Service Vehicles 3

[dhnl]

Hi,

We are looking at purchasing a service (cargo) van to be used in the communications business. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how best outfit said vehicle? What kind of shelves, racking, dividers, etc should be installed? Do you have any interior/exterior photos of your own vehicles you can post?

Thanks!

 

[LouisNgan]

For a used vehicle, get a GMC Safari or if you have the budget for a new vehicle, check out the GMC Savanna.

 

[jimbopalmer]

this may not have been the vehicle you expected but I find them easy to get up elevators and they hold a great deal of network gear I want 'on site'

http://www.sterilite.com/ProductDetail.html?ProductId=69&Section=Storage

Once I remove them it is just a van again for shopping or whatever, put them back and I am Mr Network

I tried to remain child-like, all I acheived was childish.

 

[skip555]

I prefer Pickups to vans had them both over the years and pickup seems to work better for me

I use a work topper wher the sides open so I have complete access to the bed.


Like jimbo we store everything in plastic storage boxs one for jacks one for patch cables one for hand toole ect.
this way the truck can be emptied in a few minutes and used for other purposes.

I prefer the plastic storage totes like the ones used by stores for stock that have flat tops that things can be stacked on,

If you are considering a used vehicle and feel you need racks find out where the local TELCO sells threir retired vehicles you can pick one up with complete set of racks inside and out they have been well maintained and can be a good buy

 

[fonedude]

Check out the GMC Savana Pro. It's is a new model van that the sides open. Like where the window would be a panel is installed that is hinged at the top so you can access the stuff inside. GMC and Chevy both offer a Commercial package for free with the purchase of a new van. That includes a Cage, a choice of a shelf package of some kind with a choice of roof rack. I got this on my 2003 van. The Savana also has an option for hinged doors on the left side.

 

[DTSMAN]

We use the storage totes also. Sometimes we have to share certain things and it helps in moving from truck to truck, and on large jobs the totes can be carted in to save from running in and out to get stuff. My vehicle is personal and the totes make it easy to clear my truck quickly to take the family camping or run to ADI to grab a bunch of spools of wire without having the truck dedicated to cabling installations only.

Although I would not turn down a company provided GMC van with the shelving and storage systems. There are alot of truck websites for ladder racks and other accesories online for outfitting the mini vans. Check the yellow pages, I'm sure there is a truck place in your area that puts the tool box beds on trucks and usually they also do the van conversions.

 

[EdPorts]

As far as Vans go... I've never any of the Chevrolet models, although most telcos have gone to them. I had a ford E-150, it was pretty nice. Not enough power though, definetely get the 250 if you can. Internal shelving can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. I prefer Adrian Steel's products (

http://www.adriansteel.com).

They also have a VERY nice ladder rack system. On my vehicle, I have a 4 foot step ladder, 7 foot extension/step ladder combo, and a 28 foot span ladder. I put the 7 footer and the 28 footer on top of the vehicle, and Adrian's lock down racks are great. I can padlock my ladders, and also not have to use straps or anything as far as securing them. Also makes loading and unloading them easier. Plus, adrian makes a conduit carrier accessory, as well as light pole extensions for your safety strobe.

As far as shelving is concerned, I haven't seen anything better than Adrian Steel's products. They have a communications/alarm installer package that has everything you need.

Ford does offer a commercial upfit package (I am not aware of the details of Chevrolet's package, but I assume it's fairly close to Ford's) where if you spend over 1200 dollars on your upfit, they will reimburse 1000 dollars.

I'm in the process of getting that all taken care of.

I think vans are probably the way to go, although I work out of a pickup truck with an ARE DCU commercial campershell. It has flip up doors on the side, reinforced aluminum skin, double doors on the back, and it works very nicely in situations where I have to go offroad to get to my destination. ARE's website is:

http://www.4are.com

Another great idea is to outfit your vehicle with GPS if you have a fairly complicated service area. I have a Jotto Desk (

http://www.jotto.com)

in my truck with a Dell laptop mounted to it, that connects to the GPS network via a delorme USB GPS reciever. I program my route in at the beginning of the day, and it gets me to where I need to be with ease. Cuts a lot of time off when I'm doing 8 or 9 service calls a day.

Hope that helps!

 

[daronwilson]

Great information, although it is jottodesk.com as i found after a bit of looking.

