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Introduction+several urgent questions..

2K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  TheFace 
#1 ·
Hello everyone! They call me The Face and I'm glad to be here.

First off: I apologize for skipping the formal introduction, and also if the following topic would have better been placed in a more specific category, but I am in somewhat of an urgent situation as I am leaving town in less than a week.

Recent major changes in my life have prompted me to drop everything and leave my hometown of Cleveland to head west. I have a unique occupation as a self employed tattoo supply merchant so since I make my living on the road anyway, I am already well suited for this type of adventure.

As I've always been a GM guy, my vehicle of choice was a 2003 Chevy Astro RWD with the Discovery conversion. High miles but extremely clean and well maintained with a super strong running engine and tranny.

I will be a part time "van dweller"..meaning my living situation will be about 1/3 motels, 2/3'rds sleeping inside the van or camping in National Forest/Parks.

I have made most of the necessary interior mods including removing the worthless rear power seat/bed (those bolts were a sunuvab***...I needed a friend with a torch to heat em up enough to budge and it was still a p.i.t.a) and building a suitable platform bed with storage for my tattoo supplies and necessities underneath.

My dilemma is a suspension issue but I decided to put this thread in the general section because I would love additional tips and advice on mods from seasoned van dwellers.

My only true love in life at the moment aside from my family is my Ducati Monster. It absolutely has to come with me and the solution I've found is a class III hitch + a hitch mounted motorcycle hauler. It weighs in at around 380 lbs dry and I'm "guessing" around 420 max full of gas and fluids. Factor in the weight of the hauler and I am thinking this rig will weigh close to, but not over, 500 lbs. All on the tongue of the hitch.

I need to order what I need to safely make this van suitable for this type of tongue weight. I have several hitch options that claim to handle a tongue weight of up to 600 lbs but the unibody nature of this van has me very concerned..am I right to be concerned about this? the metal underneath is not rusted or decayed. But it's still just thick sheet metal...in any case I will be welding several additional spots to fortify it wherever I can.

And the suspension...I have browsed the various threads about beefing up the saggy *** of these vans extensively but I'm still confused as to what route I should go..are heavy duty gas charged shocks sufficient? should I also add a leaf? or just find a better suited leaf spring from a donor? Or both? can this unibody even safely haul my moto in the first place?

I have about a $1000 budget to make this setup work but I would obviously like to spend less. A close family friend who is a "real" mechanic and talented fabricator will be assisting me.

Here is the hauler I am looking at: http://www.discountramps.com/smc-600-mo ... hauler.htm

Still unsure of which hitch to go with.

Your help is so very much appreciated and I'd like to add that I'm a bad *** vegan campfire cook and purveyor of fine tequila, rum, and pipe tobacco so if I meet you out on the road I can surely compensate in return. :)
 
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#2 ·
Welcome to A/S

I was carrying about 3/4 ton in tools and cabinets on my saggy old *** leafs with Monroe sensa track coil overs in the back. It was still a bit soft back there, but not horrible and it sat pretty level, just took it easy on the speed dumps and driveways. The coil overs are a bit harsh now that I've unloaded about 1,200 lbs. If your shocks are not old and wore out, I think I would try add a leafs and if that's not enough add the coil overs. Having a bike like that makes me a little uneasy. If I was to build something like that, I would do a duel receiver set up. That just seems like a lot of weight pivoting back and forth on a single receiver to me.

And just to share, my son is a service writer/parts guy for Bellevue Ducati. His Duc is in blue.

Our May 12th Dyno Day was held on a warm and sunny day. Nels and Tyson from 2 Wheel Dyno Works started spinning the dyno at 10:30AM and kept the line moving all day. Our Ducati winners were:
Paul - 1198 - 160HP - TOP HP Ducati Superbike
Lash - Multistrada 1200S - 142HP - TOP HP - Large Bore Liquid-Cooled Ducati
John - F1098 Streetfighter 153HP - TOP HP Naked Ducati
John - 848Evo - 123HP - TOP HP - Small Bore Liquid-Cooled Ducati
Dennis - Hypermotard 1100 - 89HP - TOP HP - Large Bore Air-Cooled Ducati
Bill - SS900 - 83HP - Runner Up - Large Bore Air-Cooled Ducati
David - Monster 750 - 71HP - TOP HP - Small Bore Air-Cooled Ducati
 
#4 ·
coughs...the question was,how much of a load can the tongue carry on his trailer?
or is it the reese hitch tongue?
those tray are weird..scary..and probably work...
but they look real frustrating to load.

at any rate,i would never put my bike on one of those carry trays.
{ shown in link.}

id just get a small utility trailer and the best reese and be done with it.
then,if you need to tow anything else.the reese is already there.
and a small utility trailer would come in handy for other missions as well.
you would still come in under a grand if you shop wisely.
:2:
 
#5 ·
Welcome,
I also carry tools 24/7 and have built up the spring pack. In your case I would suggest buying new springs, (Jasen has a link for the HD) and if needed you have your old packs to pick through for an add-a-leaf. I use also the Rancho adjustable shocks that would be ideal in your situation for fine tuning, I think having that much weight on the rear may make steering a little squirelly, good luck!
 
