Dave, I must admit, I too have endorsed a truck conversion builder (see "starting conversion" dated Aug 5, 2006) under the "announcements" heading.
As I had noted, I visited several of the conversion manufacturers in & around Elkhart, along with Optima in Eastman, Ga. before deciding to go with Hawk Engineering in SE Mo. I have no connection with this company and live in OKC, Ok which is over 500 miles from Hawk's location.
The reason I went with them involved several innovative ideas that no one else offered. For instance, they use custom built 90 gallon (ea) holding tanks, mounted crossways instead of lengthways, which only takes up one (4') storage bay. They mounted a 42 gallon propane tank between the frame rails, which doesn't take up any storage space. They built the main cage out of 1&1/2" sq tubing (on 16" centers) instead of 1" like some of the manufacturers. They use .050" aluminum skins instead of .040" like some of the manufacturers, and they use thermopane windows, all LED lighting, among several other "upgrades" and apparently don't charge extra for these. At least I couldn't find anything in my contract that appeared to be a higher price {other than} which was quoted.
I think it is human nature to want to share information in a "positive light" when one has had a good experience with a dealer or manufacturer, as well as writing about a bad experience.
I would agree, in reading some of the posts, sometimes it's difficult to determine if someone is a representative for a company or just a satisfied customer.
I would think the best way to approach the purchase of a large ticket item is to read the posts (good or bad) learn as much as possible about the subject, visit several competing manufacturers, compare specific design features, and ask as many questions as possible.
Always remember, there aren't any dumb questions, ...just dumb answers.
Bob E. OKC, Ok
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