# Truck or Van?



## George Z (Dec 23, 2004)

I wonder if this is an option for contractors

http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/12012006/45/t/smart-fortwo-hybrid-24.html

You have to downsize a bit though


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## phinsher (Oct 27, 2005)

Imagine a 40' on top of that thing!


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## AtlanticWBConst (Mar 29, 2006)

I recently retired my 97 Dodge Ram 1500 with short bed and cap to being another truck in the 'work fleet'.
We have 4 open bed pick ups with ladder racks, 2 'capped' pick ups, a dump trailer and a large cube van. Between these, we seem to have pretty much all we need, except for a trailer to drop at sites (Next purchase)

My current personal truck set up:
Stole a 2001 Dodge 2500 4WD. 8 foot bed with Cap and 33K mi.
for $10K. Got it painted Black at Maaco for $550.00, it looks factory painted new.(all our trucks are black)

I added Ladder racks (for lumber & ladders) 
and had a slide out installed in the bed (it has a bed cap). BEST SET UP for me!! I have to haul around an indecent amount of tools and I like the cap for the security. Windows are blacked out.
I built a shelf system above the slide out at about the bed height. There is about 2 feet of open space in the back before the shelf starts.

When I am at a job sight, all I have to do is open up the back, put down the tailgate and pull the slider out. 750 lb load rate and really pulls out far with 2 settings. I love this set up. I can find anything and get it out - easily.
I can also access anything on the shelf from the sides and even from the cab slider.
Every tradesman that has seen it has been amazed at the handiness of the whole set up. My electrician is sold on the slide out for his next personal pickup with a cap. 

I have to have a pickup due to the 4WD: New England and sometimes very muddy job sites. One of our trucks with 2WD got completely bogged down last week behind a house, had to winch it out.

Bed Slider: :thumbsup:


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## vtgaetano (Mar 5, 2006)

I agree with the "what suits your needs best" theory as well. I have a 05' E250. Like some have said, mobile tool box, everything I may ever need is with me, if it rains, I'm good. Mine is 2WD and I too live in NE, worked on top of Stratton Mtn. last year and I have studded snows and right up and over that mountain everyday 4WD Toyotas off the road all over the place:whistling , right on by with my 2WD van, and it snows here everyday. I had always had pick-ups, but a friend of mine, roofer actually, had a van he was getting rid of and I bought it. Never buy another pick-up again. Got rid of my old van with 258,000 miles on it and it is still on the road today. Rambling a bit on this fine sunday morning, but the van works great for me.


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## Greg Di (Mar 12, 2005)

Update to my previous post from November 2005...

I am now driving this Chevy 3500 Cutaway van with Utility body. I absolutely love it. Can carry sheet goods along with lumber AND all my bench tools with room to spare. And I can walk inside it.

$29k and change brand new.


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## Joasis (Mar 28, 2006)

Our little fleet has an '03 3500 Chevy crew, flatbed, that does out equipment hauls, and an '84 GMC 2500 crew for one crew, and the others get our billboard truck, an '85 P30 GMC step van. The step van is great..tool storage..billboard..scaffold...and it was dirt cheap...I would have bought an enclosed trailer, but that would be a bigger pain..so the step van has been with us for 3 years and beats the van it replaced hands down.


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## dougger222 (Jan 29, 2004)

Vans are nice but they have there limits. In messy driveways in the Spring or snowy ones in the Winter a 4x4 pick up is best. If making runs to the dump with a van you will find yourself wishing you had four wheel drive.

Here's the van I'd like to own.
1999-2000 Ford E350 7.3 with 4x4 conversion. 

I ran into a guy at the dump the other day who owned just the van I mentioned and at 200K miles it was as good as new. He paid $9,000 to have it converted to 4x4 and he paid $12,000 to have his 2005 E350 6.0 converted recently. Both vans had the independant front end but I think a straight front axle would be tougher.

Currently own a 220K mile 99 F250 4x4 diesel and a 160K mile 00 Excursion 4x4 diesel and getting ready to purchase a 99-00 F350 4x4 diesel dually. When towing the dump trailer the dually will come in handy.

