have any you used a bread truck

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vilasman

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I am considering getting a used diesel powered snap-on truck with the lift on the back. Anyone had good or bad expierence with them
 
vilasman said:
I am considering getting a used diesel powered snap-on truck with the lift on the back. Anyone had good or bad expierence with them
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I use to drive an old Snap On Tool truck 14' long with an aluminum body. It was gas powered and was a great vehicle. It's a little expensive to keep up-- dual wheels in the back, large tires, etc. If you need the space theya're nice but I am much happier in my little Ford Van. Of course the dodge sprinter vans are becoming very popular
sprinter_hotspot.jpg
 
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I am thinking of buying a bread truck next. When I was in the Air Force I worked out of one. We had dark rooms built into it. If the price is right and it runs well I would go for it.
 
Freightliner Sprinter SHC 2500

Freightliner Sprinter SHC 2500

My sprinter ha 53,000 miles on it now. New in 2004. Carries two ladders that drop down. One is a 20 footer and the other is a 32 footer. Get 18 miles per gallon. Have never had it in for a maintenance problem of any type. Starts in o degree temps. Has good excelleration carrying 7000 lbs. Cost about $30,000. Good truck for the trade.
 
wireman3736 said:
You guy's that have had the dodge sprinter vans, do these come in all or 4 wheel drive.
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I believe they are rear wheel drive and turbodiesel.

Sprinter Cargo Van

Two wheelbases, three vehicle lengths, and three roof heights available
Best?in?class? cargo capacity
Best-in-class? payload
Cargo Protection load-securing system
Standard 3.0?liter CRD turbodiesel V6 engine
Standard five?speed automatic with AutoStick?
Variety of available interior partitions
 
We bought a bread truck from an auction that used to belong to the POCO. The A/C in the cab works great, the back has a roof top A/C, it has a generator, tons of cabinets and drawers, lockers, an inverter, fluorescent lights, and a killer sound system. (We call it the "Electric RV") Looks like a huge, rolling billboard! Everybody tells us about it.

FWIW, It also has a 6.5 L diesel that gets better mileage than my E350! It's a 1998 and we gave $3600 for it.
 
I use a 1956 International Metro. Its a model "A-120". Great truck all aluminum body. Six cylinder engine that will not do over fifty miles per hour, geared for city deliveries. A guy gave it to us in the seventies to fix up and use for camping when hunting. We have used it everything you an imagine. It just won't die.


edit to add model
 
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I think I am coming to a consensus here, at the risk of sounding crazy, I have been arguing/debating with myself over what kind of truck to get, literally for years. P/U's have their advantages including being 4wd which is good for muddy new construction sites and snow, Van's have their advantages... uh... cant think of any van advantages that a sprinter or a bread truck wouldn't have. I was also looking at service body trucks, and wondering if all the side access compartments would be a plus or a headache, but locking all those doors would be a headache. And the bread truck has more space. I saw on whatever show Norm Abrams is on right now where at one point the GC guy talked about having used bread trucks, I think his complaint was they break down. Which is why I specified the diesel engine. After doing some research I saw that they hold up better. The GC guy ended up using utility trailers but, I think it would be to easy to steal a trailer. You leave it on the job, chained to a tree and come back after the weekend and tree is down and your trailer is gone.
I am leaning towards the snap on truck because you can get one cheaper and because of the lift. I wish the lift would go up high enough that if I backed the truck up to the porch or a window of the property I was working on, i could raise the lift up high enough straight take my supplies off the lift and into the building, but that may be asking too much. The lift would also be a plus in loading and unloading gang boxes.
Anyway thanks for the good advice.
 
We used "bread type" trucks in the 70's and early 80's. The problems we had were constant water leaks, cold in winter, hot in summer, hard to secure during the day. Newer trucks may be improved. We began using "cab and chassis" with High Cube bodies on the back (think 1-ton u-haul type truck). These worked out very well.
 
Isuzu Box Van

Isuzu Box Van

I bought a used Isuzu 16' box van with a side roll up door, a rear roll up door and a 2 ton lift gate. It's the best work truck I've had in 30 years of business.

It's rated at 7 tons, and has a 4 cylinder diesel engine that's get 10-12 miles per gallon (which is what my pickup gets). I carry all my tools and supplies with me, I have a dry place to work if need be, and my garage isn't full of tools and supplies (which my wife appreciates).

It's not sleek or sexy, and I have to watch out for trees, but I love it.
 
FrancisDoody said:
My sprinter ha 53,000 miles on it now. New in 2004. Carries two ladders that drop down. One is a 20 footer and the other is a 32 footer. Get 18 miles per gallon. Have never had it in for a maintenance problem of any type. Starts in o degree temps. Has good excelleration carrying 7000 lbs. Cost about $30,000. Good truck for the trade.
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The more I think about these vans, the more I like them. I'd have thought it would get better fuel mileage, though.
 
I've heard nothing but positive reviews for the "sprinter".My buddy [and former employer before I decided to go the Inspector route] currently has 12 of them on the road.He loves them.When I was with him we had box trucks, vans, pickup's w/caps [no bread trucks though].His entire fleet is being converted to sprinters .
 
I worked for two companies where we used a "bread truck". While they had their advantages in the situation they were used for, for day to day service I would opt for the Sprinter/Freight liner/Mercedes.

We used the "bread trucks" for emergency blow ups and test jobs, jobs that took 5-10 men in a short period of time the truck was fully stocked with typical emergency supplies and in addition the truck had all our large test equipment.
 
stickboy1375 said:
Sprinters are expensive, but incredible on fuel savings... I perfer working out of a van myself...
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You prefer a van to a sprinter? How come out of curiosity? The convenience of the smaller size?
 
My guys LOVE the Sprinters and the price difference was not all that much.

Though I drove one to Florida for a job and this not a long distance vehicle, I could not get comftrable.
 
j_erickson said:
You prefer a van to a sprinter? How come out of curiosity? The convenience of the smaller size?
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To be honest, the sprinter fell out of a ugly tree and broke every stick on the way down.... :grin:

I never should have said I perfer a van, because I have only seen other trades on the job with them, never actually worked out of one...
 
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