Founded in 2008. The Landscape Juice Network (LJN) is the largest and fastest growing professional landscaping and horticultural association in the United Kingdom.
LJN's professional business forum is unrivalled and open to anyone within within the UK landscape industry
LJN's Business Objectives Group (BOG) is for any Pro serious about building their business.
For the researching visitor there's a wealth of landscaping ideas, garden design ideas, lawn advice tips and advice about garden maintenance.
Replies
I use a Transporter
It's got to take a couple of mowers a full bulk bag of rubbish + strimmer, blower + all the normal tools
Thanks Adam, as we are just starting out with domestic lawns and gardens so was hoping i would get by with something smaller but having said that we already do patio and drive cleans with a honda and whirlaway flat surface cleaner ,so adding mower, rubbish etc will prob have to be something like a transporter.....
Traffic ?
Swb reunalt trafic for me. For the same reasons as Martin, and a nice big cab. I personally wouldn't touch a dispatch they are so easy to break into with the pressure sensor and smaller than a trafic internally, i tried one out and hated it.
As already stated, every forum member will come along and recommend the van they have and you will end up with every available van being put forward.
Presumably you already use vans and therefore have your own views on which is best in any case.
I drive a double cab pick-up. I have never owned a van and never will. It carries one hand mower, a strimmer, hedge cutter, pole hedge cutter, chain saw, steps, hand tools, petrol cans, various oil cans, spanners etc. and various other things. I tow a trailer which carries my ride on mowers.
As regards Renault – my cousin was, for over twenty years until he retired, Director of P.R. for Renault. He was on the Board. He and his family got new cars given to them every 8000 miles. He can still buy any new Renault at ‘landed’ prices, which means 40% discount. When he retired and finally had to spend his own money on a car, he did what he always said he would do, he bought an Audi.
I think that tells you all you need to know about Renault. A one year old Renault feels like a five year old Japanese or German car.
Three years ago over winter, I helped a friend of mine out and did some long distance driving for him. I drove three different vans. Of the two larger vans, one was a brand new Ford and one was a two year old Mercedes with 130k on the clock. The Mercedes was like Rolls Royce compared to the Ford. Smoother, quieter, handled better, had more pep and torque and was generally a much nicer place to be, much less 'van like' than the Ford.
The way i see it is you have Two considerations . Needs and Budget .
Make and model is a personal choice , Not sure you can base it on other peoples experiences .
An example , a colleagues 12 year old Vauxhall combo has proved to be more reliable and practical than my Five year old Citroen nemo i bought brand new .
Most practical and reliable also favourite van i ever owned was a battered Suzuki Carry , You got a steering wheel , a gear lever and a cassette player , awful drive but very practical and efficient for a local round , I even got back the money i paid for it but my needs required me to get something more suited to long distance .
I drove Ford transits ocassionally for an employer and found them to be brilliant vans but dont have any knowledge or experience of other models and makes but would read up in parkers guide or similar .
Good luck with the new venture whichever van you choose .
P.s Suzuki Carry also came with a hand brake ''most essential'' !!!
There's no difference between Renault trafic, Vauxhall vivaro and nissan primaster. They are the same van with the same engines etc. I've got a 2013 and I picked that one out of the three because I prefer the look of the van out of the three. I've seen plenty of mark one trafic's etc without a spot of rust on them where old transits and Merc's are falling apart.
I wanted a custom, but at the time they when up a few grand out of my budget of 10k. Now I prefer buying something out right than ticking it.
I prefer a box van over a pick up, because I carry a lot of hand tools and a fold up ladder, I would not have enough practical space in a pickup. I have no need for 4wd. As everyone knows Japanese cars are fantastic.
Transporters are beautiful, but there are so expensive and I'd feel so guilty filling one up with mud etc, there great if your a clean trade. I'll just stick with my VW golf for that fix.
I had a combi van 1.3tdi, but towing was destroying it, the 1.6tdi is better. Great little van.
Really it's down to personal choice, how you want to use it, what you plan to carry, where your fit it for parking and budget.
I started with the car , I then bought a fiat scudo which cost me an absolute fortune in repairs and problems (big learning curve) I've now for a ford transit custom which is the competition to the transporter but a lot cheaper , best van I've ever had!!
Initially, I would put aside any recommendations and assess your needs first;
etc.......
Most modern vans share a common build platform and engine ranges (so old adages about certain "make"s are now generally obsolete). Take the Vivaro = Trafic = Primastar > same engines, same chassis. PSA now owns Vauxhall as well as the French brands.
Small vans are now generally based on car chassis and may/may not attract Tax BIK if 'given' to an employee and there is any element of private use.
A good van sales site should be able to take your answers from above and return a selection of makes, styles etc to whittle down further
Don't overlook choosing based on Dealerships, You need a good relationship as this is a business purchase, and if off the road will affect your bottom line and service level.
We run 8 vehicles and I have specific views and made specific choices but whatever anyone suggests on a Forum will always be an emotive discussion (second only to 'What Mower' type discussions).
So. know your requirements first as that helps put any suggestions into context...
(ps good luck :)
Thanks, everyone very useful
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next