Box Truck Conversion

[kl3640]

I'm going to sell my compact pickup that I really only use for hauling my bike and gear to the races (it's in the Classifieds section of this forum, a 2001 Tacoma) and instead by a box truck. I'm going to spend a few $ more and buy a bigger truck, like a 24' van body with a lift gate.

Most of the ones that I've been looking at have a side-door, just aft of the cab on the right side, about 6 or 8 feet (to the far end) from the front of the box. So I was thinking about putting a divider right before or after the door and in the front compartment building a small RV space, leaving me maybe 16 or 18 feet for bikes and gear.

My questions are:

1) Has anyone here tried something similar, AND
2) Can anyone recommend a crafstman in the SouthEast (preferrably FL) who does such work?

I don't really want to put a bathroom or full kitchen in to it, but what I would like to do is make the interior of the living compartment fairly nice, including a fridge, TV, bunk beds, a table, heat & AC, and a satellite dish.  I'd also like the electricity to be wired such that I can install a generator under the box and run off of either an RV hookup or the generator.  I'd also like for the generator to be diesel and to run off of the trucks tanks, if possible.

So has anyone tried anything like this (even with a trailer), and would it be doable without breaking the bank?

Thanks in advance for any advice/info/thoughts.

[Andi]

I haven't tried it but have had the same thoughts. Mine were more along the lines of a short bus or a mid size U Haul. I'm curious as to the answers you get to this question as it will probably help me decide between something like that or a cargo van. Good thinking with the larger size and the ability to have some comfort with the storage. If I had the room to store one I would love to go that route as well but the neighbors already dislike me enough the way it is.

[tzracer]

Be aware that building codes exist for RVs. I am not sure who would enforce such codes and who or if you would ever have an inspection. Make sure you have all the proper detectors - CO, propane, fire.

Call local trailer dealers to see if anyone in your area handles conversions.

A diesel generator may be quite large, 7.5 kW and up. Most of them are made for diesel pusher motorhomes. I have seen a few diesel generators for construction sites, but they can be quite loud and may take some work to build a proper compartment for it.

[Super Dave]

So has anyone tried anything like this (even with a trailer), and would it be doable without breaking the bank?

Thanks in advance for any advice/info/thoughts.

Well, what kind of budget are you looking at? 

[Ridgeway]

As far as the diesel generator goes, depending on the power needs, maybe something like an APU (Auxilary Power Unit) would work.  These are small diesel generators that are being put on semis so that they don't have to idle the big diesel all night just to run the TV, AC etc.  No idea what the price for one of these is, but it would definitely be smaller scale than a typical diesel generator.  Much quieter too.

[kl3640]

First, AC1108, I have a friend who got a short bus (an old passenger shuttle converted from a Ford E-Series van).  His problem is that he often brings his wife and kids with him, so the whole inside of it is basically RV space, which means that he winds up pulling a trailer for his bike and gear.  If you're just one or two people then you might be able to convert the back in to a garage and the front in to beds or something like that.  What my friend did was take the luggage racks in the fron and put small mattresses on them, to make bunk beds out of it.  When I was considering the shuttle route, I did some research and many of them have handicap lifts, but the problem with them is that they're not sized right for lifting a bike, and then even if you can lift the bike with it then the lift is usually on the side so that means that maneuvering the bike to secure it once inside the van is difficult or impossible.  That means that you'd have to add a walk-down stowable ramp to the back, or a portable ramp, and do it like that.

TZRACER, thanks for the info on building codes, I didn't realize that they were so extensive.  What I really want is more of a sleeper compartment than an RV, but your point is well taken.

Ridgeway, the only reason that I was considering a diesel generator is because it could run off the main engine's fuel tanks - I'll have to look in to those APU's and how much they cost.  I the cost is prohibitive for a diesel solution then I'll just use a small gasoline unit; I have pump gas with me anyway at the track.

SuperDave, I don't really have a budget, I could spend whatever it costs, the issue though is that I'll eventually sell this and it will likely sell only as a box truck, not as some franken-hauler, so I'll probably get back no more than what I invested in the main truck; so whatever I invest in the sleeper area is likely going to be immediately fully depreciated, so keeping that in mind I'd like to keep it around a few grand (accessories such as a small LCD TV not included).

Thanks all, this is very helpful.

[Super Dave]

I have a short bus.

Here are some of the challenges that one might go through.

