Any suggestions on what type of vehicle would be the best choice for my new business? I am currently using my Dodge Dakota PU, which is a pain as I have no cap.
I plan to do mostly residential/small commercial service.

I live in the NE and we get snow and ice each winter, so I am leaning towards a 4X4 PU with a Utlility Cap. But I am not sure if this will look professional enough, or if it will hold all the tools and materials I will need. My next choice is a GMC AWD 1/2 ton Van. Again, will this handle the weight of the materials I need to carry?
Will I NEED a 1 ton Van, how about 3/4?
I don't plan on carrying a full threading get-up and massive tools.



I have no interest in driving a box truck around. A plumber friend with an Isuzu Box truck often has to cancel appointments in the winter because lack of 4 wheel drive.

I hope to avoid diesel because of lack of easy access fill ups, though Sprinters do look promising.

Any help would be appreciated.

I've worked out of pickups & vans. The vans I've had have been 1/2, 3/4 & 1 ton. For sure, the 1/2 ton is not nearly enough truck. I'm currently driving a 1 ton van, but the only reason I bought it was the price being right. I think 3/4 ton is fine, my last one went over 190,000 miles & the suspension was still in reasonable shape.

You would be surprised at how much weight you will have in the van even when you think of it as empty. Empty for me is at least 750 pounds just for racks, bins, drawer units, ladder rack, safety divider and common materials. Start tossing in rolls of wire or some conduit & it gets heavy real quick.

Personally, I don't want to go to work if I need 4 wheel drive. I have a policy that if the school busses aren't running, neither am I. The one time I violated this policy, sure enough, got in a wreck.

Tom

I like my step van (looks like a UPS truck). It's noisy though with no sound insolation and everything is alumimn. The cargo area is 12'x7'x7'. It's a 12,000 GVW and we don't have much problems in the winter. I decided a few years ago the the worst snow days are not worth going far. Not because of the traction but because the traffic gos so slow you waist too much time getting anywhere. You figure your odds are much better for a colision. Even if your a good driver it does not speak for the other guy. Does not matter if it's not your fault an accident is lots of problems.

I think it's hard to have a big organized service call stock on a ford or chevy van. I would not get a van less than 3/4 ton. I have a 1/2 ton E-150 thats not full but sitting low. I would not waist the money on 4x4 unless your going off the road all the time. My wife had a AWD mini van that got the worst fuel milage. It will cost you more in auto repairs because more to go wrong and more has to be removed to work on it. Maybe have a older 4x4 as a spare truck instead of the main one.

I was looking once at the Sprinters. They are a bit taller then Ford & Chevy. They look more narrow but maybe it's me. They don't look as strong of a truck (little wheels).

Tom

GMC has a 4x4 van that had my eye? I have a GMC van, 1 ton with a 6 liter. I love it, and would rather drive that around than my wifes nissan xterra (brand new). The seat is very comfortable and it has lots of power even full of tools and equipment. Then to pull a trailer, you can hardly feel it. I beat that van(I drive it fast and hard). 40,000 mile in a year and a half and tires are full of tread and still have full break pads. I am going to stay with GMC for any other van or truck. In fact, I am thinking of buying a pick up truck for a second vehicle, for new construction Only. It hold less stock and with a cap hard to get material from the front of the bed.

With gas at $2.20 a gallon, why? It must be nice to waste money like that.

Peter D.

I have a 3/4 ton extended van
With tools and materials it weighed in at 3900 lbs. Got good service so far 145000 miles.
I also have a trailer for commercial jobs and those jobs that I want most or the material there. One day it weighed 4200 lbs.
together i can easily have 8K+ going down the road.
A good strong van is what I have found works best for me.

I've worked out of just about every style vehicle made.

You'll never have a good organized stock on a pickup with camper top. It might be the best choice for driving comfort, but not for working.

We have a box truck with 8 bins on the outside of the body. This truck will hold anything and should be considered, however we wouldn't get it again. 3 problems, 1 it leaks water in all the bins, 2 it can't get up a steep driveway(bumper drags), and 3 it only gets 7 miles to the gallon. If you go this route, they make a smaller one than the one we got.

We have regular cargo vans. Probably your best choice, especially for the money. Get 3/4 ton HD model. You might want the long version, it gives you over 10 ft from the back door to the bulkhead. Gas mileages is still only 10 MPG.

Our newest vehicle is a 140" wheel base Dodge Sprinter. By far this the best all around with a few drawbacks. The best feature is that you can fully stand up inside and easily get to your stock and has room for plenty of it. It is diesel, but it gets over 25 MPG! It is very peppy off the line, but is slugish past 30 or 40 mhp. The biggest problem is the height. We paid $1600 for an electric ladder rack only to find out you can't use it with A frame ladders or more than one ladder on each side. No problem, Dodge got us a refund, but now you need a ladder to get a ladder off(seriously). This is what we will buy for the rest of our trucks, but if you can't go for the cost a regular van will do, just keep in mind, you save $100 a month in fuel with the diesel.

