Another moto van build! Need more ideas

451motox
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451motox
Edited Date/Time 3/6/2020 10:52am
Hey guys I ordered a 19 transit 250 diesel.. & I have been trying to build the best functioning van with full electricity. Not running water (in the van) a tv & using every bit of space possible WITH OUT WASTING SPACE . If anybody could help & post what they have and what they would have done different that would very helpful.
3-4 bike set up is what I have & looking to find the best way to organize this mess 😭

Thank you !










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face biter
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face biter 2/28/2020 8:08pm
2/28/2020 8:08pm
Nothing of value to add, but that last picture shows that you and I have the same “ organization “ skills!
🤣
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wisey
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wisey 2/28/2020 8:46pm
2/28/2020 8:46pm
Don’t fix what works
451motox
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451motox 2/29/2020 5:41am
2/29/2020 5:41am
face biter wrote:
Nothing of value to add, but that last picture shows that you and I have the same “ organization “ skills!
🤣
Thanks that was 4 dirt bikes & 1 bicycle hiding and a world of other stuff
bents
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bents 2/29/2020 7:37am
2/29/2020 7:37am
Great van! I'm jealous. Curious-why the diesel?

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vandy509
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vandy509 2/29/2020 8:42am
2/29/2020 8:42am Edited Date/Time 2/29/2020 8:43am
Sweet purchase! You'll find that as you build the van out and take it on trips you'll constantly come up with new/better ideas on how to store and organize everything. Hard to tell, but it looks like in that last picture you have a wall built. I added a cheap, wire closet shelf to the back of my wall, and also built a chemical storage rack up on top of the wall (see pictures below). This really helped get a lot of stuff up off the floor and organized in the back, giving more room to walk around the bikes. I've had 4 full size bikes in my van before, and while it's tight, it can still be done fairly easily if you get as much stuff up off the floor as possible. Also, for the TV, check out this thread, this is how I am planning on putting the TV in my van: https://www.fordtransitusaforum.com/threads/2017-transit-passenger-wago…. I'm not going to put in the sound bar, but I'm going to mount my tv in the same location. There's tons of great information out there on that forum as well - highly recommend it. Bottom line, there's no one "best" way to build out the van, take some ideas from everyone and then build/modify them to suit your own needs. Enjoy the process, I've had a lot of fun building mine out! I've attached a few pics of what I started with and where my van is at now.








3
chasestevenson599 3/2/2020 7:42am
3/2/2020 7:42am Edited Date/Time 3/2/2020 7:43am
Here are some pics of my old transit, same model you have. Worked great for a lot of years! Fitting 4 bikes was a breeze. I hope you have better luck with the diesel than I did. That was the only downfall of my transit.












2
Jeremy Macbeth 3/2/2020 7:59am
3/2/2020 7:59am Edited Date/Time 3/2/2020 8:01am
I'm not familiar with the underside of the Transit vans but I was able to hang a 22 gallon water tank, air compressor and water pump on the underside of my Sprinter. Having the onboard water is really nice, especially when it's muddy or really hot. I wanted to keep everything external, so the solution to hang everything under the van has worked out really well. I'm sure the Transit vans have similar space accommodations down below.

Check out RB Components... they have the water tanks and mounting brackets for this type of stuff. I ended up having to fabricate all my own stuff but used their basic ideas.

451motox
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451motox 3/2/2020 10:34am
3/2/2020 10:34am
vandy509 wrote:
Sweet purchase! You'll find that as you build the van out and take it on trips you'll constantly come up with new/better ideas on how to...
Sweet purchase! You'll find that as you build the van out and take it on trips you'll constantly come up with new/better ideas on how to store and organize everything. Hard to tell, but it looks like in that last picture you have a wall built. I added a cheap, wire closet shelf to the back of my wall, and also built a chemical storage rack up on top of the wall (see pictures below). This really helped get a lot of stuff up off the floor and organized in the back, giving more room to walk around the bikes. I've had 4 full size bikes in my van before, and while it's tight, it can still be done fairly easily if you get as much stuff up off the floor as possible. Also, for the TV, check out this thread, this is how I am planning on putting the TV in my van: https://www.fordtransitusaforum.com/threads/2017-transit-passenger-wago…. I'm not going to put in the sound bar, but I'm going to mount my tv in the same location. There's tons of great information out there on that forum as well - highly recommend it. Bottom line, there's no one "best" way to build out the van, take some ideas from everyone and then build/modify them to suit your own needs. Enjoy the process, I've had a lot of fun building mine out! I've attached a few pics of what I started with and where my van is at now.








