Camper Van as Tow Vehicle

Pusher

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I've been throwing around the idea of selling my Toyota Tundra and picking up a camper van as my tow vehicle. Has anyone had any experience with this route?

Has anyone used a camper van... Any thoughts?

Here's the one I'm thinking about but I'd need a mechanic to look into the salvage issue.

Thanks
 

MTboatguy

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Vans, tow just as well as trucks, if you don't have to big a boat, a buddy of mine has one of these Starcraft conversions and he tows a 22 foot boat with it all the time.
 

Pusher

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Vans, tow just as well as trucks, if you don't have to big a boat, a buddy of mine has one of these Starcraft conversions and he tows a 22 foot boat with it all the time.

Thanks for the feedback MTboatguy ! I'm really getting into this idea. My wife needs AC for health reasons but I can't justify paying $120/night for a cabin to catch and release 12" fish.

In reading other forums, it looks like these are rated for 6,000 if the hitch is attached to the frame?

MT, what does your buddy do for AC at night? We get 100? temps over here.
 

MTboatguy

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Thanks for the feedback MTboatguy ! I'm really getting into this idea. My wife needs AC for health reasons but I can't justify paying $120/night for a cabin to catch and release 12" fish.

In reading other forums, it looks like these are rated for 6,000 if the hitch is attached to the frame?

MT, what does your buddy do for AC at night? We get 100? temps over here.

He had a low profile roof air installed on his, that is like what you would find on a motorhome or a camp trailer, the only problem is you have to be somewhere that has 110 AC in order for it to work, I do know they make small 12V AC, but you have to make sure you have the batteries to back it up and that they are isolated from the van power.

Edit, Just stumbled across this little article about making your own 12V cooler on the cheap and thought it was interesting.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Portable-12V-Air-Conditioner---Cheap-and-easy!/
 
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Pusher

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That's pretty cool and quite simple! It would probably be cheaper to buy a few bags of ice at the gas station than paying for hookups just to run an AC unit in the earlier months too :)

I do love low tech solutions. Actually, if I get a cabin boat that would be the perfect solution.

In reards to the voltage, is a 12v capable of plugging in with an extebsion cord whereas the 110 has to be plugged into a converter?
 

GA_Boater

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A low profile 110 VAC AC roof mounted unit with a small portable generator making enough wattage is what I would look at. Much longer overnight cooling time than the couple of hours the ice one gives.
 

Pusher

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How much noise do generators make these days? If I did the 12v would I be able to run it in series with 2-3 batteries over the course of a couple days?

Sorry, I know every unit's consumption is different. I just don't want to put everyone else (other capers) out for my own satisfaction. They don't make units that are portable enough to set one on a boat do they?

I probably sound like a goober, but anything over 80? long-term can affect the admiral's energy levels. I'm finishing my boat this year and realizing I can't just go on a whim because of these issues. I'd really like to make life work for us rather than us working around life... If that makes sense.
 

MTboatguy

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I was just reading another article about these types of coolers and one of the guys is using frozen salt water in the blue ice packs then filling the bottom of the cooler with regular water and switch out the blue blocks with salt water about every 6 hours to keep the water cool for cooling the area you are in, the ingenuity of people is an amazing thing.
 

Pusher

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It sure is. I bet one could make a livewell towards the bow of their cabin that doubles as a cooling station. Of course they'd be obligated to eat the fish after that kind of an icebath.


I originally came to these forums thinking grab a few ideas, and maybe give a couple until my boat was done then disappear like so many other accounts. You guys all have so many diverse ideas and backgrounds though, that it would be stupid to leave.... While my wife is watching bunnies nibble carrots on FB I am learning how to solve world hunger.
 

Pusher

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How about these simple and affordable units? I was under the impression that ac units needed a heat vent or it was innefficient at best.
 

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GA_Boater

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It sure is. I bet one could make a livewell towards the bow of their cabin that doubles as a cooling station. Of course they'd be obligated to eat the fish after that kind of an icebath.


I originally came to these forums thinking grab a few ideas, and maybe give a couple until my boat was done then disappear like so many other accounts. You guys all have so many diverse ideas and backgrounds though, that it would be stupid to leave.... While my wife is watching bunnies nibble carrots on FB I am learning how to solve world hunger.

