Conversion Vans not allowed at some RV Parks?

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

I've been happily turning a new Transit T250, medium-high roof van into a "travel van" to get us back and forth from FL, and to do some sightseeing and weekend camping. The dinette turns into a bed with ample storage underneath the benches; the kitchen sink disappears, and we have a portapotty so we don't get booted from our condo complex for having an "RV". From the outside, it just looks like an upscale cargo van with extra windows.

I read on another forum, that some RV Parks won't allow "converted vans". As we travel, we plan to use RV parks - I enjoy the quiet and safety that comes with being amongst RVers. I intend to reserve space for a Class B, since that's more or less what we have. After all - ALL Class Bs are converted vans.....LOL!

Are we going to pull into a park, only to have someone turn us away because we have a "conversion"??

[Jarlaxle]

JaxDad wrote:
I suspect that most people posting here are unaware that in every jurisdictions I've ever looked at, the RVIA or CSA Z-240 endorsement is required by law in order to stay in a campground in an RV.

In this litigious society we live in I doubt ANY park owner will knowingly 'look the other way' on a legally required safety issue. Sure you might get past a few parks management but the registration form always asks for the make of the RV so 'none' might stick out.

Can you actually cite the law in question? From ANY state?

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

d3500ram wrote:

Deb and Ed M wrote:
...For whatever reason, Tinypic has been difficult to work with lately, and I don't have another source for picture hosting. ...

I find the upload generator on RV.net to really easy. Just drag n' drop or search a path and copy-paste the resulting string.

Nice job on the camper!

That was what I *just* discovered (after all these years) and yes, it works wonderfully!! Whoever designed that deserves a big hug!

[d3500ram]

Deb and Ed M wrote:
...For whatever reason, Tinypic has been difficult to work with lately, and I don't have another source for picture hosting. ...

I find the upload generator on RV.net to really easy. Just drag n' drop or search a path and copy-paste the resulting string.

Nice job on the camper!

[Naio]

Yeah, I could get some big brackets like that, bolts with knobs for hand turning, and put plusnuts for the two sink positions I want.

I just gotta build the undersink cabinet as a separate unit.

[Naio]

Oh, I see! Brilliant!!!


Thinking.....

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Naio wrote:
Looking more at your sink.... does it slide down or fold down?

There are 4 long thin bolts in the "countertop" that fit into the mounting holes on the top of the brackets, once they are raised. This picture shows the brackets in the stowed position (the black thing is a seat belt; plus the TV bracket (TV is also removeable) is shown. Otherwise, the sink/countertop and the freshwater/gray tank crate all stow under the dinette seat 😉

[Naio]

We posted at the same time :).

Thanks for the info! I would l5ive to see a pic, or a link, if you have the energy... I don't know what the hangers look like. They don't just bolt into your lovely plusnuts?

[Naio]

Looking more at your sink.... does it slide down or fold down?

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Naio wrote:


Your sink inspires me :). I don't need mine to disappear, but I would love to use it at different heights. I shall put my thinking cap on....

Hi Naio! My sink brackets came from Amazon and are what most RVs use for a countertop extension. If you installed a couple of hanger bolts at varying levels, you could mount some brackets using wing nuts? Just make sure your drain tube/water hose are long enough for either height! I also added a piece of rope that ties the crate in place, in case of a sudden stop - eeks!

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

mowermech wrote:
Very nice! Please keep us updated as the build progresses.

Whoops! I was typing as you were posting pictures. It looks like the build is fairly complete. Congratulations on a job well done!

Thank you. I'm proudest of the fact that it doesn't squeak 🙂

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

And in the for-what-it's-worth category - Gracie is registered as a station wagon. By adding seats, seatbelts (not shown in the pics), and a side window, we met the Michigan threshold for being labeled that way.

At any rate, I believe we don't look homeless, dangerous, or smuggling/cooking something illegal. I think most "regular" RV parks will let us spend a night or two with them, and that's really all we hope for....

[Naio]

Oh, Deb, it is so great to see pics of your van!!!! I had lost track of your thread.

Your sink inspires me :). I don't need mine to disappear, but I would love to use it at different heights. I shall put my thinking cap on....

Your van is extremely similar to mine, in the non-camper looking exterior, and very basic interior. I think you will get the same response from parks that I did -- which was almost always 'sure'.

I mentioned that I call ahead to RV parks. After some experimentation, I figured out the info they needed. I now ask if they have room for a class B, and if they say yes I say, 'It's not really an RV, it's really a Transit van with a fridge, a stove, a porta potty, and a bed. Is that ok?'

It's key to list those items. I have NEVER encountered a park that cared about the sticker people went all whackadoodle about in this thread. The parks I have talked to tell me their local jurisdiction defines an RV as a vehicle that has those things. So I need to tell them that I have them.

I don't have a sink in my current van and m5o one has asked, but it couldn't hurt to mention it, too :B

[mowermech]

Very nice! Please keep us updated as the build progresses.

Whoops! I was typing as you were posting pictures. It looks like the build is fairly complete. Congratulations on a job well done!

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

And here's where I'm at today, as I pack for our "migration" to FL. This is what the condo neighbors will see.


Half of the "aisle" is filled in for storage

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

OK - here's a few pics:

The "dinette" with storage beneath - the center fills in to make the bed


The critical "I'm not an RV" disappearing sink


The $25 screen door