#6 ·
wow you folks are great with these fast replies.

The utility trailer really isn't an option. I make sales calls in urban areas and hauling a trailer would be a nightmare.

The hitch mounted carriers are actually a breeze to load/unload with the included stow away ramp.

Will prob add a leaf+add those HD shocks, I'm sure mine are due anyway. I don't really like the soft boat like ride on this Astro anyway, although I'm sure some people love it.

Primary concern is seeing the love of my life bouncing down the freeway in my rearview.
 
#8 ·
Might I add that truck tires as opposed to car tires will stiffen the ride considerably. That took care of the body roll in my van. They'll also handle the additional weight better too.

Welcome aboard!
:chevy:
 
#10 ·
Welcome to the board.

While I'd probably replace the shocks, I'd forgo the coil over ones and just get an add a leaf or heavier leaf pack installed.

For the hitch receiver, don't get a universal from Wally World or the like. Get something made specifically for the Astro that extends far enough forward to attach to the most forward attachment points. There are eight attachment points in the uni-frame and most receivers only use six of them. I usually drill another couple holes in the receiver to use them all.

Good motorcycle carriers are equipped with anti-sway devices. Read the reviews on the carriers to see how good the anti-sway device for a carrier is.

Keep letting us know about your van dwelling setup and adventures and let me know if you get close to the Chicagoland area, my driveway has been a van dweller's friend on a few occasions.
 
#11 ·
Thanks IHMB.

I'm going to put off the departure an extra week or so to get this van where I'm confident in it. God I hate the fukn suspension on this thing...love the rest of it.

I hate Wal Mart. :)

I'll post pics of the rig before I leave and document the trip for certain. Def not going cheap on the receiver, but there are only a a few class III ones available.

I was just in Chi with my fam. Took my old man to Wrigley Field, we had a blast! We didn't like your pizza tho ;)
 
#12 ·
I belive any hitch for these vans with tongue weight rating over 500lbs is for use with weight distribution setup for towing trailer so not applicable to your setup. You won't be over that with a Monster.
http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Hitch-87516-Class-Receiver/dp/B000CO63AK

With 400+ lbs hanging off the back like that, +1 on the add-a-leafs, good quality shocks and lt tires, ride quality and handling will improve considerably. The springs are what support load and shock absorbers control the damping.

Like ihatemybike said, research reviews on the moto carrier you're interested in. Moto-Tote and VersaHaul make decent carriers but you will also pay a premium over what you're looking at. A friend of mine bought one off eBay and it is very flimsy though he only has to transport his bike 15 miles or so to the track so.

One option is to purchase something like the Surco Rattle Eliminator which helps take up play in the hitch receiver.
http://www.amazon.com/Surco-AS100-Antiswy-Bracket-Recv/dp/B000OAXLZW


Or you can modify your hitch and do something similar, I did this to remove the play when using a hitch mount carrier:



Don't forget high quality straps, I prefer Ancra ratchet straps and a Cycle-Cynch across the handlebar, does the best job of not moving the grips for that kind of strap. Other option is to use soft ties through the lower triple clamp on your Monster. Also, a lock for your hitch receiver another to lock the bike to the carrier.
 
#13 ·
Well I think I'll go with a mototote. That was actually my first choice. Found one on my local Craigslist.

Any point in doing coil overs in addition to the helper leaf? I have about 400 lbs of cargo in the rear in addition to the hitch and my bike that I'll be adding.

Starting to worry that I'm asking way too much of this van. Just with my merchandise she is one saggy mother! The before/afters of those add a leafs do give me some optimism tho. This site is great
 
#15 ·
TheFace said:
Well I think I'll go with a mototote. That was actually my first choice. Found one on my local Craigslist.

Any point in doing coil overs in addition to the helper leaf? I have about 400 lbs of cargo in the rear in addition to the hitch and my bike that I'll be adding.

Starting to worry that I'm asking way too much of this van. Just with my merchandise she is one saggy mother! The before/afters of those add a leafs do give me some op

timism tho. This site is great
TheFace said:
And thanks Corse.

I actually think the higher end haulers have something similar to that Surco built in
IMO, sort the leaf springs for the load capacity and install a set of quality shock absorbers and you don't need a band-aid/helper type solution like the shock/coil combos. Bilstein HD, Rancho RS5000 or RS9000 adjustable. I had Bilstein HD on my van 30K or so and sold them when I lifted my van and bought Rancho RS9000 adjustable. Bilstein are outstanding quality, excellent damping characteristics and seemed as good as new when I sold them. Rancho RS9000 not Bilstein quality but nice that they are adjustable for varying load and conditions and a lifetime warranty also. Pricey but worth it, I put several sets of Monroe Sensa-Trac on my old '97 Safari awd and they were okay for awhile but didn't last and not as solid feeling.

If you sort out the leaf springs, shocks and good tires, I think you'll be satisfied with what you are putting in/on your van.

BTW, I don't know if you sell ink or not but if you do, do you deal with vegan ink?

Good luck on your journey. :handgestures-thumbup:
 
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