So true, if something goes wrong we know exactly what the problem is and can fix it quick.

Thanks so much!

Thank you so much for the nice comments. I never heard of Jarrod but Chuck said he had seen some of his video tours.

Thanks Gilbert!

@@chuckanddebbie you welcome

Yes, real tile!

Good luck!

Thanks so much! 😊

Thank you!

Thanks, we have done a 12 day trip so far with a video to follow. We are also getting a Van Compass suspension upgrade in July. Alternator up date video soon but it is working great!

Certainly could be done but we hate cold weather!

Thanks Frank!

Thanks! Maybe we will see you on the road someday.

Dc to Dc would never replenish the amp ours we use unfortunately.

Sounds mighty sweet Michael!

If you use it as directed, empty the ashes more frequently and give a clean once in a while there really isn’t any smell. We love it.

We use an induction cooktop, stored away in one of the drawers.

Thanks! Maybe less water storage, 62 gallons lasts forever even when we both take showers everyday. Would go with a little bigger bunk windows.

The alternator is working great now, details to follow in a video.

Building your own packs out of cells isn't rocket surgery, but it's still best to do your research and take precautions. I've got a pair of 12v 280Ah packs I built up.

@@wanderingzythophile9083 so true, buy only grade A cells from a reputable source.

@@chuckanddebbie Oh and I really dig that pull-out step for getting up on the bed platform! I'm going to shamelessly steal that idea for my build. :D

Alternator is working great. Unfortunately there is no room on the right side of the toilet with the tp holder and the big bowl liner on that side.

@@chuckanddebbie hehehe, I meat the other right, the tiled side next to the toilet that do not have anything … that I can see 16:32. So when one is sitting on the throne, the curtain will be to the right, the the curtain cross over to the front of the toilet and ends next to the door - as it is now with the clip holding it in place. And can you in fact run the burning cycle while driving and not use the batteries. More conversation should consider these toilets 👍

@@user9b2 that might have worked. Chuck had another idea on our trip to fix it. After we returned home form our first trip, I shortened the width of the curtain by cutting it vertically and added more clips to the far side of the wall closer to the toilet. That is working out great. I will post it in a future video on more changes that we have done on lessons learned.

The Incinolet works great for us as we built the van for traveling. The toilet uses about 140 Amp hours per flush. We use it for middle of the night and for emergencies mostly. That is OK for the two of us but we do have 1,120 Amp hours. That allows us to also run th A/C all night too. Keep in mind that high usage requires a few hours of hard alternator charging to replenish. Dry flush toilets like the Leveo are a good option.

All the issues happened at the beginning, the Van had not even seen a rain shower yet. It is mounted higher than it looks and tucked behind the radiator. Now after 12,000 mile and rain/puddles it is still working great!

@Knight Time Adventures that's fantastic news hope you continue to have trouble free adventures 😀

Thanks Mark. The filter is higher than the adjacent body panel so we hope it will be ok.

Thank you. We love how easy the layout is to live in so far. Chuck said he didn't have a video of how he made the bed lift. We are just back from a long trip to the Bahamas and are planning a big van trip for the summer. Before we leave in the van, I want to make a one year after the build video so maybe I can ask him to explain the bed lift a bit more when we do that video.

Since we use the van to travel vs. live in, we decided to stay all electric as the second alternator can easily recharge the batteries.

War Eagle!

@@chuckanddebbie where are you guys located we love your van we are going looking this weekend

We are on a road trip! Currently just north of Phoenix. Back to St. Pete around October 10th.

War Eagle and thank you for your service!

We live in St. Pete!

@@chuckanddebbie let me know when you are back home. I would love to chat with you guys

Me as well! I'm in Tampa!

@@ameliaantonelli906 sure. We are back home for a while.

@@tampamari030975 sure. We are home for a while.

Thanks!

1.5x3” perimeter bed frame with 2 1.5x1.5” cross members. I think this was overkill though. 4 vertical guide rails are 1.5x1.5” with #6815 linear bearing that is attached to the bed frame. Frame is 54x75, biggest that would fit when raised to the ceiling. Hope this helps.

We got the spare tire tank from Van Land and the website did not mention not being compatible with a 3500 but it will work with 2 modifications. First, we had to lower the front attachment point of the underside bracket by using only one set of bolts through the lowest bolt holes. Second, you have to beat upward the two metal frame brackets that hang down from the frame that prevent the tank from rising high enough to secure the tire hanger bracket back in place at the back.

Thanks! We got a cheap 4” mattress from Walmart. It is surprisingly comfortable. Only thing we might could have done for the weight would be to reduce the water capacity down to something like 40 gallons. 62 gallons last forever and we both shower every morning. The 3500XD handle the weight excellently.

24x48 inside dimensions

30” with 150 lb capacity.

