Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: hank jr on April 16, 2017, 10:00:11 am
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(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1492333360_Screenshot_20170414-084157.jpg)
Hi all, so I decided to go for a truck instead of a van, main reason was having 3 kids and so I would of needed a car and a van otherwise.
I'm thinking of a trolley setup on the back, with long hoses, but I have the choice of taking the trolley off and get to those awkward houses were you can't get your vehicle close enough.
Does this sound like a good idea?
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Some will tell you it's a brilliant idea and others that pick-ups are the spawn of the Devil and the absolute worst thing you could possibly buy. I've had a Ranger for WFP now for five years and for my usage it's the best work vehicle I've ever had.
Lifting a trolley in and out of the back is hard work as it's very tall. I use of 400 litre tank with 100 m hose and it gets me to most places. Just consider that a double cab like the one pictured has a fairly small load bed length so a 400 litre tank would take up all your space and not leave any additional room unless you stacked it under a truckman top.,
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Yeah get yourself a truckman top for it .....I've a custom 500 L in back of mine, pump/battery box, fixed reel, backpack, trad gear , folding ladder and a supermax pole ( though mine is the supercab like E&M's ) ;)
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Yeah get yourself a truckman top for it .....I've a custom 500 L in back of mine, pump/battery box, fixed reel, backpack, trad gear , folding ladder and a supermax pole ( though mine is the supercab like E&M's ) ;)
Do you have ladders on the roof too? I know a good few of my custies will not change over to WFP. That's how I hot them in the first place.
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Sounds like you are restricting yourself a bit Hank. By adding ladders and thinking of a trolley.
Alarm bells go off when I hear "my customers won't have wfp". It often means "I can't groom my round to the best of its potential because I'm concerned about managing my customers expectations."
Unless you need 4wd for farm tracks, fields, frequent camping trips and caravanning I would suggest a crewcab van for a family man. If I could only have one vehicle for my family that is what I would have done.
However the "best" solution IMHO is a van for work and a car for family which can be done for the price of a truck.
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Sounds like you are restricting yourself a bit Hank. By adding ladders and thinking of a trolley.
Alarm bells go off when I hear "my customers won't have wfp". It often means "I can't groom my round to the best of its potential because I'm concerned about managing my customers expectations."
Where I live there are a few window cleaners....they all use wfp. I'm the last trad in the area I work (I think). God knows how many customers have come out and asked me to clean their windows because "that brush is crap".
So switching over is going to be a bit tricky with these custies.
As for van and car vs having 1 truck....I've added up all monthly running costs for each and its cheaper to have just one vehicle for work and family.. ( for me anyway). I would of liked a ban but not at the added expense.
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Yeah get yourself a truckman top for it .....I've a custom 500 L in back of mine, pump/battery box, fixed reel, backpack, trad gear , folding ladder and a supermax pole ( though mine is the supercab like E&M's ) ;)
Do you have ladders on the roof too? I know a good few of my custies will not change over to WFP. That's how I hot them in the first place.
I Used to Hank... I fitted some eye bolts through the truckmans roof and would ratchet strap a set on. Mostly wfp now and just have a fold up combi ladder in back on top of tank for access to flat roofs and Conny cleans. I'll take some pics and post them if its of interest to you ?
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Sounds like you are restricting yourself a bit Hank. By adding ladders and thinking of a trolley.
Alarm bells go off when I hear "my customers won't have wfp". It often means "I can't groom my round to the best of its potential because I'm concerned about managing my customers expectations."
Where I live there are a few window cleaners....they all use wfp. I'm the last trad in the area I work (I think). God knows how many customers have come out and asked me to clean their windows because "that brush is crap".
So switching over is going to be a bit tricky with these custies.
As for van and car vs having 1 truck....I've added up all monthly running costs for each and its cheaper to have just one vehicle for work and family.. ( for me anyway). I would of liked a ban but not at the added expense.
so let me get this right as a woman with kids myself here , you love your kids so much your going to use a truck that is not really right for the job but your want to best for them ? taking them to football and nights out being dads taxi ect ect thats great your a great dad doing this and a real stand up guy hat off to you ! we need more guys in the world like this
yet on the other hand you worried about losing stupid custmers and willing to go up a ladder for a daft 10-12 quid to where if you fall off and snap your back you will never play football , play with your kids and there toys on the floor at xmas nor walk your daughter down the ile of even worse die at the foot of the ladder ! wheres the good dad gone now and his thinking ? because if really did care about them you wouldn't give a crap about loseing the work
trust me your wife and kids would rather have there dad in one peace then think your killed yourself for a such a little amount of cash , and if theres no other ladder men in your area where they going too go ?
