Utility bed vs tool boxes

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E Man

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I have always used 3/4 ton pickups with a cross box and side boxes. I'm considering buying another new truck with a Royal utility bed on it. Would like to hear any pros/cons that anyone may have experienced. Thanks
 
I think in our line of work, a pickup like you described (bed box and side boxes) leaves a lot of wasted room. The entire bed is still open to the weather and thievery.

There are many utility bodies that will enclose the bed and make it a great space for storage of tools and material. I like utility bodies because they have a lot of outside cabinets that you can put your most used tools and material in for easy access. You still have the inside for bigger stuff and stuff that you don't use as often.

Ultimately, I think a van is the best for electrical service work since it's easier to enter and move around in than a pickup with utility body.
 
I have had a utility box van with side compartments and a full 6' high inside room that has been great for the last 8 years.
 
I like utility beds the best, easy access to tools, the ability to haul large and tall items you can't fit in vans, easier to heat and cool the cab and you don't have to listen to all of the material and tools rattle like you do in a van. (It does not matter how much you insulate, put down carpet, etc. there is always a squeak or rattle in a van)
 
edward said:
I have had a utility box van with side compartments and a full 6' high inside room that has been great for the last 8 years.
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Some cities (locally) do not allow dually vans/trucks parked on residential streets & properties check with your city first. Also some of the guys i know that have dually flat beds need to pay extra for registration.
 
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The problem I've heard about just recently was that all truck and van manufactures in their 150 and 250(1500,2500) series all have the same clutchs and transmissions. There are kits available but ordered ahead of time at time of sale is usually not the case.

The Ram clutch now is failing at 35K, Chronically!!!
 
cadpoint said:
The problem I've heard about just recently was that all truck and van manufactures in their 150 and 250(1500,2500) series all have the same clutchs and transmissions. There are kits available but ordered ahead of time at time of sale is usually not the case.

The Ram clutch now is failing at 35K, Chronically!!!
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i've had good luck with econolines over the years, which is why i bought one new 5 years ago.

two weeks ago, the alternator went south. new one was $600 installed. mileage is at 80k
blown diode half waving it seemed. it's a pain to get so, so i just had it done.

there is a $1 gasket that goes out every 40k miles on the 6 liter single turbo diesel.
about $175 in labor to replace... the second one started leaking a week ago, on schedule.

that's been it, since new. oil changes every 5k miles. trans fluid every 25k. coolant every 50k

running banks processor, adjustable to +100 hp and +150 ft/lbs torque. always set to max. :)
mileage is 13 around town, 23-24 on highway, weight is 10,500 lbs.

i'd a gone with a walk in service bed, but the mileage is much lower, and my wife said... you want
to park *what* in front of the house? mine's nondescript white, and operates in stealth mode.

as for rattles, it's pretty quiet going down the road, i dynamatted everything, walls floor, and ceiling,
and i have a stereo with 1600 watts, and enough rock and roll on the ipod that rattle aren't a problem.
 
edward said:
Some cities (locally) do not allow dually vans/trucks parked on residential streets & properties check with your city first. Also some of the guys i know that have dually flat beds need to pay extra for registration.
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Where does all their residential service trades people park when working?

Fulthrotl said:
i'd a gone with a walk in service bed, but the mileage is much lower, and my wife said... you want
to park *what* in front of the house? mine's nondescript white, and operates in stealth mode.
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I'm sure your wife is a nice lady but unless she makes more money than you ....
 
kwired said:
Where does all their residential service trades people park when working?



I'm sure your wife is a nice lady but unless she makes more money than you ....
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well, she has a valid point, and the van can go pretty much anywhere without getting undue
interest from anyone... and i don't depend on a traveling billboard for referrals... the one
thing about service bodies, either walk in or standard, is that they draw crackheads and invite
break ins. mine's not immediately obvious as a trade vehicle. four people i know have had
their service bodies broken into in the last year or so.... and i don't know a lot of folks.

mine, you can't tow it, you can't hotwire it, if you break into it, my key fob and cellphone go off,
and the interior tends to discourage grab and dash. the stereo is about the biggest thing at
risk, and i can earn a living without a stereo.

at one point, i lost about $22k worth of tools in one whack, and that experience has affected my
tool security plan.
 