It is higher than the front frame so I think it is protected enough.

It is actually bright orange - 2916576-C, 8900-8Y26.625, 8915-5Y7.5, 8935-1.625, 8942-12.375

@@chuckanddebbie thanks! what brand do those code go with?

Thanks. Yes, diesel is a bit higher here in US too. So far we like the efficiency of the diesel engine.

What a troll 🙄. That’s all u have to say with ALL the OTHER kicka** things about this van?!!! (And, she already expressed she wanted larger windows).

@@source5729 I said it was nice. Can't you read. I do not like small windows.

technically the added weight is only the actuators and the extra ceiling. maybe an extra 100 lbs max. we knew we would be heavy so we got the 3500XD.

I too have the 3500, extended, XD 4x4. My typical loaded weight is ~10,700 to 10,800 lbs. I think its genetics.

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TVQF5QD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Here are the ones we used - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Q74JPWC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

@@chuckanddebbie thanks alot and kudos for sharing!

We bought most of the solar (Renogy panels) and electrical components (all Victron) from Amazon. All but one tank came from plasticwatertanks.com

24”x54”, a little bigger than most since the Incinolet is a bit large. Shower pan is 24”x24”. Finished and loaded weight is 11,120.

11,100 with full tanks of water. she’s heavy!

www.sprinterstore.com/sprinter-van-running-boards-sx6 Sure looks like the price has gone up but we do love them.

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Q74JPWC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We changed a lot of things but think main culprit was a bad BMS. I posted a separate video on the alternator that you can watch on alot of changes we made. With that said I think we may have bought a lemon. The alternator burnt up on us a few months ago on our Great Southwest Van Trip and we had to sit in Albuquerque, NM to get it rebuilt. I am working on editing the videos from that trip now that we are home. I have only posted videos from that trip up to the first few weeks so far.

Isotherm Cruise 195, Panasonic HomeChef 4 in 1 - shop.panasonic.com/products/homechef-4-in-1-multi-oven-1-2-cu-ft-1000w. Toilet exhaust is 4” just like a clothes dryer.

For sure, but well worth it.

@chuckanddebbie I'm in uk but can never understand why people carry insane amounts of battery weight and accessories ? When you can buy a honda eu33 that will deliver a continuous 3000w? So would make sense to start honda for a crap or air con ?

Our battery is only 144 pounds. Not an issue for a 3500 XD. Wouldn't want to take up space for a generator or the fuel it would need to mention the noise.

@chuckanddebbie run for hours on little fuel depends how often you need 3000w

Here are some of the bigger ticket items: Electrical - $10,000 Fridge - $3,000 Tire carrier/ladder/steps - $2,950 80/20 aluminum - $4,400 AC/fans/adapters - $4,000 Tanks (5) - $1,500 Awning - $2,900 Toilet - $2,400 Micro/convection oven - $530 Insulation/Kilmat - $900 Windows - $1,500 Plywood - $1,200 Shiplap - $750 Tile/flooring - $575 Plumbing - $1,500 Cushion foam / fabric/ upholstery - $1,100 These include shipping which adds a lot to some items. Does not include thousands in miscellaneous glues, paint, fasteners etc. Also does not include tools. And a reminder we did 100% of everything ourselves.

professionally done, including addressing the overweight problem, would be in my estimation as a 3500, 170 extended, XD, 4X4 owner, $280,000 +

That is next on our list!

We initially started out thinking we would spend $50K on a small used RV. Then we realized it was not right for us. We were interested in the sprinter van because it is 24 feet which is a good length but not too big. That extra 2 feet makes a huge difference for a small space. We wanted a 4x4 to be able to go off road. We could build the van out exactly the way we wanted and we knew if we built it that it would not fall apart off roading. Plus if there was a problem then we would know how to fix it since we built it out. The small RVs we saw in our budget were cheaply made and would fall apart easily. If we were going to spend more money then why not get the van and build it out. Plus we like being hands on too. We feel our van was worth the money and will hold its value if we ever decide to resale it way better than a small used RV.

Tbh, I havent seen a rv suiting my needs. At all. Like almost no solar panels, almost no battieries, kind of no area in the van where you can watch a cinema and for that bucks? plz, u serious?

@@shadowfire77 Everyone likes different things which is why building it out to what you want makes a lot of sense if you have the skills. I can't imagine anyone needing more solar or lithium batteries than we have. We wanted a lounge area too which is what we have when the bed is up and we use it alot more than I expected. And we have a screen and projector where we can sit inside or move outside if we want.

@@chuckanddebbiethe reply was to the person above who couldn't understand why we spend so much money on our conversions. I'm building my 3rd now, with a complete office, lounge and other stuff that I've never seen in a big factory produced RV. There is simply no RV made that can fulfil my needs. :)

@shadowfire77 100% correct!