Camper-minivan

[Rook98006]

Good to know...thxs.

[landrover]

Yes I own it. The floor is not level up thru the cab. The driver's seat is lower. I use a memory foam mattress. Works good for me.

So you are transferred on to one of the bunks? How do you get dressed in that space?

Is the vehicle you posted the one you have, or one available for sale (or both)?

[HACKNSACK44]

So you are transferred on to one of the bunks? How do you get dressed in that space?

Is the vehicle you posted the one you have, or one available for sale (or both)?

Yes using my Molift. I usually have my brothers with me and they get me ready. There isn't a lot of room to work with. Yes it's mine but it is sold as of today.

[landrover]

So I stumbled across this video, as well as the videos of the making of, and thought something like this would be pretty feasible. In addition, I don't see any reason why it couldn't also be a daily driver (though I am only the passenger). I'm sure the layout could be tailored, but certainly I could sit in the front passenger seat area during travel. A hydraulic lift I imagine could easily be installed as it would any other full-size van. The question again would be, since I use a lift to get in/out of bed, how to do so with the limited space. A friend wondered if it would be possible to reinforce the van roof sufficiently to allow a home-made ceiling track lift to then allow the chair to remain in the larger space up front, and travel by track lift to the rear bed area?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryPBLk90xEQ&t=757s

[landrover]

Looking at the vehicle again, the height of the side door, looks like a ramp might even be possible to cut cost/weight. As a powerchair user, the angle wouldn't be as much an issue.

[HACKNSACK44]

That is really cool! I know someone who has a Mercedes with a UVL (under vehicle lift). I would try to find one that you could take a look at. I honestly don't know if there is enough room to modify it for traveling. Of course it all depends on what you want done inside.

[landrover]

I'm wondering if instead of my lift question from above, they could just as simply reverse the setup, so the seating/bed area is in the middle/front area, and the other stuff, such as sink, fridge, etc, could be placed in the rear of the van, which I myself wouldn't need to access.

[ancientgimp]

My wife and I are both (para) chair users. We converted a 1973 Ford Econoline with a bed in the rear which folded up when not in use. We both had folding chairs, we had a small toilet built which fit under the bed with a bucket and trash bag inside for solid waste, urine was usually stored in coffee cans until we could dispose of appropriately. We had a rotary Maxon lift on the side doors. We had a folding table we could cook on using camper stove. We carried small electric heater and power cords for camping at campsites in colder areas. The heater also could be used as a fan for warmer areas and we had a roof vent added. We traveled from New York state to Canada, toured around up there and returned to US via Detroit. Dropped down to New Orleans then traveled along the US southern border to California. We would get a motel room about every 3rd night for a shower. While in Death Valley camping I proposed toy now wife and we got married in Vegas. We did this trip with a small dog and a cat in the van. The cat would sometimes use the litter box under the bed while we were trying to sleep, that was kind of gross.

[HACKNSACK44]

I'm wondering if instead of my lift question from above, they could just as simply reverse the setup, so the seating/bed area is in the middle/front area, and the other stuff, such as sink, fridge, etc, could be placed in the rear of the van, which I myself wouldn't need to access.

Sounds doable.

[HACKNSACK44]

My wife and I are both (para) chair users. We converted a 1973 Ford Econoline with a bed in the rear which folded up when not in use. We both had folding chairs, we had a small toilet built which fit under the bed with a bucket and trash bag inside for solid waste, urine was usually stored in coffee cans until we could dispose of appropriately. We had a rotary Maxon lift on the side doors. We had a folding table we could cook on using camper stove. We carried small electric heater and power cords for camping at campsites in colder areas. The heater also could be used as a fan for warmer areas and we had a roof vent added. We traveled from New York state to Canada, toured around up there and returned to US via Detroit. Dropped down to New Orleans then traveled along the US southern border to California. We would get a motel room about every 3rd night for a shower. While in Death Valley camping I proposed toy now wife and we got married in Vegas. We did this trip with a small dog and a cat in the van. The cat would sometimes use the litter box under the bed while we were trying to sleep, that was kind of gross.

Sounds like a cool setup you had.

[landrover]

Came across this video of the Dodge Promaster (similar model to the one converted above), that has a lift installed. I haven't been able to come across any that use ramps instead, so I'm guessing the height is too much for a ramp, which would then likely cost more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUr9Na7V9Aw

[HACKNSACK44]

Came across this video of the Dodge Promaster (similar model to the one converted above), that has a lift installed. I haven't been able to come across any that use ramps instead, so I'm guessing the height is too much for a ramp, which would then likely cost more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUr9Na7V9Aw

Pretty cool looking! The lift takes up some space. These two have a uvl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8AfccPOFxc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjH6eGjE3dY This one has a manual ramp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0XZwkyDk8w

[landrover]

Thanks for sharing those videos. I'm somewhat hesitant for these purposes to have any mods that might lower the ground clearance. I'm not sure, but I think the cost to lower the floor would be more then buying a standard high roof, and installing the lift. Not sure. I'm wondering if the best route would be to buy a bare bones van, and have it customized from the get go, versus buying something like this, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lptSaRi1rdE , and having further mods made.

[Tman9513]

I bought a toy hauler last year. I only found one model that had the exact dimensions I needed to get parallel and transfer to the bed. I have a TiLite 17x18 manual. I can't get into the bathroom/shower but there is enough room for me to do my bowel program in the main space. And I just use the kitchen sink for brushing teeth, etc. The toy hauler ramp is a touch steep so my wife pushes me up and lets me out when needed. So far, it has been the perfect camper for us and our two dogs. Just the right amount of space. I actually bought a larger truck recently so we can tow in the mountains. I've backed up the truck, hooked it up and taken off by myself, so it's doable from a chair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jimXdLGwpJw

[HACKNSACK44]

Thanks for sharing those videos. I'm somewhat hesitant for these purposes to have any mods that might lower the ground clearance. I'm not sure, but I think the cost to lower the floor would be more then buying a standard high roof, and installing the lift. Not sure. I'm wondering if the best route would be to buy a bare bones van, and have it customized from the get go, versus buying something like this, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lptSaRi1rdE , and having further mods made.

I would buy a bare bones van. Customize it for you.