Here’s a question for all the old pros:
What’s the best vehicle for a one-two person pro woodworking shop? If you respond, please include pros and cons for your choice!
Thanks in advance for your responses!
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Replies
I don't know; what are you going to do with it?
Delivery of finished goods (what size and volume)?
Pick up materials (or have them delivered)?
Move machinery (seems like you have an old iron jones)?
Make sales calls?
Do trade shows?
Do on-site work such as built-ins, installs, cabinetry?
Need to carry parts and tools with you?
Great question. I anticipated that someone might ask that. I know this is vague...but can we say a little bit of all of that, with the exception of trade shows? I'm looking for an all-around solution. I've worked at a shop with a fleet of big trucks, one with a single box truck, one with a small pickup, and another with just one minivan. I'm posting here because I'm confident that folks out there have some wise thoughts on the matter.Thanks!
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I build custom cabinets and install them - low volume (semi-retired). So far I've made it with an F250. I added hooks for tie downs, stake-sides for big stuff when it's not raining and a canopy for small stuff when it is raining. I built a lift so I can get the canopy on & off quickly by myself. I figured I'd rent a moving truck if I ever ran into a problem but so far haven't.
I'm in commercial truck sales so I deal with customers with all needs from a 1 ton to a class 8 tractor-trailer and vocational.
What is you budget? If your starting a business then perhaps you are on a tight budget. The question often is new or used. New is always better in my opinion because when you take into consideration the high interest and shorter terms on used, you will find the payment on a new to be reasonable. Additionally, with new you have warranty and less chance of buying someone else's problems.
You said its a pro shop so I'm assuming you'll have large cabinet jobs and the such where you'll need some space but won't be hauling a large amount of weight (for a real truck.) Because of this I would go with a "box truck" which is called a dry freight truck.
Don't get a cube van. They are throw away. There are lots out there and some people like them but I don't like them. I would recommend a cab chassis mated with the box of you choice. The options on boxes is limitless in size and setup or you could get the box bare on the inside with plywood lining and create the interior yourself to best suit your needs. This scares people because they are thinking big truck and big price. In reality you can get them as small in capacity as cube vans or pickups and you'll pay less than what you would pay for one of those fancy big pickups.
Also, go diesel. The initial cost is a little more but it will last much longer and require much less in maintenance cost over the life of the vehicle as well as a higher residual value when its time to get rid of it. Don't let people tell you otherwise about diesel. Most peoples concept of diesel is antiquated and does not reflect reality. Whats more, if you go to a commercial truck dealer that deal in heavy as well as medium duty, you will be working with professionals who do business to business deals day in and day out and they can help design a product for your application. Its not like buying a car.
Again all this is assuming that this is a work truck (not sales vehicle or grocery getter) that you want to use to haul raw lumber, sheet goods, tools, cabinet, furniture, hardware, etc...
If you have more questions feel free to email me. I'd be glad to lend a fellow woodworker a hand in something besides woodworking that I know something about.
can you define what you mean by "box truck" and "cube van?"Also, do you have any experience with the Sprinter?I do on-site repair work and have a cargo van with racks. Most of what I carry are tools and supplies, but occasionally furniture. There are times, like every time I fill up, that I wish I would have gotten a smaller vehicle and a cargo trailer for the few times a month I need cargo space. I have a friend/client who runs a furniture store. He told me he evaluated price, operating costs, and maintenance on a larger truck and decided to go the van + cargo trailer route. In addition, he has them nicely matching colors and logoed, so when he parks his trailer in the lot he has what is functioning as a billboard onto the town square.One thing I would not do is ever buy a used "U-Haul"
a) they look like, well, a "used U-haul"
b) they appear to have all been rode hard and put away wet.
Out here one of the best values in trucks these days are the larger diesel pickups made in the late 1980's early 1990's. Many carried campers and were used for only recreation. A relatively low-mileage late-80's F250 with a 6.9 or 7.3L diesel can he had for as low as 5 grand. Add a canopy if desired and a ladder rack atop and you're in business. I recommend Ford and Dodge.
For years when I was a carpenter I had a small PU (Tahoe, Ranger) and did much of the same thing you describe. Sure there were a few times I needed a bigger vehicle which I eventually bought (and sold) but for something like 90% of the work I did they were up to the task. Anything else I had it delivered or borrowed someone elses vehicle or on the really big jobs like delivering a set of kitchen cabinets I rented a moving van. This was all in the days before Home Depot started renting there flat bed trucks for something like $20.00 an hour.
Now that I work in one place and only a mile from work my vehicle is bicycle and anything that doesn't fit on the bike rack I have delivered.
I've had my chevy silverado ext cab long box for 7 years now, and I rarely find that it won't get the job done. I have a topper on it which is key for picking up or delivering in foul weather. If you plan to use sheet goods, definately get the 8 foot box as opposed to the 6 footer. I bought this truck new in 2000, and it was my daily driver and work truck for 5 years. Now that gas is so expensive, I have a smaller car for my daily commuter, and the chevy gets used just for work. 105,000 miles and going strong.
Peter
www.jpswoodworking.com
The Dodge Sprinter van.
I'm sorry I have to run and can't list pros and cons.
8675309
There is a nearby cabinet shop that has a old Ford Model A woodie as the company truck.. Actually he bought a pickup and converted into a woodie. He slightly hotrodded it and because he did it on his own he has less than $15,000 and about 6 months of part time work involved..
He does it to draw attention to his business. According to him he's very successful at doing that the truck attracts attention and he drives it everyplace. He says that he spends about $1000 a year keep it looking good and running perfectly. Whenever he makes a delivery he has a trailer he pulls behind it. He also uses the trailer when he buys a lot of wood.
Normally the back is filled with his tools and equipment but that's set up so he can slide it out easily and carrysmaller cabinets or whatever..
