Question about converting to ice cream truck

You have to remember that a motorhome, the camper part are mostly built out of wood, putting or cutting doors in the rear will weaken the structure without an awful lot of extra bracing. Your best bet would be to look at a delivery van as it is built out of metal thus structurally stronger. Just my opinion.

I seem to recall a thread somewhere here a few years back by a young woman who gave a step by step account of her mobile ice cream (or frozen yogurt?) conversion. She even had a small sleeping area, since she was going to travel to various events to market her products. Can't seem to find it now, but perhaps someone with better search skills can locate it. Might be helpful.

You might be better off buying one of those box trucks used by companies like UPS.

cgmartine wrote:
You might be better off buying one of those box trucks used by companies like UPS.

Yep, a used box truck should be far easier to retrofit and it comes with an opening back door already built in. Shop around and you should be able to find one for similar price.

Motorhome structures are horribly flimsy with the interior furnature actually providing a lot of the rigidity. While certainly technically possible, why make life difficult.

ckm91377 wrote:
Hello all-First of all would like to say that I am new here and if this posted in the wrong place or anything like that please let me know and I will fix it. I have been planning to start an ice cream truck business for the past few years and am hoping to purchase a vehicle over the winter-either an already converted truck of some kind or something I can put together myself. I have located several smallish motorhomes that would work out really nicely as an ice cream vending vehicle except for one thing-there is no easy way to get a rather large freezer into the thing. I am curious as to whether or not it would be a feasible option to cut a hole into the back and mount a door or doors of some kind in the wall's place. I'm hoping someone here might have some experience with this kind of thing and am open to any advice, suggestions, or warnings the community might have for me. Thanks in advance!!!!

I was looking for a utility trailer on Craigslist yesterday and was amazed just how many nice food trailers already equipped were for sale and CHEAP! Check out Craigslist.

Seems to me it would be a better investment to buy one of these trailers and just pull it behind your truck. That way you would not have a complete MH vehicle AND all it's maintenance involved just sitting when not in use.

ALSO. Check with your local health department. There are a lot hoops you have to jump thru to get certified. A cut up handyman special MH may not pass the mustard.

AND keep in mind that every venue you go to 'their' state will have a whole nuther set of health standards. The health department comes to all venues and inspects all the food vendors before they are allowed to sell out of it. If you pass they issue a health certificate to allow you to sell at their venue. If you don't pass your done.

A lot of my horse friends drag a small food trailer and sell ice cones at the horse shows. Plum amazes me that the income from just selling colored ice out of that little trailer pays for all their show expenses. :B

Good luck on your adventure hope some of the info was of help to you.

Enclosed Trailer w/ Concession Window 2014 - $3,500




Food / Concession Turn Key - $7,000


Just saying might be way cheaper to buy one. Versus all the repairs/mods you'd have to do to a MH plus the cost of the MH. :W

I'm going to agree with everyone else here--you'll have a much easier time converting some vehicle other than a motorhome, and likely end up with a more usable vehicle (for ice cream sales, at least) in the end.

The traditional ice cream truck is what is generically known as a "step van." It's not overly difficult to come up with used step vans with a little work. A box truck could also be practical, but the step van does have the advantage of the driver's area being contiguous with the box (and, I think, often the inside floor is a little lower than a typical box truck).

If you could find one for a reasonable price, a high-roof cargo van such as a Sprinter, a RAM Promaster, a Transit, or a Nissan NV (note that some or all of these come in various roof heights) would also be a reasonable base. For that matter, an old conversion van could also be a good starting point. A smallish used school bus is yet another option.

You may need to worry about needing special or commercial driver's licenses for some of these vehicles, depending on their weight and your state's licensing laws. 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (for a truck) is the magic number for needing a CDL, as I recall.

I have seen a number of old Dodge Maxi-Van B-300's etc., camper vans, converted into ice cream vendor vehicles. These have fiberglass bubble tops that may have been removed to install an ice box from the top. You ought to be able to spot one, buy something, and get how-to info from the vendor.

Thanks for all of the advice. I wasn't expecting so many replies so quickly. I honestly kinda assumed that it wasn't a great idea but I figured it didn't hurt to ask. I will definitely be exploring other options. Thanks again!!!

Maybe a small toyhauler would work. You would have the large back door for freezer loading.