New Ride - Ram Promaster

[BMAC]

I pulled the trigger on a 2016 Ram Promaster High roof 159" wheelbase a couple of weeks ago. My F-150 simply was not suitable for transporting materials and tools to job sites.

I had some time today and it "warmed" up to about -3C today so I decided to begin my upfit with the cargo area floor. After perusing what others have posted here and on a Promaster forum, I decided I'd use the 2'x2' T&G OSB panels that have a plastic membrane laminated to the bottom. I used the "barricade" brand available here for about $2.00/SF. They are rated at R-1.7 I think but they also act as a thermal break and gives some grip to walk on as the bare cargo floor was VERY slippery. I plan on adding a rubber tile floor on top of the OSB panels when I'm all done.

I removed the factory installed cargo floor tie down D-rings to allow for the panels to be installed on the cargo deck using PL400 construction adhesive. PL400 can be installed in temps as low as -17C. I've left a heater going in the vehicle to keep the temperature up a bit to allow for curing in case we get cold temps tonight.

When the fastener supply house reopens after the holidays (like the UK we have Boxing Day as a stat holiday) I'll buy longer bolts to refasten the tie down rings to the floor and the ring's washer's will also help hold down the new floor in position.

Next up will be insulating and panelling the walls/doors and ceiling so I can design/build the storage shelving system.

I'll post more pics as things progress.

 

[BMAC]

Here's a pic of the van from the outside. Also, the second photo is my F-150 with 966 lf of casing and base shoved through the back window [eek]

 

[awil66]

What the heck is that grey pole in font of the truck?

 

[BMAC]

Just the street lamp pole at the end of my driveway

 

[builderbob]

Looks great!  I love my PM!  I'll have owned it two years in January. So much better than working out of a pickup. It's nice to have all of the tools accessible Individually as opposed to my former way of having to unload stacks to get to anything!  Enjoy!

 

[Billnut]

Please keep the pictures coming. I should be finalizing the purchase of a 2016 in the next week or so and look forward to your upfit pics. Love the idea of the osb panels for the floor.
Bill
Bonetto's Carpentry

 

[KescoNY]

Very nice looking van  Best of luck with it.

Im due to replace some vehicles and I'm caught between the promaster and the sprinter.  Promaster mainly because of the price and all my other vehicles are RAM which would make servicing very easy but I'm curious to hear how they drive, handle the weight, mpg etc. 

I may actually rent one for a week and test it out 

 

[BMAC]

I went for the Ram instead of a Sprinter for the same reason. Years ago, I used to manage a large restoration company and we had a fleet of 165 vehicles. The few Sprinters we had were always in for repairs and there was major/costly repairs required. Yes, they were under warranty but it doesn't help when your outfitted vehicle is out of commission for days on end.

We've had some pretty cold and snowy weather here as of late and I'm impressed how well the Ram performs on the snow covered roads, and that's with the crappy factory all season tires! I can't recall the make of the tires at the moment, but the brand used certainly isn't one that I ever heard of before.

As to handling weight, I can't answer that question yet as I've not yet completed the build, nor placed much in the way  of tools/materials in it. Once I've done so I'll post my thoughts on it. BTW, mine is a 2500 or 3/4 ton as there were no 1 ton vehicles available and I didn't want to wait for a factory order (3/4 ton should be plenty carrying capacity for my needs).

 

[bigjonh]

Which motor did you go with [member=40924]BMAC[/member]? I'm torn between the promaster and the transit myself.

 

[BMAC]

I went with the gas engine. The Pentastar 3.6 litre as opposed to the diesel which was not readily available here without a factory order (I needed to pull the trigger somewhat quickly as there were very few vehicles to choose from. Mine was a vehicle my leasing guy found that was coming on a train to Alberta from Eastern Canada to a dealer here)

Besides, diesels are so much more expensive to service here in Canada (not sure if same situation elsewhere). For instance, a relative of mine has a Ford F-350 pick up and an oil change runs him $350+ as there are a lot of other filters that get replaced at the same time for the fuel, etc.

I'm just assuming that the Promaster Diesel engine would be more to service based on the example above, plus until recently diesel was more expensive than gasoline  per litre (I think due to taxation here).