[This message has been edited by Electric Eagle (edited 01-03-2005).]

CT,
One ton van with 6L motor, ladder and pipe rack, Fullly loaded and foot to the floor=11mpg

Same van driving like the old people in my area=11mpg

Same van pulling a 8000lbs 25' long portable climbing wall=10mpg foot to the floor=9mpg
Gas few months ago was 1.99 now 1.63

I do a lot of driving and every tank calculate my mpg. Yes my fuel cost make me sick (about $500 a month) but its the sitting in chicago traffice that I waste my money.

I recntly purchased a new Chevy 3/4 ton express van they have a special for contractors. You can get a choice of bins ladder racks or tool if ya want . I was driving a Ford F-150 pick up with a topper on it with a door in the back. It worked great but it is apin when u have to go in it to get something out way in the back. Here is a pick of my new van if i find out how to place it here. Oh BTW it comes with a special light package and a side doors that opne with remote controls. Some time they stick when it is cold so I lube it with silicone.

Our step van with a 6.2 diesel gets 14 MPG weighing about 9,000 lbs. I think it has about 170 HP and it is a slow dog. It's ok for short trips but on the toll way against a strong wind your lucky to go 75 mph. I look at HP ratings and the next one will have to be over 200 hp. Right now diesel is about $0.50 a gallon more in my parts. When it gets below 25 deg I need to plug in the block heater or it's hard to start.

The E-150 has a six cylinder and is only getting 13 MPG. It seemed like the 5.0 and 5.8L got about the same MPG only with more power. Mabe a smaller engine is overworked in a heavy truck so it's not fuel efficent.

That sprinter only has 154 HP. I have not driven one but it does not seem like enough HP. They make box truck bodies for the Sprinter but I don't know if the truck can handle it.

I was hoping the newer gas power trucks would get better MPG. Maybe not. I wish the would publish fuel econimy ratings for 1 ton and medium duty trucks. Does anyone get above 15 MPG in a full size besides the Sprinter?

When the time comes for a new truck I was thinking along the lines of a walk thru box truck like this:
http://www.supremeind.com/html/parcel/cargovan/ford_cargovan_gallery.html

There are a few companies that make these bodies for any new full size van.

If you do get a van get a long one. I knew one EC that made the mistake of getting a short full size. With the bulkhead it would not fit pipe.

I had one of those trucks with the boxes on the outside. Every thing was allways wet.

Tom

I love my 2002 GMC 1 ton van. Since my first van in 1973 I have installed a raised floor with pipe storage on the drivers side, a six foot ladder under the floor from the rear door on the passenger side and a three drawer unit under the floor from the side door. My wire is on shelving facing the outside by the rear right door. MOst used items are in the 3 drawers by the side door. Rotary hammer by left rear door. Hand tools, screw gun, hammer drill, holehawg, rotary hammer bits, testers etc on shelving to left of side door. Tool box, long bits to right of side door on top of raised floor. #6, #4 and #3 wire on rollers behing driver. I pull the length I need without removing the reel unless long runs needed. All these items are available to me without having to climb into the truck. No pipe on roof. I love my 1 ton savana but if I would buy another new truck my choice would be the sprinter. My friend who does refrigeration has one with the higher roof and thinks it the greatest. Manual crank type ladder rack brings the ladder down the side. Beautiful when set up right.
Ron

Ron...
I would love to get more info on that manual crank to access the ladders.. Do you have any info on that device. I am also looking at the sprinter van. The ladder issue on top of the sprinter seemed like a draw back.I'm currently working out of a pickup w/ a utility cap. It can get tough when you have to climb into the back to get material. Thanks ToHo

I bought a Dock Top from Monroe last Feb for my Ford F-250. I bought a new Chevy 2500 HD in Oct and transfered the Dock Top to it. I debated on buying a utility bed for the Ford but opted for the DockTop because I could put it on future trucks. I have the ladder rack from American Van that lets the ladder down the side with the turn of a lever. It is nice! I worked out of a 1 ton extended van for 10 years and it was okay but I really prefer the truck/Dock Top set-up. I have a floor drawer in the Dock Top that measures 30" wide x 90" long and pulls out 65" beyond the bumper and supports 600 lbs while extended. I don't have to crawl up in the Dock Top for anything. It is bolted to the floor of the top and glides on channel iron rails and roller bearings. With camper stands I can drive out from under it with it fully loaded in 30 minutes if I need to use my pick-up as a pick-up.

Today we had a few inches of snow on the roads. The E-150 was sliding all around. The tires are not that worn. The step van drove good. We canceled an appoitment this afternoon not that we could not make it more becase it was not woth the drive in the weather. For a small job with car accidents all over we'll stay home on a bad day.

