Can the garden variety cube van do service for an RVer? Ask Ross Pine.

Ross took a retired U-Haul cube van, added a few touches of his own, a neat and colorful mural by Mexican artisans, and viola, the Pine RV Hauler was born. The cube van has solved several vexing problems for Pine: How to deal with hauling fresh and waste water, where to store tools, and perhaps the biggest one for the Misses, where to put all those extra clothes that just don't seem to fit in the RV.

Great Mexican mural makes this a truly custom hauler

Let's tackle those all-important matters of water toting. At the rear of the van box, Ross installed a 55 gallon potable water barrel, on end. A handy filler hose assembly connects the barrel to any water supply, and a plastic tubing "sight gauge" on the side of the barrel (with an appropriately sized floating ball inside) gives an instant read on how much water is in the barrel.

Fresh water tank features "sight glass"

Back at the RV, an RV water pump transfers the precious fluid into the Pine RV. Power is provided by the cube van's electrical system.

Control panel and fresh water pump

On the outgoing side of the ledger, another 55 gallon plastic drum provides the space for hauling out waste water. Ross has equipped his RV with a 12-volt macerator pump which propels the--er--black or gray water up and into the waste water barrel. At the dump station, a standard waste hose with RV bayonet connector mounts to the bottom of the waste barrel. Gravity handles the rest of the transfer ritual.

 

Waste tank connects up to dump directly from van

For handy storage, the Pine machine is equipped with wire rack shelving, and across the front end of the box, a hanging clothes pole provides plenty of storage for garments. Mrs. Pine has a large assortment of zippered garment bags which keep any road dust out.

Shelves and clothes hanging rack complete the outfit

Equipped with a diesel engine, the cube truck does an excellent job of toting the Pine RV over hill and dale. Ross does note that the swing of the truck has presented a problem or two. The pilot needs to pay particular attention when making tight corners when towing, as the trailer fore corners can kiss the rear corners of the cube van. And that's no place to be wiping off lipstick.