looks cozy

Real nice. Well thought out plan and execution. Thank you for taking the time to share.

Love the black and caramel colored oak…looks fantastic!!

Very nice..love Louie’s accommodations as well! Safe travels

You've done a brilliant execution of a build using a passenger van. You may want to consider a 12v cooler style fridge. It's a game changer over an ice chest in terms of not having food ruined from drowning, convenience of not buying ice, and the hassle of draining out the water everyday. The way you travel, you don't even need to use a power station, just plug it directly into the vehicle cigarette port while driving. Most food will keep fine overnight even without power. Depending on ambient temperature, my fridge may only drop 5-15 degrees over the course of 8 hours.

Excellent video! I considered getting the low roof for the same reasons, but I ended up going with the medium roof. I would love to have more details on how your bed slides. Is it using linear slides?

@JimGoProVideo

2 ай бұрын

Well, I envy your medium roof sometimes for sure. The low roof works well for us - but beyond a one-night out sorta thing I can see where a higher roof would be nice. The entire frame is all crafted out of 8020 (8020.net) material and the bed slides on a set of their plastic sliders...three per side. We keep them well lubricated with a dry lube and we took extra care in making sure the frame remained square...and so far - so good.

@RachelinRealLife

2 ай бұрын

Good to know on the sliders! Thanks for the response.

Nice setup. I am looking to do something similar. What kind of gas mileage are you getting?

@JimGoProVideo

8 ай бұрын

We averaged 17.5 on our last trip...couple weeks ago. This includes a bit of mountain driving and a lot of miles at 75mph (ok...maybe 80mph...😉) on the interstate. The Transit is not the most aerodynamic vehicle on the road so we're pleased with this mileage.

Hi Jim, thanks for an interesting video. We are considering a similar conversion and trying to decide on van specs. Like you, a low roof is the plan due to garage height. I see you have AWD. Would you get that again? Is it EcoBoost or not? If not, how has the base engine been especially in mountainous areas? Finally, how do you feel about the ride quality of the T-350, and to do it again, would you get that or a T-150 or 250?

@JimGoProVideo

2 ай бұрын

Great question and my answer (based on my preferences, experience and quite frankly my "lack of knowledge" going into this (!)) is I would absolutely get the same engine on the same 350 platform. For an interesting starting comment: we bought this van and motor combination without ever driving one like it. We based our decision on kinda-similar drives and advice from folks we trusted (and yes - one being our local dealer rep). To your specific questions. ECOBOOST - right or wrong I stayed away from that motor due to advice from motor-head friends (including the dealer). I love the EcoBoost idea and I love the rep that motor has for being quick. That said, I'm pretty conservative and was finally swayed by concerns about these motors 100,000 miles down the road. They are probably fine but we opted to stay with what we know. THE 350 RIDE: seriously, Kathy will tell you this is the easiest vehicle to drive we've ever had. On the road (which is 95% plus how we use it) it handles really well. I tell folks it drives like a car and rides like a truck (a nice truck). It feels really solid...it's not bothered by Kansas winds...handles well on all road conditions (e.g., RMNP in a snow storm - no problem). We spend a lot of time in our small neighborhood just outside Estes Park Colorado with narrow dirt roads (we call them streets...kinda) and sun, rain or snow...the van is solid and I attribute much of that to the AWD (and not my "outstanding" driving skills). Our mileage seems to be settling in at 17 mph (more or less). I can get 18+ if I behave myself but will get high 16s when I'm running an interstate at 85 mph (not that I ever do that...you know). Power-wise, the traditional (non EcoBoost) motor is not quick but it gets the job done really well. I mean it's a big black box getting pushed off the starting line and down the road...it won't win any races but you'll get to dinner on time and in one piece...for a lot of miles. And its not met a mountain it can't climb - easily. Hope these wandering thoughts help...best of luck with your van search.

@ThomasUSofA

2 ай бұрын

@@JimGoProVideo Thanks Jim, I really appreciate your insights on the chassis. You've done a great job with your build, BTW! One other question comes to mind. What is the approximate height from the top of your bed to the ceiling, and how has that been for getting into and out of bed at night? I'm 6'1" and estimate we'd have ~31" of clearance with the platform height and mattress I have in mind. So, I wouldn't quite be able to sit fully upright in bed, though my wife should be able to.

@JimGoProVideo

2 ай бұрын

@@ThomasUSofA Having 31 inches to work with ought to be fine. I am 5'10" (on a tall day) and we have 28 inches to work with. And yep - can't sit up per se but it doesn't feel overly crowded. Cozy is the word we'll use.

Is this the 130wb low roof transit?

@JimGoProVideo

7 ай бұрын

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