2018 Promaster 3500 EXT High Roof. Expediter bunk and rear storage build. Includes flip-up tray and auxiliary fuel tank with jack cubby. Prewired for 12 & 120 volt rooftop fan / air conditioning and rear connect shore power line.
This is absolutely the best build I've seen for almost exactly how I use my Promaster!!! Since I'm a traveling mechanic so to speak, my rear compartment is set up with tools etc, but front is identical in function! Since I live south of Indy, I'm definitely hunting up Red for the next go around in a few years!!! I also put that exact same heater in. Found out it just sips fuel...good grief, I can get three nights sleep on the 10L tank it came with at 30f and its never been so cold I couldn't get two without worrying. The only "problem" I've had with that heater is it does dry the interior out...so much that by say, 3am I'm uncomfortably dry. So, to "fix" this I take a wet washcloth and hang it under my bed near the heater (my bed is higher and fixed as I store other stuff under the bed) vent. This helps a lot. The negative on that is then I get ice on the inside of the windshield because I have a nice privacy cover...no problem without the privacy/light cover. But, all I have to do is start the van immediately when I wake up, put it on defrost and 20 min later all is ready to roll. I also sprang for a nice smoke/CO detector up front...just in case the heater malfunctions, seemed wise and I sleep better knowing its watching over me... I also added a deep cycle battery. That little heater eats your primary battery, and I found the 2nd battery was required to make it through the night. I'm at 11.2Vdc when I wake, which is no problem with the deep cycle in parallel. Van starts right up. If you take your primary down to 11.2 (an all night would be more like 10.2) probably not going to start.... I really loved the carpet up front!!! Nice and civilized...I opted for $800 worth of ceramic coatings from Summit (Lizard Skin) and will never do that again. I'm always bumping into that sharp stuff, no likey!! Carpet would be way better! However, as sound proofing, the Lizard Skin product works insanely good...it really is amazing, but, like I said, its kinda bumpy and not smooth like carpet. Its also the only insulation I have and it works surprisingly good at that as well...GREAT product, but not for a sleeper IMO. And, what do you think you will do on the A/C front? I opted to just run the van overnight, right at .5gph, so $10 or so for a night of A/C? Wasn't sure I'd ever get ROI on an A/C and generator option... Beats the heck out of a grotto bed at the Hampton for $185...I've found I sleep better without a doubt and have logged 37 nights in the Promaster over the last 6 months, which also probably adds up to around $5,500 in actual hotel savings...on track since I spent a little over 10k in hotels last year. Plus, now I get a breakfast worth having!!!! And...how well can a guy sleep with $60k in tools out in the parking lot? In the turd whirled state of Chicago??? Me...not so good....I sleep way better knowing a well armed guard is right next to my tools and test equipment all night long.... And, at 5k for that entire build? Its all written off, so actual cost is what, about $2,800 out of pocket depending on how badly the thieves in government are getting in your wallet, so, finally an outfitter thats affordable for a working guy!!! And in Indiana??!!! Wish I would have found you 12 months ago!!! Great build and great video, thank you!!!
@@RedsCustomDesign Yes I should have edited this comment as I watched the Nurse van build after this video! Wow..awesome work but I'm sure you hear that quite often! Lot's of ideas I have gained! Thanks!
A little bit more living space and this is exactly the sort of layout I'm looking for. I need lots of "freight space" in the back for my inventory and this has given me lots of ideas.
Looks real good Red. I like the separate tank for the heater. Maybe a high end truck bed liner would lessen the wear and tear the back is going to take.
17 gallons for heat, nice. Red I wish I had stopped in last summer when you was doing Geos van. I will get back down that way soon. Got family near Odon.
Wow. Hands down some of the nicest craftsman ship I’ve seen after watching tons of RU-vid videos. My only question is about the insulation. Isn’t the foil side supposed to face out, so the air pocket is between the exterior steel and the foil?
The wiring for the air conditioner… is that for refrigerated loads and or comfort when sleeping? Would you run it off of another energy/battery source or just run the engine?