Thank you for your help! Your absolutely right! We have the same passenger chair in the front . I’m just still working it out so I can put all the electrical underneath the chair . But thank you so much for the link your shared
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451motox
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451motox 3/2/2020 10:42am
3/2/2020 10:42am
chasestevenson599 wrote:
Here are some pics of my old transit, same model you have. Worked great for a lot of years! Fitting 4 bikes was a breeze. I...
Here are some pics of my old transit, same model you have. Worked great for a lot of years! Fitting 4 bikes was a breeze. I hope you have better luck with the diesel than I did. That was the only downfall of my transit.












Thank you I plan doing a set up similar to yours where I can hang my bicycle as well & use the most space from the van as by not covering up the caved part of the walls .
What kind of problems did you have with your diesel transit? I haven’t heard anything besides the deff fluid sensor not reading right . & I thought about a sprinter BUT I heard of WAY to many problems with them new or used with current & older models . Not to mention VERY expensive maintenance and repairs . Thank you
chasestevenson599 3/2/2020 12:27pm
3/2/2020 12:27pm Edited Date/Time 3/2/2020 12:28pm
451motox wrote:
Thank you I plan doing a set up similar to yours where I can hang my bicycle as well & use the most space from the...
Thank you I plan doing a set up similar to yours where I can hang my bicycle as well & use the most space from the van as by not covering up the caved part of the walls .
What kind of problems did you have with your diesel transit? I haven’t heard anything besides the deff fluid sensor not reading right . & I thought about a sprinter BUT I heard of WAY to many problems with them new or used with current & older models . Not to mention VERY expensive maintenance and repairs . Thank you
I had a 3.7 transit with 110,000 on it and no repairs. I sold it to get a new diesel transit. Early on it had to have the DEF module and DEF heater replaced. Then it needed the egr cooler replaced because it cracked and leaked all the antifreeze into the EGR leading to overheating. It was never really the same after the EGR cooler crack. The turbo inlet tube cracked. It had to have the throttle body replaced and was having dpf issues and needing to be manually regenerated to clean it. Everything was always replaced under warranty but it sucks not being able to go ride because my 35k van is in the shop for weeks on end. This was my final straw as my warranty was almost up so I sold it with 77k miles. The guy who bought it had to have the throttle body replaced again under warranty no more than two weeks after just being replaced.

This is just my experience but after searching the transit forum and facebook group I was not alone. I would say your best bet is to delete it after the warranty is up, almost all of my problems were emission systems related.

Absolutely amazing van otherwise, I bought an express and miss my transit more every time I go ride.
451motox
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451motox 3/2/2020 2:53pm
3/2/2020 2:53pm
451motox wrote:
Thank you I plan doing a set up similar to yours where I can hang my bicycle as well & use the most space from the...
Thank you I plan doing a set up similar to yours where I can hang my bicycle as well & use the most space from the van as by not covering up the caved part of the walls .
What kind of problems did you have with your diesel transit? I haven’t heard anything besides the deff fluid sensor not reading right . & I thought about a sprinter BUT I heard of WAY to many problems with them new or used with current & older models . Not to mention VERY expensive maintenance and repairs . Thank you
chasestevenson599 wrote:
I had a 3.7 transit with 110,000 on it and no repairs. I sold it to get a new diesel transit. Early on it had to...
I had a 3.7 transit with 110,000 on it and no repairs. I sold it to get a new diesel transit. Early on it had to have the DEF module and DEF heater replaced. Then it needed the egr cooler replaced because it cracked and leaked all the antifreeze into the EGR leading to overheating. It was never really the same after the EGR cooler crack. The turbo inlet tube cracked. It had to have the throttle body replaced and was having dpf issues and needing to be manually regenerated to clean it. Everything was always replaced under warranty but it sucks not being able to go ride because my 35k van is in the shop for weeks on end. This was my final straw as my warranty was almost up so I sold it with 77k miles. The guy who bought it had to have the throttle body replaced again under warranty no more than two weeks after just being replaced.

