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Hittenstiehl · 09-19-2016, 10:44 AM

Thx. we won't be in the market for several springs but still a worthy and good discussion.

Starstream · 09-20-2016, 10:06 PM

Since we've been singing the praises of our new NV, figured we better show some proof that we did actually travel with it. The attached photo was taken at Ft. Randall Dam on Lake Francis Case in SD.

Hittenstiehl · 09-20-2016, 10:11 PM

That looks really good. And since we've been talking about them I've been seeing the NV and the Transit around town.

Starstream · 09-21-2016, 03:05 PM

We think so. They both make a long set-up, which could be a disadvantage if not planning to unhitch for the night. This was a one night stay, so we didn't unhitch. Just disconnected the 7-way and put down all the jacks. It's hard to see the Pro-pride hitch in the shadows (adds a bit more to length.) We've encountered a couple of campgrounds where longer sites were a bit harder to find.

SCOTTinNJ · 12-12-2016, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcole

I am a little late to this topic but we have been using a Nissan 3500 HD high top for about two & half years now, first with a 2015 Oliver Legacy Elite II 22' & now a recently purchased Airstream Sport 22". First let me say this beast is a joy to drive/ride in whether towing or on solo trips. We purchased a leftover 2013 new. Then I customized the walls/ceiling , added twin beds, over head/floor cabinets, custom windows (all around) , a sub floor & one compact captains chair. This added a total weight of about 700 pounds to bring the van with a full 28 gallons of gas with out driver/passenger to around 6,900 pounds. Even with the additional payload from our customization plus driver/passenger with cargo & our two cats this has pulled both trailers extremely well. With its heavy duty factory installed towing package & wide body/high profile roof basically makes sway/wind a non issue when towing. With its large V-8 engine it pulls effortlessly with power to spare. I would highly recommend it as a tow vehicle.

How did you mount the captains chair? Just bolt it through the floor?

Have any pictures of your layout?

SCOTTinNJ · 12-12-2016, 08:33 AM

Looks like the new 5.6 and 7 speed transmission are coming for 2017. Similar power but should see a slight bump in mpg.

I'm liking that high top cargo version...

http://www.tfltruck.com/2016/12/2017...ice-hike-news/

slowmover · 12-18-2016, 08:25 PM

That high top will be a handful in cross winds. Reduced range when solo.

SCOTTinNJ · 12-19-2016, 03:29 AM

Tradeoffs for sure.

bolerama · 05-30-2017, 06:43 PM

We need more space for full-timing than our GMC Sierra 6.2L provides, so we are planning to get an NV3500 this summer. We will get a low top because we have a big kayak/trimaran (Hobie Tandem Island) that we have to put on the roof. We are still debating whether we will get the cargo or the passenger version. If we get the passenger version, we will be removing the 2nd and 3rd rows of seats, so that's wasteful, but we like all the windows, light carpet, interior panelling, heated leather front seats. Pros and cons to both. We're glad we found this thread.

Lisa

Starstream · 05-31-2017, 07:57 AM

When comparing the two versions, pay close attention to the ride while testing. The passenger may have a nicer ride than the cargo version does. Which can be a big deal when you're covering lots of miles. Does the cargo version have the back-up camera, towing mode and extendable mirrors? Our passenger model had them included. The extra goodies in the passenger, like leather seats, satellite radio etc. may not matter to you so much. Or they might, since this is half of your home. We're not full-timing yet since we have 9 furry family members. No kids at home anymore, so we hijacked our younger daughter's bedroom for the seats we're not using. If you opt for the passenger, you will want some kind of cover for the floor. The seats are attached to slots in the floor. In the event the seats are going back in someday you won't want the hardware clogged up with dirt and other stuff. We put a 9'x12' heavy duty painter's canvas over our floor because we had one handy. It's holding up fine for now. If some company, like American Van comes up with something like an extra large floor tray, we'll get one of those. Otherwise, a large and easy to clean commercial rug, with the heavy rubber bottom should do the trick.