Fulthrotl said:
well, she has a valid point, and the van can go pretty much anywhere without getting undue
interest from anyone... and i don't depend on a traveling billboard for referrals... the one
thing about service bodies, either walk in or standard, is that they draw crackheads and invite
break ins. mine's not immediately obvious as a trade vehicle. four people i know have had
their service bodies broken into in the last year or so.... and i don't know a lot of folks.

mine, you can't tow it, you can't hotwire it, if you break into it, my key fob and cellphone go off,
and the interior tends to discourage grab and dash. the stereo is about the biggest thing at
risk, and i can earn a living without a stereo.

at one point, i lost about $22k worth of tools in one whack, and that experience has affected my
tool security plan.
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My truck gets parked inside so thieves is not much of a problem. It is also nice to keep rain, snow, ice off of it, which seeing your location is not much concern to you. Not having to scrape frost off windows on cold mornings is really nice.
 
van

van

E250 or E350 extended van is the way to go. Keeps the parts safe dry, and clean. Diesel or NG gets you tax rebates and fuel savings. Why use an open truck?
 
We have went from pickups to vans back to pickups, back to vans, and we buy a lot of them! The transmissions on the vans last between 60-100 thousand miles because we tow lifts. We have had both Fords and Chevy's, no difference on longevity. As far as keeping stuff dry, unless your a SSI tech, there's not that much we use that's kept in the bed that rain hurts. If your hauling around material that rusts because it's been in there a long time, you need to reconsider the inventory you carry. I have 207,000 miles on my 07 pickup and have had it fail only once, something about water getting into emmissions control box or something, shut the motor down to 2000 rpm limp home mode. They want to give me a new van, but as long as this one runs, I'm sticking with it. By the way the vans are no more secure, the ones we are buying have no windows in the back or side door, and we already had several thousand dollars worth of tools stolen out of it. They are putting the padlock attachments on the doors, so now the theives just have to bust out the window on one of the doors to get in.:roll:
 
We went to all vans and never looked back. From a service standpoint vans are much better as you can put the items you need in them without getting stuff piled on top.
 
rewire. said:
We went to all vans and never looked back. From a service standpoint vans are much better as you can put the items you need in them without getting stuff piled on top.
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I don't know about that. I saw a guy at the supply house not long ago that was driving a van that had so much stuff in it he almost could not get in to drive it. Probably had whatever he stopped to get at supply house in there somewhere just didn't know where. You could tell there was some weight in there too by the way the rear end was about to drag on the ground.
 
GUNNING said:
E250 or E350 extended van is the way to go. Keeps the parts safe dry, and clean. Diesel or NG gets you tax rebates and fuel savings. Why use an open truck?
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tax rebates on diesel? don't be shy.... what are you referring to?
my 350 has 6.0 turbo diesel......

i know about fuel savings... my fuel cost is about 60% of what the
V-10 gas motor would cost at my weight level.... i know.. i drove one
for about a year when i was an hourly puke.

but tax rebates?
 
John120/240 said:
Fulthrotl & 220/221 both have some nice photos of there different setups. Who knows how to

search the archives ? Thank You
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http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=105612

was the thread that had 220/221 and my service trucks in it.....
hm... that was three years ago.... geez.

only thing that really has changed is i added a 2kw honda generator
in a dropped pan in the pull out shelf in the back, and the gale banks
genius dial a boost, for more oomph, and an electronic jake
brake... they told me the jake brake could be added, so i bought
the kit, then they said oops... it can't be added... and i really wanted
the jake brake.... but it added a bunch of power and torque, and mileage
went up, so it's ok.... still want that jake brake....

but 220/221's vans are way good... they carry buckets of stuff... my
van is pretty tightly packed...
 
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