Hasenpfeffer solves World Hunger! :rolleyes:

If raw ice is used, you need to drain the melted water to add new ice, something to consider. The ice packs MT mentioned help solve that because the melted ice won't mingle. A second cooler with dry ice can keep the ice packs frozen, just don't put it inside because of the off-gassing CO[SUP]2[/SUP].

Also a larger cooler with larger ice chunks would have a longer cooling time.

If you experiment and don't come up with a long-lasting ice cooler, some of the better portable generators are pretty quiet.
 

southkogs

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I used to have a 3/4 ton Dodge Starcraft conversion. We'd stay in it from time to time overnight and it was pretty comfortable (wasn't a camper so we didn't do it more than just a night). It'd pull nearly anything you could hitch to it. I've got a Ford 1/2 ton club wagon now, and it does fine too.

If you get the extended length vans (some of the campers have the longer body) watch the Ford and the Dodge - the way they extended the body made 'em tow funny with a heavy load (in my opinion). Chevy/GM actually extended the wheelbase, but Ford and Dodge just extended the body.
 

Pusher

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Thanks for the heads up southkogs! I will just avoid the extended Fords and Dodges altogether then.

I just looked at a standard length 87 chevy and boy that was hammered! Carpets were stained and every seat in it was torn. I ran from that as fast as I could.
 

southkogs

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I've had three full size vans - the Dodge I mentioned above (1992 2500 with a 318), an Chevy ('88 1500 with a 350) and a Ford (2007 E150 with a 5.4l). The Dodge made it 240k miles until the transmission let go. The Ford is currently at about 210k and running like a champ.

The Chevy we only had for a short time - kind of a weird story trying to help some friends out. It was ugly and old, but it ran pretty well. It had about 150k when I got it, and we only kept it about a year or so until we sold it off.

Barn doors ... I repeat, barn doors! Don't fall for that big ole' back door they put on some of the Dodges or the sliding doors on the sides. I can't believe how much that little detail matters!
 

Pusher

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Was that stay away from sliders and full size rear doors? Are they failure prone, or do they take up too much wall space?

Have you ever tried towing with a smaller rv? I like the idea of a van cause I could use it as a "normal" vehicle to haul around town and make random grocery runs.
 

MTboatguy

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I have a fully self contained 22 foot motorhome with air and a generator and it is not much more difficult to drive than the Van I had and it has a nice twin bed, lavatory and a shower, in addition to a micro, full dinette and entertainment system, and I didn't pay all that much for it, it serves it purpose and we enjoy it.
 

Pusher

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Haha, I'm REALLY conflicted now. After seeing the standard G20 camper van I feel like my wife would feel clostrophobic. How does the motorhome do on the boat launches? I assume it's not 4x4?
 

southkogs

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Was that stay away from sliders and full size rear doors? Are they failure prone, or do they take up too much wall space?
Full size rear doors on the Dodge (don't think anyone else did that), or the sliding doors that some of the vans have as their side doors. The barn doors on the side of the van and at the back work MUCH better in my opinion for loading and unloading "stuff."

Have you ever tried towing with a smaller rv? I like the idea of a van cause I could use it as a "normal" vehicle to haul around town and make random grocery runs.
I haven't. I've never been able to make the money vs. the travel make sense with an RV. We can do (typically) nearly as well with hotels. That could possibly change some with a really small RV and gas being relatively inexpensive right now, but I don't think we'd use it enough.
 

MTboatguy

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I put an inexpensive back up camera on my motorhome and have not problem launching my boat, not much different than doing it with the Van I had or the Trucks I own now, a 22 is really not that much longer than the full size long wheel based Vans, it is a bit wider and it is a lot taller, but the length is not bad.
 

Pusher

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Well I scoured the internet including Craigslist. There's not much in the way of motorhomes worth looking at around here. I'm meeting the van guy tonight to look it over and if things are good then I'm paying a mechanic to check it out on Friday and then a frame shop to check it on Monday.

Any advice on what to watch out for?
 
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