Hmm, to gamble on it or nah maybe not?

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Drove a bit quicker down a highway last night to save a bit of time, 110-120kmh for a stretch. Still hit a higher km figure at half a tank than I did first tank I think. At just under half a tank left now. I've been driving more conservatively for sure, but still not into "hypermiling," territory doing 89kmh while drafting behind a truck or anything. I also haven't remembered to toggle the turbo timer on/off, so I idle for 30 seconds every time I shut the engine off. Pretty confident I'll get over 30mpg US by the time I fill up again.

Might be neat to actually spend the extra 5-10mins per trip doddling along in the slow lane behind a rig to see how little fuel I can burn. Maybe next year lol no one has that kind of time at Christmas!

2nd tank:

57.409L 722.2km (Although, I did travel 1-2km before resetting the trip as I forgot to do it at the gas station. Close enough, though. This time I reset it at the pump.)

= 7.949183 l/100km = 29.59 mpg US.

Getting closer to 30+. Bet if
I just roll slower it’ll break 30. I’ve been mostly just going with the flow of traffic, but I could pull into the right lane and cruise slower more often. I bet that would tip it over 30.

Also not sure which brand of diesel gets the best fuel economy - I know I got different mpg from different brands of regular gas in my car so there’s probably some variation between diesels too.

The pink diesel is the cheapest, also illegal in a street vehicle.

Yeeeeah, we call that “red gas,” or “farm gas,” or “marked gas.”

I know of it, but don’t know where it’s even sold ?? Gotta be some stations out on the valley where there are a lot of farms. But there are also farms very near my home sooo I dunno where they get fuel from.

I never came back to the thread after you explained you in fact needed a work van.

That whole comparison with the Dart really threw me off. It's not a work vehicle, it's a compact sedan. When you finally, pages later, explained that you needed a work van I understood that it wasn't an apples-to-apples comparison, and completely lost interest because of how insane it made the discussion up to that point.

Anyway, signing off.

Umm, okay ?

The Dart is my car. I use it for work. It has a Thule rack and extra large SUV size Thule box on top to ~double the cargo space of the trunk. I also fold the rear seat down for some materials. I still can’t transport sheets of material nor everything I need at once sometimes.

How is it beyond your comprehension that people use the vehicle they have until they can afford or justify something larger?

Anyways, at the moment I still have both. And my motorcycle. Going to get some things repaired on the van and then drive it more and see if I wanna keep it or resell it. Chance I might resell it and then keep my eye out for a truck or van on propane/dual fuel - maybe. Deciding factor is comfort - never owned a vehicle that caused pain from driving it before. Got a back support thingy that helps a bit but it’s still no bueno for Me. Ordered a couple different thick honeycomb gel seat cushions to try and see if they’re game changers, but if it causes debilitating back pain then it’s getting some repairs and then sold in good conscience that everything is in tiptop shape. Googled and couldn’t find others with the same complaints about these vehicles so may just be Me but yeah, driving it for a few weeks over 100km/day had me feeling like I had been in a car accident. Not sure if suspension, engine vibrations, or both. If a $137 gel cushion is a game changer I’ll keep it, if not I’ll sell it and keep my eye out for a propane powered truck/suv/van - there’s a 2011 Sierra on dual fuel for $17k that would be pretty sweet. 6’6” box only tho.

Back is feeling almost 100%. Put one of the gel cushions on the seat and drove the van around the block just to move it to a legal parking spot for the next few days. The cushion helps underneath for sure, but now I have this strange tingly tension and pain across my shoulders/neck - from just driving around the block. I don't think it's the compression of the suspension that's the main contributor to this bizarre pain.. I think it must be the vibrations of the engine! I can feel them through the seat/back support, as well as through the steering wheel/shifter/dash etc.

