Hey Davydd, thanks for commenting here. I have read many of your posts and have always appreciated your experiences and insights into RV's. I really like those ARV's!!
I have also done a bit of mortise & tenon timber framing joinery, but never had the stars line up to complete an entire post & beam timber home. I have, though, used this technique in building small areas of my daughter's and son's homes, as well as mine, with some large timbers and posts. I had bought a WoodMizer sawmill some years back & have a fair stock of quarter sawn boards and beams that I use to build a few pieces here and there. I chose bamboo on the van build for several reasons, the first being that it was straight and true, and the edges I think are very eye catching, so cabinets, door frames and counter tops would be a bit 'easier' to build with no edge banding. Plus it had a lighter hue than the oak I am more accustommed to using on the few pieces I have made.
I would imagine the only way to get added 'approved' load carrying capacity would be to buy a factory certified vehicle with more stated carrying capacity. Having said that, the additional bracing for the VB suspensionn HAS to add more rigidity & strength to the rear frame - certified or not. My last RV, as I had mentioned earlier was a '17 Navion, with the 3500 chassis. It handled OK, within limits, but needed Agile modified Fox Shocks & SuperSprings added rear leafs for the additional weight, and Sumos on the front end. BUT, THE SINGLE BIGGEST PROBLEM we had was the jarring rear end - it was AWFUL. One night, coming through the elevated interstate in Shreveport, LA, I had had enough. I got home, went straight to the computer and searched for a better solution for that damned jarring rear suspension. Now, please note that on smooth, but very undulating roads, the Navion felt great, but as soon as it encountered a sharp vertical edge such as a bridge transition, or 'slipped' concrete pavement sections, there was a horrible vertical motion that sounded like the cabinets were going to come off the walls. In my searching on line, I quickly found the VB and Glide Rite full air suspensions, but my wife would shoot me if I had proposed going that route. Instead, I landed on the Kelderman 2-stage air suspension system that used the existing spring pack, but added their rear bag system as the mount for the rear eyes of the stock spring pack. This was a big improvement! I also mounted an on board air compressor, with controls in cab where I could adjust the rear air pressures easily while driving. Somewhere along here I swore I would NEVER have a Sprinter without FULL rear air suspension. I installed the VB set up at about the 500 mile mark on this new van. I will say that the 2500 chassis does not benefit as much as would the 3500 dual rear wheel chassis, but I am thankful EVERY time I drive the van, for that VB suspension. It constantly keeps the van level and at the right spring 'tension'.
This van build was my first ever experience with lithium batteries, and I must say I am in heaven! I had to do a lot of research on them, since they are SO different than my previous experiences with lead acid. It had never occurred to me that I could power my AC unit with batteries, but a friend that was doing a van build as well, made the suggestion that I could run the AC unit for short durations with the 400ah lithiums (he built his own 1100ah battery bank). That sounded great for those travelling nights when we would stay at a rest area or such, and just needed to cool down the van before we went to sleep - and so far that has worked great! Since at this point I had already wired and finished most of the interior, I had to find a way to power the AC unit by the battery bank instead. I was able to find an available spot where I was able to install a three position rotary switch, where I can choose straight 120v shore/gen power, or power from the battery bank (through the inverter).
For charging the battery bank, I have two Victron Orion 30A chargers, and if the sun is out, the 400w solaria panel can add another 30 amps. I have seen 90+ amps on my BMV 712 monitor occasionally, while driving. In addtion to my Touch 50 display mounted centrally in the van, I have that 712 monitor mounted near my driver's seat so I can easily check the house battery bank status while driving. And as I have not yet depleted my batteries below 40%, I can recharge the batteries in fairly short order. So far, my drive time has easily exceeded my battery charging demands, so no problems yet, in 10,000 miles. I don't think in my case I would ever need to install a 2nd alternator.
I don't have a built in generator, (or propane) on this built. I specifically did not want either, after having had both in my previous two RV's. I do however, have a space under one of the beds where I can carry a Honda EU2200 generator. In fact, I carried it on the last trip up into Canada and back -3200 miles, and never used it. But it is there if I need it.
Thanks again for your advice and help. And to everyone that makes contributions to this forum.