The Van's and Receiver Hitches: The SAGA.... - Page 2 - Diesel Forum

van_350sd · 03-27-2009, 10:35 PM

carringb,

Your rig is so sweet, an entire adventure company on wheels.

I had a couple of Hot Air balloons in 1980s and I used a Dodge One ton extended, it had a big gasser V8 in it. One Balloon was old and I did not use it very much after I bought a new Raven 77,500 unit. I had so much fun with that thing. I kept the entire balloon in the van, the basket , envelope and extra propane tanks. Flying over rivers and lakes was so much fun, as I had a rope ladder and we would all hang down on the rope ladder and do touch n go's in the water. For an entire year me and a couple pals would drive to new states and go to the local bars to pick up chicks to help us set up the balloon at 5 am. to go flying. Those were the days...

As for your bikes, I use the clear 20" rolls of stretch wrap plastic to wrap the bikes, and almost any gear. Then when we get there take some scissors and cut it off in a snap. It also makes it harder for a crack-head to try and steal something quick while your sleeping or in a eatery. This stuff works great.

But in the front of the van you need to be concerned about the cooling system getting flow. If you wrapped the bikes it may block the cooling. Storing the tires in the camper may work. You have that rig packed in this pic.

It does not take long to wrap stuff up.

clapsrm · 03-27-2009, 11:54 PM

BMT The last time I was on the expressway pulling the camper was Nov. going out to Indian Island in Riverhead for a boys weekend! (Dont' tell my wife, but we reserve the campsites in Nov. knowing full well the wives aren't going to go camping in the cold, so we don't have to count it as a guys weekend) Your truck does look familiar.

clapsrm · 03-28-2009, 12:01 AM

Carringb, that is some pic! Does the dually add to the towing capacity? What type of hitch is on this van? Not the same van as in previous pic. How many people were in your van for that trip? Looks like good, clean fun to me!

Kaliburz · 03-28-2009, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clapsrm

Carringb, that is some pic! Does the dually add to the towing capacity? What type of hitch is on this van? Not the same van as in previous pic. How many people were in your van for that trip? Looks like good, clean fun to me!

Yup, I'll have to second that. I'm quite sure it wasn't a factory option, was it???

carringb · 03-28-2009, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clapsrm

Carringb, that is some pic! Does the dually add to the towing capacity? What type of hitch is on this van? Not the same van as in previous pic. How many people were in your van for that trip? Looks like good, clean fun to me!

Both pics are of the same van. I recently gave it a makeover, so now it's dark grey. In the pic with the travel trailer, we had 17. My van has the center isle seats, and I have a pair of jump seats that fit the isle (yes, everyone gets a seat belt) when extra capcity is needed.

The duallies don't necessarily add to the pull capacity, but it adds more payload, which allows for heavier tongue weights. My weekend warrior had up to 3200 pounds of tongue weight.

When thevan was white, I had a class 5 hidden hitch and modified it to take 4,000 pounds of tongue weight (I had the design approved by a PE). When I re-painted, I went with the Reunel bumper with integrated receiver, 20k tow rating, 6k tongue weight rating.

Here's an even heavier load (what you don't see is the 24' flat bed trailer hooked up to the hitch carrier, with another 5,000 pounds on the trailer:

Here's the 41' Weekend Warrior before I broke it (pic is coming out of Kane Creek Canyon in Moab):

van_350sd · 03-28-2009, 02:46 PM

carringb,

That is unreal, I love the makeover, it looks like a new rig.
The rear bumper is about the best one made today, if not the best.

What States do you travel in mostly?

I wanted to remind everyone about a good quality First Aid Kit in the vans, I have a good one, but I also need some more items. I want to buy a Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator (AED). You never know when you need it. I need to read more on it, if I can keep it in the van 24/7 without the worry of heat damaging the unit. Very Hot Days here. I'M also looking into the new Instant Ice Makers they have now, to have extra ice on hand when away from the stores. The Powertanks have been great for my portable air systems. I have a 5# dedicated for the tires and a 10# to run air tools or to blow out clogged items etc..

