built my own Grooming Rig

[SCRATCH-N-SNIFF]

I am so excited. I am about 95 percent done building our (my wife and I) mobile van. Or at least to a point that we can start making money with it. I got a 99 Dodge high top van and this is what I have done.
new vinyl flooring, 2500 watt invertor system with 4 batteries, custom stainless steel tub w/ 3.5 gpm fresh water and 3.5 gpm recirculator, 55 gallon water tank system w/ 9 gallon propane hot water heater, 7 gallon armor plated under van propane tank, all the necessary grooming tools, and more......
I tested it out on 3 family dogs and it worked great...
It has been so much fun building it, what a challenge. I am going to try to attach 2 photos of the inside let me know what you think of it.

[Doug]

Good job

That came out looking pretty good for a first timer. It is fun to make them if your your handy. No guess work where all the stuff is or what it is or how to get to any of it. Just keep the water off the inverter and keep the hair cleared from the vents. You could put a cover around it if you find your customers dogs are getting thier leashes to near to it when they exit the van. I know it's a work in progress. The tweeking will come with time and experience of use.
Give DH an apluse.

[Puppy Love Express]

Looks great!!

Your converion looks really nice, got any pics of the back of the tub area? Also, where did you find your 55 gal tank? I am thinking of going with a 65 gal tank in my trailer as it is locally available and much more affordable than the 55 gal tanks I have seen online.
Thanks,
Michael

[hairdevil]

hope your floor last as long as your batteries...why didn't you have it rhino lined?

[Mamabearwith2]

WOW!!

How nice! Great job! Kinda 50's diner colors. Your tub looks real nice. Do you have a ramp or stairs for big dogs? Also, did you set your tub higher than the legs that come with it? OR, I'm sorry, that you had to purchase with it? LOL!

[marieski]

Wow

Wow Scratch-n-Sniff! Your rig is just gorgeous! I wish I could have been handy like that and done it myself, would have saved lots of money.

Looks so professional and organized and I love the colors!

Congratulations and best wishes for you and your wife for your new adventure!

[azoci]

I agree! Very nice! It's it just so much fun to built it yourself? We had a ball doing ours, too.

[baddog]

Looks good but, that floor is going to be quite slippery when wet. I hope that is not fabric or carpeting on the walls and ceiling.

[mustluvdogs1]

Looks Like Fun to me...

Can you come and replace my floor in my Ford conversion? I wish I had a handy brother or maybe husband. Not sure I want a husband, just s handyman, hehe.You are gonna have such a great time, and if something goes on the fritz, you know how it was put together!!!!~

[SCRATCH-N-SNIFF]

Thanks

I am glad you all like it. The walls are carpet but I plan on changing that.
The tub was made by the company I work for. We do custom stainless steel work in are shop. Very handy
The floor is vinyl because rino liner is 10 times the price if not more.
The 55 gallon tank was purchased from a local RV dealer along with other things.
I will try to take a photo of the back this weekend. Thanks for your comments...

[marcey]

Very very nice! I love the colors! You may want to replace that carpeting on the walls - especially behind the table area. It is going to be caked with fur and dander!

[hairdevil]

it is a nice van, but I noticed the chains on the table. I wish they would do away with those..just something about chains I don't like. If my clients saw chains hanging from my table, they would flip! I know its what some prefer, but it just seems so inhumane to me. I wouldnt want my dog secured with chains, inside or out, but thats just my opinion..

[strayhairs]

It looks great, more professional than some of the professional vans I've seen.

[RoosMom]

Ummm.......

it is a nice van, but I noticed the chains on the table. I wish they would do away with those..just something about chains I don't like. If my clients saw chains hanging from my table, they would flip! I know its what some prefer, but it just seems so inhumane to me. I wouldnt want my dog secured with chains, inside or out, but thats just my opinion..

Well, I don't know what you could replace them with that would work.lol I use them, too, in my shop, and I've never had a customer comment on them. They can see my dogs are secured with a grooming strap that attaches to the chain, not a chain wrapped around their neck. ;-) They allow you to adjust the length of your grooming strap according to the height of the dog without moving the grooming arm every single dog you do. That is much safer, IMO, because that way I can tighten down my grooming arm with a pair of pliers, so it's very secure. I am curious, why do you feel that's inhumane?

[marieski]

it is a nice van, but I noticed the chains on the table. I wish they would do away with those..just something about chains I don't like. If my clients saw chains hanging from my table, they would flip! I know its what some prefer, but it just seems so inhumane to me. I wouldnt want my dog secured with chains, inside or out, but thats just my opinion..

I can understand why you would think that way, but I don't believe it to be a common way to think about chains ... chains can mean " safety " too, like the safety chains that secure my trailer to my truck.

The number one goal is safety of the pets! I have been using the LIPS system for years and rely on the quick adjusting chains to keep dogs from jumping, spinning, and being spazzo while I use all the sharp equipment that could injure them if they could wiggle around too much. No client has ever said anything negative about the chains, in fact, they've often commented on how the chains and loops are a great idea and wish they had that setup in their own home so that they could keep "Fluffy" from wiggling away while grooming.

LOL, the only time anyone has ever said anything referring to what you're saying is when a friend of mine who was trying to be funny said - " Hey, someone could think you're into doggie bondage," heehee, anyway, that's just my take on the whole thing :-)