I think I'll check in over here...

[knit]

RVIA has a certification program that manufacturers use to prove that their Vehicles meet standards to be classified as an RV. Sometimes insurance companies will not insure owner built vehicles as RVs which means that all the upgrades you do may not be covered by insurance if the RV gets damaged. And you might have to insure the chassis as a cargo van which could be more expensive.

[Arch Hoagland]

I'm curious if you've ever had or used an RV?

[Rockwood27]

In your 1st post, you mentioned 50A electrical service. This seems a bit much for an RV of this size. Thirty amp service is more typical for a Class B van. You may also may want to consider solar panels on the roof in place of the generator.

[Grand Tour]

Solar panels alone, would not be enough to power a 15,000 BTU air conditioner. We'll have to have a generator either way.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by dennis45

One thing you might want to investigate before deciding on doing a van conversion yourself is getting insurance on the final build.
There have been numerous posts on the Sprinter Forum from folks who have gone that route only to be held ransom by insurance companies. RIVA and other certification, or should I say lack of, seem to be a major road block with these conversions in getting insurance coverage.

Some parks also require the RV to be RVIA certified or they won't let you in. However, I've never seen them come out and check either. So if It doesn't look like Jethro's you're probably OK except for the insurance.

[Grand Tour]

Well, there are lots of people who have built these things from cargo vans, and they're getting insurance from somewhere...

And we're not planning on living in parks. I just thought it might be nice to have the ability to connect to their electrical service on the odd occasion that we visited one.

[knit]

Originally Posted by Grand Tour

Well, there are lots of people who have built these things from cargo vans, and they're getting insurance from somewhere... .

The distinction is that you can get coverage for the van and liability, but maybe not for the upgrades you do to make it an RV.

[magicbus]

A couple of thoughts...

In MA when we register as an RV we get "Camper" plates so you may want to reconsider registering as an RV as it makes one less stealthy.

We have a 170 Sprinter van (done over by Winnebago) and I do wonder about putting two motorcycles in the back. Maybe put the bed over them? But it would leave you with little storage although if you are going to have a "chase car" I guess you could use that as a closet too . Then there is the weight.

I agree on the 30A and not 50A comment. Just no need for that kid of power. As for a generator, you might want to go with one of the little quiet-diesel units so you do not need a propane tank. Not sure if they can fit underneath as my (not-so-quiet) propane genset does. How about heat? Maybe a heat pump instead of just A/C.


Dave

[Arch Hoagland]

Originally Posted by Arch Hoagland

I'm curious if you've ever had or used an RV?

???????

[Grand Tour]

Originally Posted by knit

The distinction is that you can get coverage for the van and liability, but maybe not for the upgrades you do to make it an RV.

Well, the upgrades would represent a lesser part of the van, so if something did happen, we would take a hit in that scenario, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. We're talking about a $50,000 van with roughly $10,000 of stuff in it, plus the two motorcycles that already have their own insurance policies.

[Grand Tour]

Originally Posted by magicbus

A couple of thoughts...

I appreciate your thoughts, Dave.

In MA when we register as an RV we get "Camper" plates so you may want to reconsider registering as an RV as it makes one less stealthy.

Excellent point.

We have a 170 Sprinter van (done over by Winnebago) and I do wonder about putting two motorcycles in the back. Maybe put the bed over them? But it would leave you with little storage although if you are going to have a "chase car" I guess you could use that as a closet too . Then there is the weight.

Sounds like a pretty significant redesign of what you've already got.

In our case, we'll be starting with a bare shell. But your basic idea is the same as ours. Two motorcycles in the back in a "garage", with a loft bed built on the roof of the garage. The biggest challenge, is getting the roof of the garage low enough to leave us a reasonable amount of headroom in bed. But that'll be the subject of another thread.

It looks to us like it will leave us with a significant amount of storage space on both sides of the motorcycles- the garage will be a little over 80" long, 70" wide, and 40" (or so) tall.

As far as the weight goes, that's no problem- the Sprinter we plan to order has a payload of two tons, and the motorcycles will only add about 600 pounds to the van.

I agree on the 30A and not 50A comment. Just no need for that kid of power.

