Thank you so very much! That means so much to me.

Dont know if you guys gives a damn but if you guys are stoned like me during the covid times then you can stream all of the new movies on instaflixxer. Been binge watching with my gf these days :)

@Grayson Elliott Yea, I've been using Instaflixxer for months myself =)

Thanks Scott! I appreciate the nice comments and your support!

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that. Bertha won't be my last van. I definitely want to get the AWD option in the future. Get your van order in as soon as you can, there's a bit of a delay getting them built right now.

🥰

You are so welcome!

Thanks for watching!

Could have used more cowbell..

Glad to help!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching Tom! I was pretty careful with all my research and the overhang was something I considered even before buying. Having actually scraped a bit it made it even more important as it is often hard to see what limits that puts on your van in terms of slope. An example is that I cannot pull my van into the driveway of one of the homes I keep it at unless I use bricks or a metal ramp to reduce the natural slope of the end of the driveway and fill in the curb a bit. It is a slope that will have some sedans scrape their front lower "ground effect" of their bumper but nothing crazy. In the van it will totally slap the bottom of the bumper to the pavement and actually stop the van from moving forward.

Very welcome!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Absolutely. One thing I did forget to include in the video are the issues with cabinet and drawer latches and rails. The latches aren't that great and break often. Sometimes when they break they allow the drawer to fly out of the cabinet and then you have broken drawer hardware because some of that hardware is also plastic. My lower wardrobe drawer falls right out right now if I don't stow it correctly because the rail hardware needs to be replaced from when I broke it driving a winding mountain road.

Thanks for the tip!

Thanks! I would LOVE that lol.

Thanks for watching! I may go full nuclear if my Xbox idea doesn’t work lol. I hope you guys get to put some good miles on soon. My van has been a real game changer for me.

Thank you so much for watching and the very kind words. I appreciate it!

Love this! Thank you so much for watching and supporting my channel. I actually picked mine up in ABQ as well since they didn't have ANY of the RB floorplan in my state at the time. Great choice on the Beyond!

Thank you!

Oh...you have a new subscriber!

Thanks! As a follow up, now that winter is totally done, I did not have 1 thing go wrong relating to cold weather and leaving the van in my driveway. My friends with large RV's and trailers were seriously jealous that I could so easily take off on an adventure.

Thank you!

Glad you liked it!

You bet!

Definitely. I’m not sure if most van owners know how low that stuff mounted underneath can sit. You can really even see how low that is unless you lay down next to the van.

Thank you so much! I’m actually giving that a thought.

I love their builds. I just have to wrap my head around a cassette toilet. I’m not a fan of those. Love that they use the Volta lithium system.

@@TeamLynchSpiritofAdventure Same here, the Revel was my first choice. But Revel’s Lithium System does not last no more than 2 days w/o charging. This is the reason I went with the Volta System.

@@livefreevinnie do you know what the battery capacity is on the Storyteller vans? I see the wattage but not how much battery.

@@TeamLynchSpiritofAdventure No, But current owners are stating 6 days w/o charging. I’ll follow up once I receive the delivery of my unit.

Thank you for the kind words and for watching!

Thanks for watching. I’m actually part of that group and have read about others with the same issue. Also have a background restoring cars so totally get why the noise is there, just stating that it is there and is common enough that it is not something that is technically a defect, especially if it is so widespread that others have it on the Facebook group. It’s really about being a tall, broad target for wind and the wind pressure created by highways speeds with cross or headwinds compounding with the forward speed of the vehicle.

Preach!

Hi and thanks for watching! I am so sorry it has taken so long to answer your questions. 1. There is a little bit of room to put some small things but technically the bed tops are screwed down and not meant to be used that way (but there ARE people that use the underbed areas like that) 2. The freezer is actually really great. I had to turn it down to stop the refrigerator from freezing water bottles, so yes, I have kept delicious ice cream in there and it has been fine. Just don't forget that you have some in there when you disconnect power for the week, been there done that it was a big mess lol. 3. The fridge is plenty big for several days of food but you won't be keeping all the food you eat in there. If you keep meals simple it is easy to have things that only require a few ingredients be kept in the fridge, the rest is dry stored. 4. The cabinet quality has been great with a few minor issues that seem to be on any rig no matter the cost. Little things like my LED strips that give ambiance have started to fail in certain parts, I talk about it in some of the videos but the little stops for the drawers should be metal or just more beefy and the latches that keep the drawers closed could be stronger. Outside of that everything has been great. 5. The toilet is porcelain. Keep in mind it is only the bowl when these things are porcelain, the lid and flush handle are plastic. I HAD to have porcelain since it seems like that is the only option that is 100% easy to clean and therefore more sanitary to me.

