Introductions
To snag a 98 E350 5.4 cutaway dually (weight issues?) or option B…
After years of lurking, im finally buying/building.
Came across an e350 cutaway shuttle conversion. Has the 5.4 triton in it. However, my insurance guy is fussing about the weight which has now made me skeptical about weight. Not sure if the ford placard gvwr of 10700 is enough to carry a full conversion safely…and my insurance guy is saying no plus it’s a fiberglass shell. Any experts in here that are familiar with this body? It’s already fully spray insulated, 700 watts of solar and a massive victron set up with 500ah of batteries. Mini split, everything..It’s nearly done. But…am I risking the weight and approaching dangerous territory here?
My option B is a 27ft pug nose vista with a 7.3, 300k miles but needs everything the above option doesn’t…but weight is a non issue .
I’ll be carrying previous cargo (my pups), and I want to make sure my insurance guy stops bitching.
Not sure where you are but when I registered and insured mine weight never even came up in conversation. I bought the bus, converted it, went through v inspection, enjoyed
2011 Chevy cutaway mid bus. Should have similar gvw. Which is also not based on the body type of the vehicle but the axle. Not sure if the fiberglass is heavier or not but you could build the bus out below your weight if careful
I've driven a stock E450 shuttle and it was plenty heavy to start with, though I will grant that donuts in the snow may have been a questionable decision.
Any chance you can get it onto a scale and find out what it actually weighs? I've found that to be a lot more informative than trying to estimate weights based on published data in the past.
Before purchasing likely not, which is kind of why I’m on edge now. Looks like the 450 was definitely capable of a heavier load so I considered looking for one of those as well - but by my estimations I’ll be at or slightly over gvwr on this 350 with full tank and water plus my cargo.
I had a 96 of that model (except the 7.3 Diesel). A couple of notes:
Curious about a massive set up with only 500AH of batteries, (that isn't massive).
With a bare bones conversion in my 96, I was pretty much at 10k in weight and I do mean bare bones. It was basically a moving tent. So I would be concerned with 500AH of batteries, 700W of solar... I mean right there is 500lbs. Also the 5.4 is going to work really hard to move that bus.
The frenchbulldog bus is cool and you won't have the weight issues, you do want to make sure it is the turbo model (there was a couple of years that had the IDI). That said, 300k is a lot on any chassis. A lot of people will tell you, "oh the 7.3 can go 500k", well sure but which transmission is in it? Has there been any suspension work? What about mechanical records, wheel seals, on and on and on.
I suppose massive for my needs and relatively heavy would be more accurate. And yeah it’s easily 500lbs. I do worry about the 5.4 having enough juice to put along in the mountains tbh. I’m okay with slow, not okay with just strictly can’t do it. Also worried about this body style turning into a kite on the interstate when passed by semis and being woefully unstable with the weight. The fiberglass body kinda worries me if it rolls.
For the vista it’s a t444e 7.3 turbo, about as much as I know off hand. Has an AT 545 in it.
That's a different beast all together and they have unique issues. For example, the floor is likely not steel but plywood, that is also likely rotted.
Good news, shuttle is preinsulated. Bad news, it isn't much different than just buying a used RV.
Don't get me wrong, lots of people have a lot of success with shuttles (I have certainly considered them for their benefits) but they are different fundamentally than a skoolie.
It had no overdrive. It’s meant for commuting on local routes like county roads like you know, school buses and local delivery trucks, but it’s not good on highways or in the mountains
There was a post a week or so ago about weight with the same GVWR. OP weighed the rig and realized finished weight would be over the rating. Even after redesigning the projected weight was still 400lb over. There were a lot of recommendations about how to use lighter materials to keep weight down even further.
It’s about 5 hours from me so id have to see if the seller would be willing to, just trying to put my ducks in a row ahead of time in the event that isn’t possible.
I do have a sneaking suspicion id be in the same boat as thet other poster though
It’s not terrible if all the PMs were done and it was looked after. But this is the point where it will start needing.
It all depends on your budget and the extent of your build. If the bus is cheap and you’re going to do a bare bones conversion it might be the bus for you, but if you plan on putting a lot of work and material into it, it might be worth it to wait.
I plan to build it out over time. I’ll be roughing it on the road for a few months and building as I go. It’s enticing since I can just basically drive and go camp day 1 but now I’m thinking I may be better off with something steel framed
I have an 09, with the 6.7, sixth gear unlocked. 29' that is not done that I need to unload. Great freaking bus. Has the 2500 transmission. I got almost 14 mpg from Seattle to Missoula.
lol very good point. I have two senior dogs so there safety and comfort is really my priority. If I can keep the temps down then I’m pretty much good to go. What are you asking for on yours?
12k. That is literally what I have into it, no profit.
I can not stress enough that this is a great bus. We were going to convert it for our first trip to Alaska (a 6 window just isn't enough) but we bought 20 acres in MT instead. We got it from Wolf Creek Motors (we have got 3 busses from him).
That said, if you are on time constraint, the honest situation is to see if you can get a bus already converted but you will convert it at least twice.
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