Build Me The Ultimate Residential Service Truck

[mdshunk]

If you want to poke around and see some really slick service-only trucks, Google "Mario Maio Super Truck" and also the name "George Brazil".

 

[electricalperson]

If you want to poke around and see some really slick service-only trucks, Google "Mario Maio Super Truck" and also the name "George Brazil".

that george brazil seems like quite the company

 

[mdshunk]

that george brazil seems like quite the company

You may notice some amazing similarities between his fleet and 220/221's trucks.

 

[MikeGee]

Building out trucks has always been my hobby. After many decades I ended up using 16' box vans. They are more difficult to park and suck up gas but we make very few trips to the supply houses. They can also haul a bunch of cargo in the center aisle if needed and I can squeeze in a 16" step ladder inside.

For a service van, I want to drive to any standard job and be equipped to do it sight unseen. I want to keep the most used items the most accessible. I want items in a logical order and I want all trucks set up identically.

I also want a rolling billboard with our name plastered all over it.

I'm sure everyone has seen them before but......

Even if I don't know what I'm doing, I LOOK like I do.

you know I Dont see a tool bag or a tool box or even tools?

 

[tonyou812]

I used to work out of a truck like that for years. After a while you get sick of climbing up all day especially with a full tool belt. And every Ford I worked out of always seemed to develop suspension problems. Never failed. And chevys always seemed to get very tempermental after 160,000 miles.

 

[ItsHot]

rickshaws!

rickshaws!

Before its over, we may be working out of rickshaws!! Marc do you have a photo??:smile:

 

[bjp_ne_elec]

Station Wagon w/Roof Rack (preferably wood grain paneling down sides), 24' extension ladder, 6' step, 4' step, a 5 gallon bucket of tools, some wire and a bucket of wire nutz, screws and such.

When I used to work for a rather large contractor back in upstate NY, one of the senior JW's used to say that a guy with a station wagon and tools would give the company we worked for a run for their money. They always scrimped in supplying the jobs with adequate material, and we'd all spend more time looking for those last few 1/2" EMT connectors, etc.

Seriously - I'm working out of a pick-up, but really need to move to one of those vans with the box on the back - full of side tool storage. Ideally the box tall enough to stand up in - but I'm not sure of the specific brands. I need to start looking - so I'll read through this thread with great interest.

 

[SPARKS40]

The ideal work vehicle would be one that always has the fitting/box/connector/splicing kit/and/or anything else you might find yourself without when you're 50 miles or better from the nearest supply house or other store.

 

[tonyou812]

In theory the big box trucks are great but for 80 percent of the time do you really need to lug aroung 100 1" emt connectors and 30 1 1/4 emt connectors? If you were about to start something like that wouldnt you have some kind of fore warning from the office? Do you really need that much of one type of item? I like to carry a little of everything and a good amount of very commonly used items. It just seems like your carrying more than nessacary. Looking at all those plastic boxes it almost seems like your geared to rough a house at a moments notice. I dont..... know just an observation.

 

[Ed Carr]

If any of you guys are using a pickup with some kind of a cap on it
do yourself a huge favor and get a bedslide.It will be the best money you ever spent!

 

[wireguru]

If you want to poke around and see some really slick service-only trucks, Google "Mario Maio Super Truck" and also the name "George Brazil".

do you mean Maurice Maio, the flate rate guy?

 

[g@friendly]

I run Hackney P2000 bodys on isuzu 1400HD it is the best setup. Lots of room and for you guys that don't want to climb in it is a step up height. check it out http://www.hackneyservice.com/truck1_stand.htm

 

[Fulthrotl]

If any of you guys are using a pickup with some kind of a cap on it
do yourself a huge favor and get a bedslide.It will be the best money you ever spent!

these are about the best one's i've found.....

http://www.tuffyproducts.com/p-168-116-8-tuffy-full-pull-load-deck-slide-patented.aspx

 

[Fulthrotl]

Dont forget a place for FD to sit so he can stick his head out the window.

I dont do resi, but here is my rig

http://photos.gcbsinventory.com/trailers/

just finished looking at this.... please excuse me for a moment while
i go outside to set my truck on fire.

i didn't notice a 5 axis cnc milling machine, but maybe that was in
one of the other trailers...