If your looking for better traction make sure you get a limited slip differential. The regular open axle provides all the power to the wheel with the least traction. But it's cheaper and drives straiter when slippery. The limited slip cost more and can get squerly if your not used to it but you wont get stuck as easy.

Tom

ToHo,
I will talk to my refrigeration man on Monday and find out where he purchased the crank type ladder rack and repost. I thought it was from "americanvan.com" but that site does not show anything although they do have Sprinter items.
Will get back to you on Monday.
Ron

I believe the ladder rack you described is American Van #ISA-10.
I reccomend at least a 3/4 ton pick-up, with utility body, cover over the bed, and a ladder/pipe rack. I do not reccomend a "cabin" on the back, as it restricts rear vision.
I'd avoid any kind of extended cab, especially with ab 8 ft. bed.

Used utility bodies are iffy...most are very well worn, and at the end of their lives. An exception to this rule are those recently released from government or utility service.
Ask your utility and cable companies what they do with their old vehicles. Also, check out the federal government at www.gsaauctions.gov.

Toho,
The ladder rack you would want with the Sprinter is from weather guard. You can visit their website at "weatherguard.com". My refrigeration man says he loves it and it can be set up for step ladders.
Ron

Ron... You Da Man!!! Thanks I will check it out..Thanks...ToHo

I have a Ram 1500 with a cap with flip-up side windows. My main reluctance to a pickup is I didn't want to have to climb in it. It is SUPER organized. I occasionally change the organization as I cram more & more into it. I really like that I get everything in a standing position.

I was really afraid of trashing my back climbing in a van & bending over. I guess that could be avoided by loading the doors & with sliding drawers like Norstar's. My Ram weighs in at about 5500 lbs. and I've never checked the gas milage. It has a large engine, so why spoil the fun? Besides, almost all of my work is within 15 miles.

Dave

That weatherguard rack for a high top Sprinter is $2600 for a double rack. This will hold an extension ladder on one side and a step ladder on the other. It seems that everything for a sprinter is expensive.

I just priced a 140' 2500 with a high top and the guy quoted me $33,000 for a 2004! With no incentives.That was his best price. The rack and bin package he offered was $2900 and the rack from the Weatherguard dealer was $2600 installed.

In comparison, I could probably get a well equipped 2005 Ford e250 for $23,000 before rebates. The bins are about $500 and the rack is $600 installed.

I drove the Sprinter and you better like the steering wheel position because they don't offer a tilt wheel. I just couldn't get the seat adjusted right. Maybe over time you'll get used to it, but I didn't like it. It is very European and even has a beep-beep horn like an old VW Bug.

I know these are hot right now, but it disapoints me that they are not interested in playing ball price wise like Ford or GMC. Its basically take it or leave it. This is a DODGE dealership, not Freightliner or Mercedes.

Also, in the Dodge brochure, they kept refering to all the colors available "to match you companies logo". But the sales guy i was talking to said it would take 6-8 months to get anything but white. Its like the old saying by Henry Ford, "you can get any color you want so long as its black".

Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

kiwish?,
My friend purchased a 2004 Sprinter with duellies, the highest top, crank type ladder rack, bins, divider and the total bill was $35000.00. He was pleased. Hope his ladder rack never fails, he'll get a nose bleed going up there to fix it. Lovely van. Before I die I hope to buy. I'm at that age where I have to buy fast growing trees.
Ron

I drive a fullsize Chevy - had a cap, but no side access. The only close compromise I could see would be an ARE 'DRU style' cap (aluminum with the side-mounted tool boxes where the windows normally go), but there's still a lot of wasted space.

My buddy (ex-foreman) drives a 2500 Chevy 4WD w/ a Reading utility body with drawers and bins inside most of the cabinets. He made some 'custom' partitions to allow bins and long tools to co-exist. He's a Lt. on our VFD, and also mounts a quick-mount plow on the front for a few 'friends and family' accounts. It's nice in the winter when we were the first ones there to be able to plow our way in - instead of following the ruts left by other contractors. 4wd helps when responding to fire calls as well.

He hated crawling around in our bosses van (e-250) - seems like everything wound up on the floor, or behind the stuff that was on the floor. He's got all his parts and such organized pretty well.

Before our shop folded, he also had (2) of the 96" long 'topside' type boxes on top of the side cabinets for extra storage. A lot of room, and everything had a place. Not as much room as Tom (Active 1's) step van, but pretty decent. Now that he works for a shop with vans (and he's not the mobile supply depot), he dismounted the topside boxes.

I've been looking at a service/utility body that's 128" long, with a low-rise sliding roof. This will enable me to haul sticks + supplies inside the body, out of the elements and secure from crackheads (a problem with my foreman's rig). It'll be a little bit longer than my current LB chevy, but not much.