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We run Mitsubishi L200's. We love them. A 500L tank in each, 4 poles, 2x 100m reels, one pump. Will keep one man going all day or 2 for half a day, maybe a little less on large commercial solar cleaning jobs. They are not flash, but they don't need to be when they live in fields!
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Sounds like you are restricting yourself a bit Hank. By adding ladders and thinking of a trolley.
Alarm bells go off when I hear "my customers won't have wfp". It often means "I can't groom my round to the best of its potential because I'm concerned about managing my customers expectations."
Where I live there are a few window cleaners....they all use wfp. I'm the last trad in the area I work (I think). God knows how many customers have come out and asked me to clean their windows because "that brush is crap".
So switching over is going to be a bit tricky with these custies.
As for van and car vs having 1 truck....I've added up all monthly running costs for each and its cheaper to have just one vehicle for work and family.. ( for me anyway). I would of liked a ban but not at the added expense.
Hank just tell them the person using the pole is crap!
I always compare it to people who decorate, the same tools are used but some can and some can't.
If you can get them to understand that your in with a chance.
Tony
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Sounds like you are restricting yourself a bit Hank. By adding ladders and thinking of a trolley.
Alarm bells go off when I hear "my customers won't have wfp". It often means "I can't groom my round to the best of its potential because I'm concerned about managing my customers expectations."
Unless you need 4wd for farm tracks, fields, frequent camping trips and caravanning I would suggest a crewcab van for a family man. If I could only have one vehicle for my family that is what I would have done.
However the "best" solution IMHO is a van for work and a car for family which can be done for the price of a truck.
I realise that it's highly subjective but I find the "best" solution to be a long bed 4 seat pickup truck and a car. I ran the Ranger for 18 months on it's own and found that the cost of buying my 406 hdi coupe, taxing and insuring it and splitting the mileage was actually cheaper annually than paying solely for truck fuel after the first year.
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Do you have ladders on the roof too? I know a good few of my custies will not change over to WFP. That's how I hot them in the first place.
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I Used to Hank... I fitted some eye bolts through the truckmans roof and would ratchet strap a set on. Mostly wfp now and just have a fold up combi ladder in back on top of tank for access to flat roofs and Conny cleans. I'll take some pics and post them if its of interest to you ?
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yes please do....im always happy to see peoples set ups :)
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yet on the other hand you worried about losing stupid custmers and willing to go up a ladder for a daft 10-12 quid to where if you fall off and snap your back you will never play football , play with your kids and there toys on the floor at xmas nor walk your daughter down the ile of even worse die at the foot of the ladder ! wheres the good dad gone now and his thinking ? because if really did care about them you wouldn't give a crap about loseing the work
trust me your wife and kids would rather have there dad in one peace then think your killed yourself for a such a little amount of cash , and if theres no other ladder men in your area where they going too go ?
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Never mess with a woman. Point taken.
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How about a window cleaning system which can also do SoftWashing - same skid?
Take a look at SoftWashing Systems - now in UK
The great thing about our systems is they can make purified water so you can clean windows all day, if you decide to clean Render or a rood the next day, easy just remove 4 bolts and pop in another tank/module.
These will also clean render and you can hook up a pressure washer too.!
We brought these in as we currently have vans with waterfed pole systems and vans with softwashing - usually two vans doing nothing - now we can have one system that does it all.
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Firstly, nice looking truck. I've had 3 pickups (not for cleaning) and my last was a Toyota Intimidator.
I also used a pure freedom 25l trolley for a few years. Everyone is different and you need to go with your gut instinct but if it were me I would:
Fit a tank (400 litre ish). I would strap it in (if that's your garage then you can take it out weekends to put other stuff in the back of your truck, for when you take the kids out).
I would not bother with a trolley (too expensive). I would make a pump box (battery, pump, controller). This will take up room but again you can easily remove it at the weekend.
I am guessing you want a family vehicle at the weekend?
If you have awkward access then use 100m of pole hose (gardiners reinforced) this will take up much less room on the reel.
As for you custies not wanting water fed pole I would do 4 things:
1. Learn how to clean properly with a wfp
2. Give them some old crap about health and safety, or not even mention it.
3. I always tell them I will leave their windows 'SOAKING WET'
4. Always, always, always, on a first clean, get the customer to come out and see how the windows are drying. If you start in the sun, by the time you finish, some windows will start to dry. Bring the customer out and show them the part that has dried.
I always say 'you can see that the window is still drying, but look at the top part that has started to dry! See how clean it is! When all your windows are dry, they will look like that.
