Ski RV's, who's sleeping in parking lots?

[byates1]

Like w most things in life it's all show.
I've seen countless 2 wd pro masters and transits w huge tires that rub, and never leave pavement.

[apex dave]

Like w most things in life it's all show.
I've seen countless 2 wd pro masters and transits w huge tires that rub, and never leave pavement.

Same with Jeeps

[evdog]

My favorite are people driving around in Tacos with a hi-lift jack mounted prominently but no heavy duty metal bumpers or skid plates so they can only use the jack at their hitch receiver.

[El Chupacabra]

My favorite are people driving around in Tacos with a hi-lift jack mounted prominently but no heavy duty metal bumpers or skid plates so they can only use the jack at their hitch receiver.

Hi Lift sells a hook attachment that lets you lift a vehicle by the wheel. I have one. Better than nothing...

My hi lift is in the bottom of the truck toolbox, where it won't rust.

[frorider]

Tauler jack >> hilift. https://brennans-garage.com/products/tauler-jack-kit

byates, your Tranny have the 3.5 PFDI engine? How’s it do on 8,000 + ft passes?

[byates1]

Yep 3.5 Ecoboost. Thing is a rocket ship honestly. I drive it like an old lady, but if I stomp on it it takes off.

[byates1]

I can't seem to find a good plan for getting it to 500k. I'm going w oil every 3-5k, trans fluid every 40, diff 80, transfer 120.

What about pre maintaining the turbo, when coolant? Etc?

[Trackhead]

The Transit Trail recall ‘fix’ is downright amusing: https://www.thedrive.com/news/fords-...g-smaller-ones. Lawsuits incoming?

Realizing my Quadvan 4x4 may remain a unicorn of sorts. Wish quigley and Quadvan were able to convert 2020+ Transits….

It’s amazing that something so simple (tire clearance) was entirely overlooked. Although another article mentions might be able to tweak wheel well a little and resolve issue.

[Name Redacted]

It’s amazing that something so simple (tire clearance) was entirely overlooked.

Surprised Ford didn’t include a plastic/fake hi-lift Jack and 50 billion lumens of yellow lights to complete the image of the intrepid Ovrlndr.

OMG that is some funny shit. Now the overlanders can't overland because of their tiny tires. Why not just add a little lift?

I mean, you bought a Ford, and you didn't expect things to go wrong?

[Trackhead]

To be fair and to quote anecdotal stuff from a friend, he can’t stand his Sprinter as it’s had endless nuances requiring repair. But honestly, what do you expect from German “engineering”.

Sounds like Ford rushed the van trying to capture the Vanlife hysteria before it faded.

[Name Redacted]

Is vanlife fading? Would never know by the amount of vans here.

But as much as i hate Ford, i would get a Transit over a Sprinter any day. My buddy’s Sprinter spent the entire winter down in Denver waiting for a small part like a diesel filter or something. Apparently it was a regular issue because there were 15 other Sprinters trapped there waiting on the same back ordered part. WTF?

Also a good part of the reason why we went with a slide in on a Toyota.

[Foggy_Goggles]

If you know that you aren't going to be using the RV all the time and you want this RV to pay for itself: you can rent it out on Outdoorsy, which is just like Turo but for RVs. Between the extra income and the business expense write-offs (you can depreciate the entire cost of the RV), the RV will pay for itself in no time.

https://denver.craigslist.org/rvs/d/...740407254.html

AirBnBify vanlife. 50days x $300 is real money. I still like my idea of towing the broken down ones to iconic curated campsites for influencers better.

[Foggy_Goggles]

If you know that you aren't going to be using the RV all the time and you want this RV to pay for itself: you can rent it out on Outdoorsy, which is just like Turo but for RVs. Between the extra income and the business expense write-offs (you can depreciate the entire cost of the RV), the RV will pay for itself in no time.

https://denver.craigslist.org/rvs/d/...740407254.html

AirBnBify vanlife. 50days x $300 is real money. I still like my idea of towing the broken down ones to iconic curated campsites for influencers better.

[MakersTeleMark]

Anecdotally, I'm seeing a lot of vans for sale lately. For laughable prices too. But, hey, it's a pivot.

