Self Build Van Tour Ram Promaster 3500 Extended

Рет қаралды 19,744

10 ай бұрын

This is a tour of our 2021 Ram Promaster 3500 Extended self build. Purchased the Van new in May of 2021. The build took about 1.5 years.
Amazon Affiliate Links:
Magzo Bug Screens:
Slider: 52"x84"
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
Back Doors: 66"x81"
www.amazon.com/MAGZO-Magnetic...
30 Amp RV Power Cord: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
30 Amp RV Protection Surge Guard: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Water Prefilter: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Aquor Faucet:
amzn.to/3OJt9ip
Aquor Male to Male adapter: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08...
Vanity Mirror: amzn.to/3u4Nw1I
Bosch 4 gallon Water Heater: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
RV Water Filter: www.amazon.com/Essential-RV-F...
Sink: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08...
Ladder: Mine is not available but this one is similar: amzn.to/48QbxIS
Weboost: www.amazon.com/weBoost-470354...
Breville Bambino: www.amazon.com/Breville-Bambi...
Magma 10 Piece Induction Cookset (red): www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
Breville Combiwave 3-in-1: www.amazon.com/Breville-Micro...
Compatible shroud for Breville Combiwave: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Vacuum Broom: www.amazon.com/Vabroom-Cordle...
300 lbs Table bracket (step): www.amazon.com/dp/B08DHN7L42?...

Пікірлер: 49

@sandienochs6132 2 ай бұрын

I found 37 things that the top selling brands should incorporate in their builds. Oh wait, 38!

@brendahayes1011 Ай бұрын

I love y'alls van! You guys thought of everything!!! I've never seen such smart storage!! If I ever get my camper van, that's what I want!!❤🎉😅😊

@americanrambler4972 9 ай бұрын

Wow! You guys figured out how to pack a whole lot of stuff and organized living space in that van. Very very impressive!

@user-wd5qw2sr4d 3 ай бұрын

Very nice, intelligent design. I could live in that van very comfortably.

@redgiantvan189 3 ай бұрын

Thank you. The wife and I will be using it a lot when we sell our house.

@mvgiacomello 3 ай бұрын

Impressive build! I loved the profile aluminium used.

@Rjhaack 3 ай бұрын

You guys packed a ton of storage space in that van. It looks like you guys could live in it for quite sometime. Nice job!!!

@redgiantvan189 3 ай бұрын

Thanks! We've gone as long as 6 weeks.

@Rjhaack 3 ай бұрын

@@redgiantvan189 That is amazing. I want to do that when I grow up (says the 60 year old who always says "I'll be 39 on my next birthday") 🤣

@redgiantvan189 3 ай бұрын

I'll be celebrating my 23rd anniversary of my 39th birthday soon!

@juniper617 3 ай бұрын

Love the 3D printed storage on the doors! That’s good thinking, well executed.

@redgiantvan189 3 ай бұрын

Thanks! I'm always looking for ways to use the printer. It has been a handy tool for generating one-off ideas.

@Scrambler85 3 ай бұрын

A very impressive layout, design, and build. I incorporated many of the same unique designs and features in my van build. I subscribed and gave the video a thumbs up 👍

@redgiantvan189 3 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@andya1976m 3 ай бұрын

Very clever building. I love it..

@redgiantvan189 3 ай бұрын

Thank you 🤗

@cathysmith6886 10 ай бұрын

Amazing and so well thought out ‼️. Every small and large detail. Such wonderful adventures and memories you’ll be creating 💕❤️

@78twood 2 ай бұрын

NICE BUILD 👏 PERFECT!!

@redgiantvan189 Ай бұрын

Thank you! 😁

@flower-n-flour366 10 ай бұрын

I'm so proud of your work!

@loveu2222 10 ай бұрын

Very nice and neat,love it ❤

@redgiantvan189 10 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@ritawoodfork3086 4 ай бұрын

Wow a really badass van!

@redgiantvan189 4 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@ritawoodfork3086 8 ай бұрын

Wow a great van home!

@redgiantvan189 8 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@CindyCaVANas 3 ай бұрын

Nice!

@redgiantvan189 3 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@Geekchica 2 ай бұрын

Great job @redgiantvan ! Please, do you sell the plans for the sliding door, 3D printed cubbies for the aluminum foil, parchment paper, ziplock bags, plastic grocery bags, etc? That is genius! If you sell the plans, I can send them out to be printed since I don’t have a 3D printer, myself. Thank you so much for the tour and your ingenuity.

@redgiantvan189 Ай бұрын

Thanks! I am not currently selling the plans. I have some tweeks I want to make and I want to make a 3d print bracket that fits inside the door instead of wood. That way the whole system can be printed

@julieannesimms981 2 ай бұрын

I need to find myself a rob😂😂😂😂

@charlevoix418 10 ай бұрын

Great job: I noticed that you put a rigid plywood floor over the soft section between the seats.

@redgiantvan189 10 ай бұрын

Yes. It connects to the step with three long screws (what my wife called the basement). The front of it just lays on the floor.

@camposvazquez 10 ай бұрын

@@redgiantvan189Thank you for the in depth walk through... Extremely innovative Mr & Mrs RGV.. what's the most aggressive windspeed you've deployed / extended your solar panels in.. I have limited space on my roof.. my fear is that aggressive winds will snap the solar panel bracketry

@grayandgrumpy 10 ай бұрын

Just amazing. Looks like a professional build. I'm so jealous. Have you had any issue with frost build-up in the refrigerator section of you fridge? We just returned from a 5 week trip and had to defrost ours twice (at least a 1/4" layer of frost). We have the Lectric XP 2.0 and if we charge the batteries with the bike in the folded configuration the cord has to be extremely bent to fit. How do you do it? What's your next big trip?