What I like best about using the Excursion for work is the rear heat which is really nice in the Winter when it's time to start the air compressor. The front heated seats are nice too!!! 20 mpg is also a bonus.


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## ruger9 (Jun 27, 2006)

Hey everybody- 1st post here.

Found this thread in a search, and thought maybe I could get a recc. for the kind of work I'm doing:

I'll do almost anything- handyman stuff, small repairs, BUT... what I'm trying to specialize in is remods. Kitchens, Baths, etc. I've remodeled my entire house, and am 1/2way thru a buddies. My father-in-law's old Silverado has come in mighty handy along the way. So I (think) I'm shopping for a pickup. I figure on some of the smaller remods I'll be doing, including small bathrooms for example, I'm going to be hauling away the demo. So pickup instead of van. I'll be looking at hauling small numbers of sheetrock & plywood, again...full size pickup instead of van. 

My intent was to put a toolbox in the box, which would hold most of my "hanyman" tools for small jobs, and on remod jobs I could just load up the pickup- because I would most probably be leaving my tools on-site, at least for a few days.

Reading this thread now has me reconsidering a van, but... I'm still landscaping my own property, and a van would be of NO help to me when I need to get mulch, haul bushes, whatever.

So... pickup with toolbox & raincover, or van?

OH- ALSO: how important is 4WD if you're not landscaping? $6000 extra for 4WD is an awful lot of money (new) for someone starting out. My Honda Accord does just fine here in NJ in the winter, but the pickup is REAR wheel drive, so...??? I'd hate to NOT get it, then need it. I'd hate to get it, pay for it, then rarely need it. I don't know which is more practical. I mean, I'll be making my living with this thing. 

Any replies MUCH appreciated!


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## ATH (Feb 14, 2006)

We also do smaller jobs and went through the "pickup vs. van" discussion a short time ago.

Let me preface this by saying "I'm a pickup kinda guy." I've had a pickup truck of one kind or another for more than 25 years. I've liked 'em all ... except for the Ford Ranger ... too small!

We decided on a F-250 Super Duty with a saddle box and ladder rack. I plan to get some sort of soft cover that I can bungie to the rack legs to keep the snow out of the bed in the winter and some of the rain out when necessary. I know it won't be water tight, but perhaps it'll slow the rust on my tools.

As luck would have it, we had a large hauling job to do and the forecast was quite wet. We rented a van to do the job. My wife, who had been lobbying for the van was convinced to switch to the pickup side when she discovered how bad the visability is in a cargo van ... in fact, once we got it home from the rental place, she wouldn't drive it any more.

The factors against a van (from our point of view):

1. Can't get one in 4WD. GM supposedly has an AWD van, but I couldn't find a dealer who knew anything about them.
2. Only has two seats. Sometimes we take an employee or my daughter places and lawn chairs in the back weren't an option.
3. Noisy!!!
4. Terrible visability.

Weather was the only downside for a pickup truck. We decided that we'd spring for a trailer if that became unbearable.

Good luck with your choice. The one thing we could agree on was that it was possible to make either choice work for our business.


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## Brickie (Jun 15, 2006)

We have several Dodge Ram PU's with the 8' beds & a chevy cargo van with ladder racks, etc., I am looking into purchasing a used Uhaul (Diesel) truck since we are outgrowing the van. A friend of mine bought one & I liked what I saw & the price was very good ($3600 for a diesel with 140K miles)


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## scottstef (Dec 15, 2005)

*a few other points...*

i went thru the same thing recently.

i had a pickup- it was good for hauling supplies and such. it sucked having to load and unload it each night and being worried about trips to the suppliers.

bought a van, put shelves in it- love it (although the van seems to small now- 15 passenger van). It is great for storing all of my tools, but when i throw supplies and such in the back, the van is estremely tight.

i ended up putting a hitch on the van. when i need to pick up a bunch of supplies or haul off some demo work, i tow my trailer. when it is not needed, i can comfortably park it in the drive way. I think i paid $800 for the 5 x 10 trailer. for me its the best of both worlds.


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

Pro van. I can load and deliver full loads of drywall, concrete, window treatments any time of year. When I lock it up, everything is dry and secure. A good selling point to many clients. With roof racks, I can cram as much stuff topside as any pickup.

