[ncblueridge]

I'm trying to decide which way to go on this with a new Transit.

I'm definitely doing a high roof but unsure about which length - long or extended.

They both have benefits, long is easier to maneuver/park..extended adds a little more room.

Other thoughts..resale value..driving issues..etc ?

Thanks,
William

 

[cummins]

They both have the 148" wheelbase. So I don't see much difference in maneuverability. hope this helps.

 

[EddieZ]

Check out the medium roof in high winds thread. As the subject drifted, there was commentary on any longer length behind the rear axle of any van, making it more squirrelly on the highway, in wind.

 

[Chance]

....cut....
..extended adds a little more room.

.....cut.....

I believe it's around 28 inches longer, which seems like a lot of extra room to me. If you were building a camper, for instance, that extra 15 square feet or so of floor space is enough for a full bath, or enough to add bunk beds for two extra people to sleep.

Parking a 22-ft long van versus a 20-footer has been discussed previously. A search may shed some light on this. An extended won't fit in standard parking spot unless backed in so tail hangs over curve. I do that with my extended E-Series when practical. Saves room; and mine is only 20-feet long.

 

[JP4]

I don't think you'd really notice the extra length while driving. Parking is a little tougher. If I'm parking somewhere busy like the grocery store, I just park at the end of the lot and take some extra space, or back in over the landscaping if there's room. The extended is really easy to back up accurately with the convex lower mirrors and the back up cam. The only places where I just couldn't park safely, were diagonal head-in spots on downtown streets. It just hangs out too far in traffic.
Trailering with a high tongue weight might be more squirrelly with the extended, but I don't have any experience with that.
I drive in winds over 30 kts pretty much every week and stability is a non issue for me.
JP

 

[Damaskinos_of_Athens]

.
As an American, it is your God given constitutional right and obligation to have the biggest and best of everything.

Hopefully everyone but the furiners and recent citizens knew that innately.

Unless you are some kind of city slicker who has to squeeze into some sort of concrete wasteland, "gimme the big one" should be the standard request. .

 

[PeterR]

. . . sometimes less is more . . .

 

[skagitstan]

. . . sometimes less is more . . .

...and sometimes less is less...>

 

[Randy]

I have the long van (med roof) and purchased a 60" wide Masterbuilt aluminum hitch carrier for the rear ($90 at Sportsman's Wharehouse). Then I mounted a 36" aluminum underbody truck box in the middle, a 20 lb propane tank on the driver side and a Honda EU2000i generator on the passenger side with proper hold downs and security devices. So now I can carry gas in the aluminum box (vent holes). Future plans are to place a Suburban on-demand water heater in the aluminum box. That way no propane will be plumbed into the van as I use an induction cook top. This adds about the same length as the extended van, so parking will be as described in posts above. Having the extended length van with the hitch carrier would make it 24 feet, which would add to parking problems. The hitch carrier, aluminum box and hardware weigh 80 lbs, generator is 48 and propane 35 for a total of 163 (rated capacity is 500 so room to carry gas and other things in the box).

There's a hitch at http://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Accessories/MaxxTow/MT70070.html that allows the hitch carrier to be used in addition to a small trailer.

 

[Randy]

Above was my first post and realized I didn't have a signature line describing my van, so added that and trying this again.

 

[EddieZ]

I have the long van (med roof) and purchased a 60" wide Masterbuilt aluminum hitch carrier for the rear ($90 at Sportsman's Wharehouse). Then I mounted a 36" aluminum underbody truck box in the middle, a 20 lb propane tank on the driver side and a Honda EU2000i generator on the passenger side with proper hold downs and security devices. So now I can carry gas in the aluminum box (vent holes). Future plans are to place a Suburban on-demand water heater in the aluminum box. That way no propane will be plumbed into the van as I use an induction cook top. This adds about the same length as the extended van, so parking will be as described in posts above. Having the extended length van with the hitch carrier would make it 24 feet, which would add to parking problems. The hitch carrier, aluminum box and hardware weigh 80 lbs, generator is 48 and propane 35 for a total of 163 (rated capacity is 500 so room to carry gas and other things in the box).