[Kootenai]

Not mine: but worth a look [emoji102] Tacoma, OVE setup

https://rgbadventures.com/for-sale-c...ed-double-cab/

https://rgbadventures.com/2024/04/27...camp-m-review/

[frorider]

OMG that is some funny shit. Now the overlanders can't overland because of their tiny tires. Why not just add a little lift?

I mean, you bought a Ford, and you didn't expect things to go wrong?

The class action lawsuit will presumably involve testimony from Ford that the contract with the converter (who installed the leaking ceiling fans, tested & installed the upsized wheels etc) included performance parameters the converter did not meet.

Like tires not rubbing.

Westfalia converted VW camper vans & I assume took on some liability as a result for aspects under their control.

[Name Redacted]

Another mark against the Sprinters is travel south of the border. A friend of a friend has apparently been stuck on the baja for months because his sprinter broke down. However, as a guy fresh off a divorce, he has apparently been making lemons out of lemonade and found $25 hookers who bring their own blow. So I guess there could be an upside to their unreliability.

[jackattack]

Another mark against the Sprinters is travel south of the border. A friend of a friend has apparently been stuck on the baja for months because his sprinter broke down. However, as a guy fresh off a divorce, he has apparently been making lemons out of lemonade and found $25 hookers who bring their own blow. So I guess there could be an upside to their unreliability.

Taking any modern diesel south of the border is a recipe for disaster.

[alpinevibes]

byates, your Tranny have the 3.5 PFDI engine? How’s it do on 8,000 + ft passes?

I’ve got 3x 3.7, 2x 3.5PFDI and 1x 3.5EB here. The Ecoboost is no sweat at any time, any altitude. The NA engines are fine, they just rev higher and hunt around more, but I think the performance is acceptable, even with 14 kids+gear in them at 10-12,000’.

FWIW: I’ve got a mobile mechanic who keeps reiterating that sticking with the NA engines for these is the way to go. You get longevity and simplicity while maintaining adequate power, just without the push-you-back-in-your-seat thrust of the Ecoboost. He says unless you are diligent about letting the turbo engines run a few minutes and cool down after real use, he routinely sees the EcoBoost engines and turbo fail from heat expansion and messed up turbos.

[m2711c]

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...9820237263044/

[frorider]

I’ve got 3x 3.7, 2x 3.5PFDI and 1x 3.5EB here. The Ecoboost is no sweat at any time, any altitude. The NA engines are fine, they just rev higher and hunt around more, but I think the performance is acceptable, even with 14 kids+gear in them at 10-12,000’.

FWIW: I’ve got a mobile mechanic who keeps reiterating that sticking with the NA engines for these is the way to go. You get longevity and simplicity while maintaining adequate power, just without the push-you-back-in-your-seat thrust of the Ecoboost. He says unless you are diligent about letting the turbo engines run a few minutes and cool down after real use, he routinely sees the EcoBoost engines and turbo fail from heat expansion and messed up turbos.

Thx. I’m mostly interested in how the old 3.7 compares to the new 3.5 pfdi, since I believe the pfdi has a torque curve that kicks in at a lower rpm.

Current transit has the 3.2 turbo diesel and loafs along at 1900-2000 rpm in 6th gear, it’s great for hiway driving in the mtns. But at some point I might want a 148 WB version as a chance to flex my ultralight interior build chops lol. My 130 WB has been awesome but at times I’d like room for 2 rather than I passenger in the back.

Mild boost turbos on diesels don’t bother me much from a reliability perspective, but I’m not a fan of bigger boost gassers despite the cocaine aspect.

[Trackhead]

75k for a tin box….what kinda crack are people smoking?

[frorider]

Here’s a very low miles (9k) earthcruiser fx for half off the $600k price: https://expeditionportal.com/2021-ea...ed-classified/

The seller info is sad. Couple invests a big chunk of change to overland / RV, presumably as retirees not trustfunders, and the wife’s severe health issues come along and force a sale just when the mfger goes out of business.

This is one of the longer TRG threads. I really appreciate the pics and stories as we get out there in our rigs with family and friends for outdoor adventures. In the words of Warren Miller, do it now…

[alpinevibes]

Thx. I’m mostly interested in how the old 3.7 compares to the new 3.5 pfdi, since I believe the pfdi has a torque curve that kicks in at a lower rpm.

I feel like there’s a bit more low end grunt, that does come in earlier from the 3.5 compared to the 3.7.

[byates1]

kinda awesome