Setting up a Work Van

[Bob]

I started a business as a handy man a few months ago and have been working out of my pick-up…what a drag.

I just bought a used cargo van and need to outfit it for work. Can anyone recommend a website or just a company name so I can begin to shop for a shelving system and roof mounted ladder racks?

Thanks in advance,
Bob

[jb]

Hi,

I recently outfitted a few vans for my family business. The most important thing you can get is a partition behind your drivers seat (and passenger if you will have any). If your van doesn’t have high backed bucket seats with headreast then get a headrest that mounts to the partition so your skull doesn’t crack in a rear end accident. If you don’t have partitions and you get into an accident then you might get a screwdriver through your melon. Even at 30 mph a flying hammer can ruin your whole day.

As for where to get all this stuff, I have bought a ton of stuff from American Van Equipment, 1985 Rutgers Univ. Blvd. Lakewood, NJ 08701 PH: 1-800-526-4743. They have a great catalogue you should get. I don’t think they have a web site. A web site with a lot of the stuff they sell is http://www.adriansteel.com I think they mostly sell to outfits such as American Van and GM/Chevy b/c I see their stuff in AMVAN’s catalogue. American Van has all the ladder stuff etc. that you need.

You also need to be concerned about how much weight you are putting in your van. Is it a 1500 (half ton)? If so, you should go down to your local spring shop and get helper springs or something. Also keep an eye on the integrity of your front end. Heavy loads take their toll and I have to rebuild the front ends on my one ton vans at about 100k miles.
Good luck!

[Dave]

Make sure the van locks up tightly. The partition idea is also good – not just for keeping hammers from hitting you in the head.

A friend of mine has had his van hit twice by crooks – and we live in a low crime area. They know what he’s got in there.

[bc]

Whichever way you go, you will still be climbing in and out to get something. Nothing you want will be within reaching distance of the door, guaranteed. Put in plenty of shelves as the floor will fill up and be cluttered and be a pain to climb over. Put the bigger stuff and stuff you use all the time like power tools close to a door. jb is right about some type of headache rack for the front seats. There will always be some boards or pipe aimed and poised to impale somebody in the back. Put some racks on the inside for carrying boards to keep out of the rain. If it is big enough to slide in drywall or plywood, then have some type of latch at the top to hang over and or a rack to hold it up. Bumper brackets and a bracket on the passenger for long pipe and boards may be easier than trying to lay them on top when you only have a few.

[Bob]

bc…good idea about the interior board racks. I don’t work on any jobs with other contractors. I do a lot of work with local realators for properties they manange, but the engraver idea make a lot of sense, even for my situation…you never know, thanks

Dave, thanks I was leaning towards having an alarm installed

JB, thanks for the URL and the phone number, I’ll call tomorrow for the catalog and check out the website right now:-)

Thanks again guys,
Bob

[Bob]

bc…good idea about the interior board racks. I don’t work on any jobs with other contractors. I do a lot of work with local realators for properties they manange, but the engraver idea make a lot of sense, even for my situation…you never know, thanks

Dave, thanks I was leaning towards having an alarm installed

Almost forgot! The van came with a steel divider between the seats and the cargo area…it had been used by a commercial refridgeration company. They had shelving inside and racks on top, but I guess they kept them when they traded the van in…too bad. Also, it’s a Ford 250.

Bob

JB, thanks for the URL and the phone number, I’ll call tomorrow for the catalog and check out the website right now:-)

Thanks again guys,
Bob

[Jay J]

Bob,

Consider retrofitting a beeper for when you back up. Your vision is limited to begin with. Besides, these days, with the way the roads and driveways and job sites are crowded, it’s a nice-to-have. (They do save lives.)

Here, in Philly, it’s not uncommon for some of the vans that do a lot of work in the city to have a rear-roof-mounted mirror. ‘They say’ that it’s mainly for seeing if anyone is back there when they stop at a traffic light OR before they get out of their van. Contractors have been known to walk around to the back of the van, after just getting out of the van, and finding a gun pointed right at them! (It wouldn’t serve much purpose for much else, but maybe.) I just thought I’d mention it.

My best to ya and hope this helps.

Jay J

[Brian]

Here is another great site for shelving, ladder racks, van partitions, drawers and bins, ets.

http://www.yourworkvan.com

That is the site that I use. They are located near Fort Lauderdale, FL, but you can shop from the Web site and shipping is free. I like them very much. Good luck!

[Author]

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