Hi and thank you for watching. I’m so mad the videos are helping you. Unfortunately most of those bike racks are custom made and the black plastic feet are typically part of the rack. I ditched my rack, literally threw it away, but kept the black pieces to make sure I didn’t have issues with water or anything. If I were you, I’d contact the manufacturer of the van you are looking at, specially the parts/service folks. They may be able to provide just that part. Going to a dealer can be helpful but I’ve found that direct to manufacturer has been the best. For instance, my van is a Coachman Beyond and Coachman has an entire Class B team and dedicated parts people. They have been able to get me the little drawer hardware and things that would probably be tough for a dealership to get.

@@TeamLynchSpiritofAdventure thank you so much for the guidance. I'm purchasing next Saturday, I'll reach out to the Coachmen team. :)

Thanks for watching and for the kind words Chris! I have heard the same things regarding the lift and making sure you go to a shop that has some experience doing this type of work specifically. Thanks for offering to send the link; 100% appreciated!

Thank you so much for the kind words! You are speaking my language on the wheelbase and ground clearance. I have to admit, the shorter wheelbase does make it easier to maneuver in certain situations but in reality I would trade that for another 18 inches or so of wheelbase. I have learned that the AWD do not have higher ground clearance although the tires are slightly wider on the front which is good.

Glad you enjoyed it

Yeah, I agree on a lot of that. The Pro Master has a pretty underpowered engine for all the weight the van needs to carry. I have heard horror stories of those folks feeling like they are pushing their engine to the max trying to keep up in the mountains (I never have that issue). I do have a hard time using my generator. Even without lithium batteries I just never have a need for it. The van running on mostly DC makes it super efficient. My next van will not have a generator. Thanks for your comments and for watching!

Thank you!!!!!

Hi David! Thank you for the positive feedback and for watching. I will definitely be posting more videos. Editing my latest one right now on working from the road!

@@TeamLynchSpiritofAdventure excellent looking forward to watching it.

Hi and thanks for watching! I have taken Bertha on that exact route, in my video where I test the Inseego hotspot I end in Ouray after having taken that route from the Durango area. I agree, hairpin turns on top of hairpin turns often without a guardrail but the views are so amazing. The van did great and I only felt the need to hug the centerline once or twice. I did talk to some RV people that were towing trailers and some didn't realize that road was the Million Dollar Highway and actually had to turn around because they were unwilling to try and go over it. Probably smart as those trailers were like 30 feet long or more.

Thanks for the kind words. Be on the look out for another update on owning the van and little things that have broken or needed to be altered to make things more useful!

I’ve noticed that as well, sometimes the same year models will have different stuff. It’s all good though, eventually this one won’t have the Jensen at all when I install the Xbox.

Only my gray tank is outside the van and that's the only one with a heater on mine. I only have the one heater switch and it's labeled for grey. Would be nice to have one even if it's just for that stinkin' exposed elbow.

On the 2020 Transit chassis and newer there are more of the driver aids standard. It seems all of the most common ones are there (blind spot assist, adaptive cruise; etc) but crosswind assist is not listed anywhere (at least not that I can find)

@@AJourneyOfYourSoul just the 2020 cutaway chassis forward have crosswind assist, blind spot monitoring, lane departure, and adaptive cruise. The 2019 has lane departure assist only. It makes me really want that 2020 chassis or newer.

@@AJourneyOfYourSoul you’re not looking at a cutaway chassis. That is what is used to convert to a class B, not a regular high roof transit as most people think. You’re aware that I actually own this van right, like I’m sitting it the driver seat right now as I type this.

Hi! Congratulations on your van! I’m sure you will love all the adventures you’re about to get into. That’s a good question. Certainly tire pressure gauge that is long enough and high enough pressure for the commercial tires, a set of various screw drivers, same for wrenches and a small ratchet set. Flashlight was very useful when I had to check under the van for the battery issue, leather gloves too now that I think of it. Had to pick up those at a truck stop since I didn’t have them. That for any maintenance issues. For everything else, there are little things like a box of nitrile gloves for dumping the tanks; etc.

Here is the original www.amazon.com/20000mAh-Rechargeable-Portable-Operated-Hurricane/dp/B09B29J46N/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=20000+mah+rechargeable+portable+fan&qid=1628783317&sr=8-8. I think they may not have them in stock right now so I also found an alternate here: www.amazon.com/20000mAh-Rechargeable-Portable-Operated-Hurricane/dp/B09B29J46N/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=20000+mah+rechargeable+portable+fan&qid=1628783317&sr=8-8

I do scrape on some of the most mundane commercial driveways. I have been hearing that some people are using a roller hitch to combat this a bit. Those come in 2, 4, and 6 inch (or 8 maybe) drop downs and are used primarily to lower your hitch if your RV rides high like a lot of them do. Since there is a roller on the bottom of those hitches people have been using the 2 inch drop as a safety to help if they are close to scraping on a driveway. I may invest in one too to see if it helps.

