# Cargo Van conversions- how have you done it?



## hobbyhorse23 (Aug 8, 2012)

I've looked up old topics on this on the forum and found some great info but some of the pictures have gone the way of the red X and I know there's some new ones out there nobody's posted. Can I see your mini cargo van conversions? After years of dreaming about it I just bought a 2005 Chevy Express 3500 extended van and need to have it ready to go for hauling two horses by Labor Day weekend.

I have some ideas but would love to know what's worked for others!

Thanks,

Leia


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## Suzie (Aug 8, 2012)

I have posted these pics before..but may not be available now. We bought a 1500 Chevy Express van several years ago. These are chain-link panel gates (about $40 each) from local hardware store. ZIp tie together. You can use straps to anchor to the side walls. We place a tarp down in the back, add shavings, set in the 4 panels, zip tie 3 together. Leave one open as a gate. We bought a handicap ramp that folds up and stores on the side (see pic #2). Our stallion (or mares & foals, and even a few donkeys) just walk up the ramp in the side doors. We then zip tie the last panel in place and roll.... We have traveled with this stallion and his Jerald cart (see pic#2). We have traveled on a 3 day journey to pick up a new horse. Everything fits conveniently and best part is that when done, just take out the panels, fold the tarp in on itself, drag out the back and dump. No mess, no cleanup. Our horses love to look out the back window as we go down the road. They have A/C, or heat and music from the radio. Easy to drive in big cities or open road. No trailer to have to worry about. We can access the horse through the inside door or open the side doors with ease. We travel with horses and a couple of dogs and luggage....plenty of room. I LOVE this van.


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## hippocampe (Aug 8, 2012)

I can do a temporary transformation of my Renault-Master. I use this car for the transport of my great danes, just with mattresses on the floor..

but for the minis I have a wooden separation fixed across; a rubber mat protects the floor and avoid the mini sliding.






there is still some space for luggage or anything else behind the second row of seats, and I could also take out this second row






and now with a mini inside...






I could transport two of them


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## mydaddysjag (Aug 8, 2012)

I dont have any pictures, but I did do a lot of research on this last year as I was considering doing this instead of buying a new trailer (and there are defiantly days I wish I had the van instead). I ended up going for the trailer because I was starting to get into the taller B sized horses, and when I got my high strung shetland colt, I was very glad I had him in a trailer and not inside a vehicle with me. Here is what I can remember off the top of my head. Safety is a very big deal, make sure you do things right the first time, you dont want to be wishing you had done different if your in an accident.

-They made heavy duty stainless steel dividers that go behind the front seats, the top half of them are expanded mesg steel so you can see behind you and get airflow, but incase of an accident, it puts a very solid partition between you and the horses. Some vans have them installed already, or you can find them used on craigslist often.

-You can get heavy duty cargo liners that cover the entire floor, they are a thick rubber (Id say 1/2") and they extend up the walls about 4" to prevent spills from going under them, I thought they would be excellent to contain horse pee. You could use shavings over top of them and I think It would be pretty easy to clean.

-I was worried about the strength of chain link panels in the case of an accident, I've seen large dogs do some gnarly things to chain link, Ive also seen horses rip their eye lids off on it, so I was too scared to consider using it if we got the fence. I was going to use these gate panels they sell at tractor supply, they are welded steel with welded wire mesh inside. I was going to have my husband weld brackets to the head side on the inside of the van, so I could load my horses standing sideways, and swing the dividers to the side while I loaded each horse. These are the gates, several places sell them and when I was looking I could find them in 4', 5', 6', then they went up to 10', 12', and 16'. http://www.tractorsupply.com/wire-filled-gate-4-ft--3611046 I was just going to have hubby weld a drop pin slot on the butt side and again, another on the van wall on the butt side and close them just like regular trailer dividers. The gates could be removes from the van the same way you would remove a gate from a pasture.

-If your not planning to leave the horses in the van, are you planning to set them up like tiny box stalls, or like horse trailer stalls? In my trailer I opted for sideways stalls (best use of space) and I went with 24". Even by big B horse at his fattest and furriest is nowhere close to needing a stall that big. Honestly 20"-22" is plenty big. In the case of an accident, its easier for them to be able to brace against dividers instead of being flung around.

-A lot of times on craigslist you can also find organizers for in cargo vans, they make all different sizes, many that have latchable doors that bolt to the walls. This might be a good idea, so you can shut all of your supplies behind the door and latch it. In an accident, anything not secured is going to fly around and hit your horses.

I cant wait to see pictures when you get it all done.


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## Becky Horat (Aug 8, 2012)

We bought pannels from www.horsestall.com (Mini horse pannels). These are really nice. We just converted our Toy Hauler trailer with these as they were perfect fit. We are able to use the extra panels to use for a pen sitaution as well. We ended up bolting a bracket to the frame to attach them so no moving if stop quickly or get in a wreck. They are very sturdy. I would think pretty important to fasten them very well to frame of vehicle for safety. I know this is a little more than what you'd probably need for the van, but work great for trailers, etc. We just finished it and will get pix posted soon.

Leia...you'll have to check it out when you come visit.


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## Becky Horat (Aug 8, 2012)

Would love to hear ideas of flooring (as we're still trying to come up with something different) and clean up, etc. We're using a tarp underneath rubber mats and shavings on top. Seems to work well and luckily the shavings don't blow around either. Any other ideas?


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## BigDogs & LittleHorses (Aug 8, 2012)

Ah, so THAT's why you just bought a new van! I should have known it was for minis, too.



Did you end up selling your big truck & large horse trailer?

Congratulations... looking forward to seeing it at the beach!


