I am getting started soon in doing residential electrical contracting in southwest Florida. Fortunately for us here we don't really have to do much advertising to get work here, as a matter of fact it is more about being able to handle all the new residential construction you can handle. My question is, what are your opinions about the type, size vehicle to use. I am starting with a F350 with a utility bed because that's what I am able to get right now. I am planning on growing pretty quickly and I would like to know what experiences you guys have had with different vehicles. I am definitely swaying towards the common van but what size is most practical? Is a V6 enough or a 1/2 ton enough? Any opinions would be great. Also I was recently able to get my state certified general contractors license and I am planning on incorporating that into some commercial contracting and I would love to hear some stories about how some of you guys or someone you know has been able to utilize the 2 licenses to do great things, thanks Justin
Residential Vehicle??
- Thread starter justin
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mdshunk
Senior Member
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- Right here.
Re: Residential Vehicle??
I've used just about everything at one point. Pickups, pickup with cap, pickup with tool body, van of various sizes, etc. Once I started to use step vans and cube vans, I'll never go back. Currently I have 3 step vans and one cube van, and they are the cat's meeow. You can stock everything on the truck for most types of service calls, carry the full boxes of stuff you'll need to ruff a new house, and still have room to walk in and actually find things without crawling all over stuff. You might look up the recent "pimp my ride" thread, where many guys have posted pics of how they have their trucks setup. You can get a cube van for pretty much the same money as a regular van. I'd seriously look into that if I was you. I never knew what I was missing until I started to use them. The main drawback is that they need some getting used to if your towns have narrow streets, and they are a bit taller and will rub low hanging tree branches in driveways. They are a bit wider than most trucks, but if you drive a dually tool bodied pickup, they're about the same width.
I've used just about everything at one point. Pickups, pickup with cap, pickup with tool body, van of various sizes, etc. Once I started to use step vans and cube vans, I'll never go back. Currently I have 3 step vans and one cube van, and they are the cat's meeow. You can stock everything on the truck for most types of service calls, carry the full boxes of stuff you'll need to ruff a new house, and still have room to walk in and actually find things without crawling all over stuff. You might look up the recent "pimp my ride" thread, where many guys have posted pics of how they have their trucks setup. You can get a cube van for pretty much the same money as a regular van. I'd seriously look into that if I was you. I never knew what I was missing until I started to use them. The main drawback is that they need some getting used to if your towns have narrow streets, and they are a bit taller and will rub low hanging tree branches in driveways. They are a bit wider than most trucks, but if you drive a dually tool bodied pickup, they're about the same width.
Re: Residential Vehicle??
Ditto. You can't beat the convenience and time saved by not having to run to the supply house because you didn't have something on the truck. My only additional advice is to actually keep an inventory sheet on the truck and check off what you use on each job. This is great for my invoicing and really keeps me honest about restocking. It also keeps my trips to the supply house at a minimum.
Ditto. You can't beat the convenience and time saved by not having to run to the supply house because you didn't have something on the truck. My only additional advice is to actually keep an inventory sheet on the truck and check off what you use on each job. This is great for my invoicing and really keeps me honest about restocking. It also keeps my trips to the supply house at a minimum.
bphgravity
Senior Member
- Location
- Florida
Re: Residential Vehicle??
If you are planning on doing work in the North Port area, you may want to consider 4 wheel drive. Some of the areas on the outskirts can get quite swampy.
If you are planning on doing work in the North Port area, you may want to consider 4 wheel drive. Some of the areas on the outskirts can get quite swampy.
- Location
- Lockport, IL
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- Retired Electrical Engineer
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