There's a hitch at http://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Accessories/MaxxTow/MT70070.html that allows the hitch carrier to be used in addition to a small trailer.

Got a pic to post, of your rig with the stuff on back?

 

[Chance]

I have the long van (med roof) and purchased a 60" wide Masterbuilt aluminum hitch carrier for the rear ($90 at Sportsman's Wharehouse). Then I mounted a 36" aluminum underbody truck box in the middle, .....cut.....

I also like that approach. A box off hitch is an excellent way to split the difference between two van sizes. You can use it when needed and leave it at home when using van as daily driver or shorter trips.

For longer trips we often install a modified hitch carrier (has dual receivers) and add a lockable plastic box -- I think it's around 10 cubic feet. We then fill it with tool boxes, water hose, power cord, camping chairs, windshield cover, etc.

Even though it's only 10 cubic feet it frees up a lot of space inside to pack extra clothes and food. And it's also nice to have things you use outdoors outside of van. Lack of outside storage is a downside to most Class Bs in my opinion.

When I see how much an extra 10 cubic feet of space provides, it makes me not want to give up any extra van size. Even so, no matter what van I get, I'll still have a carrier/box combo for occasions when needed.

The biggest drawback for me, other than adding about 2-feet in length, is that it blocks access to rear doors. I can fix that by adding slides to receivers but I haven't gotten around to it. And since the box blocks the rear doors anyway, I've thought of buying a much larger box. When I got mine almost 10 years ago it was the largest plastic box I could find. Now that van is old it's hard to justify any upgrades since we are going to replace it.

 

[Randy]

Trying to add photo of Hitch Carrier here (first time).

 

[Randy]

Side view.

 

[EddieZ]

Side view.

Good pics. Any idea how much hit your MPG took, with the AC (right?) on top?

 

[Davestr]

That was a good chuckle. Thanks.

 

[MzDWB]

They both have the 148" wheelbase. So I don't see much difference in maneuverability. hope this helps.

That was my thought too.

I have the 130" WB - we aren't really trying to turn it into an full fledged RV like most folks here, but want it functional as a nice comfortable place to sleep with a couple of necessary amenities more than anything.
As for the height. I have the medium height van. It's over 8 feet to the roof! The high top is around 9 feet. The extra height would be nice. Sounds like a good combination you have to me.

 

[MikeQBF]

Nobody has mentioned tail-dragging. The extra 28" of the extended can be a factor in entering and exiting driveways, especially from streets with a higher crown. I know it wouldn't make it in one of our driveways, even our old Isuzu box truck would hit bottom if I entered straight-on or too fast. The apron slope is not extreme by any means.

 

[Sprinter_Owner]

Check out the medium roof in high winds thread. As the subject drifted, there was commentary on any longer length behind the rear axle of any van, making it more squirrelly on the highway, in wind.

Funny, I have never felt anything squirrelly about my long and tall on the highway, have you even tried one? The side wind control corrects this, so never felt it.

 

[Travlin]

Nobody has mentioned tail-dragging. The extra 28" of the extended can be a factor in entering and exiting driveways, especially from streets with a higher crown. I know it wouldn't make it in one of our driveways, even our old Isuzu box truck would hit bottom if I entered straight-on or too fast. The apron slope is not extreme by any means.

This, and accommodating the length when parking were the biggest factors that led to striking the extended version from my search criteria. When traveling I prefer to be able to find convenient parking, without having to account for that added length. Parking is something I do every time I stop driving the van, so, not really needing the additional space, it seemed a logical choice for my application.

Anyone wanting to have that additional room, whether going extended, box van, school bus, etc. will have the parking issue to some degree, and if that is a worthwhile trade off for the utility this offers it is then a logical choice for them as well.