5. OK so I've added 5. On first cleans, on the lower level windows, wipe the underside of the small top openers. Also wipe fully the window seals. This gives the appearance that the windows are not as wet as they appear.
Get this little routine correct and it will work every time.
Good luck. Be positive, it's your business.
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Firstly, nice looking truck. I've had 3 pickups (not for cleaning) and my last was a Toyota Intimidator.
I also used a pure freedom 25l trolley for a few years. Everyone is different and you need to go with your gut instinct but if it were me I would:
Fit a tank (400 litre ish). I would strap it in (if that's your garage then you can take it out weekends to put other stuff in the back of your truck, for when you take the kids out).
I would not bother with a trolley (too expensive). I would make a pump box (battery, pump, controller). This will take up room but again you can easily remove it at the weekend.
I am guessing you want a family vehicle at the weekend?
If you have awkward access then use 100m of pole hose (gardiners reinforced) this will take up much less room on the reel.
As for you custies not wanting water fed pole I would do 4 things:
1. Learn how to clean properly with a wfp
2. Give them some old crap about health and safety, or not even mention it.
3. I always tell them I will leave their windows 'SOAKING WET'
4. Always, always, always, on a first clean, get the customer to come out and see how the windows are drying. If you start in the sun, by the time you finish, some windows will start to dry. Bring the customer out and show them the part that has dried.
I always say 'you can see that the window is still drying, but look at the top part that has started to dry! See how clean it is! When all your windows are dry, they will look like that.
5. OK so I've added 5. On first cleans, on the lower level windows, wipe the underside of the small top openers. Also wipe fully the window seals. This gives the appearance that the windows are not as wet as they appear.
Get this little routine correct and it will work every time.
Good luck. Be positive, it's your business.
So what do you use now?
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I've got a ford connect with a 350 tank. I'm more into motorbikes than cars, so I am happy that 'Mrs Window Cleaner' has her car.
I need to upgrade, so I am looking for a Toyota Hiace to fit a 650 tank in.
But my personal circumstances are far different to yours.
Everyone's setup is different, and that is the beauty of window cleaning.
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Hi Hank Jr,
have a look in the section of this forum about selling second hand gear. There you will see I have my 4 X 4 setup for sale. In the item description the measurements are there .http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=207633.0 If it fits your vehicle then you are very welcome to buy . If not then at least you can look at the the pictures to get some ideas . Just measure between the wheel arches of your vehicle to see if there is enough room. If it works out you want the tank and the reels then I might be able to sell the Webasto heater separately. I hope the photos will give you some ideas and inspiration.
About your customers possibly not liking the the WFP method my tip would be to definitely take the time to explain to your customers what you will be doing. It will take time but you will only need to do it once. I have found that when I explained and even gave them a leaflet explaining the change over things went smoothly. I said that if the job wasn't up to scratch I would come back and redo the window immediately. They had nothing to loose it was me who would be loosing time and effort to redo the job. They were happy and because I took my time and did the job thoroughly they were fine about the changeover. When I didn't do what I have written above then I ran into a few objections in one of my rounds where I didn't "prepare" the customers.
Anyway please have a look at the used equipment section and see my hot water system for sale for some ideas for your new vehicle.
All the best
Very good looking system Leroy.
Did Grippa fit it for you, curious as it is not one of their systems.
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Hi Hank Jr,
have a look in the section of this forum about selling second hand gear. There you will see I have my 4 X 4 setup for sale. In the item description the measurements are there .http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=207633.0 If it fits your vehicle then you are very welcome to buy . If not then at least you can look at the the pictures to get some ideas . Just measure between the wheel arches of your vehicle to see if there is enough room. If it works out you want the tank and the reels then I might be able to sell the Webasto heater separately. I hope the photos will give you some ideas and inspiration.
About your customers possibly not liking the the WFP method my tip would be to definitely take the time to explain to your customers what you will be doing. It will take time but you will only need to do it once. I have found that when I explained and even gave them a leaflet explaining the change over things went smoothly. I said that if the job wasn't up to scratch I would come back and redo the window immediately. They had nothing to loose it was me who would be loosing time and effort to redo the job. They were happy and because I took my time and did the job thoroughly they were fine about the changeover. When I didn't do what I have written above then I ran into a few objections in one of my rounds where I didn't "prepare" the customers.
Anyway please have a look at the used equipment section and see my hot water system for sale for some ideas for your new vehicle.
All the best
Looks like a decent setup.....why are you selling?
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How about a window cleaning system which can also do SoftWashing - same skid?
Take a look at SoftWashing Systems - now in UK
The great thing about our systems is they can make purified water so you can clean windows all day, if you decide to clean Render or a rood the next day, easy just remove 4 bolts and pop in another tank/module.