Edit: forgot to answer the MPG. I've set mine to metric, I'm so far getting about 14.5 litres per 100 km, but I'm told by a mechanic that the computer runs the engine a bit rich for the first 8-10,000 kms and then readjusts itself to better fuel economy. Not sure if this is true or folklore. All I know is that I'm getting better mileage than my F-150 ecoboost did (probably 'cause I ran it harder than I should of...)

 

[KescoNY]

I went for the Ram instead of a Sprinter for the same reason. Years ago, I used to manage a large restoration company and we had a fleet of 165 vehicles. The few Sprinters we had were always in for repairs and there was major/costly repairs required. Yes, they were under warranty but it doesn't help when your outfitted vehicle is out of commission for days on end.

We've had some pretty cold and snowy weather here as of late and I'm impressed how well the Ram performs on the snow covered roads, and that's with the crappy factory all season tires! I can't recall the make of the tires at the moment, but the brand used certainly isn't one that I ever heard of before.

As to handling weight, I can't answer that question yet as I've not yet completed the build, nor placed much in the way  of tools/materials in it. Once I've done so I'll post my thoughts on it. BTW, mine is a 2500 or 3/4 ton as there were no 1 ton vehicles available and I didn't want to wait for a factory order (3/4 ton should be plenty carrying capacity for my needs).

Thanks

I originally looked at the 3500 high top but since i will not be using it anymore for towing  I will probably go with 2500 high top very similar to yours.

I agree regarding the sprinters.  I love the way they drive and handle but i am not happy with their loaner system when in service, turn around time and cost of maintenance once it is out of warranty  I have a good relationship with Ram so thats looking more like it 

 

[BMAC]

I'm looking for some input from others that have completed an upfit to a cargo van of any model.

Bear with me....my questions are at the bottom of the post.

I originally was thinking of insulating the larger open wall and ceiling panel areas with rigid insulation panels and the rib/strut voids with spray foam and then I'll cover these areas with plywood sheathing, but now I'm not sure about the insulation part due to the effort and cost and I'm not inclined to wanting to heat a huge area when I really don't need to.

I carry small amounts of paint for trim work as well as a collection of caulking, adhesives, etc that in the winter months I have to keep from freezing (froze a $50 can of paint a couple of winters ago)! It's not tons of stuff, maybe 2 or more Sys IV's but enough that I don't want to always have to bring these consumables inside each night and back in the van the next day. So, in the previous Ford F-150 Truck I installed a 110volt cab heater (little buddy brand at Canadian Tire) which worked great and I never lost anything even if it was -30C.

I'm rethinking the thought of insulating the entire Promaster cargo area and when I building out the shelves (pre finished 3/4" Baltic birch ply) for my systainers I'm thinking that I'll build a storage locker/hot box of sorts (think of an upright fridge made of ply) that will be fully insulated and sealed that will house a small ceramic 110volt heater and would get plugged in while in my driveway and I might also buy a small 12 volt heater to keep things warm when I'm not able to plug into the mains. Both would be placed on their own thermostats and I'll put in a second house battery segregated from the starter battery with a battery isolator.

So, my questions are as follows:

1. I'm still wanting to place plywood on the walls at least to protect from denting the outer body panels from potential loose objects. What plywood thickness have you used and why, do I go thicker than 1/4 or 3/8" to provide structural support/mount to the shelving gables? Or should I go thinner on the wall panelling and just secure the shelving gables directly to the steel ribs/struts?

2. Has anyone built a hot box/cabinet as described and what did you do for keeping it warm with both the 110v and 12v? As the cabinet is probably going to be maybe 6" wider and deeper than a systainer foot print and the shelves will be vented to allow the heat to rise to higher shelves I'm thinking that 1.5" iso foam insulation board would be more than ample? Any thoughts or advice on what to do or not to do with the proposed setup?

Thanks for your input

 

[WastedP]

For the heated container, you might want to consider using the element from an animal watering bowl.  It should have a built-in thermostat that is set to something like 36 or 40 degrees Fahrenheit.  Since your goal is really to just keeping things from freezing, that should be warm enough.  A heat mat for starting seedlings might be a better choice if the temp needs to be higher.  If a 12V system is mandatory, then one of those cheap heated seat covers could have what you need, but I think it would be a pain to switch it over from the rig's system to a garage plug-in.  I'd rather carry the stuff inside each day than troubleshoot that.

