65,500 miles.
I purchased the empty cargo van from Warner in Salt Lake City in 2020 and did the custom build myself. I am the builder and original owner. I tried to strike a balance between comfort and utililty. The build is centered around traveling with mountain bikes, but also accounts for winter use (pow chasing/snowmobiling). I’m 5’9”. The bed as built works great for me and my wife who is 5’4”. If you are larger, you may need to add a flare on the driver’s side in order to keep this bed configuration. One tall person can easily sleep diagonally, but two tall people gets tight. The vehicle interior is comfortable. It has a refrigerator, two burner stove, 110 AC outlets, powerful sound system, diesel heater. You can camp comfortably in a variety of conditions, using the awning, bugwall screens, and heater depending on the weather. There are multiple ventillation options, using the roof top fan, the heater in fan mode, and the vent on the slider door window. There is an outdoor shower. The exterior is well-appointed for transporting your gear. In the current configuration, you have two cargo boxes with two bike spaces above. This is all mounted to the Owl Sherpa and B2, which can be configured however you desire. The Orion Stealth+ roof deck accepts L-track style o-rings and you can strap pretty much anything up there. Or use it as a deck to hang out. The racks also come with a surf pole and hooks (not installed in the current photos) which can provide dedicated spaces for two sups or surfboards. There are powerful forward and rear facing exterior lights for driving at night or lighting up camp. There is a side facing light on the passenger’s side for camp. All are on dimmers.
Build Specs
Exterior
Roof
- Orion Sprinter Stealth+ Roof Rack
- Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel (1)
- Renogy 175 Watt Monocrystalline Solar Panel (1)
- Nilight 26″ 540W Triple Row Amber White Spot/Flood LED Light Bar (two front, two rear)
- Dometic™ Fantastic K2040-81 OEM Roof Vent
- Traction Boards
You can walk on the solar panels if needed. Roof rack functions as storage space or a spot to hang out.
Underneath
- Manchester Model 6813 5.5 Gallon Propane Tank
- Method 901 | Sprinter Dually Wheelset | Matte Black
- Falken Wildpeak A/T LT 215/85R16
Wondering about the clearance/not 4wd? I never lifted it. I drove it all around the western US, mainly on forest service and farm roads to access snowmobiling and mountain biking spots. It is great for that. Riding dozens of mountain bike shuttle spots around the PNW, this thing could get everywhere that other people’s trucks did. I never experienced clearance issues on rough roads, but also never did any real “off roading,” which would be beyond its capabilities. It can’t do those fins at Moab. It can’t drive through like 3” of fresh pow, it would get stuck. Gotta wait for the plow. But for multiple winters in the Tetons I towed snowmobiles with it on ice roads and accessed winter trailheads, and never got stuck. Went over high mountain passes in winter extensively (using studded tires, which are included, see below) without issues.
Rear
- Owl Sherpa Cargo Carrier (Driver’s Side)
- Owl B2 Bike Carrier (Passenger’s Side), with
- Owl Mini Sherpa Owl Expedition Boxes (2)
- 1up Bike Trays (2)
- Sprinter Factory Hitch
- Bug Wall
Driver’s Side
- Orion Wheel Wrap Side Ladder
- Orion Board Pole
Passenger Side
- Fiamma F45s Awning – 06759A01R 3.0m (10’1″) – Deep Black Case – Royal Grey Fabric
- C.R. Lawrence T-Vent Window
- Side Door Bug Wall
Interior
Electrical System
- (200 AH) Renogy 2000W 12V Pure Sine Wave Inverter Charger w/ LCD Display (powers 110 AC and charges batteries from shore power)
- Renogy 12V 60A DC to DC Battery Charger (van charges while you are driving)
- Renogy 12V 100Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries w/ Bluetooth
- Renogy Rover 40A MPPT Power Controller
- Shore power charging port—(you can plug the whole van in to charge)
- 4 110 AC outlets (you can plug into normal house outlets to charge, when inverter is on)
The Renogy system uses an app. You can tell your state of charge, how much solar you are getting, how much you are drawing. It has been running smoothly for the last few years. How powerful is the system at 200 AH? Pretty good. I rarely have issues in summer, no matter what I do, including charging e-bikes, running a Traeger, Starlink, etc. In dark, short winter days, if I am not driving at all, then I have to be a little careful with power usage. This has been a rare circumstance for me, but if you plan to winter camp stationary a lot with no shore power, then I would probably up it to 300 or 400 AH for that. Hope that helps.
Sound System
- Polk Audio PA D5000.5 900W RMS, 5-Channel Class D PA Series Car Amplifier (PAD5000.5),100 Watts x4; 400 Watts x1
- Alpine iLX-F509 Head Unit
- Polk DB652 UltraMarine Dynamic Balance Coaxial Speakers, 6.5″ (6)
- Alpine speakers in front doors and dash (will update model when I figure out what it is)
- Rockford Fosgate R2 Ultra Shallow 10-Inch 4 Ohm DVC Subwoofer
It is pretty loud and bumping. More than enough to upset people at the trailhead.
Kitchen
- Nova Kool R4500 RV Refrigerator 12/24VDC / Black
- Dometic Drop-In Cooktop (propane stove)
No, the fridge is not propane. It is 12vdc and super efficient. It works great. The burners use propane. A solenoid protects the propane system, you have to switch it before you can turn on the burners. The faucet in the sink is currently rigged for cold water only and goes straight out, but you could add greywater tank underneath, if you need that.
Heater
- Espar / Eberspacher Airtronic D2 12v Heater
It is under the passenger seat. It is very warm. It has an altitude sensor on it to adjust the air mix at high altitiude. The heater does need service from time to time. In the PNW it seems to go through a whole winter without issue. When I used it in hard Teton winters from 6,000-10,000 ft, I had to service it each spring. I have, and will include with purchase of the van, an entire second heater—basically all backup parts you could need to do a rebuild.
Extras
- Entire second wheelset—the stock rims that came on the cargo van
- Studded snow tires—Cooper Discoverer M&S (6 of them).
Good condition, used for 3 winters but short distances. Plenty of tread left.
Payload & Weight
This is a 3500 dualie. The build is decently heavy, but it has a big payload and engine, so there is still plenty of buffer. Here are the payload and weight specifications:
- Stock weight of the vehicle = 5,412 lbs
- Manufacturer’s stated payload = 4,488 lbs
So at 9,900, you would be above limits. The last few times I weighed myself heading out on a big trip I was around 8300 with an average load (3 bikes, full water tank, 2 people, all of my kiteboarding gear, pantry and fridge full).
Service Intervals, Condition of Vehicle
I followed the recommended maintenance schedule for this vehicle. A and B services were performed at recommended intervals, mostly at Warner Vans (West Valley City, UT), then later at Mercedes Benz of Seattle once I moved to the PNW. The service history (excluding tires/wheels) for the van can be obtained from those two sources.
No accidents.
Cosmetically, the vehicle is in good condition. There are a few nits that I would walk any serious buyer through, all cosmetic. Paint and interior surface scratches, cosmetic wear on the rack systems, etc.
Manufacturer’s Van Specs
- Trim: Cargo 3500 V6 High Roof 144 RWD
- Body: Cargo High Roof
- Exterior: Arctic White
- Doors: 3
- Stock#: W1954
- Model #: F3CA46
- Engine: 3.0L V6 Turbo Diesel
- Transmission: 7G-TRONIC Automatic
- Fuel: Diesel Fuel
- Drive: Rear Wheel Drive
- MPG*: 16 City / 20 Hwy
- Upholstery: Fabric Black