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organising vans

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There's no getting round it it's just hard work. I have my van racked, fittings boxes, suitcase style same for screws. But I have a thing about running out of stuff, so I've got a long wheel base Toyota hiace. (most reliable can I have ever owned) five years old and no issues. And I have secondary stocks for fittings and screws and carry two of every type of strap on boss and waste tee,s for the condensate. I even carry two bags of sand and cement. Is there a name for my condition?
 
Leo21 said:
There's no getting round it it's just hard work. I have my van racked, fittings boxes, suitcase style same for screws. But I have a thing about running out of stuff, so I've got a long wheel base Toyota hiace. (most reliable can I have ever owned) five years old and no issues. And I have secondary stocks for fittings and screws and carry two of every type of strap on boss and waste tee,s for the condensate. I even carry two bags of sand and cement. Is there a name for my condition?
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Obbsessive, compulsive or 'seriously organised'. Depends on your slant.

I'd go on the latter and salute you.
 
Wag said:
Drifting away from the topic lads, can I briefly bring you back to van organising. How do you organise tools within the van? ie how do you decide what tools to take into a house for initial inspection. I have two tool cases of the flight case type, one for installing (heavy Duty) and one for servicing (prettier sets of spanners and screwdrivers that haven't been used for prizing old boilers from walls). I then have a tool bag which carries sweating gear and hammers and bigger spanners and heat mats and formers and auger bits and pipe slices and . . . . any way what happens is I take all the gear into a customers house and pretty much empty my van in order to do a simple job, and it drives me nuts, is there a better way?

Maybe I should have tool bags for types of job, ie outside tap, bag contains drill (24v Bosch for wall) drill bits, copper tube, assorted fittings, clips, wallplugs, screws, torch, solder, hammer, spanner (adjustable), Ptfe, phillips screwdriver, pipe cleaner, flux, sleeving, hole saws . . . .er . . I think not !

maybe I need a plumbers mate
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For years I've been trying to whittle down to the perfect tool kit that I can take in to a house and it will satisfy 90% of the jobs without a return visit. As you can see from earlier in this thread, I'm getting somewhere, I work out of a little Vauxhall Combi at the moment. However I always have to go back for something, and usually back again....until I've half the van in the room and there isn't room to swing a cat.

It comes with the trade. If it helps, I've had other tradesmen say to me that all plumbers are like it!!

We need a lot of tools to do even simple jobs. The best thing is, have a big well organised van, and have a plumbers mate to do the running.

I can't say I have either of those luxurys, but one day I will!!
 
One of the best tools I've bought recently is a dewalt cordless vac. Honestly when your servicing room sealed stuff it's perfect for the odd spider. And it saves dragging Henry round who always weighs a ton, falls to bits or un winds while carrying it, or finding a sore socket. You know behind the bed side unit with the unstable lamp on it. Honestly I must save five minute a service.
 
This is a Kangoo....the system altered over many years to suit myself.

myvan003-1.jpg


Ply bulkhead bolted to the safety cage, then light steel shelving bolted to that. Heavy stuff down low.. wastes, light gear up higher.


myvan002.jpg



Cheap ply shelves to hold various organisers.... which all lift out for checking.... bins are rubbish.


myvan001.jpg



Drill in to the strengthening sectios, fit L- brackets with self tappers to use the roof space.... decent strength could hold ladders.... I use a cheap ally loft ladder.


myvan005-1.jpg



Organisers, easy to see when you're running short, one for Speedfit, conex, solder etc, smaller ones for odds and ends.


myvan004.jpg



Heavy tool- boxes on the floor with all the hand tools.
 
Small vans are cheaper to buy and run, only keep what are vital, keep everything else racked in the garage, brought out only if it might be needed on the next job.

Get a towbar and trailer, only use it for bigger jobs.

Buy 3- 4 at a time from places like BES.... but only keep one on the van, the others in racks in the garage, fit steel horizontals below the ceiling for tube and lengths of wood..... old steel bath frames cut to suit are perfect

Go to a quarry, or buy a dumpy bag of sand, then tranfer to old F&E tanks stacked up behind the shed.... only take out what you need in bags or Tupperware.
 
got a renault trafic once a month i spend a day sorting it out and after a couple of jobs its back the way it was doesn't matter how much you rack out or storage bins after a couple of jobs everything is piled on top of each other you never seem to have the time to put things back properly when your on the road does anyone else have the same trouble usually the problem is parking van parked round the block and when youve finished you pull outside job and just throw things in in a hurry i blame traffic wardens for my messy van they have a lot to answer for who agrees with me?
 
