Work Van Modification.

[ri702bill 13,099]

Has anyone added weight to the rear Passenger Side of a Work Van to "Balance" the indifference between that side not having a full wall of storage cabinets due to the sliding side door? The Driver's side will have full wall storage. Every inch of usable space will be dedicated to compartmented storage where possible.

I suggested adding Suitcase Weights - 2 or 3 Either over the wheelwell or behind the lower removable finished wall panel. They would need to be properly secured to prevent shifting & outer body damage...

[adsm08 5,167]

I've seen it done. Usually it's just a bunch of weight in a box in the corner. Sometimes it's all the stuff that won't fit in the shelves/bins like paint cans and the like.

 

We also often have to do custom aligments, with the normal working load in the vehicle, to get them to drive straight.

[ri702bill 13,099]

30 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

to get them to drive straight.

A seperate issue is the vehicle leaning to the left - luckily this van has rear leaf springs; an extra "Helper" leaf can be added in the stack of the left side - a thin shim added to level it out on the right.

 

The big issue is the uneven weight distribution for traction in the rear. Even though this is a 2WD one ton van, when fully loaded, it will be very close to capacity.

Past vans he had were 3/4 ton models, they were not adequate.

Edited 1 hour ago by ri702bill

[adsm08 5,167]

6 minutes ago, ri702bill said:

A seperate issue is the vehicle leaning to the left

 

Not that separate if you understand the geometry of alignments. If it is leaning to the left the caster is being affected more on one side that the other, which will cause a pull, and potentially steering return issues.

[ri702bill 13,099]

20 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

We also often have to do custom aligments,

My first Mechanic Job after finishing Trade School, I worked at a Department Store that had an Automotive Service Center. We had a Salesman that stopped by a couple times a month - he and the Manager would take off for a couple of hours to have a "Liquid Lunch".... The Salesman was a BIG boy - about 300 pounds. He drove a Ford Station Wagon - usually fully loaded, it was a tail dragger. One day he asked me to align his car while they went to "Lunch"... I declined saying that I needed him IN the car during the work. The Assistant Manager came up with the answer - he was friendly with a woman that worked at the Grocery Store next door and "borrowed" three 100 pound sacks of potatoes for the task!!

[ri702bill 13,099]

1 minute ago, adsm08 said:

 

Not that separate if you understand the geometry of alignments. If it is leaning to the left the caster is being affected more on one side that the other, which will cause a pull, and potentially steering return issues.

Yup - see my above story!