mapleviewmobile Posted January 27, 2017 Just joined the forum today seeking education and comfort in purchasing my 1st NV High Roof Van. We own a service business affiliated to the dairy (as in cows) industry. Our next expansion is to begin "home milk delivery" as in the old and golden days. We need a vehicle which can handle the payload of the 3 to 4" insulated walls, a Therma king refrigeration unit and 2000 lbs of milk. A 6 cylinder just won't do the job. If anyone in the forum has thoughts or experience regarding the above, I am all ears. It may sound a little weird to most folks out there but we live in an area where this type of business will thrive. In excited to get started. All comments are welcome. Thanks, MVM Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ASD Dad Posted January 27, 2017 Welcome to the site! Where in NC are you? I could sort of see that delivery working here but we're spread out and would require a ton of driving. We have a local dairy farm where we buy all our milk products (Happy Cow Creamery). The farmer there has won numerous national awards for new farming practices for dairy cows. Farm fresh milk that is minimally processed tastes way better than the stuff in stores! Much better for you too. For the van, you definitely want a 3500 HD with that much weight. You may also need a helper spring, Timbrens or airbags to keep the rear from sagging too much. I'd start doing some rough math of the Thermaking, everything you'll be installing plus the weight of the milk and then see how much cushion you have on the rear axle rating and payload rating. The total payload is around 3500 pounds for the highroof V8. I cant remember what the rear axle rating is off the top of my head. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mapleviewmobile Posted January 28, 2017 ASD Dad, Thanks for the info. I agree. We have calculated the weight of the insulation and Therma King unit and we will be ok with the 3500 HD. Fortunately we are close enough to the dairy farm that we can reload as needed and won't have to worry about long trips. We are real close to Chapel Hill NC. The 1st development we are going in to has over 1200 occupied homes with a build out of 2400. Ton's of family and kids, which is what we need. I will keep you posted on when we do our 1st deliveries. You are correct in the fact that there is no milk better than local fresh milk in the glass bottles. It's great. Look forward to learning more and making wise decisions regarding our delivery vehicle. ThanksMVM Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mk1_62 Posted January 28, 2017 I would look into the 2017s for sure. Gas mileage in the 5 speed transmission is poor at best. That is the one thing I wish was better, that and a few other minor things. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chphilo Posted January 28, 2017 Welcome to the forum from Western PA. Is this your second Nissan van you are trying to purchase? You info lists 3500 with standard roof. If so, post some pictures of your current van when you get a chance. Our van is people hauler (well, 6 humans and 3 dogs, and bunch of other pets) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris Dempsey Posted January 29, 2017 Good luck to you! I vaguely remember the last of the milkmen in the late 60’s. I think it’s an idea whose time has come again. The NV should be a good choice for you. Mine has been extremely reliable over the last two years. There really doesn’t seem to be an achilles heel with this thing - if you don’t count gas mileage, and I don’t. It’s a box w/ a gas engine- not breaking any mpg records. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mapleviewmobile Posted January 31, 2017 This is actually my 1st NV. When signing up, I'm thinking it required me to select a model in order to become a member. I will post photos once I get everything complete and logo-ed up. Really looking forward to it. MVM Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
breeze Posted February 1, 2017 Farifield milk is 1,000% better than the alternatives I can get. It is processed and purified differently I think. It's in a little smaller containers and costs a little more, but it goes down clean. Bad milk can clog your plumbing up for weeks! Target carries it if you want to try one out: you'll like it. I am chemically sensitive anyway (1/8th Cherokee Indian), but now I can't drink other milk w/o tasting sour tastes: so I just quit drinking milk if I can't get Fairfield. Atlanta Dairies used to be good when I lived in Atlanta, but it was never as pure and clean as the Fairfield's brand: it comes in a light brown and white paper carton I think. I am in LA, CA, but I hope Target and Walmart (sometimes) sell it everywhere I go! But yeah, if it were in the clear bottles with cream at the top, that would rock too. With all the gaps and delays in the food-line process, it's hard to get good milk that doesn't taste a little sour; so I like the finely processed Fairfield milk which evidently takes a lot more to sour than the other commercial milks on the market, imo as a non-expert, but sensitive taster. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cabinetcrew Posted June 16, 2017 Company in Ca has a fleet of refrigerated NVs. "The Berry Man" so I'm guessing they deal mostly in berries? Which seem like they would be fairly heavy also. They have purchased from the same dealer I got mine. According to the dearlership they love their NVs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
