Learn me: Cutaway Vans

I have the first worldist of first world problems. SWMBO and I both have hobbies that require trailering things. She has a 28' gooseneck horse trailer and I have a 24' enclosed trailer for racing. Our schedules overlap, which means somebody is going to have to miss out, and neither person is likely to love it.

Locally, there are a lot of 1-ton cargo vans available, which could be a suitable 2nd rig, but the similar cutaway fans are FAR cheaper for the mileage. Is there something I should know about these that makes them so much cheaper than the cargo vans?

I could see the regular vans being more desirable for a few reasons. Many neighborhood won't let you park a cutaway in a residential area so if you work from home or are on call you would need a regular van and the upkeep on the cutaways can be a bit higher. We used one to tow our race car and It wasn't terrible but had some quirks. With the box and trailer loaded the front end got extremely light. If we were going for a long trip to multiple races or a bigger event like Loudon or Daytona the front would be light enough that a good bump would get the front wheels light for an uncomfortable amount of time. I would look for one with less rear overhang than we had.

Often times cutaways fit a very niche market (i.e. ambulance, bus, etc) and people simply don't want them. Box trucks are large, have higher deck heights, HOAs don't like to see them parked in driveways so storage becomes difficult, and some require commercial insurance (E450's and up).

Are you looking at ones that still have the box? Some boxes are narrow and have single rear wheels. Axles can be in different places, and I suppose could be moved more to the rear if needed.

You could take off the box and put a pickup bed on it. Build some sort of racking to take up the extra space at the front or lengthen the bed.

The VIN number typically requires commercial insurance and sometimes registration, unless you convert it to an RV. This is why I went with my wheelchair van. Someday when I have my own land to park whatever the hell I want, I'll get a big 20' reefer truck and build a garage and living quarters all in one. For now, Motovan rocks.

When you said cutaway I thought you meant something like this.

I own a farm, so I can park whatever I want wherever I want, but the commercial insurance adds an interesting wrinkle. I'll have to call my agent to check what they would want.

Kia_Racer wrote: When you said cutaway I thought you meant something like this.

This one needs more airbrushed Aztec Princess for the win! Ooh and shaggy carpet - lots of shaggy carpet.

Make sure you check the weight rating. Most of them are under-rated for their size. Some are designed to haul mattresses, furniture, or potato chips, not car parts. In other words, it's easy to stuff them full of weight, which they are not built for.

The previous owner of mine put 5 transmissions in it. They were in the heating and air business, and were based in a mountainous area. They would load it completely full of equipment, then try to conquer the mountains.

I moved it to a flat area, and am a little more cautious in how I load it. Never had any more trouble.

Most have zero tow rating. (Though they may be able to handle it)

Stop screwing around. Buy this. http://m.ebay.com/itm/RV-Toter-home-Toy-Hauler-Coach-Diesel-Pusher-Bus-Style-Motorhome-Box-Truck-Toter-/131709198611?nav=SEARCH

Want it, but the budget won't support it unless I give up racing this year - and that ain't happening.

you think too small...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2000-FREIGHTLINER-SINGLE-AXLE-DAYCAB-SLEEPER-3126-CAT-TRACTOR-/262257279163?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3d0fc080bb:g:Jc8AAOSwpRRWpBY-&item=262257279163

Or.

buy a full on Class 8. Register it as an RV.... roll like a gangster. http://www.jackdanmayer.com/

Or.

http://boston.craigslist.org/nwb/cto/5387927667.html

or

http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/cto/5402256070.html

Or

http://www.penskeusedtrucks.com/ (big well maintained trucks, can find less than CDL trucks for $5-$10K)..