Starting to plan my new van/truck

Gromett

Gromett

Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Posts
15,320
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82,215
Location
UK
Funster No
15,452
MH
Self Build
Exp
Since 2005
I have been unhappy with my van for a while now because of the constant stream of problems. However these have all been resolved with some help from @Wildbill so I was actually quite content to keep it for a few year longer.

However, I saw a nice Luton conversion a few weeks ago that whetted my appetite again for another build. As I have thought it through and sketched rough layouts I have realised I will be doing all this for an extra 2 feet of length and a few features I quite like the look of.

I spent an hour last night trawling various sites looking at other plans, and it took me back to my very original plan before going fulltiming of converting a 20' box truck. I ended up converting a bus and didn't get on with it due to it's width, sloppy steering, too many windows causing condensation and limited height. So I moved back to a van and converted it myself. Hard to believe that was almost 8 years ago..

Anyway, my plans for fulltiming have changed now. Originally I was going to be touring europe for a few years then coming back off the road. I now don't plan on touring quite so much and don't plan to come off the road. Thinking about this it actually makes more sense to add to my comfort levels by building bigger and if necessary tow a small trailer with a tiny car on it for shopping etc.

So I just looked at some trucks last night on autotrader and it appears that 7.5T trucks are cheaper than 3.5T vans and come in a range of sizes (the box) from 15' to 30'..

So here is my initial thoughts. I will look at a 20' box (6 metres) or maybe a 24' box.
The 24' box I am thinking would be good if I carry a quad bike inside for shopping. Otherwise just a 20' box.

Because I have the payload in a 7.5T truck I can add LOADS of solar panels and carry a big battery bank. I could also install an electric start LPG generator (eventually). Very large water tanks and a washer/drier means I won't need to keep driving to the laundrette. I will also have a separate shower from the toilet so no more having to wipe down the toilet etc after each shower and drying the floor of the shower. I will also be able to move my chest freezer from the trailer into the van.

Because of the payload I can add a separate red diesel tank and install an eberspacher for winter use. This will free me from having to find LPG in the winter if the weather gets bad... (Long story but it involved driving 50 miles)

Because of the height off the ground I could add underbody storage and underbody services such as bulk waste tanks with pump etc etc.

I have thought of all this stuff before, but having a small van has limited what I can do.

This project will be a long term one. I will do what I did with the van, which is to get it very quickly habitable with the absolute basics, then over the next 2-3 years slowly add to it and update stuff as finances and time allow.

This is one truck that I quite like but the mileage is a touch on the high side.
Broken Link Removed

Quite like this one with the 24' body on it. No mileages listed though.
Broken Link Removed

The reason I am looking at the bottom end of the price range is I am not 100% sure this will suite me. So I will roughly convert a cheap one. If it works out I can redo the conversion much nicer or upgrade to a much newer truck to do a proper conversion. This first truck conversion will be done on the cheap without skimping on durability. It will also allow me to tune the layout.. My current van has been through 3 different rebuild jobs.

Oh, well. while I am saving up for it I can dream and plan :) Aiming for a budget of £7,000 for the initial truck and conversion.
 
Gromett said:
I have been unhappy with my van for a while now because of the constant stream of problems. However these have all been resolved with some help from @Wildbill so I was actually quite content to keep it for a few year longer.

However, I saw a nice Luton conversion a few weeks ago that whetted my appetite again for another build. As I have thought it through and sketched rough layouts I have realised I will be doing all this for an extra 2 feet of length and a few features I quite like the look of.

I spent an hour last night trawling various sites looking at other plans, and it took me back to my very original plan before going fulltiming of converting a 20' box truck. I ended up converting a bus and didn't get on with it due to it's width, sloppy steering, too many windows causing condensation and limited height. So I moved back to a van and converted it myself. Hard to believe that was almost 8 years ago..

