Insurance for mtd

[GlennB-TC]

Hi, I need some advice ,I just flew up to Md.to pickup a freightliner Mt45 that I wish to buy and drive home to florida to convert to a small motorhome .My insurance agent (nationwide) and several nationwide rv companies are telling me the only way to insure this is with a commercial policy for about $2000 a year and once it is a rv that no one will insure it. I currently own a 35ft GM bus conversion and it only costs about $300 a year.I am not a happy camper and would like any thoughts about the insurance process before I give up and go home empty handed.
Thanks, Glenn

 

[LesReiselt]

Insurance Quagmire

Insurance has proven to be our most difficult issue yet but at last is settled and at a reasonable price. We have just bought an International 4300 with the DT 466 engine and 6 speed Eaton-Fuller and a 102" x 26 ft box. Finding insurance has indeed been a task. We first called AAA with whom we have all our other vehicles and our home and were told that they don't do larger than pick-ups and so began our search. RV America, GMAC, Progresssive and others all came up as possibles both online and also as referred by a growing list of agents both locally and at 800 numbers. Several told us to lie and say that the truck was to be used commercially just to get insurance. As a retired police detective I would tell anyone that this is very, very bad advise. Insurance fraud is not a minor offense and being charged with it will really spoil your day. State Farm, e-Surance, plus some locals all gave the same answer, "they didn't have a category for a medium duty truck used for non business purposes." To illustrate just how poorly informed some were, one agent asked if my International 4300 was "something like an F-350."
At last after the better part of 2 days research, I found a web site for The Explorer RV Insurance Agency. They weren't concerned with the box size or even if it had one, they simply said " yes we insure lots of otherwise commercial type vehicles for personal use." Within minutes, I had a quote
and at a good price and it is full coverage, not the liability only being mentioned by all those previous agents. Several minutes later, I had a policy number and temporary insurance cards via e-mail.
I'd recommend this company to anyone. The price was great as well.
Les Reiselt

 

[bushpilot-TC]

we use Blue Sky - Recreational Vehicles | Blue Sky RV Insurance
they know what toter homes, conversion trucks & MDT's are !

 

[LesReiselt]

Bushpilot,
Hopefully I won't be in the same position again but will add Blue Sky to my list of possibles. I love your pictures and will post some as I begin on our project. Before buying the International, I looked at Freightliners and also a KW.
______________________________________________________________________
Les Reiselt

2002 International 4300 DT 466 300 hp, 6 speed Eaton Fuller, 24 ft box

 

[Doc Weaver]

The key to our insurance with State Farm was 2 fold: talking to somebody at State Farm with an ounce of intelligence, and getting the FL60 a new title as a motor home. State Farm will insure motor homes.

 

[LesReiselt]

Doc,
That would have worked for us except that I haven't started the conversion process yet and need insurance for the interim. I didn't find anyone there with any sense. By the way, we bought our truck in Hillsboro and my son picked it up and took it to our farm in Delaware County where we'll be going to pick it up after Christmas. I enjoyed your pictures as well.
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2002 International 4300 DT466 300 hp,6 speed Eaton, 24 ft box

 

[Doc Weaver]

yeah, I had to have commercial insurance till I got the title changed

 

[AKat777]

GMAC is currently my bird in the hand. I am still looking for the birdie in the bush. GMAC is willing to write the policy, liability only (which does not make me happy) and not care what stage of the conversion I am currently in.

I have an email in to Blue Sky, but they have not gotten back to me yet. I will be checking out LesReiselt's suggestion of Explorer RV Agency. I would love to have full comprehensive right off the bat, rather than waiting until the project is finished and a new title is issued.

 

[LesReiselt]

Definitely check out Explorer RV Insurance. They are nice to work with and I thought that the price was good as well. We sold our International mid conversion and bought
a former mobile radiology lab which I'm currently well along the way toward completing.
I should have kept the International but that's a subject for another forum. The insurance for the Freightliner was just over half the cost for the International as it was already registered as a motorhome.
_________________________________________________________________________
Les Reiselt '99 Freightliner FL70, Renegade 25ft conversion

 

[SparkyRnD]

I talked to Explorer RV Insurance based on the information above for a MDT 1988 International S1600 former uhaul truck conversion I'm working on (toterhome), and they said they will not cover that type of conversion based on the vehicle type. So, it sounds like it has to be a freightliner FL60 or similar, even if the S1600 is titled as a motorhome.

 

[LesReiselt]

Insurance for a Former U-Haul

Sparky,
I'm surprised that you didn't get anywhere with them. I'd suggest calling back and asking for Kraig Kelley. He was my first contact there and wrote up a policy over the phone in just several minutes for our first truck conversion, an
International 4300 with a 26 ft box. I see no difference between the two trucks except possibly the age. We'd started the conversion on it when the Freightliner conversion came up and I traded. This was a big mistake but the topic of another discussion. The Freightliner was cheaper to insure as it was already registered as a MH but only by a slight amount. In Florida the BMV
required no inspection to verify that the truck was indeed going to be used for
recreational purposes so it would appear that they would have registered any truck as a MH if asked.
Try Explorer again and ask for Kraig and tell them that you are converting it to use as a motorhome.
Les Reiselt
_________________________________________________________________
Freightliner FL70 with Renegade 25 ft conversion

 

[SparkyRnD]

I agree that there really isn't much difference, but I tried with 3 separate people just to see if maybe the first two didn't know what they were doing. Unfortunately, Kraig was the third person I talked to about it, and same response as the first two, which makes me think it's based specifically on the model (S1600). Here is how the last chat went down:

sparky
11:15:47 I have a 1988 International S1600 former uhaul 26' moving van that I am looking to buy
Kraig
11:15:50 What can I help you with today?
sparky
11:16:13 I will be converting it to a toterhome, and will need insurance on it. Is that something Explorer RV can help me with?
Kraig
11:17:09 Unfortunately, we cannot insure that type of conversion
sparky
11:17:27 even if it is retitled as a motor home?
sparky
11:18:33 I ask as several people said they used you for similar conversions
Kraig
11:18:34 Because of the type of vehicle it's being converted from
Kraig
11:19:19 We have not ever done U-haul moving van conversions
sparky
11:20:29 any idea who could insure that type of conversion? And also, what is the reason for not being able to insure the S1600?
Kraig
11:21:06 The insurance companies we work with do not accept that type of conversion
sparky
11:22:08 Seems odd, as I know there are lots of Freightliner conversions for the same type of thing (using a FL60 box truck), and I would think this type would be less costly to insure, from the agency standpoint.
sparky
11:22:18 even with the same box length
sparky
11:22:27 Either way, thank you for your time this morning
Kraig
11:23:56 From an agency standpoint, I have to follow the underwriting rules of the insurance companies
sparky
11:25:12 that completely makes sense
Kraig
11:25:43 Sorry we couldn't help you out today
sparky
11:26:08 I just have trouble understanding why the various companies will insure the same truck as commercial use with much higher liability, more frequent use, but not as a toterhome with lower limits, etc. But then again, i've never understood insurance agencies
sparky
11:26:11 have a great day



Looks like for the time being, I'm going to be stuck with either Progressive or State Farm with it insured as a box truck / commercial. Once I get it all redone, and retitled as a motorhome, I will just approach it as that: I will call asking for insurance on a motorhome, and list it as an S1600 rather than listing it as a conversion.