I never said that I needed 50A power. I just want to configure it so that I can take advantage of whatever connection is available. And we don't even plan to use it- I just want to keep that option open in case we decide to stay in a camp ground somewhere once in a while.

As for a generator, you might want to go with one of the little quiet-diesel units so you do not need a propane tank. Not sure if they can fit underneath as my (not-so-quiet) propane genset does.

What little quiet diesel generators are you talking about? I've seen the one that goes under the floor behind the rear axle, but it's like $6,000, it hangs awfully low, and it's rated at 76 decibels at 21 feet. The quiet gasoline generator that we're looking at, is rated in the 50s. And I plan to do some baffling and sound insulation to make it quieter than that.

We're thinking of gasoline for the generator- the motorcycles run on gasoline, so we're already going to have gas jugs, gasoline is more efficient than propane, and one less propane hose and a few less propane connections. But we're still open to discussion on it.

How about heat? Maybe a heat pump instead of just A/C.

We're not planning a heating system. We might visit cold places once in a while, but both of us are more interested in being places that are warm. We're going to insulate the heck out of this thing. I think even making coffee in the morning would warm up a space that small. If it gets cold, we'll just bust out the sleeping bags. And then we'll just move someplace warmer.

I was looking at trying to do a mini-split system to get the A/C off the roof, but it looks like putting the evaporator core under the vehicle opens it up to road hazards, in addition to the fins getting all clogged with the small stuff. I'd be willing to revisit that topic, but for the being, we're defaulting to a low-profile (8.25") Coleman Mach 8 rooftop A/C unit in black.

Thanks again for your thoughts, Dave.

[magicbus]

Misunderstanding... we like the king sized bed and don't plan to give it up for cycles (and our labs would be really pissed ).

Re: the 50/30A, I can't recall a 50A pedestal that didn't also offer 30. Lighter cable, easier to store. And re: the heat pump, I was talking something like this Duo Therm roof mounted unit https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-appliances/air-conditioner/air-conditioners-coleman-dometic/duo-therm-rv-heat-pump_B59186.XX1C0 since it sounds like you plan to put on a roof unit anyway. Having heat lets you stretch the season, like going to Alaska in Sept when it is much more empty.

I don't know of any small diesel gensets. Mine is propane and not too efficient but nice to have. I had thought diesel only because you have a tank of it onboard anyway, but I forgot you are already carrying gas so I guess you are covered.
And you might want to think about a power awning for shade during the day and it lets you sit outside when it is raining.

Dave

[Grand Tour]

Originally Posted by magicbus

Misunderstanding... we like the king sized bed and don't plan to give it up for cycles (and our labs would be really pissed ).

A standard king-sized mattress is 76" wide by 80" long, and a Sprinter van is only 70" wide inside. Is your vehicle a cutaway or chassis cab with a larger (wider) box for your living quarters?

We're planning a queen-sized mattress, which is 60" wide and 80" long, on the roof of the garage, over the motorcycles. This should allow us almost another 10" of width beside the bed for some shallow cabinets.

Re: the 50/30A, I can't recall a 50A pedestal that didn't also offer 30.

Thanks. Good to know.

Lighter cable, easier to store.

Got it.

And re: the heat pump, I was talking something like this Duo Therm roof mounted unit https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-appliances/air-conditioner/air-conditioners-coleman-dometic/duo-therm-rv-heat-pump_B59186.XX1C0 since it sounds like you plan to put on a roof unit anyway. Having heat lets you stretch the season, like going to Alaska in Sept when it is much more empty.

That thing is nearly twice as tall as the A/C unit we're planning to use, and Alaska is not in our plans. But thanks.

I don't know of any small diesel gensets. Mine is propane and not too efficient but nice to have. I had thought diesel only because you have a tank of it onboard anyway, but I forgot you are already carrying gas so I guess you are covered.

Yup.

And you might want to think about a power awning for shade during the day and it lets you sit outside when it is raining.

It's already on the list- a Fiamma F65s 4.0-meter (13.2-foot) awning. Not the power-operated version, though.

[magicbus]

We have the standard van body, no cutouts. At 68x75 the bed is a mix between a king and queen. We call it a king because experience taught us that queen sheets are too small, but you are correct that it is not a full king.


Dave