 

[zog]

just finished looking at this.... please excuse me for a moment while
i go outside to set my truck on fire.

i didn't notice a 5 axis cnc milling machine, but maybe that was in
one of the other trailers...

All 3 are set up the same, 480V generator, a AC unit big enough to cool a 2000 sqft home, a crane, 50,000A test set, etc...outfitted better than most breaker shops, you should see our shop

 

[220/221]

I don't see a tool box, a tool bag or even any tools.

The tools are there, they are just put away....like they should be.... mostly in the left hand crates. Blades and bits are in the smaller bins on the materials side.

In theory the big box trucks are great but for 80 percent of the time do you really need to lug aroung 100 1" emt connectors and 30 1 1/4 emt connectors?

You don't need 100 but you may need a few. I stock as many that will fit into the allotted bin space. appx 12 1" SS and RT connectors. I rarely use 1 1/4 but again, I stock whatever fits in the bin....maybe 6. I carry all EMT fittings, SS and RT up to 2.5" Obviously anly 4 each of the large sizes.

It just seems like your carrying more than nessacary. Looking at all those plastic boxes it almost seems like your geared to rough a house at a moments notice.

I do carry more than necessary, especially inexpensive items. I do it for several reasons, including:

1. I have the space.
2. If I can't/don't restock every day, I will not be affected.

On residential jobs, the number one item is the single gang nail on box. I will likely only use a dozen of them on a job so I stock maybe 20-30....whatever fits in the space. They are cheap and don't take up a lot of space so I load up.

 

[Fulthrotl]

Start from scratch.

Go crazy!

(remember....this is a list of things you need and can't live without to get it done, for whatever you encounter)

i did go crazy.
ok... you *did* ask for the vehicle particulars.....

here's what i've put togeather, based on the type
of work i do, which is heavy commercial, industrial process
control, and some housing. (someone's gotta do those can lights)

there's a lot of details in the post, sources and whatnot,
for the pieces of this you might find interesting.

photos at the end explain all of this....

vehicle: 2006 E-350 diesel econoline. i didn't go with
the sprinter, as this is capable of going in parking
structures, and del taco drive thru. i know lots of
people love the sprinter, but i wanted this one to last
the rest of my working career, and i've owned 4 econolines,
and they have been bulletproof. some areas in LA also have
commercial vehicle restrictions, and an econoline won't
usually get tagged, and bigger stuff will. that doesn't
make sense, but that's how it's worked for me. personalized
plates on the van don't immediately reveal commercial status
as well.

as for the diesel, the 2008 uses the same powertrain as the
2006, with a 6 liter single turbo. this give better milage
than the twin turbo. i have positraction. milage as loaded
is 12-13 around town, 21 on highway. weight as configured
with a full tank of gas and 2 passengers is 10,700 lbs.

the '06 can also run regular #2 diesel as well as ULSD,
and can run hybrid fuel (CNG & #2 diesel combo) as well,
without problems.

oil and lubericants are provided by www.purepower.com ,
along with the stainless steel 10 micron resuasable oil filter.
i buy the bulk oil kelly sells to the nascar teams.

if you have real sloppy weather conditions, you can get a
quadra track conversion, but it's pricy.

if you suffer from total deraingement, and want to go to work
no matter what, there are always mattracks, at http://www.mattracks.com

the van is white stealth mode, without signage. most of my preferred
work doesn't come from people driving by, and the signage is
a dead giveaway to crackheads in home depot parking lots as
to which vehicle they want to hit. two guys i work with have
both had their service trucks broken into in the last 6 months
twice each, and with the economy in this shape, it's gonna get
worse, i feel.

vehicle alarm is used, with remote start, and remote alarm
annunciation, both by key fob, and cellphone. i have remote
tracking, and vehicle control by cellphone, so i can disable
the vehicle, and see where it it on my iphone with google maps.
in freezing situations, when you aren't plugged into a block
heater, the alarm will autostart the vehicle for 10 minutes every
3 hours to keep the block warm. set the alarm off, and my cellphone
tells me so 20 seconds later. back windows are limo tinted to keep
contents out of sight. no rackage on top. everything is inside.

batteries. OEM stuff is pretty minimal. replaced them with Oddesy
batteries when they died. expensive. two of them at $300 each. well worth it.

