anyone used a box van like this??

[steve g]

I have been seeing a few vans like these around they seem like the idea van for carpet cleaning, I think most have a sliding door between the drivers area and the box, so this would allow you to mount the truckmount very close to the front to save room, its 12ft long, doesn't narrow at the top and you can walk inside it. It also doesn't have dual wheels and a heavy box which should mean it should get decent MPG, you can get these used from rental fleets for a reasonable price, add a side door and you are set. I am thinking I want one

 

[renegade_cowboy]

A few years ago I saw a TM installed in a 1990's Ford Explorer(pos). The wand and hoses were tied to the roof.

 

[Dolly Llama]

I've never driven one, Steve, but a contractor I know loves his.
he claims he gets close to 17mpg
(Ford chassis W/Triton)

I was asking him about it, cause I think it would make dandy CCing wagon.
The low entry hight into the box would be sweet.
I've never seen one with a side door, though.
I'd REALLY like to have a side door too

..L.T.A.

 

[Brian R]

Yea If you can get it tricked out with a wrap or nice lettering it would prob be cool.
I would drive it.
How much for a new one?

 

[bob vawter]

You guys jus ain't gonna do a PTO...are ya?

 

[Guest]

yep,Im thinking of the same thing,lots of room to run around in and carry stuff,and ya,a side door I think would be fairly easy to add.

Kevin

 

[Greg Loe]

Just about all the local plumbers have gone to that van.

That's the one on the top of my list to get for work van.

 

[Bob Foster]

Some things about the van:

With an FRP body it's easy to put doors and vents where you want them. You can often buy a RV door salvage at an RV place for $75.00 and they are often almost as good as new.

Easy to fix scratches with FRP - aluminum bodies with deep scratches are hard to fix because the aluminium stretches badly

Floor is lower and so it has exposed wheel pans on the deck. This will cause some side- by side issues if you are running the reel and TM out of the back and a TM wider than 30 inches unless you raise the floor.

If you are going to use oversized water tanks you will have to be careful how you lay it out. Be careful and lay everthing up on graph paper.

 

[packfancjh]

I have a cust that bought one and put the side door in himself. He recently put a Prochem Everest and the Blueline water pond in it and absolutely loves it. He did have to raise the floor with 2x4 framing but it worked very well.

 

[steve g]

here are a few pic of the van like I am talking about

http://www.morgancorp.com/products/parc ... allery.asp

the pics only show the 10ft long model, the 12ft model would be the ticket, put in the cab access door, allowing you to mount the truckmount nearly full forward and still have access to work on that side of the machine via the cab access door, the extra length in the rear should also allow you to mount your reels behind the wheel wells just fine. someone should really market these type van to the CC world, they sure would work alot better than a plain ole extended van. the only thing haven't been able to find is a place that sells these type vans new.

 

[Brian R]

only problem is parking...I've been trying to think of the con's and that's about it.

 

[RC Eden Carpet Cleaning]

Talk to your local Chevy dealer, I know a few guys who use this type of van and they are extremely happy with them. They got their's new from Chevy.

 

[Bob Foster]

Check and calculate your GVW closely. High capacity tanks could put you over the limit. Watch weight distribution.

 

[steve g]

here is another one that is the shiznizzle, after seeing these I don't know why anyone would buy a plain ole van again for CCing

http://www.supremecorp.com/supreme.php? ... &product=7

 

[The Preacher]

i think Cimex Ricky uses one of those in his commercial cleaning biz???

give him a call!

 

[The Great Oz]

These are no harder to drive or park than a regular van, unless you haven't learned to use mirrors. (A backup camera would be a cheap solution.) Larry's buddy is pulling his leg or has the special physics defying model though, you'll get 7 to 10 MPG from one of these. An aero cab over will help, but a curb weight at least 1,500 pounds higher and a larger frontal area than a regular van can't be ignored. A full-sized cargo van will get between 12 and 15 empty.

If you decide to buy one new, GO TO A TRUCK DEALER. Even the fleet manager at a car/truck dealership will be ordering from a brochure and won't know that an aluminum door is worth the small extra cost over a wood door, or even that the headlights are supposed to be in front. A translucent roof is worth a little extra as well.