These will also clean render and you can hook up a pressure washer too.!
We brought these in as we currently have vans with waterfed pole systems and vans with softwashing - usually two vans doing nothing - now we can have one system that does it all.
Guess you might need a forklift truck to do it though?
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How about one of these ?
http://www.omnipole-systems.com/wfpsystems/Endura400skidframe.html
Plenty of options to fit a battery /pump box and reel to . ;)
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How about one of these ?
http://www.omnipole-systems.com/wfpsystems/Endura400skidframe.html
Plenty of options to fit a battery /pump box and reel to . ;)
Hey thats a cool idea 8) can take it out when not in use. Then again....wouldn't a small IBC tank be the same thing?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IBC-water-Butt-Stillage-Small-600-Litre-Water-Container-500-Tank-Aqua-In-DURHAM-/112308409409?hash=item1a261a5441:g:JKgAAOSw32lYqVS8
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Hi Hank Jr,
have a look in the section of this forum about selling second hand gear. There you will see I have my 4 X 4 setup for sale. In the item description the measurements are there .http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=207633.0 If it fits your vehicle then you are very welcome to buy . If not then at least you can look at the the pictures to get some ideas . Just measure between the wheel arches of your vehicle to see if there is enough room. If it works out you want the tank and the reels then I might be able to sell the Webasto heater separately. I hope the photos will give you some ideas and inspiration.
About your customers possibly not liking the the WFP method my tip would be to definitely take the time to explain to your customers what you will be doing. It will take time but you will only need to do it once. I have found that when I explained and even gave them a leaflet explaining the change over things went smoothly. I said that if the job wasn't up to scratch I would come back and redo the window immediately. They had nothing to loose it was me who would be loosing time and effort to redo the job. They were happy and because I took my time and did the job thoroughly they were fine about the changeover. When I didn't do what I have written above then I ran into a few objections in one of my rounds where I didn't "prepare" the customers.
Anyway please have a look at the used equipment section and see my hot water system for sale for some ideas for your new vehicle.
All the best
Very good looking system Leroy.
Did Grippa fit it for you, curious as it is not one of their systems.
Hi dd,
Grippa did fit it for me. I sourced all the bits and pieces including the the tank from EMPF . They did everything else. Obviously they supplied and fitted the Webasto heater.
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Hi Hank Jr,
have a look in the section of this forum about selling second hand gear. There you will see I have my 4 X 4 setup for sale. In the item description the measurements are there .http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=207633.0 If it fits your vehicle then you are very welcome to buy . If not then at least you can look at the the pictures to get some ideas . Just measure between the wheel arches of your vehicle to see if there is enough room. If it works out you want the tank and the reels then I might be able to sell the Webasto heater separately. I hope the photos will give you some ideas and inspiration.
About your customers possibly not liking the the WFP method my tip would be to definitely take the time to explain to your customers what you will be doing. It will take time but you will only need to do it once. I have found that when I explained and even gave them a leaflet explaining the change over things went smoothly. I said that if the job wasn't up to scratch I would come back and redo the window immediately. They had nothing to loose it was me who would be loosing time and effort to redo the job. They were happy and because I took my time and did the job thoroughly they were fine about the changeover. When I didn't do what I have written above then I ran into a few objections in one of my rounds where I didn't "prepare" the customers.
Anyway please have a look at the used equipment section and see my hot water system for sale for some ideas for your new vehicle.
All the best
Looks like a decent setup.....why are you selling?
http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=207633.0
I'm selling it because I am always trying new things and trying to improve my system. I always think of new things to try and experiment with. So every three years or so I have a change round. The system is running perfectly. Any questions please ask.
Best regards
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Interesting discussion.
I am just looking into starting up and debating whether to use my current car (Rav4) or swap it for a pick up truck or least favourite option is to sell car and buy cheaper car & van.
I will only be working 2-3 days a week and will need to use a vehicle including passenger seats the rest of the time. Not sure what peoples experience is with using the tank in the boot with seats down & taking out when not in use? Or pick up seems logical so it can stay in the separate compartment without effecting use of the vehicle to take passengers.
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Interesting discussion.
I am just looking into starting up and debating whether to use my current car (Rav4) or swap it for a pick up truck or least favourite option is to sell car and buy cheaper car & van.
I will only be working 2-3 days a week and will need to use a vehicle including passenger seats the rest of the time. Not sure what peoples experience is with using the tank in the boot with seats down & taking out when not in use? Or pick up seems logical so it can stay in the separate compartment without effecting use of the vehicle to take passengers.