I've got serious rack and van envy. I've got a small Ford Courrier as I've only just started on my own, its racked down one side and there's just no space to put all my stuff. Had my toolbag in the passenger footwell last week.
 
my van (swb sprinter)is nicely racked out both sides and every thing has a place
its just remenbering to put things back when youre rushing between jobs
i can take a full weekend to tidy it sometimes and a day to mess it up
 
I work on big commercial builds so most of our gear is stored in containers as we can be at the same job for months on end. The van does get ram packed with **** so me and my mate make sure we have a sort out at the end of each day so the mess don't get to messy. We always have spare fittings in organizers and all tool boxes are stored in the same place so if we do need anything that we don't use every day we know where it is.

Before I start any job I take a bit of time and have a think of what I'm going to need. Put all batteries on charge, get decent lighting, get all the fittings and sundries we could need and make sure iv'e got all the tools. The 10mins it takes me to set up saves about half an hour waiting for batteries to charge and going back and forth to the van to get another tool I might need.
 
Glenwils said:
I work on big commercial builds so most of our gear is stored in containers as we can be at the same job for months on end. The van does get ram packed with **** so me and my mate make sure we have a sort out at the end of each day so the mess don't get to messy. We always have spare fittings in organizers and all tool boxes are stored in the same place so if we do need anything that we don't use every day we know where it is.

Before I start any job I take a bit of time and have a think of what I'm going to need. Put all batteries on charge, get decent lighting, get all the fittings and sundries we could need and make sure iv'e got all the tools. The 10mins it takes me to set up saves about half an hour waiting for batteries to charge and going back and forth to the van to get another tool I might need.
Click to expand...

try puttin a container in the back of your van if im on a job longterm and have secure storage my van empty i can get the bus
 
I've got most of my stuff in the stacking plastic crates like supermarkets use - bought a job-lot off ebay.
Front half of van (VW Transporter) has some home made timber racking to stack the crates on, accessed throug the side door. Rear half has removable home made racking if I need to carry bigger items like cylinders. Really big stuff & ladders justhave to go on the roof rack. Easy to carry the crates into a job and out again at the end. Much time saved running banck to the van during a job.
 
just changed my van . had a swb sprinter for 8 years the racking grew as i needed and worked really well. but after a couple of days i would forget where i put everything plus if it had got a bit messy very often it was easier to go and buy a piece of 5 core flex than hunt through the van for the "2 meters i had left over off a roll last week" that i stashed in the van under the heading "this will come in handy". it took me 8 years to realise that the racking dosent really work for me completly. the racking was like a stores so i am trying to be more organised for the next day/job and carry what i need. with a van full of everything i didnt need to think this hard and in an effort to save fuel i was going to get a smaller van . but that went to pot thank god and i had another sprinter. the first one was exellent, 80 odd K and i changed a leef spring so i bought another. 6 speed more power and with my new plan lol is looking way better on fuel. winter time the van is at its messyist. you walk out of the house your working in its dark and thats it just chuck it all in lol. i had tool cover on my tools , the van was broke into via the cab i put all my findings in the state ment and what was nicked from the cab they wouldnt pay for only what was in the van part . and they quibbled about that because they never got in through the van. oh hi all :teeth_smile:
 
vinniethecat said:
This is a Kangoo....the system altered over many years to suit myself.

myvan003-1.jpg


Ply bulkhead bolted to the safety cage, then light steel shelving bolted to that. Heavy stuff down low.. wastes, light gear up higher.


myvan002.jpg



Cheap ply shelves to hold various organisers.... which all lift out for checking.... bins are rubbish.


myvan001.jpg



Drill in to the strengthening sectios, fit L- brackets with self tappers to use the roof space.... decent strength could hold ladders.... I use a cheap ally loft ladder.


myvan005-1.jpg



Organisers, easy to see when you're running short, one for Speedfit, conex, solder etc, smaller ones for odds and ends.


myvan004.jpg



Heavy tool- boxes on the floor with all the hand tools.
Click to expand...


Looks a heavy load , old school gas bottle
 
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