wheels and tires... due to the weight of the rig, i went with alcoa alloy
rims and michelin tires. alcoa #167031 - LTS 5 (16x7) 8-bolt Single
and Michelin LTX A/T 2 LT265/75R16/E 123R B

this is the highest capacity wheel and tire combo that'll fit on a stock E-350
and has a GVW of 3,500# per wheel, or 14,000# for the rig.
i also run centramatics dynamic wheel balancers, as they add about
60% to the life of the tires, making them last on the sunny side of 100k miles.
they also quiet the ride down somewhat. OEM tires lasted 31k miles. :-(

10 ton bottle jack replaces the OEM jack. it needs to.

firestone front and rear airbags are also used, an absolute must.

brakes were also needing spunking with the weight involved, so i went with
hawk carbon pads. same price as OEM, twice the braking power. i get them
from bits and pieces, in long beach, calif. good guy, good prices. sells
off a web site. available for most trucks, and race cars as well.

inside, walls, floors and ceiling are covered with dynamat. without it,
vehicle sounds like a beer can half full of nails, rolling down a hill.
unlike most work vans, this one is quiet rolling down the road. no
rattles, wind noise, or stuff banging around in back.

stereo and navigation: part huge excess, and part absolute necessity.
alpine in dash navigation, with XM satellite traffic feed, and XM stereo.
ipod port, of course, and dynaudio speakers, and 12" alpine subwoofer.
two amps totalling 1,600 watts driving it. auxiliary rider on insurance
protecting it. it'll also play dvd's, if it's a bad traffic day, and
you are stuck on the 405 for 3 hours going 15 miles, past LAX.
about $7k installed, or find an alpine dealer who likes can lights.. i did.
lots and lots of can lights.

trailer hitch, class 4 bolt on reciever. adjustable ball hitch, which
serves as effective tailgater repellant. it's billet aluminum, and i
had it mirror polished, and the difference between having it on and off
the vehicle is about 2 car lengths of tailgater repellant, i kid you not.
excellent safety feature. a big shiny chrome fist, saying "back off".

12 volt air compressor mounted under vehicle in front of spare, capable
of running my plasma cutter. 3kw inverter capable of running same
plasma cutter, and wire feed, and tig unit as needed. also capable of
running a proper air horn, for those moments when you really need
to reach out and touch someone. Nathan K5LA - circa amtrack.

inside racking foundation is 1 5/8" strut welded every 4", with grade 12
allen head cap screws thru bolted to frame crossmembers.

on top of that is two packrat steel pull out drawers, one facing
forward, and one facing rearword. 4' deep, 80% extension.
made by http://www.weatherguard.com/images/products/338-3_939_alt.jpg

on top of that is two 6' deep pullout aluminum drawers, 100% extension,
facing rearward. made by http://www.tuffyproducts.com/

on top of *that* is a 6'bed pullout, facing rearward, 100% extension.
on top of that are 9 poly bins for material. i hate vehicle crawling.
made by http://www.tuffyproducts.com/

on the "shelf" in front of the 6' pullouts, on top of the forward facing
packrat, there is a custom stainless steel enclosure with tip out acco bins
for nuts and bolts. inside of this enclosure is where my tool boxes ride,
with a locking front cover of stainless, and this serves as a crash shield
for the passengers. it is #12 ga 304 stainless, and isn't going *anywhere*.

carry case alongside that for the material i am working with on a given day.
i can pick bins out of the case, plop them in the caddy, take it where i need
it, and not have to sort things when i go back to the van. just plop the acco
bins back where i got them.

6" pvc sch. 40 on drivers side holds conduit.

passenger side holds 19' little giant ladder, and 6' fiberglass ladder.

all of this stuff locks up, so it's pretty theft resistant.

if i sound paranoid, it's 'cause i lost a custom made trailer a while ago,
and the tools, and trailer were an uncompensated $22,000 loss. it still hurts.

tools? that's gonna be another post.

anyway, this long winded explanation makes more sense if you look at the
pictures.


randy

 

[zog]

Nice setup, I miss Del Taco

 

[JJWalecka]

220/221

Nice set up!

JJ

 

[JJWalecka]

Fulthrotl Nice work. I would be proud to work out of that.

JJ