If you really think that you need one, they do make 4X4's. The S. Fla joke is that 4 wheel only gets you 100 ft. farther and then you're really stuck.:laughing:


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## ruger9 (Jun 27, 2006)

My thinking is more along the lines of ATH's. I do repair work (mostly just tools to carry, some small supplies), and interior remodeling (frequently carrying supplies.) If I ever need more sheetrock or plywood than my pickup can handle, that's what I call a big job, and I'll either have it delivered or rent the get-and-go. I've been borrowing the father-in-laws pickup for 3 years now, and it's been a HUGE help to me. 

The visability factor of the van bothers me. So does the traction in snowy New Jersey. It ain't Maine, but in a bad year, it's pretty bad. My family cars are both AWD. A big help.

If I did ONLY repair work (little or no hauling of supplies), and if I did commercial work, or worked in a city, I could see the protection of a van being a great asset.

But if I have to be able to:
demo a bath
haul the demo to the dump
pick up the new stuff

or

go back to the supplier to return 28 warped 8' T&G boards and pick up 45 more

or

have my mountain bike with me to ride after work :laughing: Seriously!



...I'm gonna' need a truck. And I got one. An F-150 XLT V8 4x4, 2005 (yes, that says FIVE) brand new. Last one in the state. In the country for all I know. $4000 cash back from Ford because it was a leftover leftover. Sticker was almost 32K, I got it for 24K. LOADED. 

All I need now is a ladder rack, maybe a saddle box, and a BIKE RACK.


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

I ain't going to say it! I was car slime for a while.


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## Downeast (Apr 17, 2006)

Teetorbilt said:


> I ain't going to say it! I was car slime for a while.



when was you being a car slime ?


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## needthingsdone? (Sep 16, 2006)

*My Favorite*

I can appreciate all the points made about pick ups and vans, but for my money you can't beat my ride. I can load my P30 Diesel step Van with every tool known to man including a wheel barrow and a concrete mixer and still get an entire sheds worth of lumber in the back with the doors closed. 18' behind the bulkhead door, 8' feet wide and 7' of headroom.
I would never give it up as my everyday vehicle for the jobsite. I must admit that I like getting in my GMC and stepping on the gas and feeling like I'm flying instead of lumbering along at 10mpg.
The fuel not withstanding, I still think it's hard to beat as a work truck.


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## PROMARK (Oct 7, 2006)

Hi Guys I just joined the forum.I have owed every type pick up van etc.For me I found a single axle cube van is the absolute best.I can stand in it haul all my tools and materials.It is better to manuever around than my f350 crew cab.I have all shelves and locking boxes on board generator built in to the truck.


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## Pink (Oct 4, 2006)

We have both but thats because we need them both for different reasons. Most of which was said in other replies to you. However I also have a cargo enclosed trailer as well that my husband hooks up to either one when he needs to bring large equipment and generators to a job. This makes it easy to load and unload. He takes that a step further on the security issue by removing the tires to the trailer when he needs to leave it unattended for a period of time. Also for jobs where there is no access to a bathroom he has a porta potty in the trailer where he can go in privacy. Not to mention the coffee maker and microwave in the makeshift kitchen office works out great to. Hope this helps.


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## Frankawitz (Jun 17, 2006)

Being that we do repairs, all we carry is sheetrock maybe so lumber, But I had a F150 1986 320k that was our work horse we could carry 3000 lbs of plaster after a tear out and I had carried 12 section of scalfolding with planks and braces plus tools, I carried 35 squares of shingles for my neighbor cause his Dodge Ram 2003 took a crap when they put the 35 squares in it:laughing: . so we use the Ford.:clap: now we have 2 Rangers and a Explorer to work out of. just as long as it gets me from point A to point B that's all that matters. all three trucks are 1991 and (2) 1993. I wouldn't buy a New truck or car if they told me I could have one for $5.00. I'll stick to the used trucks I don't buy to keep up with the Jones's.:w00t:


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## Richard (May 21, 2006)

depends, both, and neither.....:laughing: 


just wanted to participate in this hugely viewed thread!....


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