99% sure that experimenting with seat cushions isn't going to change much and after I have a couple grand worth of maintenance/repairs done, I'll likely end up selling it and reverting back to my car and making do unless I see something else I wanna buy.. like if I were buying right now there's a 2011 Sierra on dual fuel gasoline/propane I'd consider. But who knows, maybe I can squeeze the additional tools and things I'll need into my car for the next while and just casually look for something else when just the right truck/van comes up. Assuming I'll have to sell this van, my next ride will likely be propane powered.

how did you hurt your back?

I didn't injure it, it's literally from driving the van. I've NEVER driven a vehicle that causes back pain before, but the vibrations/suspension in this van cause debilitating back pain, especially if I drive it several days in a row. It's bizarre. I haven't been able to find any google results of similar complaints from anyone. Physiotherapist said it's kind of like mattresses - some are great for most people, and hurt other people's backs. If nothing can be done to rectify it I can't keep it because I can't drive it.

my suspicion is that your seat's thigh support is insufficient. also you probably have a shot lumbar section of the seat or perhaps in your back as well, those things sneak up on us when we reach a certain age. i've gone through these issues myself so i have some familiarity with it. i would try adding serious accessory seat cushioning and esp. a lumbar support cushion and see what happens. it might save you some $$$.

Earlier in this thread I told you why drivers hate cab-over configuration, it beats up drivers. Drivers literally quit the industry due to discomfort. That was back when there was a regulation for the total truck and trailer length when it made sense to make the cab short. They died off as soon as that regulation was lifted. Nobody wants to drive cab-over given a choice.

Old school Obus Forme back support from a medical supply place added w/ lumbar support etc. Makes a difference, but not 100%.

I've never ever had back pain issues, and not from driving anything - just regular strains from doing work/workouts etc. And this particular pain is very unique; I've never felt anything like it before.

Bought 2 different gel seat cushions. One has arrived and I'm sitting on it at a desk right now. I sat on it on the drive around the block. Less vibration directly up through the seat, but still feel vibrations through the Obus Forme as well as through the steering wheel, shifter, dash if my knees touch it etc - it's a diesel; it vibrates.

There's something about the combination of this vehicle's vibrations and my back that do not mix. It's probably fine for someone else. I can't find any complaints online of similar things happening to others driving these.

Yet entire countries drive cab-overs.. and there are lots of larger cab-over trucks here. They can't all cause this to everyone that drives them or there wouldn't be ANY of them vs. quite a large number of them on the road.

I'm inclined to believe that this particular vehicle + my body = much more severe issue than it may cause in others. If it was a similar issue for everyone who drove these there would be all kinds of complaints online about it. I believe my physiotherapist's input that it's kind of like mattresses.. what feels fine to someone is painful for another. I've just never ever driven anything that causes this, ever. It's pretty weird and gets Really Bad if I drive it daily.. like, I mean it was physically difficult to get out of bed and felt like I'd been in a car accident - bizarre! If the cushions/support don't make much difference, it's getting repaired and put up for sale needing nothing mechanically - ready for someone else to use it to haul stuff or convert to a camper or whatever.

https://www.quora.com/Why-dont-truck-dr ... e-cabovers

Almost all of those complaints are about full size highway tractors, not little vans with ~2.5L turbo diesels. They're also referencing vehicles 60 years old. Quite different from a 2004 toyota van.

But maybe some things about them just aren't that differnet. Regardless, I couldn't find Any results about these vans causing what I've experienced. I do believe my physiotherapist is correct in that it may just be particularly bad For Me.

Seems like I'm gonna end up having several things fixed up that it needs to be mechanically perfect and then put it up for sale. After that I'll keep my eye out for something with a propane conversion/dual fuel. There's a Sierra for sale now that I might consider - only downside is only having a 6'6" bed but even that isn't the end of the world. If it's still for sale in a couple months I might even buy that exact one. Or maybe I'll just keep jamming tools in my car lol I dunno yet.

It's hard to find an analogue question/answer for cab-over vans because they aren't sold/popular in most english speaking regions.

Presumably for good reasons, because manufacturers do research the markets.