@redgiantvan189 10 ай бұрын

We've not had any issues with frost build up. We've been on two trips that were 4 weeks long each. We keep the refrigerator on setting "3". If it's set colder, we get freezing in the refrigerator (vegetables). That said, we haven't spent a lot of time in hot humid climates. But you might check for a bad or deformed seal around the freezer. Excessive frosting is usually caused by warm, moist air getting in and mixing with the cold. For the bike charging cables, they just barely fit. The ST is more difficult to get it in than the XP is. I might switch to charging the batteries outside the bike anyway. Another issue I've run into with my setup is I tend to forget to disconnect them when pulling out the slider. I tend to go slow when extending the slide so it's usually just a small tug. We have another trip next week. We're heading back to Tennessee. We have another grandbaby on the way (due on Labor day). This time, we're going to go North to Idaho and then across and down through Michigan (via the Mackinaw Bridge). We're also going to go and show our van at Van Fest 2023 in Hurricane Utah at the end of October (27-29).

@bfdee1603 4 ай бұрын

Do u have a link to that step that folds down to go up your bed? Never seen that before and i have seen a lot of van tours. Its ideal because its small and folds down. Would appreciate a link or item name and where u bought it. Thanks❤

@redgiantvan189 4 ай бұрын

It is in the video description. It is the last one in list of affiliate links (300 lbs folding table bracket).

@jeffhuang8890 10 ай бұрын

Did you have the overheat issues of the Victron DC to DC charger? I recently used it for my yosemite trip. We smell some plastic burning smell and the plastic case was so hot that you can't even put your hand on. I didn't even cover my electrical comparment so plenty of air circulating. I noticed that the charger was on and off, becuase of the overhead. So I turned it off and went home install some blower's fans. Haven't had a chance to test it out yet. Hopefully, it won't be so dead hot for our next trip.

@redgiantvan189 10 ай бұрын

I have not noticed any overheating but mine are inside my cabinet so I will keep an eye out. Thanks for the heads up. I looked on Victron's site and there were complaints of overheating on older models of the Orions back in 2021 (but some people are still mentioning it as a problem). Victron changed some hardware that limited the unit to 30 amps (earlier ones could put out in excess of 30 amps). The hardware was changed after a specific serial number. If you have the 4 wire version (isolated) check your serial number to see if it is higher than HQ2019. The non-isolated (3 wire version) is changed after HQ2021. The first two numbers after the HQ are the year it was made and the 3rd and 4th numbers are the week in the year. So, for example, HQ2019 was made in 2020 on the 19th week. But like I said, some people are still complaining about it. I've seen a few posts where people say adding the fan fixed the issue. I saw an adapter on Etsy for $15 that allowed one to add three small dc fans right to the base of the unit. I may do that if the problem shows up.

@americanrambler4972 9 ай бұрын

What do you think of the original factory installed swivel seats? Those puppies are an expensive option. Are the worth the cost and are they very comfortable. Seems most people just add the cheap $50 swivels to the standard 4 way and optional 6 way seats. My biggest issue with the aftermarket swivel plate is it adds between 1 and 2 inches to the seating height, which is already too high with the base seats for me to comfortably see out of the windshield. I want the lower seating position you get with the optional factory swivel seats and the less expensive 6 way tilting and height adjustable seats. By the way, finding a van with the factory swivel seats is not easy. And a brand new van with those is now hitting $60,000 or more factory sticker price. These vans are now very spendy! Just for the empty box.

@redgiantvan189 9 ай бұрын

I like the factory swivels. I think it is worth it. The extra height of an aftermarket swivel is one thing I wanted to avoid (I'm 6 ft). You can get a lowered base with aftermarket swivels but it brings the cost close to the factory ones. The other thing is, since they are a factory option, they have to meet DOT standards for crash safety whereas an aftermarket swivel may not.

@loveu2222 10 ай бұрын

Just wondering,how much time need it to build that perfect van❤

@redgiantvan189 10 ай бұрын

The overall time was about a year and a half before we were ready to take it out on the road. That was mostly because I was working full time so I could only really work on it during the weekend. There were also little bits here and there. Our maiden overnighter was the First Outing video in November 2022. We then made some changes (added a window to the slider). I also didn't want to do the full van tour until most of the little minor jobs were done (e.g slider door storage). Since it was our first van build, some of the delay was also "analysis paralysis", where I spent a lot of time wondering what step to do next.

@henrikcsuri 5 ай бұрын

Do you have a link to the collapsible ladder?

@redgiantvan189 5 ай бұрын

The one I bought is currently unavailable and has been for some time. This is similar. Mine was the height of the 1.4+1.7 ladder. amzn.to/48QbxIS

@thomasfeiller2207 8 ай бұрын

Does anyone know of a good source for custom RV 12v systems that may include anyone of the following combinations; solar, vehicle charge, off shore charge, and auxiliary generator? thanks in advance.

@redgiantvan189 8 ай бұрын

If you mean a turnkey type unit, FreedomVanGo has prebuilt units (but it's very expensive). I bought my components from them. The cost worked out to about the same as finding the components individually. Also, I don't know of many private builds that include a generator input though you could probably attach a portable into an external outlet (like shore charging). The other option is a solar generator type unit (e.g. Ecoflow Delta Pro or something along those lines). They're prebuilt and have all the components in one unit. For me the biggest concern for a unit like that is if one thing fails, you need to replace the entire unit unless you're comfortable tearing into it (but then why not just build one). The Ecoflow Delta Pro is unique in that it has a port which can charge from an EV charging station (with an adapter that's sold separately).