What a jewel for camping!! This guy has his life squared away and is enjoying his it,...as it should be. The van, is my 'dream vehicle',...I'm thinking now, I'm thinking!
I was thinking the same thing...lol....I wonder if he taught yoga in the military. I mean, after Boot Camp the stress level only intensified. Today's military is different than when I was in 30 years ago.
@@robertrichardson9953 Yes sir but it is an additional $14,000 and I am just not sure if the cost benefit equation works right now. Possibly in the future if I plan on going to places it is required.
Very cool van and certainly a unique video for TFL. I'm looking to build a poor man's "toy hauler" camp trailer and I think his idea for the generator and those roll-down screens are awesome and certainly things I'd like to incorporate into my own project. I'm a sucker for modular components and serviceability so the LRU thinking is right in line with what I plan in to things. I'm glad you all were able to get together to share this with us!
I love the idea of using the Kodak mobile power supply as if it’s a built in unit. As technology improves or repairs are required, it’s easily removed. I like simple efficient set-ups, he did a nice job
That's some military style of a van design, I think the owner is well equipped and well prepared in any situation. Can't wait to get mine soon enough...
REALLY ENJOYED AND LEARNED VALUABLE INFORMATION FROM THIS VIDEO. LOVE HIS SET UP! I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A REVIEW ON THAT DIESEL AFTER ANOTHER 100K MILES.
Excellent video. Also, I enjoyed the gentleman, and all of his explanations of his van upgrades and why he chose them. Thank you Andre for a great interview and for your positive and inquisitive energy. The only thing I would add would be a quick ride around the block (5-10 miles) to get a quick driving impression (on camera). Keep up the great work.
I have a F-350 transit van XLT also and we hauled a trailer with 15 passengers on board and the van basically never backed down the roof is the highest they got and on the inside it’s pretty massive
One little comment......anyone who has been in the military will tell you we HATE the term "military grade". To us, that means it is TOO expensive, TOO heavy and more of a PITA to use than available civilian options. This van is a nice project......if the military had tried to do the same it would have been $250,000, gone 45 mph @5 mpg and any parts would have taken 6-9 months to arrive :) I hope this guy and his family enjoy this hauler !
As a Vet that is disabled and now in a wheelchair, I needed a vehicle to transport me and my wife and my chair. I had a F-250 4x4 that the VA installed a platform lift on it. that was a bad mistake. as an extended cab long bed. then the platform life out the back. It first was so bouncy and my power chair would nto stay in place. no matter how many straps I put on it. there was never a tailgater ever as it bounced so much. They then installed a crane style lift system. that was so slow, I was in so much pain by the time it got up to the bad of the truck. I thanks had to strap it down all around. and if it rained or inclement weather I was not able to go out. so this was not the best solution for me. I then started looking for a van that had a power lift in it. I found a 1992 E-150 van conversion for $12,00, I sent my son to Utah to pick it up.it was at a friends used car dealership in Magna Utah. He went thru it and made sure it would make it out to me in California. well it didn't, the fuel pump quit in Reno on a Friday evening. so had to put him up in a hotel for the weekend and hope that the repairs would be made on Monday. well $950 later he was on his way. upon arrival found it needed a lot of work. which I wont go into here. but needless to say it was another $5000. then I found although it had the power lift. it had no tie-downs for my chair. and as I cannot bend over much. I came to the solution of once the chair lift was up, it had a split floor. I could move the chair back in between the uprights of the lift and use strong ratchet straps to tie the chair to the lift. but this too became so painful for me as I cannot stand up for more than 5 mins. so I only used it in places that I had to have to go, like the VA clinic. otherwise I just did not go anywhere because of the PAIN to install and uninstall the chair. All the while looking for a proper van for myself. I found thru a fried in the van conversion business that a friend of his had a 2017 Transit T-150 already converted to the exact specs I needed,the right height, lock down system an power drivers seat that moved back and rotated to the wheelchair position so easy step out and in the chair. it was perfect. As we moved thru the purchasing process. the VA told me that they would reimburse me for the wheelchair equipment, I would have to purchase the van. So at the last minute, The VA backed out of the deal stating that It could not back up used equipment even thought it was less than six months old. So I had to go on the hunt again. I finally found a local dealer with a use 2018 Transit T-150. with K miles on it. for a fair price. I got financing and it was sent off to Nor-Cal vans IN Chico for the van conversion of the approved equipment. It took six months to complete due to recall issues with RICON lifts. they finally said they were not going to fix the recall on private lifts. so they had to order a different lift system. So the week before Christmas I finally got my Transit van all set up for me and my wheelchair. I and in the process of getting used to the van and all the equipment. be so far we love and I hope to now get more out of the house and maybe even travel now that it is more or less painless to use the wheelchair.