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## hobbyhorse23 (Aug 9, 2012)

Thank you for all the great new responses, everyone! It looks like I've been thinking along the same lines as previous conversions so I must be on the right track. The van has a full bulkhead/cargo barricade/"headache rack"/wall thingie pre-installed and if it hadn't, I had my eye on a couple on Craigslist. I was hoping for one with the tow hitch pre-installed too but no such luck! Gonna have to cough up the $$$ to get that added myself.

Daryl, the problem has been that if I move out of the area I would no longer have a vehicle to haul the horse trailer with as the truck I use belongs to my Mom and (funny thing) she isn't willing to part with it.



She doesn't need the trailer so will let me take that but a trailer without a truck doesn't do me much good. Thus the dilemma and part of why I still live at home!

Since I've been wanting a cargo van for a few years anyway so I don't have to hitch up the whole massive rig just to run Kody to the chiropractor for 15 minutes, I thought I'd combine the two and get a van heavy enough to serve as a hauling vehicle as well. It will give me a little more independence as I can easily load even my pair cart in it by myself and I'll be able to camp comfortably without the RV.



When I'm taking them to the vet, a senior center with a tight parking lot or the beach head where turning around the full rig is an invitation to getting stuck I can throw the boys directly in the van and use it as a horse hauler. I'm delighted with the potential versatility! I'll finally be able to take the boys all the places I can't fit with a big trailer.

Anyway, that's why. I would have waited a bit longer for budget reasons but I may be moving quite far away in the near future and couldn't without the hauling vehicle so it had to be done. Hopefully I won't regret it!

Suzie, do you have a better picture of your ramp? That's one of the things I've been trying to figure out. I know the boys will jump in but I'm worried the second horse doesn't really have enough room to land safely with the partition between them closed so I may need a ramp to prevent potential injury. I have some ideas but wondered what others have done.

Hippocampe, I love your divider! I hadn't figured out yet whether to have a completely solid one or rails or what and yours is the best possible combination of both. Thank you! That way I can stack cargo up against the other side without it getting through but they can still see over and better yet, I have somewhere built-in to tie them in the form of that rail. I could easily stretch some netting or metal mesh across the wood rail area and above to protect from flying cargo in case of an accident. How do you attach it to the van? That's the other part I can't figure out.

Mydaddysjag, where do you get the cargo liners? There's already a nice thick rubber one with some sort of cushy temperature-insulation stuff beneath it on the floor of this one but I'd like to protect it with an additional layer. I was going to buy a thin 1/4" stall matting they sell by the foot here but unfortunately it seems like stall mats in any thickness only come in 4' widths and I really need 5'. I can piece it in of course but I figured just like with the interlocking mats I have, urine would simply escape through the cracks and get through. I lifted them from the stalls at one show and it was a lake of standing urine below! The ammonia smell was horrible and that was with plenty of bedding on top.



Anyone know where I can get a good, easily removable liner/rubber matting material in the right width? Would pool liner or something similar work?

My van came with the bins but they make that huge space feel incredibly crowded and I can't get my carts in with the bins installed. I'm going to have my dad help me build my own that will be much closer to the wall and I have some ideas in mind for hanging harness racks and such. We'll see! Definitely don't want things flying at the horses but I need to be able to have wide things back there too.

Interesting idea with the Tractor Supply gates. I would think without padding those wouldn't be comfortable for the horses to brace on but it's definitely a thought. Hmm....

My current mini stalls in the trailer are 23" wide and I agree, that's plenty. I do want them to be able to brace in turns but also don't want it to feel like a prison with floor to ceiling metal dividers like those gates. Both boys get a bit claustrophobic in those conditions even though you can see through them! I'd like a more organic-feeling wooden enclosure with a simple but sturdy partition between them and some sort of butt-bar keeping them away from the sliding door as well. (Yes, I have plans for how to block off the footwell so nobody slips a foot down it.) I'd let them ride loose together but Kody would kick the tar out of Turbo.

Becky, which panels did you get? I can't wait to see!

Leia


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## hippocampe (Aug 9, 2012)

> Hippocampe ... How do you attach it to the van?


I'll take a photo without the divider this afternoon or evening to show you the fixation.


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## Suzie (Aug 9, 2012)

I don't have a better picture handy of the ramp, but this is what I bought - but I got mine on Ebay for less. It is aluminum and folds easily in the middle and carries easily. It is 5' long. It is sturdy enough to support a wheelchair + person, so horses are not a problem. My cargo van came with shelves pre-installed which I took out all but one set. I left one set of smaller ones to store items. I sold them to pay for the ramp....they sell very expensive. My van was a repo that I bought that came fully loaded and low miles. The previous owner had installed all the bells and whistles including security grates on all the windows and the cabin door, which was wonderful. I do recommend those security grates if you can. My horses have never tried to get near the windows, but you never know....

http://www.overstock.com/Health-Beauty/Portable-5-foot-Single-Fold-Ramp/3130640/product.html?cid=202290&kid=9553000357392&track=pspla&kw={keyword}&adtype=pla


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## hippocampe (Aug 9, 2012)

That's the fixation of my divider:

On each side of the car's back there is a wooden part screwed in the strong metallic frame of the car. The screws come from behind the piece of wood, they have been passed trough wholes existing for modifications and fixations in the car. The screws go trough the wood through pre-drilled wholes and are tight with bolts.

Theese wooden supports stay permanently in their places, I just remove the separation wall if I don't want to transport a minihorse.






in the wooden support is a whole to fix the divider... also with screw+bolt






the wooden bar is screwed on the lateral wooden supports

and here again, the complete "installation"


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