bolerama · 06-01-2017, 07:38 PM

Thanks for the input, Starstream. Our local dealership won't bring any in, so we had to test drive one about 6 hours away. We only got to test drive the passenger van. After our drive, we wanted to try out the cargo van, but someone had double-parked it. We will be travelling full-time with 2 dogs, so we want the vehicle to also be comfortable for them when we have to stop for provisions, etc, so we were hoping to add a Fantastic vent, so the cargo van is appealing for that. If we get a passenger van, we'll have to consider other options to keep the vehicle cool for the dogs when the Airstream isn't behind us. We like the extra height of the high-top, but that would be too high to put our kayak on the roof.

Do you have any advice on organizing the van? Did you add shelving?

Lisa

Tony S · 06-02-2017, 12:05 AM

17000. miles later love the van. One thing it is terrible in snow. First vehicle I have had without a slip differential and it showed.

Almost all of the miles is on open road and it is quick for its size. I wanted all the bells and whistles so I got the passenger van and immediately took all the seats out and use it as a cargo van. Only problem is lack of tie downs and customizability

One other thing is the lack of dealerships that are authorized to sell them. I was told it was a $20,000 dealer buy in. I don't know if that is true.

I live in Southern Oregon and there is only one. The other can do oil changes. As luck would have it the only ding I have in it came from the dealership. They were rotating the tires and the handle came down on the quarter panel. It is just a little one but....

I would buy another and hope I had 12,000 more to put 4 wheel drive under it.

Tony

Starstream · 06-02-2017, 08:30 AM

No customization on the van yet. (We’ve made 2 trips with an aluminum tent. Topic for a different thread.)

Five dogs and four rabbits do travel with us, which is one reason we covered the floor. Didn’t want dirt and animal hair in the seat slots. They all travel in crates/cages, so eventually we will make a storage system to go underneath. In the home stretch of finishing the AS’s cabinetry right now. Once we’ve sorted out what will have permanent storage in the trailer, we can start assessing remaining items to figure storage for them.

All models of the NV are commercial, or fleet, vehicles. Technically the passenger is a commuter van. Since they’re all commercial, may not be any difference in the ride. We had no problem finding a dealership which sells/services them because we are in the greater Houston area. (4th largest city in the US). There is a ship channel, lots of industry, and a few people who don’t want to drive to work. It stands to reason that a dealership in a smaller community may not have a fleet department if the clientele isn’t there. It looks to us, though, like Nissan is kind of eyeing two different markets with the passenger. It is a great vehicle for large families, and there are some RVers who really don’t consider pickups very convenient. (Unless they own a 5th wheel). Being fleet right now does influence who is going to finance your vehicle. Credit union is going to be most likely for the private buyer who doesn’t have a commercial bank acct. Nissan might move the passenger model out of commercial down the road, once they determine who’s actually buying it. Right now, I think they may still be doing market research.

When it comes to ventilation fans, we like the MaxxFan deluxe models. Have 2 in our trailer. It may seem like overkill in your van, but they have a rain sensor that closes the lid and allows the fan to continue running. Like a ceiling fan in a house. (No goofy cover required) The fan direction can also be changed. And of course, it comes with a remote control for the various functions. If you’re into that kind of thing. We have one Fantastic Fan in the kitchen. Bugger cracked on our first trip up north. Of course, we discovered it because it was leaking in a rain storm. It’s getting replaced with another MaxxFan.

