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Box Van or Flatbed? What's your preference.

Posted by Marc Ollerenshaw on August 14, 2016 at 11:47am in Vehicles
Sorry if this has been covered before.As you may or may not know we are currently in the process of setting up our Partnership Business which will officially launch in January 2017, we are spending the time between now and then to set everything up so its ready to go and the time has come to start thinking about what type of can to purchase.We are leaning more to a box van ie Transit to start with then as we get busier (around year 2) we will look at purchasing a second Flatbed style van ie Tipper which will make waste removal and material delivery easier.What's your preferences and what do you use or start up with
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  • Scott H August 14, 2016 at 12:12pm

    Started this year, went for a Movano MWB. Wouldn't want anything smaller now.

    Did look at a Citroen Relay, think it was a SWB, was surprised how much room there wasn't.

    Don't see the need for a tipper for general maintenance, although if I was doing a lot of tree pruning and hedge reduction work I would buy one.

    Can get a Hayter Condor, a Honda 536, Hayter Ranger, bags of waste and spades, rakes and tools etc in, plus there is space for H&S gear. Anything smaller and I couldn't get the long pruners in either. 

    Doesn't get emptied often either, smaller van would mean more gear juggling on a day to day work schedule.

    • Marc Ollerenshaw > Scott H August 14, 2016 at 12:16pm
      Hi Scott,
      As a Fencing and Garden Maintenance Business we will have a lot of old fencing to remove etc which would be easier with a tipper but now right away.

      We are looking at a Vivaro MWB just now, think it's ideal for storing tools etc when out on the road as everything is visable on a tipper. Pros and cons I guess
      • Scott H > Marc Ollerenshaw August 14, 2016 at 12:31pm

        Fancied a Vivaro myself, isn't there some horror story about Vivaro seized injectors? Our local Hermes driver had one, injector went down, seized in, cost him £600 for a specialist. Certainly put me off....don't let it influence you though :-)

        • Marc Ollerenshaw > Scott H August 14, 2016 at 12:48pm
          Well that's a Vivaro of the list haha
        • James Brett > Scott H August 14, 2016 at 7:06pm
          The vivaros is that water drips off the windscreen scuttle and onto the injectors. I believe the only way to remove when they rust from this is to be drilled
      • ken stewart > Marc Ollerenshaw August 14, 2016 at 12:47pm
        I do fencing patios garden maintenance etc, i use a lwb transit with high top as i can easily fit in 6ft panels in back for waste i tow a trailor. If you are going to do a lot of fencing you will need a high top van as 6ft panels will not fit in.
        • Marc Ollerenshaw > ken stewart August 14, 2016 at 3:26pm
          That's great to hear Ken, thank you
  • PRO
    Andrew Watts August 14, 2016 at 1:34pm

    You'll always use the bigger space you have. I started smaller with a Hyundai iLoad (Vivaro swb size) and had to quickly get a LWB transit for waste and machinery on bigger jobs.

    We lease from new now, so if going that route I'd go for a Relay/Boxer L3/H2 or Transit L3/H2

    If buying older, I'd go for a transit lwb high roof. Big range on bugdet, parts easy to get, spacious.

    You'll need high roof though for the panels..

    Wouldn't go flatbed as first vehicle as too restrictive emptying all the time.

    • PRO
      Steven Mills > Andrew Watts August 14, 2016 at 7:13pm

      Wouldn't go flatbed as first vehicle as too restrictive emptying all the time.

      Hi Andrew.I don't understand what you mean by that?

  • Dan Frazer Gardening August 14, 2016 at 5:59pm

    MWB transit for daily work and a trailer on the driveway to put waste in each evening. Fortnightly run to the tip with the waste. Everything in dumpy bags in van. Come autumn the trailer comes out every day so I'm not lifting bags of leaves. Big waste jobs obviously the trailer comes out for a spin. Both mowers in van side door so the back's free. I can still access strimmers and everything in the back with a few dumpy bags of waste in there. 

    Why wait until January to start up a business? Hope you're ready for being an employer if year 2 is to involve 2 teams...I'd advise seeing how things go! 

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