Vehicles

So I’m a ford guy first of all but I also just finished up high school and am going to entering the construction industry I was wondering what you guys use and some of your experience with preferring a truck for work or a service van and also if you guys use the trailers just trying to get opinions. I’d love a truck but the security factor of a van is very appealing.

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Trucks are for guys who don’t need a ton of gear or pull a trailer. Most plumbers and electricians I see run out of vans. Most big pullers I are are cummins Dodges. Most common truck on a site is an F150. I drive a Silverado. Can’t go wrong w a truck from any of the big 3.

Ron Paulk is a high end carpenter up in the north west, he ran a box truck for a while and decided to go with a truck and trailer for various reasons. He has transportation to and from the job for material runs and can leave the trailer at the job. I tried the truck thing and ended up getting a trailer. And then a bigger trailer.

It really depends on your intentions. What trade do you anticipate doing?

Check out Ron’s videos on YouTube. You can probably plan and save yourself a lot of revamping of your rig.

Carpentry and finish carpentry

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Yea I’ve seen a few that’s what’s got me thinking

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I have yet to meet carpenters that don’t operate out of a trailer. Generally longer projects, and a ton of weight in materials and equipment; drop off and then commute with a truck. Makes life much easier.

Thanks guys and that’s what I’m leaning towards Bremon

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I had a 2001 4×4  Ford Ranger XLT Extended Cab with a Camper and a 1980 something or other Ford F-150. I loved both. The F-150 was nice because it had a big tool box and racks. I was able to load up full sheet goods without any trouble. The Ranger was great because there was room for all the tools in the cab and i could throw things in the camper and lock it. The Ranger was also a bit smaller so I could get into parking structures a whole lot easier. I don’t have experience with a van, but for me, I needed a truck to haul lumber. Another thing great about the ranger was that it had 4 doors that made it easy to put my tools in the back without having to lean the fronts seats over. If I had to load long pipes or lumber and lock it up, I could open up the little window in the cab and poke materials through there and lock the camper so everything was inside, nothing sticking out the back of the truck.

I think a high side van like a sprinter style van might be good for some trades, but others only really work out well in a truck and trailer. If your a general contractor you have to carry so many tools it gets pretty crazy.

To add to what Nalu and DR said, truck boxes are great for sheet goods and dimensional lumber; a trailer is even better.

Plumbers and electricians can work well out of vans due to all the storage along the walls for fittings etc. and they often have roof racks for pipes and that sort of stuff.

Siding would be another type of work suited to truck and trailer due to a ton of boxes of material and ladders, scaffold jacks etc.

Yeah it sounds like there’s a truck in my future

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