NTVB73 · 06-02-2017, 09:45 AM

We purchased our NV just over a year ago and I can't say enough good things about it. We have 5 children, 4 of which are still in car seats, so we needed a lot of passenger space, plus cargo space, plus towing capacity, and I must say the NV checks every box for us. Last summer we still had our '67 Tradewind, which I towed without sway control and you could not even tell it was back there. Northeastern Wisconsin, where we're from, is relatively flat so I can't speak about mountain driving however I wouldn't be afraid to take it anywhere. This Spring we sold the Tradewind and bought a '76 Sovereign. From the driver's seat, I have detected no discernible difference in the NV's performance going from the Tradewind to the Sovereign. The Sovereign did come with a sway control hitch, so I do use that, however the trailer brakes don't seem to be functioning well. In spite of that, the NV stops quick and safely with the Sovereign behind it. I picked the Sovereign up about 400 miles from home, towed through Chicago during stop and start evening rush hour traffic, and have since put about another 400 miles on it during a camping/fishing excursion this past weekend. We have the SL so it has all of the available options. Some may not feel it's plush enough, but it has everything I need and nothing I don't. It is a commercial vehicle, therefore engineered for all day/every day use, so it is beefy and solid. The ride is as comfortable as any pick-up or SUV I've been in and my concerns about it being 2x rear wheel drive went away during our first Wisconsin winter with it. At 7 to 7.5 thousand pounds, this thing puts the power to the road and with the traction control it handles exceptionally well in winter conditions. The only negative, as others have mentioned, is that she has a bit of a drinking problem, about 14mpg by herself and 10/11 with the Sovereign behind it. Fortunately, I don't put a great deal of annual miles on the vehicle so not a big deal for us. I highly recommend the NV! I attached a pi from last summer with the Tradewind.

bolerama · 06-03-2017, 10:12 AM

Thank you Tony S, Starstream, and NTVB73. We appreciate your comments and pictures. Snow is an issue for us since we will be travelling through it at least one direction as we head south from Canada or north back to Canada. We'd love a Quigley conversion, but the price is a bit steep. Maybe we'll bite the bullet if we find mountains or snow to be a problem.

We've been considering the MaxxFan. I've heard good things about them. I didn't know that they could still run like a ceiling fan when closed. That's a really nice feature. We will add a house battery to the van for the fan.

On the passenger van, I could only see one opening window in the back (driver's side). Is that correct? Do any other windows open in the back? Ventilation for the dogs is a concern, so the roof fan is likely necessary. It seems a shame to pull away the headliner to install one.

Lisa

Starstream · 06-03-2017, 11:12 AM

As far as we know there is the one opening window behind the driver’s seat. Of course, the front seat windows open, too. That back window is pretty large. With it, and the front windows cracked open, you might still get a good cross breeze.

Our MaxxFans are the 7000 model in white. Not sure how much of the header would have to be removed to install one. If you were able to look closely, there is another 12V outlet between the driver’s side wheel wells. You might be able to wire a “cigarette lighter” plug on your fan and hide the wiring with cord covers designed for office spaces. If a house battery won’t work with that outlet, you might want to check out solar generators. They’re basically a lithium battery that comes in box with different kinds of electrical outlets. I believe Cabela’s carries them, but an internet search might turn up some other retailers too.

bolerama · 06-06-2017, 08:20 AM

Thanks, Starstream.

slowmover · 08-14-2017, 11:40 AM

Bumped for new interest

boondockdad · 11-13-2018, 07:07 AM

Our current E-350 7.3PSD is getting to be too unreliable. Really want another full sized van. Interested in getting an NV3500, but I'm afraid it might not have enough oomph for our trailer. About 9k, and if we do a two-week excursion we're usually somewhere near 10.5k

Good info, here. Thanks

OTRA15 · 11-13-2018, 07:19 AM

Funny I saw one on the road the other day, and thought of this thread. As posted earlier we test drove one and did not like the driver location and ergonomics. Like a funky old pickup with bad springs was the first reaction.

We got a ‘15 Ford Transit for our FC20, got rear-ended, and got a ‘17 Transit 350 which is great, but as you recognize Ford gave up on higher tow ratings for the unibody transition. Miss our old 1995 E-350 Club Wagon!

Are any Sprinter vans rated high enough for your rig?

There is a Van as TV thread:

Link coming

More coming