...and that's exactly why I chose a pick up. The cab and the truck bed are two completely separate bodies. Two vehicles in one :)
Its a personal preference.....others will dissuade you. For me, two vehicles was never an option.
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I've used both a shogun and ford maverick with seats down tank strapped down to eye bolts and two hose reels fixed to top of tank have used escort van and a transit van. Now I use a double cab pick and have done since June last year for me the pick up is the most suitable all round vehicle.
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Interesting discussion.
I am just looking into starting up and debating whether to use my current car (Rav4) or swap it for a pick up truck or least favourite option is to sell car and buy cheaper car & van.
I will only be working 2-3 days a week and will need to use a vehicle including passenger seats the rest of the time. Not sure what peoples experience is with using the tank in the boot with seats down & taking out when not in use? Or pick up seems logical so it can stay in the separate compartment without effecting use of the vehicle to take passengers.
if you can afford it having a separate van for work is much easier and less hassle plus all expenses in relation to the van are tax deductible if just used for work.
its a real pain using a work vehicle for leisure too.itll get wet and damp and dirty with WFP and the faffing about taking equipment in and out,etc.
you want a sporty fast car for taking your girlfriend/mistress/wife out really instead of a van with half a ton of water in the back! ;) ;D
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Interesting discussion.
I am just looking into starting up and debating whether to use my current car (Rav4) or swap it for a pick up truck or least favourite option is to sell car and buy cheaper car & van.
I will only be working 2-3 days a week and will need to use a vehicle including passenger seats the rest of the time. Not sure what peoples experience is with using the tank in the boot with seats down & taking out when not in use? Or pick up seems logical so it can stay in the separate compartment without effecting use of the vehicle to take passengers.
if you can afford it having a separate van for work is much easier and less hassle plus all expenses in relation to the van are tax deductible if just used for work.
its a real pain using a work vehicle for leisure too.itll get wet and damp and dirty with WFP and the faffing about taking equipment in and out,etc.
you want a sporty fast car for taking your girlfriend/mistress/wife out really instead of a van with half a ton of water in the back! ;) ;D
That's exactly the reason I gave above for using a pickup , with a pickup that is not an issue ...... quite simple to end the day with an empty water tank if you are taking passengers somewhere. If / when I reach my mid life crisis and for some reason I wanted a sports car, I'd have one as well ;)
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How about one of these ?
http://www.omnipole-systems.com/wfpsystems/Endura400skidframe.html
Plenty of options to fit a battery /pump box and reel to . ;)
Hey thats a cool idea 8) can take it out when not in use. Then again....wouldn't a small IBC tank be the same thing?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IBC-water-Butt-Stillage-Small-600-Litre-Water-Container-500-Tank-Aqua-In-DURHAM-/112308409409?hash=item1a261a5441:g:JKgAAOSw32lYqVS8
I think you'd struggle to get even a 600 ibc in the back of a pickup due to its size.
If I was starting out again I'd probably go with one of these and mount a reel, battery, controller and pump to it - a bespoke system that could be transferred from one vehicle to another simply and easy to maintain / repair yourself. Built right it could be all you would ever need and outlast any van .
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Interesting discussion.
I am just looking into starting up and debating whether to use my current car (Rav4) or swap it for a pick up truck or least favourite option is to sell car and buy cheaper car & van.
I will only be working 2-3 days a week and will need to use a vehicle including passenger seats the rest of the time. Not sure what peoples experience is with using the tank in the boot with seats down & taking out when not in use? Or pick up seems logical so it can stay in the separate compartment without effecting use of the vehicle to take passengers.
if you can afford it having a separate van for work is much easier and less hassle plus all expenses in relation to the van are tax deductible if just used for work.
its a real pain using a work vehicle for leisure too.itll get wet and damp and dirty with WFP and the faffing about taking equipment in and out,etc.
you want a sporty fast car for taking your girlfriend/mistress/wife out really instead of a van with half a ton of water in the back! ;) ;D
That's exactly the reason I gave above for using a pickup , with a pickup that is not an issue ...... quite simple to end the day with an empty water tank if you are taking passengers somewhere. If / when I reach my mid life crisis and for some reason I wanted a sports car, I'd have one as well ;)
Yeah i see the advantages. I cant really afford a car and van so is pretty much a no go. My concern with a pick up is the cost to buy anything decent and the mpg of one.
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I was lucky when I bought mine two owners from new low miles etc but decent ones are not cheep mpg about 26 but most of my work is within 10 mile radius. I think a good looking motor helps bring in work whether van or pick up is used is up to the individual I just price new work higher to more than cover the additional running costs.