G
Guest
Guest
The photographer didn’t show up, so I have no photos of the ceremony.
I had an always fun shop day with Joel, starting the outfitting on his new Wandering Guide Ride; a 2017 Ford 250 Transit cargo van, with a naked interior from the two front seats back. That naked cargo area will be an awesome pallet for outfitting with fold down bed and shelves and etc, and that plan is already taking shape.
Joel brought many large boxes with him. Large box #1, an E-Trailer Class 3 hitch. 900 lb tongue weight, 6000 lb capacity, both greater than the Transit capacity. That’ll do Joel, that’ll do.
https://www.etrailer.com/hitch-2017_Ford_Transit+T250.htm
But crap, it’s a trailer hitch receiver in a box, for DIY install. I don’t know nothing ‘bout birthing no trailer hitches. I was not looking forward to “helping” put that on, especially when I heard that all of the holes in the frame needed to be tapped.
It went on slicker than snot on a doorknob, even tapping the threads. Of course all I did was hand Joel the appropriate tool and remind him “Right-tighty, lefty loosey. . . . but you are working upside down, so. . . .which way is that?”
Schweet and sturdy; the actual installation took less than an hour. And I “helped”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhUTboHTrO4
Box #2, three Van Tech aero crossbars for roof rackage. Like these, but beefier, I think they were rated at 700 lb capacity. Yeah Joel, that oughta hold a rocket box, a boat and a bike.
https://www.rackwarehouse.com/vante...MIyJ3mqdKL3gIVBYnICh0zOQQbEAYYAyABEgKhkvD_BwE
Things got funkier with the rack installation. We knew this going in, but the Transit has receiver threads (under caps) to support 3 crossbars positioned above pillars in the cargo bay, one at the rear, one a few feet forward and one a few feet forward of that. But that most-forward one is still several feet from the front of the roofline.
WTF Ford? Why no crossbar threads over the front of the roof? There must be a pillar above the driver and passenger seats for rollover and crash protection.
Onward we go with what we got. These racks are a permanent install, using 14mm bolts that thread into the receiver holes on the roof. No room to use a socket, need a box wrench. I have seemingly every sized metric box wrench. Except 14mm. Joel has the same, meaning no 14 mm. Carry on my wayward sons; we’ll use an adjustable wrench.
Hmmm, the rack instructions are clear about installing lock washers on the roof rack tower bolts. No lock washers were included in the box. We are not putting these crossbars on and then taking them off to install lock washers.
Country hardware store here we come. For all of 6 stainless steel* lock washers. 20 minutes up, five minutes in the store, wisely buy 8 SS* lock washers. Drive out, turn around, and back to the hardware for a 14mm box wrench. Drive home. Do not stop at the diner, we’re on a mission.
*While we were searching through my boxes of stainless steel for lock washers I showed Joel the magnet trick, using a powerful ceramic magnet to check at least the magnetic attraction part of various stainless. I even said, “Yeah, I bring this magnet with me when I buy stainless”.
Yeah, I didn’t bring it. We had already installed one rack crossbar when I thought to magnet check the lock washers we had just bought. One of them was NOT stainless. Don’t know about the two we had already installed; we weren’t taking that rack off to check. Do as I say, not as I do.
And if you need six of something that costs 16 cents each, buy at least eight.
The rest of that rack install went slick and quick and seriously sturdy. Hopefully those bars will accommodate the rocket box, bike rack and etc connections. Then we can get to the fun stuff; a fold down bed, fold down shelf, some cam strap tie down points for gear bins and barrels, lighting and other Transit Tripping creature comforts.
A new tripping vehicle challenge. This could be years of fun in the evolution of Transit outfitting. Yippie!
I had an always fun shop day with Joel, starting the outfitting on his new Wandering Guide Ride; a 2017 Ford 250 Transit cargo van, with a naked interior from the two front seats back. That naked cargo area will be an awesome pallet for outfitting with fold down bed and shelves and etc, and that plan is already taking shape.
Joel brought many large boxes with him. Large box #1, an E-Trailer Class 3 hitch. 900 lb tongue weight, 6000 lb capacity, both greater than the Transit capacity. That’ll do Joel, that’ll do.
https://www.etrailer.com/hitch-2017_Ford_Transit+T250.htm
But crap, it’s a trailer hitch receiver in a box, for DIY install. I don’t know nothing ‘bout birthing no trailer hitches. I was not looking forward to “helping” put that on, especially when I heard that all of the holes in the frame needed to be tapped.
It went on slicker than snot on a doorknob, even tapping the threads. Of course all I did was hand Joel the appropriate tool and remind him “Right-tighty, lefty loosey. . . . but you are working upside down, so. . . .which way is that?”
Schweet and sturdy; the actual installation took less than an hour. And I “helped”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhUTboHTrO4
Box #2, three Van Tech aero crossbars for roof rackage. Like these, but beefier, I think they were rated at 700 lb capacity. Yeah Joel, that oughta hold a rocket box, a boat and a bike.
https://www.rackwarehouse.com/vante...MIyJ3mqdKL3gIVBYnICh0zOQQbEAYYAyABEgKhkvD_BwE
Things got funkier with the rack installation. We knew this going in, but the Transit has receiver threads (under caps) to support 3 crossbars positioned above pillars in the cargo bay, one at the rear, one a few feet forward and one a few feet forward of that. But that most-forward one is still several feet from the front of the roofline.
WTF Ford? Why no crossbar threads over the front of the roof? There must be a pillar above the driver and passenger seats for rollover and crash protection.
Onward we go with what we got. These racks are a permanent install, using 14mm bolts that thread into the receiver holes on the roof. No room to use a socket, need a box wrench. I have seemingly every sized metric box wrench. Except 14mm. Joel has the same, meaning no 14 mm. Carry on my wayward sons; we’ll use an adjustable wrench.
Hmmm, the rack instructions are clear about installing lock washers on the roof rack tower bolts. No lock washers were included in the box. We are not putting these crossbars on and then taking them off to install lock washers.
Country hardware store here we come. For all of 6 stainless steel* lock washers. 20 minutes up, five minutes in the store, wisely buy 8 SS* lock washers. Drive out, turn around, and back to the hardware for a 14mm box wrench. Drive home. Do not stop at the diner, we’re on a mission.
*While we were searching through my boxes of stainless steel for lock washers I showed Joel the magnet trick, using a powerful ceramic magnet to check at least the magnetic attraction part of various stainless. I even said, “Yeah, I bring this magnet with me when I buy stainless”.
Yeah, I didn’t bring it. We had already installed one rack crossbar when I thought to magnet check the lock washers we had just bought. One of them was NOT stainless. Don’t know about the two we had already installed; we weren’t taking that rack off to check. Do as I say, not as I do.
And if you need six of something that costs 16 cents each, buy at least eight.
The rest of that rack install went slick and quick and seriously sturdy. Hopefully those bars will accommodate the rocket box, bike rack and etc connections. Then we can get to the fun stuff; a fold down bed, fold down shelf, some cam strap tie down points for gear bins and barrels, lighting and other Transit Tripping creature comforts.
A new tripping vehicle challenge. This could be years of fun in the evolution of Transit outfitting. Yippie!