 

[John Buxton]

Bob at Advantage invented the cube truck. He sold and installed Butler's (PTO) in them over 15 years ago.

Check out his newest;

http://www.advantagerestoration.com/truck.shtml

 

[Brian R]

price new?

 

[Guest]

You meant for under the carports at your appt. didn't you, Brian?I know what you mean.

Kevin

 

[Brian R]

You meant for under the carports at your appt. didn't you, Brian?I know what you mean.

Kevin

lol, I almost took that as an insult. lamo. Appt..
Yea, and trees in some of my custy's driveways and all that.

 

[Bob Foster]

I personally don't care for the service body style with exterior compartments all over because usually they are quite narrow inside. I also don't like swing doors and especially ones on the back of a truck that are not full width of the truck body. An exterior frame rail box is good as long as it doesn't create clearance problems from some driveway aprons.

If you go to a single wheel rear axle truck it will likely have a low GVW which would not be suitable for high capacity tanks over 130 gal. For that single wheel rear axle box trucks I would also mount the TM forward and use a 60 inch roll up door on the side and put the tm and reel out there for better weight distributon.

When you size these trucks you have to spec the GVW as if both the waste tank and the supply tank are full at the same time.

 

[SRI Cleaning]

I have a 12' chevy. It is a dually however. i love mine, they can be configured almost any way you want. Also You get used to driving and parking it very quickly! You learn to use your mirrors more, plus i am thinnking about installing a back up camera. I never installed a side door which was a mistake but i still love it. It is great working on the machine while standing up.

 

["The" Al Bradham]

I have 3 trucks like this one, two 12's and a 10. They are my favorite for Carpet Cleaning trucks. The FRP is great to work with. Call me and I can help you with side doors or painting we do it all ourselves.

 

[steve g]

I have 3 trucks like this one, two 12's and a 10. They are my favorite for Carpet Cleaning trucks. The FRP is great to work with. Call me and I can help you with side doors or painting we do it all ourselves.

can you post a pic of your trucks?? also price wise how did they compare to a regular van, I used to drive NPR's with 14ft box's and gas motors, those trucks got 6-7mpg which is unacceptable I would image a dually van with the wide box would get about the same, I like the idea of the single rear wheel narrow box truck, because I think the mileage should be much closer to that of a regular van.

 

[clean one]

I have been looking for one of these too, i have a 95 e-350 15 footer it is very nice but just for carpet cleaning it is to big. I looked at some new ones and measured them 12 footers. 12 foot is just the right size i think too. I found some in UT around 100,000 miles on them for 9900.00 and they are painted white. My next cube will be a 12 foot one.

 

[adamh]

Next to the Vortex it was the best truck I ever had.

[attachment=0:3hj5dki2]truck.jpg[/attachment:3hj5dki2]

 

[Brian R]

Ok, that's a good looking vehicle.

 

[Loren Egland]

http://www.northlandakitas.com/delta/family.htm#

The above link will take you to our website page that has my truck and my son in laws trucks pictured. There are 4 different 10 foot box vans to look at. Click on each picture for a brief slide show of each truck.

You can get the Supreme body that looks the same in a 12 foot length also. If you order it you can get a factory door that has a lower step inside the door to make entry easier to step up into the truck.

I like the 10 foot for myself as it's a little more manueverable. The truck is not really any longer or wider than a regular cargo van, and the cost is about the same. I just bought some adjustable shelves that snap together tied them into place easily.

Roll up rear door worked well for my Powermatic and I have all my reels right there next to my machine. I still have room to get by from the rear.

My truck is now 11 years old, and people still comment on how good it looks. I have a Gumman Olson body, one of my son in laws has a Marathon body, and another has a Supreme body. Ford, Chevy, and GMC fronts.

Take a look on the 'All In The Family' page of our website at www.deltasteamway.com

Loren

 

[glenboy]

wow what a buzz wreckin picture on that box truck

 

[steve g]

adam that van is the shiznizzle, is that the 10 or 12ft model?? where do you guys buy these things new at?? roll up doors is definatly the way to go, even on the side door if you can get that, because you can park closer to things and still be able to swing the doors open, plus with roll up you don't have to worry about it flapping in the wind.