Zarmo P. Fudpucker The lower floor heights of these vans really help you out (less lift) and keep the weight lower. You also have the three roof heights. With some ingenuity and a second person aluminum ramps could easily work with a wheelchair thru the back. -They make trailers with the fold up ramps in the back for atvs etc. Why not RVs with the fold up backs for people in wheelchairs = about the same cost as a van and adding the $10-20k side lift.
Sweet rig. I have a Sunseeker awning and really regret it as I keep snapping the horizontal arms on deployment. This one looks perfect. I have a ‘18 LWB MR with a 2.5” lift, rear strut high clearance mounts, 31” KO2s, fox shocks, and Yukon Gear e-locker. Pretty capable van, haven’t found myself wishing for 4x4.
*Very* cool van!! I can totally see owning one of those. Spectacular! I was already a big fan of the Ford Transit, but he ordered that one exactly the way I would've ordered one, and modded it in such an amazing way! Really awesome!
Van Specs 3.2L I5 Diesel Engine 3.73 Limited Slip Axle X7L Trailer Tow Package Heavy Duty Alternator Rear Window Defogger Keyless Entry Pad Modified Vehicle Wiring Package Cruise Control Dual Heavy Duty Batteries Running Boards Rear Window Flip Outs Tires K02 - 255/70 R16 Lightforce 50-inch LED Dual Row Light Bar www.aluminess.com Black Fiamma F45S Awning www.aluminess.com Roof Rack & Front Bumper www.aluminess.com ROLEF Screens rolef.ca/en/moustiquaire-vr/ Max Air Fan www.airxcel.com/maxxair/products/fans/maxxfan-deluxe LL Bean Truck Seat Fishing Organizer www.llbean.com/llb/shop/119920?page=l-l-bean-truck-seat-fishing-organizer&bc=&feat=truck%20organizer-SR0&csp=a&attrValue_0=Forest%20Shade/Bay%20Leaf&searchTerm=truck%20organizer Garmin Dash Cam 65W buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/587334 GPS Garmin RV 770 LMT-S buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/570074 Fridge - Cruise 85 Elegance www.indelwebastomarine.com/us/products/fridges-freezers/cruise-marine-refrigerators/medium-fridges-65-100-l/cruise-85-elegance/ Solar Generators: Goal Zero Yeti 150 www.goalzero.com Kodiak inergytek.com/collections/solar-generators/products/kodiak Cabela’s X-900 Pure Lead AGM Battery Group 31 www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-X-Pure-Lead-AGM-Battery/1435369.uts?slotId=0 Go Treads Track System gotreads.com Kuat Bike Rack- Kuat NV22G - NV 2.0 - 2 Bike Hitch Rack - For 2 Inch Hitch - Gray & Orange www.rackoutfitters.com Hitchswing www.wilcooffroad.com/shop/hitchswing Weathertech Floor Mats, Front and Side Windows Sun Shade www.weathertech.com
Learned to drive on a 1971 Econoline Club Wagon in pale green, with the blunt face and the entire engine (not just part of it) right next to the driver's seat. Not one single option other than auto trans and the 302 V8 (vs. the 250 inline 6). No air, no PS, not even a cigarette lighter (blanked-off opening). But what a cool ride back in the day.
