truck vs vans?

[fastplumber]

i didn,t know what i wanted. a small truck or large truck. or did i want a van? one day at home depot i seen a guy get out of an old EMS ford van, he was more than happy to show me his truck it was cool in was fully light up in side it had shelves and lots of storage to. i saw his about one year ago he said they were hard to find. i wanted one. three weeks ago i found mine. it is a 1996 e350 turbo-diesel ford. it is basicly a small cude van heavy duty ever thing. it even has all the flashing lights and sierens on it. i payed $12000canadain safetied and e-tested

www.ambulacetrader.com is a good place to see more used EMS trucks for sale.

people don't forget you when you pull up in an ambulace.

[ToUtahNow]

There was a company down here which had a dozen of them set up as service trucks. After a while he closed down his service business and just had a one truck sewer video company. Now after several years he had to go buy a new truck because he wore all of his ambulances out. They seemed to get a lot of attention but did not have many miles left on them since the engines ran a lot more than the odometers turned.

Mark

[All Clear Sewer]

I myself like the Truck thing as Vans are a pain to get things in and out of.

[PLUMBER RICK]

allclear, i prefer the van/ cube truck. i can stand up in mine and i'm 6'1''. the contents are kept dry and secure. gmc w-4500 with 12' box and curb side utility bins.

how do you find parking for a truck and trailer?

i too have trailers for my pipe bursting equipment and jetter. sometimes i have to disconnect it to get a spot close to the job. with truck 20' and trailer 13' it would be tuff to find 1 long spot here in l.a.

do you always tow the trailer? is that where all the good stuff located

rick.

[All Clear Sewer]

Parking has not been a problem with the little trailer but I`v out grown it and need a bigger one so it might start being a problem soon. I keep all the good stuff in the trailer except the SeeSnake, it stays at the shop unless I know there is a call for it on a job I`m heading too. That's why I`m getting a bigger trailer, I`m out of room. The trailer lives behind the truck 24/7.

[Australian Plumber Josh]

Originally Posted by All Clear Sewer

I keep all the good stuff in the trailer except the SeeSnake

Just be careful with that information. There are people around who are far less honest than those posting on these boards.

[fastplumber]

good point josh, my shop got broken in to i lost about $11000-12500. i was sure i knew you did it but couldn't prove it. i battled with my inserance for almost one year.

sorry for my spelling


fastplumber out.

[plumbdog10]

I think it depends on the type of business you are operating. As a commercial construction foreman, I always drive utility bed pick-ups (provided by the company). This is the only way to go if you are doing this type of work. We in my area are always hauling concrete bags, compactors, etc., yet need tools and misc. material available, but we need bed space.

Having worked for shops which support both construction and service plumbing, I have concluded that vans are the best for service. You guys carry snakes, etc. which do not fit into utility tool boxes, and need additional protected space for small replacement parts.

Just my opinion.

[ToUtahNow]

When I still had the Plumbing business I had 14' Super Structures mounted on Isuzu trucks. They basically were 14' walk in box vans from the back but 14' utility beds from the sides. Now that I just do inspections I have a van with a 10' utility box van.

Mark

[TozziWelding]

I love my diesel F-350 with the 4x4 for getting in and out of muddy and remote job sites, but storage is minamal. The best truck ever, was my fathers Grumman alumanum step van. This truck had all the room you would ever need, and none of the van crampedness. What I really want to make is a 4x4 step van, the ultimate service truck. If truck designers ever worked a day in our world they would know what we need. Till then I will build my own.