Hi and thank you for watching! In all honesty I would not get a cassette toilet ever. Maybe that's just a me thing with convenience but I have also heard stories of how bad it can smell and usually people say that it's "not that bad" which in my book means it's bad lol. The capacity on cassettes is also much smaller. My black tank is small, within the realm of black tanks, but it is still like 3 times the size of most cassettes and can last like 2-3 weekends boondocking before needing to empty it.

@@TeamLynchSpiritofAdventure Thanks for your honest opinion about cassette toilet vs. black tank. I have been undecided which direction to go. You didn’t mention if a heater is needed for the black tank. Do you have heaters for both black and gray tanks?

@@larrygee5090 Hi! On my van only the gray tank is external so only that one requires a heater. I do have one on my gray but find using a bit of RV antifreeze works just as good.

Hi. Do you mean how to leave them open and not have the lights drain the battery? On the cab, I turn off the dome light since that battery is for the chassis and is used to start the engine. I recently upgraded to a lithium house battery for the back of the van and when I leave the doors and windows open in the back, the house battery is always more than enough to run the fantastic fan and any lights I need plus the TV with minimal draining of the battery. If I am dry camping and not going to drive the next day (which will recharge the battery) the solar panels on top of my van top the house battery back off depending on how much I used the battery overnight. Overall, unless you just want to have the doors open without any lights or fan on, there is no real way to not have the battery drain on the house battery unless you have the battery totally disconnected using the "store" switch.

@@TeamLynchSpiritofAdventure Oh, thank you so much!

Oh heck yeah. I love the one from Van Compass. I’m almost certain I will be getting another van in the near future so I’m saving the lift for the next van.

Hi Jon. Thank you so much for watching. I generally don’t have issues parking it anywhere. The shorter wheelbase allows better tight maneuvering and even though it’s a dually I don’t feel too wide for any regular sized space. You do have to make sure you pull all the way forward since you are 22 ft long but most longbed F-250/350’s are about the same length.

Hi Jon! I don’t use it while driving as the front A/C does a good job keeping things cool. In fact, in extreme heat you’ll end up running your rooftop and front A/C sometimes to help quickly cool the van and keep it that way when you can’t find shade. As far as noice, the version I have on the van is one designed to be a bit more quiet but you can still hear it. It’s only really noticeable outside on the driver side where the exhaust is. You only hear it somewhat loud once you’re within 3-4 car spaces to that right side of the van. And it’s not annoying like a lawnmower on full, it’s much more subtle with a deeper note. Inside you barely notice it.

Also, yes, you will have to drive to recharge the lithium and there is also the fact that it can’t be city driving, stop and go, and it takes about 2 hours from what I understand. I like the idea of having a generator AND lithium especially when considering that some rooftop A/C units that run off of DC power may have amperage needs that exceed what the lithium battery can produce for extended periods of time.

@@TeamLynchSpiritofAdventure Would having a small generator like a Honda 22000 with the Lithium be enough to keep batteries charged up, if off grid for a 3 day weekend? Also what's the MPG on your rig on the highway?

@@larrymorrissette2978 Hi and thanks for watching! Yes, technically that will work. Its why I like now having a lithium battery (just upgraded) and the generator. I can charge and don't have to run my regular engine. A lot is possible if you don't have to run the rooftop A/C. If that is on you will not be able to charge more than what you are drawing. For MPG on the highway, I have the V6 Eco-Boost engine with the 2019 chassis 6 speed automatic. I get as much as 13MPG on the highway. The 10-speed automatics can get about 15-16 MPG on the top end.

@@TeamLynchSpiritofAdventure Thanks, I'm thinking of getting a Beyond in the spring. Here in Florida we use the A/C almost year round.

That is definitely an option although the best kits out there do maybe 2 inches of lift on the body with another inch from larger tires. It would be a welcome few more inches that's for sure. I am waiting on my next van before doing it. I want all-wheel-drive on my next one. The overhang on the back will still be an issue but its not like I want to really off-road in Bertha anyway.

215/85/16 is what I am aiming for. There is a guy that used that size with Goodyear Duratrac tires and a lift and I love the way it turned out. I want to say that KO2 in the same size will work the same way but I can't find my notes right now with that build out. I haven't heard of it messing up the speedos too much since it's not that big of a size change. I've heard some of the people that have tried it report maybe a 3-4 mph lag (you're going faster than what the speedo says) but it hasn't been a big enough deal for them to try and get it re-calibrated.