Looking forward to you doing my ProMaster van still got you in mind I know the quality of work you do and ProMaster that you have on RU-vid that's the way I want mine built take it easy Red
Beautiful, real world/working/camping/roadtrip/awesome van build....I saw one of your 1st videos like 6 months ago and am so impressed with your down-to-earth builds. I am leaning towards a box truck with a 15' box.....I want to have it nice enough that my wife will go on a week long roadtrip so it needs to have some amenities that are nice.Like an indoor shower and a toilet....maybe a cassette version, a queen bed and a nice kitchen. But I also want to beable to use the van to haul things when I return like a lawnmower, furniture and bikes and a kayak or two for use locally. Is that possible in a 15' box truck Sprinter Dually? What's a ballpark on something like that? Thanks Red.
@@RedsCustomDesign thanks for replying so quickly....It's not a work van. I want it to do alot of things I suppose. Foremost would being able to be comfortable with my wife on everything from long weekend jaunts to being able to take off and live in it for a month or two on photography trips. But I need to be able to put some furniture in it moving over to the storage container or taking the kayak up north for a weekend of kayak fishing....My wife won't travel in this if its not nice and have certain amenities like a private toilet that can be used while people are inside and needs to have a shower, inside. Thanks for listening....
Very nice build! But... I wonder about the Romex and solid core electrical wire used in an expediter freight van that shakes, rattles and rolls over the road for potentially hundreds of thousands of miles? That's trouble waiting to happen. Suggest you consider using Ancor marine grade electrical wire instead of the Romex and solid core wire. Understand and appreciate that Romex and solid core is cheap but... Ancor stranded electrical cable with endure the harsh environment of the OTR freight van environment where Romex solid core electrical cable will not - and will eventually fail.
Myself and the rv industry have been using romex for years with no problems with the wire. The problem people have is with the pass-through plugs. I don't use pass-through plugs. And I've not had any problems. I've got a expeditor build i did 5 years ago and they have almost 650k miles on the van and it hasn't had the first problem with the romex wiring.
Well if one if your build expediter builds has traveled 650k miles using Romex wiring with no problems that’s encouraging. No RV I know would ever run 650k w/o problems - other than a Prevost Liberty Coach. Liberty Coach uses Amcor wiring in their builds. Must be a reason?
You wouldn't, it would be a direct run or you would figure in the price for a room in your bid. Some will figure in the room a then sleep in a tent, hammock, or on top of the freight and stick the extra money in there pocket.
What does your van use idling for air condition when I was in a van which I hate it because there's no log book I was burning about a gallon an hour to keep cool on a hot day
I will by email. I will no longer post pricing on my videos. Because of material cost change and people can't get why it costs more now than what I said in the video. Info@redscustomdesign.com
Depends on what you have. It can be stood up to act as a bulkhead. It could lay ontop of the freight if its not to tall so you still have a place to sleep. I've had some drivers strap it to the wall. You have all kinds of options with this design.
It's just a platform sitting on the side rails. You just pick it up out of the way. Or if you have 3 pallets (and the freight allows) you can lay it ontop of the freight to sleep.
Fire extinguisher needs be mounted the drivers seat. You would fail a dot inspection, also i would of used the original steel bulkhead the van came with. If you get in a bad accident or hit from behind that wooden bulkhead will not protect you.
#1 these vans are under 10,000lbs so they are non DOT regulated. #2 in a DOT inspection it just says you must have a fire extinguisher securely mounted. Dosen't say were. #3, this bulkhead is to separate the sleeper area from the freight. It can open up for a third pallet if needed. Its not meant to stop anything but air. Hell, before he got here he (like most expeditors) didn't have any bulkhead.
@@alankalupa7585 if you have a 3rd skid you can put the bed crosswise behind the seats or strap it against the wall ontop of the storage box or you can lay it ontop of the freight to catch a nap.
Trust me, if a vehicle catches on fire you don't have time to put it out with a fire extinguisher anyway. When my van burnt it was completely gone in 15 minutes. And I had a fire extinguisher.