Anyway, my plans for fulltiming have changed now. Originally I was going to be touring europe for a few years then coming back off the road. I now don't plan on touring quite so much and don't plan to come off the road. Thinking about this it actually makes more sense to add to my comfort levels by building bigger and if necessary tow a small trailer with a tiny car on it for shopping etc.

So I just looked at some trucks last night on autotrader and it appears that 7.5T trucks are cheaper than 3.5T vans and come in a range of sizes (the box) from 15' to 30'..

So here is my initial thoughts. I will look at a 20' box (6 metres) or maybe a 24' box.
The 24' box I am thinking would be good if I carry a quad bike inside for shopping. Otherwise just a 20' box.

Because I have the payload in a 7.5T truck I can add LOADS of solar panels and carry a big battery bank. I could also install an electric start LPG generator (eventually). Very large water tanks and a washer/drier means I won't need to keep driving to the laundrette. I will also have a separate shower from the toilet so no more having to wipe down the toilet etc after each shower and drying the floor of the shower. I will also be able to move my chest freezer from the trailer into the van.

Because of the payload I can add a separate red diesel tank and install an eberspacher for winter use. This will free me from having to find LPG in the winter if the weather gets bad... (Long story but it involved driving 50 miles)

Because of the height off the ground I could add underbody storage and underbody services such as bulk waste tanks with pump etc etc.

I have thought of all this stuff before, but having a small van has limited what I can do.

This project will be a long term one. I will do what I did with the van, which is to get it very quickly habitable with the absolute basics, then over the next 2-3 years slowly add to it and update stuff as finances and time allow.

This is one truck that I quite like but the mileage is a touch on the high side.
Broken Link Removed

Quite like this one with the 24' body on it. No mileages listed though.
Broken Link Removed

The reason I am looking at the bottom end of the price range is I am not 100% sure this will suite me. So I will roughly convert a cheap one. If it works out I can redo the conversion much nicer or upgrade to a much newer truck to do a proper conversion. This first truck conversion will be done on the cheap without skimping on durability. It will also allow me to tune the layout.. My current van has been through 3 different rebuild jobs.

Oh, well. while I am saving up for it I can dream and plan :) Aiming for a budget of £7,000 for the initial truck and conversion.
Click to expand...

I posted this link yesterday about my own conversion , and seeing that you are involved with the maintenance of fun I suppose you know about this sister forum where there are lots of likeminded people doing conversions.
 
chaser said:
I posted this link yesterday about my own conversion , and seeing that you are involved with the maintenance of fun I suppose you know about this sister forum where there are lots of likeminded people doing conversions.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I used to look in regularly on this and SBMCC. But as I wasn't doing a self build I slacked off. I will start visiting again when the project gets nearer again (y)

Off to look at your thread now :D
 
A great idea which I thoroughly recommend.

My last self-build (the Black Beauty, aka the Wagon) was built while I was living in it.

Every piece of wood, set of drawers or batten was planned whilst lying in bed in the morning.

It had no status what so ever. The quality of workmanship was rock bottom but everything worked perfectly... always.

I have a notebook full of ideas and sketches for the next Super Duper, Self Build. However when I became affluent enough to finance it, ninety percent of my energy had disappeared.

Now it takes me a week just to half clean one window in my beautiful old, ready built, classic Hymer.

JJ :cool:
 
JJ said:
A great idea which I thoroughly recommend.

My last self-build (the Black Beauty, aka the Wagon) was built while I was living in it.
Click to expand...

Yup, I built this one while living in it. It had a bed, porta potty and camping stove when I moved into it.. All it had was insulation and 1 window... 2-3 weeks after buying it I was living in it while continuing to work at my company. Tough few weeks but worth it.

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I agree, I have often thought a 7.5 ton box motor offers really good value compared to a 3.5 ton van. Think the front corners would want checking for damage from branches etc as they tend to be used for parcel delivery etc so squeezing through places. All that chassis to hang tanks and batteries on.
 
If you see an ex bread delivery motor they sometimes have an entry door in to the box on the kerb side already. Might be useful.
 
