Knapheide KUV

My extended ford van holds a 20' extension if that helps.

I have a 129SUK and on the floor there is only 10' 1" after the door closes. Of course it would fit at an angle but be in the way. BUT, there is an area above the front sliding door, that should be higher on the SLK than the SUK that goes above (or into) part of the cab. Might be able to store the ladder on the ceiling.

Dude, you have truck OCD or something. Just buy one already. :laughing:

Just measured, 127" from the indented part above the sliding door to the back.

347sparky said:

Just measured, 127" from the indented part above the sliding door to the back.

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Thanks.

What I will probably end up getting is the SUK like you're with the roof rack for the ladder.

o m g

buy something already.

DIYer4Life said:

Thanks.

What I will probably end up getting is the SUK like you're with the roof rack for the ladder.

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For some reason they make the ladder rack too narrow, IMO. I like having a conduit box on top, with 6, 8, 10 and extension ladder stacked on either side. Won't fit on the racks that are made for this style, so I made my own.

Big John said:

http://www.knapheide.com/media/uploads/Products/KUV/Ford_KUV_Literature.pdf

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Beware of the P.O.S. Wind deflector "crapheide" has bad seals where the van cab over meets the KUV body, the wind deflector makes it almost impossible to fix. Mine less than 2 years old had major leaks there and had to be sent to Dejanna to be removed for them to reseal where it leaked. It was sent out for repair 4 times and even taken completely apart one of those times and each time the leak reappeared worse. I cannot speak for all the upfitters they use but in my opinion and my experience with them for warranty AVOID knapheide and Dejanna.
Fwiw I hand the next size up from the 129 (the dual rear wheel) and the wind deflector was hollow but not useably open like the bump outs in uhaul trucks.
I do however miss most of the storage space it provided, parking it not so much.

That wind deflector isn't an option, it's only available on some models and as the above poster said it's not open from the inside of the cargo area like a "mother's attic" usually is.

If I get one, it'll be either the SUK or the 8" taller SLK. Both of them are only 3" wider on each side than a typical van. I'd get the 129" long body which is similar is size to a typical extended van.

Thanks for the pics!

I'm putting thoughts into the the SLK version which is the same as your's only it's 8" higher. The extra height also means that there are 2 factory shelves on each side and they are both deep because the sidewalls aren't slanted as much as they are on the SUK.

The higher interior should make it easier to walk into as well. But I should still be able to reach the ladder to unstrap it from the back bumper and the side door, and then slide it off the back. I only plan on keeping 1 extension ladder up there.

If you had to do it over, would you stick with the SUK or go with the higher SLK?

For me I would have to stick with the SUK because of the ladder rack, I can barely reach it now on the sides. 8" more would be a PIA. I would still have to duck in either one too.

Aside from that, for the SLK I would want the upper side doors too, kind of like the one pictured above. I don't think they offer that on the SUK. If you only have an extension ladder, I think they have a rack with the side drop down feature where it would be easy to get on and off.

Another thing to look at is basically they are the same but SLK is taller and weighs 250 more pounds. So you have more space but 250lb less availiable payload. It may not seem like that big of deal but right now I am just 100lbs under the GVWR.

347sparky said:

For me I would have to stick with the SUK because of the ladder rack, I can barely reach it now on the sides. 8" more would be a PIA. I would still have to duck in either one too.

Aside from that, for the SLK I would want the upper side doors too, kind of like the one pictured above. I don't think they offer that on the SUK. If you only have an extension ladder, I think they have a rack with the side drop down feature where it would be easy to get on and off.

Another thing to look at is basically they are the same but SLK is taller and weighs 250 more pounds. So you have more space but 250lb less availiable payload. It may not seem like that big of deal but right now I am just 100lbs under the GVWR.

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Wow, you must have the exterior cabinets full.

Dammit hax, your threads are making me wish I still had a KUV truck. :laughing:

Jlarson said:

Dammit hax, your threads are making me wish I still had a KUV truck. :laughing:

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I don't know anymore. It doesn't seem like 347sparky's truck is that loaded but his weight is too close to the GVWR for my liking.

AFAIK, you're really not supposed to have your truck loaded to its full capacity on a fulltime basis. So maybe this design with a heavy utility body won't work as well as I thought.

The one I was in for awhile was a 1 ton dually.

DIYer4Life said:

I don't know anymore. It doesn't seem like 347sparky's truck is that loaded but his weight is too close to the GVWR for my liking.

AFAIK, you're really not supposed to have your truck loaded to its full capacity on a fulltime basis. So maybe this design with a heavy utility body won't work as well as I thought.

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I probably have too much crap on my van that I don't use everyday, but I love being able to go somewhere and fix something right away because it's on the van. My old '97 ford 1 ton van was pretty maxed out on the GVWR for years before I got this one. I think things look more spread out on this van but there is a lot of weight in the cabinets and things I added.

I guess it depends on the type of material and quantity that you will be using. I love the outside access doors. It seems that 75% of the work I do is outside and the side doors are awesome for that.