Great video. I'm a little surprised it costs what it did. I made one of those in 1975 with a brand new E150. Van only cost $4500. So Andre says Hi Roof but I'm thinking it's a Mid Roof. Seeing that he has so many kids that want to go with him I wonder why he didn't get a longer Transit. He's going to be pissed off when he finds out that the 2020 Transit offers factory 4x4.
You know, I never really had a reference for what was affordable and what was overpriced when it came to the aftermarket camper conversions and camper trailers that you guys have reviewed from other companies, and I never really knew what to think when I'd see people in the comments saying how ridiculous it was to charge 60, 80, 100 grand for a van camper conversion. Now I do. If this setup cost him $75K, INCLUDING the original price of the van itself, then 60, 80, 100 grand for just the conversion is DEFINITELY overpriced. Awesome video.
Pretty impressive van although it looks like it wouldn’t make it very far off road. Virtually no wheel travel or breakover angle. Seems like it would work for campgrounds but that’s about it.
Great review! Believe it or not, I own a Chevy Dually and a 5th Wheel Toy Hauler and I am looking to downsize in the future and camper vans are on my list.
It is a shame that Ford doesn't sell an AWD version of the Transit like they do in Europe. Rented one when moving and it is so practical and easy to drive.
It was cool to see a regular person tell us how he likes the diesel, plus get real-world costs on the conversion. $75K is *not* bad for what this is. I'm going to go browse the Colo. Camper Van site and dream a little 😁
I totally wanna crack on the yoga instructor/airforce thing but I've actually met a super nerdy tabletop Dungeons and dragons type guy who was a drone pilot for the chairforce who I'm fairly certain has a higher body count than most navy seals.
Great tour of the rig! Thank you for sharing. Since it’s a passenger model, the van comes with wall paneling and headliner...did the owner upgrade or install insulation materials behind the panels? Thank you.
Three kids, a wife, 3 dogs in a little van?! My anxiety level goes up just thinking about it!!! Not a fun time in my book! For 75 grand he shoulda bought a bunkhouse travel trailer!
@@ALMX5DP Hmmmm.. I guess I did. I stand corrected. My apologies. Not really what I meant to convey. What's right for some is not right for all. But what makes one happy.... It's all good!
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Ford Transit isn't boring. I have one. My van has a V6 310 hp engine. 25 gallon fuel tank. Using regular gas I can get 200 miles on just under half a tank. And this isn't interstate driving. It also has the tow package.
This is the new youtube. Think it's bad here, try watching Twitch ... 4 commercials before a stream starts up then a few more minutes in. It's worse than cable TV 6 years ago when I last had that service.
The European version of the transit is used heavily by tradesmen, they are everywhere, they don’t have much clearance.you can see all sorts of stuff hanging into what should be clear space, Don’t take them off road !
So how did he get the Maxair fan installed with all that interior ceiling stuff that comes with the passenger vans? Plus the fan had to be installed so as to avoid the ceiling air ducts for air conditioner that has vents in ceiling - I wish I knew how easy this was to do so I could decide if it is worth getting the passenger van!
Any word on when the Achates Power opposed piston 2-stroke engine will be available for consumer purchase? I saw your videos if the Ford F-150 with the 2 stroke has engine. Since then: crickets. Any updates would be appreciated. John (in Broomfield). :-)
John Anderson hello, back in the day there were ALL 2 STROKES , A BRITISH TRUCK COMMER 6 CYL HOROZINTALLY OPPOSED , , GMC, had 2 cycle truck engines , as were EMD railway locomotives , I even went on a dive boat which ran on 2bGM 2 CYCLE DIESELS , , so they are still being made, Cheers from NJ
Yes sir, but it costs around $14,000 and I just not sure that there is a cost benefit equation that works currently. I am keeping it in my back pocket just incase I decide to go that route in the future but currently we only drive to places where there is moderate grades in Moab and other place in Colorado that we wouldn't get stuck. I appreciate your positive feedback! I was in Seattle last year and actually parked this van at the end of Pikes Market by the gum wall. So next time I am in town, we can connect!!
Vans generally rate lower in crash safety than regular sedans, the last thing people should do is add a bull-bar. It may 'protect' the mechanics but it's at the expense of the fragile humans in the cabin.