Man, your Adventure Outfit is an American Dream, most people never get to do what you do, or see the Country like you do.

I have been Sportfishing offshore here in S Florida and it's an entirely different World out there, 20 miles out, when the Gulfstream Drops to the deep water. We grill the fish right on the boat out there. I like the Grouper and Cobia right now. Yum...

Amazon.com: Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator (AED): Health & Personal Care

carringb · 03-28-2009, 04:13 PM

Yes, the Reunel bumper is nice. However, the front Buckstop is even nicer. MUCH better paint.

Most of my travel is in OR/WA/N-CA/BC/ID with a couple trips a year to the Nevada and Arizona. I also have a possible trip to Montana coming up, and later in the summer to Maryland to race on the Youghioghney River.

I do think AEDs are a good idea. I typically go with Welch Allyn. My first responders didn't like the interface on the Phillips because it doesn't have an EKG. But for non-processional responders, the Phillips is a better choice.

Yes, they hold up to heat okay. At least to anything you'd see in the NW. In hotter climates, cracking the windows should keep the temps low enough for an AED as long as its out of the sun.

carringb · 03-28-2009, 04:16 PM

And you are right... Most people would even consider doing what we do:

Kaliburz · 03-29-2009, 09:11 PM

What axle ratio do you have for your van? I'm guessing it's prob. a 4:10

carringb · 03-29-2009, 10:44 PM

I have 4.56 gears in the rear end.

Kaliburz · 03-30-2009, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carringb

I have 4.56 gears in the rear end.

Wow. I didn't even know that 4.56 was factory available.

carringb · 03-30-2009, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaliburz

Wow. I didn't even know that 4.56 was factory available.

Generally no. It's standard on the E450 gas motors, and optional on the E350 cutaways. I'm sure you can get it as an SVO (special vehicle order) on a new one.

Mine was 3.73 originally, and I swapped it out including the carrier to I could run a larger (10.5") gearset.

clapsrm · 03-31-2009, 09:48 PM

Carringb, sorry to keep asking you questions about your van, but it is such a facinating vehicle! How fast do you drive with 4.56 gears? That camper must weigh well over 10K lbs.! And it was overall agreed that there was no problem with putting hitch with bikes on front, right? You have probably mentioned this before but are you stock engine-wise?

van_350sd · 03-31-2009, 10:36 PM

carringb,

I love the new makeover. I'M getting bids to re-paint my van right now. It's about 4,000.00 for the Standox Paint Job, full prime, paint, clear. It's about 1,000.00 more than other shops, but this shop has a state of the art spray booth, and very high standards. No dust floating around during the paint process. Price includes removing the hitch and sandblasting it, prime and wrinkle finish on the hitch. 3M Rubberized on the wheelwells etc. About two full weeks in the shop. The back of the high-top has the KVH SAT Dish system and I'M thinking about having a rack installed on the top after he paints it. The shop has four 20' long Werner (2020) planks, 2 on each side so the spray man can walk the full length of the van spraying the top and hard to reach spots. The van is 19'6" long.

Where did you get those LED Rear Tail Lens Lights on the newly painted van Pic?

carringb · 03-31-2009, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clapsrm

Carringb, sorry to keep asking you questions about your van, but it is such a facinating vehicle! How fast do you drive with 4.56 gears? That camper must weigh well over 10K lbs.! And it was overall agreed that there was no problem with putting hitch with bikes on front, right? You have probably mentioned this before but are you stock engine-wise?

The Weekend Warrior was 11,000 dry and 18,000 fully loaded (tongue weight was 2200-3200 pounds). While I was able to get a trailer built extra long, they did not put any more frame under it. It still had a 6" c-channel. Which I broke. A-frame snapped right off.

Bikes were not a problem.

Engine is the V10, and is internally stock. But it has the Banks Powerpack and I'm running a Diablo Predator tuner.