Since rental vehicles tend to get abused, I'd have any former U-Haul/Ryder/Pensky completely gone over by a trusted mechanic. I've seen some 12 foot box vans with step up side doors and aero noses on the box. So some people remove the roll-up door and build a wall across the back with an ordinary door for access. Also, roll-up doors take some of your headroom and are tricky to insulate. U-Haul box trucks don't have passages from the cabs to the cargo area, which makes going from one to the other a little inconvenient. (I have a 3/4 ton van and, with my rather light load, it's too stiff for me.) I think they're built on a 1-ton chassis, so they might still be a little stiff, depending on your load. The box is only a little wider than the cab, so clearance that way wouldn't be a problem. I had hunted around the various U-Haul places for used 10 foot box vans. But the mechanically inclined could remove a leaf or two from the springs to soften things up a bit. But fitted out like a typical RV or do-it-yourself van conversion, the ride would be very jarring on rough surfaces, with the whole truck moving up and down instead of just the wheels and axles. Also, the suspensions are very stiff, which is great when you have them loaded top to bottom, end to end. You would have similar width and overhead clearance limitations in wooded areas. I'd suggest that you make sure to get the Chevy chassis over the Ford if you do end up going down this path.Ī 12 foot box van wouldn't be very different from a short Class C RV. Of course airing down the rears will make them have a wider cross section and the above issue of picking up rocks might rear it's head if you air down too much. The dual rear wheels shoud not be a big problem as long as you do not install wider tires as the space between the rear tires will narrow down with wide tires and be prone to picking up rocks between them and sidewall damage can occur. The '14 foot Uhaul' truck would be better as far as rear clearance goes if you removed the step bumper and relied on the ramp and some fold down steps instead. However the box is much tougher than a standard RV so it is more likely to shrug off minor encounters with the lower tree brush without serious damage. Since the 14 foot Uhaul is ten feet tall you would have to watch for low limbs. So it should be somewhat decent as far as getting around on dirt roads compared to a common Penske 16 foot rental box moving truck that is 4 foot longer and a bit wider. The '14 foot Uhaul', with dual rear wheels, is actually a 12 foot box truck as the 'Attic' is not counted normally in box trucks.

With all this in mind, how well will a 14ft box truck fare on rough back roads compared to full-size 2WD cargo vans that seem popular here? Would a 10ft box van (with slightly shorter wheelbase and back end overhang and lower weight) be noticeably better? What about a Class B (ie lower ground clearance but lighter)? I will also take considerations when building to put heavy objects near the floor to keep the center of gravity low as possible. I do intend to put on mud tires/ off-road tires, lower the tire pressure when on rough patches, and keep a heavy duty come-along winch with me. Will this help or hinder rough road ability? So does this 2000-3000 lbs disparity really make that much of a difference?Īlso, 14ft box trucks have duel rear wheels. Presumably the added load for full-time living is roughly similar for each. An extended cargo van is typically 5000 to 6000 lbs empty whilst a 14ft box truck weighs 7,860 lbs empty. The wheelbase and rear wheel to rear bumper overhang distance do not appear to be that much greater than that of an extended cargo van.

Despite this, from what I can tell, they seem to have as good, if not better, ground clearance as most non-lifted cargo vans. In Bob's e-book he rates a box truck's back-road ability as 'poor' (no further details given) in comparison to a full-sized van being 'fairly good'. Honestly, I have never actually driven outside of a city before, so I don't really know what to expect from BLM and National Forest unpaved roads. I don't intend to go on any crazy off-road excursion, but would like to ideally be able to get to the same locations that a smaller van would be able to access. The main reason I want to live in a vehicle is to spend as much time out in nature as I can. However, if having a box truck will seriously limit the extent of my boondocking adventures then I will need to carefully reconsider. A 14ft box truck is looking to be the best option for me because they are relatively cheap, widely available, have great space and headroom, and are easy to build out due to the flat walls. I am currently in the planning stage for what vehicle to buy for a full time traveling home (it will still be at least a couple of years until I have saved up enough money, though - so plenty of time to plan it right!).

10ft box truck for sale