This is just my experience but after searching the transit forum and facebook group I was not alone. I would say your best bet is to delete it after the warranty is up, almost all of my problems were emission systems related.

Absolutely amazing van otherwise, I bought an express and miss my transit more every time I go ride.
😭😭😭 that’s crazy! Well they have a new motor in the 2020 transit ... if this one takes a crap then I’ll trade up! Thanks for your help
deluxeman
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deluxeman 3/2/2020 3:23pm
3/2/2020 3:23pm
Transit's are great Vans. We have 12 of them right now that we use everyday. They get run down the highways and back roads 300-450 miles a day. We have had very good luck with the 3.7 gas engines. They run forever, get good mileage and have enough power. A few of ours have 300,000+ miles on them with no real issues. Keep an eye on the driveshaft weeble joints though, they will explode and take out a lot of other parts, Transmission case, fuel lines, brake lines, evap lines..... Make sure you get the recalls done and have your lube dude check those rubber couplers every oil change.

We have not yet tried a diesel version. The fuel cost savings really don't seem to overcome the increased maintenance costs. I am not sold on this small diesel yet, I would give it some time and let them get the bugs worked out. Then we may try one. I am not really a diesel guy either for what it's worth.

We use the long wheelbase medium roof models, we had a highroof version and they get a little scary on windy days. The only real downside to the Transit vans are, they suck in the snow without winter tires and they can be sketchy on a windy day. Tires with a good stiff sidewalls help.


We used to run E250/350's and the Transit vans have been more reliable and far cheaper to run than the old Econoline vans.
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Pirate421
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Pirate421 3/6/2020 10:47am
3/6/2020 10:47am Edited Date/Time 3/6/2020 10:52am
I’ll be looking hard at the new transit awd crew model. Has a factory installed second row seat and I think you can get a factory wall behind it as well. I work part time as an EMT and the company I work for has some transit ambulances and they have 100-200k miles on them and seem pretty reliable. Ambulances are run hard for 16+ hours a day so I can’t think of a better reliability test.

Edit: sorry posted this in the wrong thread, but nice choice for the van. Looks good to me!
2stmark
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2stmark 3/6/2020 10:07pm
3/6/2020 10:07pm
deluxeman wrote:
Transit's are great Vans. We have 12 of them right now that we use everyday. They get run down the highways and back roads 300-450 miles...
Transit's are great Vans. We have 12 of them right now that we use everyday. They get run down the highways and back roads 300-450 miles a day. We have had very good luck with the 3.7 gas engines. They run forever, get good mileage and have enough power. A few of ours have 300,000+ miles on them with no real issues. Keep an eye on the driveshaft weeble joints though, they will explode and take out a lot of other parts, Transmission case, fuel lines, brake lines, evap lines..... Make sure you get the recalls done and have your lube dude check those rubber couplers every oil change.

We have not yet tried a diesel version. The fuel cost savings really don't seem to overcome the increased maintenance costs. I am not sold on this small diesel yet, I would give it some time and let them get the bugs worked out. Then we may try one. I am not really a diesel guy either for what it's worth.

We use the long wheelbase medium roof models, we had a highroof version and they get a little scary on windy days. The only real downside to the Transit vans are, they suck in the snow without winter tires and they can be sketchy on a windy day. Tires with a good stiff sidewalls help.


We used to run E250/350's and the Transit vans have been more reliable and far cheaper to run than the old Econoline vans.
the AWD are now available

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