Next step up on the tow rig ladder from a conversion van, with sleeping space

So I have a 96 Chevy conversion van, with a fibeglass high top. It's a half ton. Tows fairly well, but I've already rebuilt the 4l60e once. All is currently fine with the van. It tows well enough for my needs. We use it to camp at hillclimb weekends. It's better than a tent, but not a whole lot better. It's pretty tight with my wife, myself and my 6 year old son. So as this camping season winds down this fall I think it might be time to improve on things.

I tow a wrx on an open trailer. An enclosed trailer would be a nice upgrade that I'd consider in the future, but the current van is not quite up to that.

So what should I be looking for? A class C? or a small class A motorhome? any particular make or model? My biggest gripes with the van is the sofa bed isn't really design for someone over 5 feet tall, nor is the roof. My back isn't the best, so it's nice to be able to stand up straight in some portion of the vehicle. It would be nice to have a dedicated bed. Some sort of limited kitchen would be a plus as well. Needs at least 3 seat belts, but 4 would be better. Needs to be able to tow 6500+ lbs comfortably. Budget, not really set yet, kind of open to anything on the used market.

I'll also add that a shorter length rig makes more sense for where it will be used. So some top of the line prevost coach(even if i could afford it) would not be a good fit.

Box truck with middle area converted to RV?

As I understand, its been done and allows registration of unit as an RV and not a commercial vehicle.

Ah... A debate I know well. Having just returned from a camping trip where I used my '08 Caravan as my tent, I'm once again wishing for a proper RV.

My biggest issue with RV's is the "one-purpose" nature of them. You use them when camping, but otherwise they aren't really good for much else and just sit. That bugs me.

Option 1 I keep coming back to the idea of a 3/4 or 1 ton pick-up and a slide-in camper. At least then when I'm not camping I'd have a truck to use/drive. Downsides - not cheap; finding a home for the slide-in when not in use.

Option 2 is a larger van (class B RV), either a used one, one I home-build, or throwing financial caution to the wind - having one built (none of the existing models have the storage I want).

Yeah, the multi purpose van is more useful than I ever thought. My wife loves to cart around my son and his friends to various things. So having 7 roomy seats in a rig is quite helpful. I could remove, some stuff to build permanent fixtures for better camping, but then I hose myself on seats. So my likely scenario is keep the van as a back up tow rig, and get a smallish RV. Have thought about a dually double cab pick up with a slide in camper...However I'm not sure the price of admission is quite what I want in that scenario.

6.7L box based ambulance. If you worked for a team that dealt with Ford opposed to Subaru a hookup on a Transit would be the answer

Used class B RV on a 2500/3500 chassis? Roadtrek, Born Free, etc.

If you can build the van up enough to pull harder, there's the option of having a closed trailer that is ALSO a camper. Not tent camping idea, but an actual motor home-ish thing. That does mean you are sleeping in an empty garage, though (smell wise).

Not sure how to seach for that on the interweb, but I've seen a few of them- something like this- http://www.vrvtoyhauler.com/.

Couple of things: a Class A is gonna get pricey, even a small one. The repair costs on diesel drivetrains can get astronomical as well.

A Class B will have more room than a Class C but with most of them the rear axle is so far forward the trailer tongue weight is compromised. Sure, people tow cars with them all the time but if you at some point want to upgrade to an enclosed trailer yes it can be a problem. There are also tales of Class B hitches tearing out.

A Class C is, as noted, a bit on the small side.

My personal thought is to use a largish 'bread van' as a homemade RV. Nearly as big as a Class B, the axle's far enough back to allow a reasonable tongue weight, the frame's tough enough to handle a Class IV hitch, etc. This is an older one:

Some of the Frito Lay etc vans came with turbodiesels and are pretty reasonable with fuel.

Here's some- called "living quarter trailers"- http://www.racingjunk.com/category/4456/Living-Quarter-Trailers.html

Car plus living area.

And they are even on racing junk.

While a transit was mentioned....how about some sort of sprinter van? The inside height is better at least. They make a dually version don't they?

They do. Be forewarned that they are not cheap to fix! If you think back a few years, FedEx and some other delivery companies were running Sprinters, now they are using just about anything else. There's a reason for that. I used to see them all the time at the indie Mercedes shop, typically it was a dash and keys (~$2500) or the injection pump leaking (~$3500).

Living quarter trailers are also a good compromise, but then I need a decent truck to pull it...same as I would with a slide in camper. Kind a bummer on the sprinter. Transit would also be fine, but likely not a ton on the used market yet. A quick look at ebay was very encouraging for sprinters. Maybe convert a diesel shuttle bus(ford or chevy).