One option is to use a trailer. You can park it when it's not needed. A variety of tow vehicles can be used and it might outlast a few of them. They have easy, low access and roof racks can be used for long items. Wide variety of sizes and capacities, useful for other things, too. Much less expensive than a truck.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
I recently downsized from a Dodge Quad Cab pickup to a Jeep Patriot, mainly because of fuel consumption. I have a 10' X 7' trailer that the Jeep pulls, and it is great for picking up plywood. Even when I had the pickup truck, I needed the trailer to haul cabinets to an install, so it was really not much of a change. I mill most of my own stock from logs, and dry myself, so I don't have issues with constantly needing to pick up hardwood lumber.
Jeff
My Boss has had it all, and is now bent on a sprinter (he may send a coworker to pick it up in SC). ANY CONS ARE WELCOME!! LOL B/c what we really need to get is a nice diesel 350 to pull the trailer he already owns. We've had the box trucks and the beater pu's. Ideally it would have a flat bed on the back and a trailer hitch, AC and a CD player and thats it!.
Hi,
I own and operate a small 1-2 man custom cabinet shop. This is my system that works pretty well for me.
I have a long bed pick-up with a canopy and a cab-over lumber rack. This lets me pick up some material and sheet goods and also deliver a small cabinet or two. I also have a small open trailer that lets me increase my delivery to 4 or 5 average size cabinets. Other than that I have all my material delivered to the shop. For delivery of a kitchen/baths I use a local moving company. They come and shrink wrap the finished product, take it where it needs to go, and set it where I want it. An average size kitchen delivered within a 25 mile radius costs about $ 400. Money well spent in my opinion.
So, one thing I would consider in the equation is if you are looking for a larger truck or trailer for delivery consider using a sub contractor. Depending on your area you may find it more cost affective as well as convenient.
Paul
YOUCH!
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Hey Bob,
Is that the orange beer cooler or the Toyota Forerunner orange bumper on the front!?
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
The old truck also had a cooler mounted on the front bumper. We never found it.I don't want to hijack the thread, but my experience is instructive for those setting up a work truck they'll spend a lot of time in. I'd been driving for over 45 years without a significant accident.1) If you're gonna have a wreck, let it be in one of these. High bumpers and 2-3X the weight of most potential opponents.2) I used to tell my kids that "good drivers don't have accidents." Sheep dip. The Toyota skidded into my path so fast my foot didn't even reach the brake pedal before impact.3) I was just driving a half mile to the country store for coffee and wasn't wearing my seat belt. Wasn't a problem in the F250 and wouldn't have been in the Peterbilt, but at the time I was driving the family Dakota the same way and that coulda been fatal had I been in it instead of the F250.The 4-Runner that hit me contained my neighbors taking their teenage son to the local HS and letting him drive on the ice with a learner's permit. Dad was in the back behind the driver and mom was in the front passenger seat and the only one in the car not wearing her seat belt. It was a country road with a 45mph limit and they were doing 45-50 and spun out on a curve. I had my blinker on, was about to turn into the store, and had slowed to 20mph or so. I hit their right rear wheel as they skidded into me sideways and came to a slow stop in my lane. The impact removed their entire rear axle from the car and flung the car into the ditch where it careened off the bank and down the road another 100 yards. Mom's head broke both the side window and windshield and she sustained serious head injuries that took 6 months to recover from. Nobody else was hurt, and it was only blind luck that the impact was at the rear wheel and not the front passenger door.
Edited 12/14/2007 1:57 pm by BobSmalser
Bob,
WOW!
That was close! Thank God no one was killed.
I too like to have planty of iron around me, especially up here. A good 50% of the roads around here are 2 lane dirt roads. The worst time of the year is in early spring when there is a layer of packed snow that is turning into ice B4 the spring melt.
I have a ½ ton Chevy Ext. cab and am thinking of adding a dual wheel low bed type of trailer for hauling logs to the sawyer. The picky gets a plow put on in the fall that stays there till the last snowstorm in the spring. More than once I've had to drop the blade to stay outa the ditch!
However, the reality of it all is that the plow truck drivers up here, for the most part, have been plowing our roads for many years and they really know how to do it.
Take care,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob,
It's a myth that you need a lot of sheetmetal around you to live thru a major accident.
I used to sell Little Honda's when they first became popular..
One I sold was hit broadside by a speeding Semi at an intersection. The occupants survived because the car was light enough to be thrown rather than sit there and take the full force of the blow..
In addition a lighter more nimble car is capabable of avoiding accident that a larger full sized vehicle can't avoid..
I drive a full sized Chevy pickup because I need the load carrying capability, not because it's safer..
I have a construction company here in So Cal, I often have looked into a new way to transport materials and tools as well.
I have a 2001 Toyota Tundra and have had good luck with it to date and use a track rack to haul long items, in which the back half can slide up to the cab for transporting larger items. (The guy who came up with this track rack idea must have been a sailor.)
The draw back to the Tundra or any Pick Up, is locking up stuff while out on the job site or at the store or lumber yard. By the way I also have a 86, F-350 stake bed with a lift gate and a bit of rust, but still going and it is a 4 speed diesal. I should have bought a turbo?
So back to the best vehical, well I would have to agree on the enclosed trailer Idea. Less expensive, many sizes to choose from, lower insurance, registration is good for two years here in California, park the thing inside at work, then at the end of the day drive your P/U home or for other work needs.
All the while the trailer is in a safe & secure location & you will not needing to look over your shoulder to see if anyone is ripping you off, while parked at a job site or store Etc.
This can give you piece of mind.
Edited 12/14/2007 10:46 pm ET by TonyCz
Edited 12/15/2007 10:25 pm ET by TonyCz
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