The lift is certainly able to do a lot.  It's not long enough, but just put a piece of C-channel on it to put the bike on.  Roll it in, move it how you like.  I had that on the side, but I never intended to use it that way.  I have a rear door, and I can get bikes in an out of that door with a simple aluminum ramp. 

My bus is a standard wheel base, 137", dual rear wheels.  So, mine's small.  Lonny, NFCRacin who does the nice laser cut rotors, has a long wheel base model.   Lonny, you selling that because you have baby bikes anymore?

You can put electric in no problem.  Really it's a matter of wiring it up like a house.  You can have a plug on the outside for when you have shore power.  You could go really cheap on being mobile and put a platform on a rear hitch and just put your tire warmer generator on it and plug it into your "house".  You could do the same with a box van.  A box van will usually be unfinished by the frame rails.  Have someone weld on some brackets, and you could store your generator there and run it too while you're going down the road.

Licensing a box truck or a shuttle bus, and insurance, will be more expensive that if it's licensed and insured as an RV.  That can be substantial, actually. 

Maybe that gives you some ideas.

Oh, and that picture of the dry break tank side piece looks like the one I have, yes. 

[kl3640]

Dave, that's awesome info, thanks a bunch!  Also, thanks for verifying the dry-brake compatibility.

Just a point of clarification, are you saying that insuring a box truck is more expensive than insuring an RV?  In order to qualify as an RV it probably needs to have a galley and a head, I'm guessing.  I'm not thinking about either, so I'm not sure if it would qualify as an RV.

[Andi]

KL3640, It would just be a buddy and I traveling most of the time so 2 small cots would be enough for sleeping room. As long as I can get a manual tire machine, compressor, toolbox, some small luggage, all my gear, few sets of tires, and 2 bikes I will use what is left for sleeping area. I seriously doubt I will have one anytime soon but the thought is rather interesting. I'm having a hard time even locating a small bus to see what kind of price range they are in. Your idea of the box truck sounds much better. Too bad U Haul around here wants an arm and a leg for them.

[Jason748]

I have a short bus.

What, no one's jumping on this... What has the world come to.


Good info though, I was thinking about doing the short-bus conversion myself as an alternative to a small toy hauler.

[kl3640]

What, no one's jumping on this... What has the world come to.

We gave my friend who has the shortbus (it wasn't a short schoolbus, it used to be a small passenger shuttle, but exactly the same only not yellow) a little bit of a hard time, so he and a friend of his were good sports about it and decided to name themselves "Shortbus Racing" - they had stickers printed and everything, kind of funny!

I do think that it's a good idea though, because they can be had at a reasonable price and apparently the lift can be made to work to load/unload bikes.  If you have only 1 or 2 bikes and not a ton of gear then they're sufficiently large.  Also, many of the shuttle-kind have those luggage racks in the front, behind the driver's seat, which can be made in to bunk beds if they're long enough (or you can extend them).  Some of of the better ones already have small TV's and speakers built in (I don't know if they're 12v or 120v though), but you could work out the electronics easily enough.  Also, a lot of the short-buses are gasoline instead of diesel (the diesel ones tend to cost much more when buying the used ones).

The other option are used Church buses and local community buses.  They tend to be larger, have lifts, and are usually medium duty diesel engines that have a lot of life left in them.

What I thought would have been perfect are the larger airport transit buses, the kind that are used to shuttle passengers to/from rental car centers.  Those are wide, low, and long.  Many of them have lifts, too.  The problem with those is that they're geared too low - they are geared for driving around the airport, so the gearing is so short that their top speed is usually around 55mph.  I don't know how easy that would be to change, possibly it could be done with a rear diff swap, because you really only need another 10-15 mph or so, but that wouldn't be too cheap.  Those buses usually have commercial grade diesel engines too.

So after evaluating all of those options I decided to go the straight-truck route.  They're not the best on fuel mileage, but they're reasonable, and they have plent of space and are designed for highway cruising (depending on the model).  I originally started looking at Isuzu NPR's (more of a box van) because they have an excellent reliability & longevity reputation, but they're more of a city-delivery van and that compromises highway ability.  Some of their bigger versions (NQR/NRR, F-Series) are better for the highway, but are harder to find.  Also, those smaller diesels give excellent fuel mileage, but towing anything other than a small trailer is out of the question.

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

As much as I love having a diesel truck, the $4.25 per gallon for fuel I saw today here in Northern Illinois is enough to tick anybody off. 

My round trip fuel cost to Daytona a few weeks ago pulling my 26' V-Nose trailer with my F-350 was about $900, I would imagine a box truck wouldn't be too much better.