Yeah, people are dumping the Sprinters. The early engine (2.7, IIRC) has longevity problems as well. I didn't see any later 3.0 engines take a dump.

If you are serious about converting a diesel shuttle bus, look into the Chevy Duramax. The Ford Powerstroke gets pricey to fix as it gets older, I don't have all the tech details but the short version is there's a lot of stuff down in the engine's V that gets cooked and is a beeyotch to fix. They also use high pressure engine oil to run the injectors and old oil will make them run like crap. By the time it gets to that point, changing the oil might fix it but it might not. Never seen a Duramax with a problem though.

The big issue I see with the bread-truck is the fact it'll make your van feel like a luxury vehicle. They're really designed as short-delivery trucks, not long-haul cruisers. Gearing is typically low for city use. Insulation is minimal, both for temperature and noise. While that can be addressed to some extent, it won't be easy. And then there's the single-digit MPG, although you'll get that with most of these choices when pulling a 6500 lb trailer.

Oh - Curmudgeon has some "classes" mixed. A Class C (van front/ box back) is larger than a Class B (glorified conversion van).

All of these choices represent compromises in some way: cost, size, MPG, reliability... you just have to decide what bothers you most.

The class C is going to give you the most bang for your camping buck. I'd go heavier than usual (E-450 instead of E-350) and as short as possible for that chassis. Mileage is gonna suck but if you aren't driving it all the time who cares? And gas engine fixes are cheaper than the oil burners'.

I owned an E-350 based class C for a bit (a 24' 2003) and it was loud and slow on the highway but handled ok. Then we got a 2006 class B on the same chassis (slightly shorter) and while it was quieter and quicker (!) the handling was scary bad.

sachilles wrote: Living quarter trailers are also a good compromise, but then I need a decent truck to pull it...same as I would with a slide in camper. Kind a bummer on the sprinter. Transit would also be fine, but likely not a ton on the used market yet. A quick look at ebay was very encouraging for sprinters. Maybe convert a diesel shuttle bus(ford or chevy).

Not sure of your price range, but a diesel powered conversion van sounds like it would fit the bill fairly well if you go the toy hauler type of route. The van could pull an enclosed trailer that has more accommodating sleeping arrangements and your wife still has a nice daily driver. I don't know that Dodge ever made a diesel full size, but both Ford and Chevy did (Chevy still does).

You could then pick up a pre-built toy hauler or just an enclosed trailer and outfit it like you want. It's generally for smaller trailers, but tnttt.com has a bunch of DIY guys that convert cargo trailers to sleeping quarters.

-Rob

Bread truck gearing: an axle from a dually pickup is pretty much a bolt in swap, reasonably inexpensive fix for that issue. But yeah, the noise insulation leaves a lot to be desired.

The problem with every on-the-lot toy hauler I've seen is they really aren't designed for hauling cars - at least not cars any larger than maybe a Spitfire, but really a classic Mini or a small open wheel car. I've looked at many of them and most have cargo areas about 10' long and 12' is the longest I've seen (not counting custom-built versions - but there we're talking serious $$$$, even used). Some of the issue is the structure and how to fit RV stuff (tanks, mainly) under the low, reinforced floor. If all you really want/need is a place to sleep and maybe a place to cook if the weather turns, then it does get easier.

Yes... I've wasted an inordinate amount of time day-dreaming on this subject. Made more (or less) complicated by the idea that I want a rig to serve multiple purposes: bicycle hauler/race shop, car hauler, camper, etc... The rigs that have really caught my fancy lately are new "Super-C" RVs based on medium duty truck chassis (F-550, for example). These have heavier frames, more powerful diesel engines and have higher tow ratings than a typical van-based Class C. But as you can imagine, they aren't cheap in the slightest.

I've though about this a bit too, and this is what I drempt up.

Get a used full sized school bus, preferably diesel powered, gut it, and bob the back end as close to the drive axle as possible so that it will tow comfortably (it will handle more tongue weight and have less rear end swing that way). Next, turn the rest of the bus interior into your motor home.

I don't know if that's ever been done, but it seems pretty plausible to me.

Shop around and you might find a shorty bus already converted., or by one gut it and get a salvage trailer for all the RV stuff. I just installed living quarters into my toter with parts from a salvage trailer. When I bought it the 28' box was empty, but had a lift gate to load a car.

Maybe look at getting a newer 1 ton conversion van or motorhome?

Also off-road people have many solutions to this problem, so you might want to poke around the tow rig section at pirate4x4.com for other alternatives