My father owned the previous generation Sprinter (cab & chassis) and traded it in on a ProMaster 3500 a little over a year ago.  He preferred the stability control in the Sprinter, but to hear him tell it, no trip to the mechanic ever cost less than $3k.  He's fine with the PM's gas mileage, but it varies widely since he's driving over mountain passes loaded with a half-ton of plumbing fittings and another half-ton of who knows what.

 

[BMAC]

[member=41832]WastedP[/member]

Good idea on the heater element for an animal watering bowl! I'll check that out at the farm co-op store and at Princess Auto (Canada's version of Harbor Freight).

Also I like the 12 volt heated blanket thought as well.

I may not even bother with the 12 volt option that would be only necessary when I'm not plugged in at home as the latent heat in the hot box would possibly be enough to keep things from freezing while at job sites. Some of my sites are condo towers downtown and several of them have large heated/enclosed loading bays I can use.

I'll monitor the temperatures experienced when I'm unplugged from the house. I bought the attached temperature monitor a few years ago for 2 additional deep freezers I have at home. I'll place one of the transmitters in the cargo area and the receiver in the cab and I can monitor the temperature from there. It even records the maximum and minimum temperatures reached and has an alarm that you can set if the temperature falls outside of the range set.
http://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-Refri...r_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1451436203&sr=1-2

 

[peter halle]

When I had to store paints in my unheated shed I built a box out of the 2" foam from the big box stores, joined the seams with duct tape and used an 250 watt aquarium heater inserted into a 5 gallon bottled water bottle.  I could set the thermostat to keep the contents as toasty as I wanted.  It worked really well.  Once the mass of the contents got to temperature it was amazing how little the heater turned on.

Peter

 

[BMAC]

[member=1674]Peter Halle[/member]

Might make sense to go with the 2" foam, more is better. Great idea for the aquarium heater and bottled water latent heat. Kind of like a battery bank for storing heat, I like it 8)

Best to assume that eBay would yield best pricing on that type of thing? Never bought one so....

Thanks for the input!

 

[peter halle]

Amazon, marine depot.com, drfostersmith.com would all have heaters.  Probably in the 20 to 30 dollar range.

When I did mine I sealed the top of the water bottle with the heater sticking part of the way out with duct tape.

Peter

 

[BMAC]

Thanks Peter!

 

[Billnut]

Bruce, what Promaster forums have you been reading regarding the shelving and upfitting?  The only decent forum I could find was Promasterforum.com.  Just trying to find good ideas for my upfit when the time comes.  Looking forward to your pics.
Thanks
Bill
Bonetto's Carpentry

 

[BMAC]

@Bonetto

Bill, yes it has been the promasterforum.com that I've been checking out. Some informative information there to be sure. There are some work van upfit postings and pics, with some good ideas but the forum appears to be more centric to owners camperizing their rides, as opposed to work vans.

The disappointing revelation I learned is that unless you've ordered a factory alarm and remote start that there appears to be only maybe one or two aftermarket systems that will work on the Promaster. These systems (availability for me in Canada is in question) basically "fool" the system in thinking that there is a valid key in the vehicle. They take one of your spare key fobs and place it up under your dashboard after wrapping several wraps of wire around it and also a wrap of wire around the ignition module in your steering column.

For me, I'd have to give up my only spare key (yes, you should cut off the actual metal key potion). My Promaster came with only 2 keys as that is how a local dealership ordered it. My dealer said he always orders 4 key fobs that as a factory ordered option that is only an extra $150. I was told that NOW if I order one extra fob that they are $250 each and that they come from Europe (Fiat) and that they are $250 each!!!

Also, I've learned more about the electrical system from the forum that you should be aware of if you buy the Promaster. Even though my vehicle came factory configured with the option of the 12 volt voltage block (located at the passenger side B pillar) apparently if you want to add a cargo area 12 volt outlet that there is no live circuit at this block to add this feature as the feed to this block is controlled by the vehicle computer and the Stealership has to program the computer to activate this circuit!

Same is true if you didn't get the option of fog lights, they need to program the system for those to work as well! Kind of a crappy thing to do IMHO.