within the C1 licence permissions.

It would also be a fairly simple thing to change the base vehicle, so you could afford to fit out the habitation area nicely and simply change the base vehicle every few years as required.
You could even 'park' the habitation module anywhere you liked without the base vehicle.

Hi Brains.
I have another fiendishly clever idea to go with yours. A Beaver tailed unit....If the money runs to it a Tilt model with winch..... SORTED... When you wren't swanning around foreign parts... You could earn a few bob on " Breakdown Rescue " work............ Every little helps.
Tea Bag.

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[Brains]

Hi Brains.
I have another fiendishly clever idea to go with yours. A Beaver tailed unit....If the money runs to it a Tilt model with winch..... SORTED... When you wren't swanning around foreign parts... You could earn a few bob on " Breakdown Rescue " work............ Every little helps.
Tea Bag.

OK, better still, fit standard container twist lock castor wheels to the container.

And with a tilt bed and a winch you could self load/unload the container.
Work days doing breakdown deliveries (motorhomes preferred!)

Nights you sleep in the container habitation unit and move on when needed!

I see Bliss (and others) do short 13', 15' and 18' containers as well as the standard 20'

 

[Gromett]

On a serious note, have you looked into buying a container ?
20' long, 8' wide and upto 9'6" high.

That would give you more than enough space to make a habitation module
A basic container weighs about 2.5t before you add the internals.
Which means I'd guess that adding a base vehicle would get to up to the 6-7t area.
Still within the C1 licence permissions.

It would also be a fairly simple thing to change the base vehicle, so you could afford to fit out the habitation area nicely and simply change the base vehicle every few years as required.
You could even 'park' the habitation module anywhere you liked without the base vehicle.

Plenty of 4x4 & 4x6 options here, but it does not need to be a serious Overlander.
A 20' TEU (Twenty foot Equivalent Unit, a standard 20' Container) would fit on the back of a normal supermarket delivery van.

View attachment 936039

View attachment 936041

I am sticking with 3.5T. I honestly just want a nice simple square box to build in rather than a curved van. I don't want to have to jump through hoops to get my C1 back nor having to renew it every 5 years for very little actual real benefit.
The extra height is a major plus.

The ONLY reason I am asking about the swap is. I did a self build which I lived in happily for many years. I lost that to catastrophic rust problems that were uneconomical and impractical to repair.
Being able to swap the box means I don't have to fear the MOT ever again.

 

[Brains]

I am sticking with 3.5T. I honestly just want a nice simple square box to build in rather than a curved van. I don't want to have to jump through hoops to get my C1 back nor having to renew it every 5 years for very little actual real benefit.
The extra height is a major plus.

The ONLY reason I am asking about the swap is. I did a self build which I lived in happily for many years. I lost that to catastrophic rust problems that were uneconomical and impractical to repair.
Being able to swap the box means I don't have to fear the MOT ever again.

A hab unit built inside a container you really could swap from vehicle to vehicle inside a hour.

Which means the rust issue (or the need to run whatever fuel/EV the government of the day mandate) becomes a non-issue, you simply move your habitation container to a new vehicle, you could actually 'afford' to do it every couple of years if needed.

However, I'm afraid even a 13' or 15' container, when fully loaded with kit, water, food, fuel etc, even on an Iveco Daily or similar base vehicle is going to be close to the 7.5t/C1 licence limit.

I think a 6m Luton van is going to have similar issues, you will struggle to get it all under 3.5t, especially if you insulate it
That said, buy a Luton Transit, go to IKEA, get a cheap bed, a table and chairs, and a single kitchen unit with a stove and fridge and you are sorted!

 

[Outdoors Dad]

A hab unit built inside a container you really could swap from vehicle to vehicle inside a hour.

Which means the rust issue (or the need to run whatever fuel/EV the government of the day mandate) becomes a non-issue, you simply move your habitation container to a new vehicle, you could actually 'afford' to do it every couple of years if needed.

However, I'm afraid even a 13' or 15' container, when fully loaded with kit, water, food, fuel etc, even on an Iveco Daily or similar base vehicle is going to be close to the 7.5t/C1 licence limit.

I think a 6m Luton van is going to have similar issues, you will struggle to get it all under 3.5t, especially if you insulate it
That said, buy a Luton Transit, go to IKEA, get a cheap bed, a table and chairs, and a single kitchen unit with a stove and fridge and you are sorted!

I tend to disagree with the weight issue. I believe a type of 'kingspan' insulation would provide a very rigid backing to enable a lighter interior sheet material to be used as a wall. When I look at a Luton van I think it's main positive is you could design and build an interior without unessential bulk and weight?

 

[Gromett]

A hab unit built inside a container you really could swap from vehicle to vehicle inside a hour.

Which means the rust issue (or the need to run whatever fuel/EV the government of the day mandate) becomes a non-issue, you simply move your habitation container to a new vehicle, you could actually 'afford' to do it every couple of years if needed.

However, I'm afraid even a 13' or 15' container, when fully loaded with kit, water, food, fuel etc, even on an Iveco Daily or similar base vehicle is going to be close to the 7.5t/C1 licence limit.

I think a 6m Luton van is going to have similar issues, you will struggle to get it all under 3.5t, especially if you insulate it

As I said. I am sticking to the 3.5T limit.

The Kerb weight of the Lutons I am looking at are 2.3 - 2.5T. That leaves me plenty of overhead to build.
I have the option to remove the heavy roller shutter doors to regain some weight if necessary.

Insulation will be around 80KG with 50mm all around. Most vans have 25mm or there abouts.

That said, buy a Luton Transit, go to IKEA, get a cheap bed, a table and chairs, and a single kitchen unit with a stove and fridge and you are sorted!

I can build light and good quality. I have never been anywhere near IKEA and I won't be going now, thanks for the suggestion though .

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