Ivory55 said:
If you see an ex bread delivery motor they sometimes have an entry door in to the box on the kerb side already. Might be useful.
Click to expand...
Been looking at a few of those. The problem is with the door being so low it reduces security. I prefer to have the door high and a lockable fold out step. Every little bit of security is helpful when fulltiming (y).
 
If you’re after security you want that prison van I pointed out before, haha.
 
All I know about self build is insulation, insulation, insulation.

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have you thought of "ex library" vehicles , they usually have heating (diesel) and some even have a gennie . They also are walk about height inside , the biggest plus is that they are usually low mileage , and are driven very sedately With thru cab access . They also have fair degree of insulation already as well
 
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Theonlysue said:
All I know about self build is insulation, insulation, insulation.
Click to expand...
Yup I learned that lesson on my 1st two builds. I will be sticking to two part polyurethane spray insulation again.
 
tacr2man said:
have you thought of "ex library" vehicles , they usually have heating (diesel) and some even have a gennie . They also are walk about height inside , the biggest plus is that they are usually low mileage , and are driven very sedately With thru cab access . They also have fair degree of insulation already as well
Click to expand...
I looked at a few last time. The roof was not high enough suprisingly. Also a lot of work blanking windows as they are never in the right place. Basically I don't like them :p
Thanks for the suggestion though. They are popular conversion vehicles for a reason, just not for me.

PS: the one you linked is a 10T I don't have the license for that.
 
Any good?
 
My only "issue" with this idea is that, to me, having the cab completely separate from the habitation area is wasting space like simply bolting a caravan onto a flatbed... but I suppose if total vehicle length etc isn't a factor, there could be some advantages in having the two side separate - insulation comes to mind.
And stealth - won't look out of place parked up on an industrial estate, although might give some CMC site wardens a fit of the vapours :whistle:
Look forward to seeing how the project progresses (y)

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I think its a security thing but some so have doors connecting the cab to the hab area.
 
Theonlysue said:
W


Why mot exempt?
Click to expand...
It’s classed as a mobile workshop, like what Electric companies have. It has to have certain things like welfare facilities fitted, but do not know full rules. It’s not for carrying loads is the main one.
 
Minxy Girl said:
No idea ...
Click to expand...
It would be by usage only , depending on what it was subsequently used for it would quite possibly lose exempt status. I don't know why they mention that , as the fact it hasn't been motd for years is hardly a selling point in my book

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Some of the old bt vans may already be insulated and water and electric in hab areas.
 
That roller shutter at the back looks usefull for a garage area though.
 
What sort of fuel consumption do these type of truck have.
 
When not in the hands of a parcel driver I guess you could get in to low twenties
 
Just because a vehicle is exempt from MOT doesn't mean it hasn't been kept in good order, surely service etc records would show this? If not then the history of the vehicle itself could give a good indication, eg BT vans would have had to be kept in a safe state for their own use.
 
Minxy Girl said:
Any good?
Click to expand...

Too short, roller shutter on side is a no no.

That aside. I am not actually looking yet. Need to save up for a few months yet. Thanks though.
 
I've just dug out the below images of a camper which we were behind last year, he went the opposite way to us so I couldn't get any more photos ... the owner appears to have moved the roller shutter down which is quite a good idea as it would allow a permanent bed to be put above it and still leave space for a garage/bike below, I know it's much smaller than what you're after Karl but thought the idea might be useful.

TRUCK 1.JPG
TRUCK 2.JPG
TRUCK 3.JPG
 
I hesitate to suggest this @Gromett but ... there was a chap on an aire in Spain/Portugal last year who had converted a large box trailer into a 'caravan' ... he had put windows etc in and it already appears to have had a side door, as he sat outside a lot I didn't want to be too obvious with taking the photos! I'm just wondering if it is worth you considering this sort of set up if you are likely to be less 'mobile' than you originally intended.

TRAILER 1.JPG
TRAILER 2.JPG

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