I have a custom made setup in my far_too_cramped dodge van (not recommended). The laptop is on a swivel between the front two seats, cellphone dropin charger/speakerphone is mounted to it as well as the drop in charger for the PDA. An HP color inkjet printer is mounted between the seats on the cage which makes it handy for invoices, documentation, etc. I have a Rand McNally GPS on the roof piped into the laptop where I use street atlas for navigation or topoUSA for radio path profiles, and a second Garmin Map GPS on the dash if i don't want to fire the laptop up for navigation.

I've got a 9db gain omni 2.4ghz antenna for the WiFi stuff which allows me to check my email all along my route at wireless hot spots. There there are a few creature comforts....12v VCR under the seat and a 5" color display above the rear view mirror (obviously for use only when stopped), two amateur radios with remote displays, 12vdc binding posts for other equipment, cigarette lighter plugs for extra stuff, etc.

I woudl not recommend the dodge van, it's small and not well planned out for service work. My inside racks came with it, but I prefer weatherguard if I got to start over. Most the the accessorizing I've done is with the weatherguard products. Ladders are 24' extension, 6 foot step ladder and inside is a 4' double step ladder.

Power has always been important to me, so I have a battery isolator and group 27 deep cycle marine battery. Everything inside (including dome lights) runs on the aux battery (12 chargers, inverter, radios, laptop, GPS, etc.) and that keeps me pretty ready to start the vehicle. I have a shore power type plug by the drivers door for power. When plugged in, I get AC to all the outlets in the front and back for 120v equipment and chargers, I trickle charge the main battery, and have a marine battery conditioner on the aux battery. Also there is a 120v portable heater plugged in and mounted to keep the thing dry in the winter when I plug in at night. The microwave mounted behind the passenger's seat facing the back compartment runs only off the shore power (well, a guy has to eat, and warm food is nice in the winter).

Each one gets better, this is my third (on the lowest budget) and I already have ideas for the next.

However, I can do almost all my work from either front seat (if I have an apprentice to drive it lets me get some paperwork done enroute).

Good Luck!

It is only my opinion, based on my experience and education...I am always willing to learn, educate me!
Daron J. Wilson, RCDD
daron.wilson@lhmorris.com

 

[AvayaNovice]

Aye, it is jottodesk.com, my apologies.

There are a couple of manufacturers that make those laptop desks, but I found jotto to be the best because it doesn't require any holes to be drilled into the floor, it fits on top of the seat bolts, works nicely. Also removable.

I'll have to try that rand mcnally software. Delorme's product is OK, but sometimes it's annoying with the information it provides.

There's actually a module that will interact with my wireless card on the laptop to pickup wireless hotspots and automatically plot them on the map for future reference. I need to get a directional antenna though to boost the reception. I wish I could find a GPS unit that would allow me to use an external antenna, because I think it might pickup a little better if it weren't inside the cab. Oh well.

I have a small inverter, 300 watt, and I hardwired it to my powerpoint circuit. Works great, and if it sucks too much power, it shuts it off so I can still start the truck.

As far as a TV, microwave, and everything else... well... yeah Maybe someday.

I've actually found that the 20' and 24' models are oddly unbalanced, and are harder to carry than my 28'. I only use my 28' for getting to terminals that are too difficult to reach by gaffing, but it's a lot lighter than my 20' for some reason. Well, not lighter, but easier to carry. It does have the pole V and hook assembly, maybe that's why.

Definetely check out Adrian Steel's stuff, their product line blew me away.

If you're looking to go the truck toolbox route, for you guys that don't want to clutter up your pickup, check out Pro Tech (

http://www.protech.net).

They have some nice truckboxes, as well as a nice headache rack that has a matching set of rear removable goal posts. Perfect for ladder on ladder off type vehicles.

Brand FX is also a good thing to check out. They make killer line bodies, as well as killer commercial shells. Very expensive, as they're fiberglass, but very nice units.

 

[Bobg1]

Daron,
Do you have aprs setup in the truck?

 

[daronwilson]

Yup. N7HQR-9, currently on a TT3 but there is a KPC3+ and 50 watt radio mounted in there that I use with the laptop if I want to run a display.



It is only my opinion, based on my experience and education...I am always willing to learn, educate me!
Daron J. Wilson, RCDD
daron.wilson@lhmorris.com

 

[Bobg1]

Looks like you have fairly good coverage out there.
Where I am it is spotty. There are acouple good nodes that
should hear me better, but way to much beacon activity. Heck I have seen beacons relayed here in the state of WI from AK. What a mess. KA9JAC-2

 

[dhnl]

Thanks for all the information. We found a used 2000 GMC Savana for a good price. Working on putting together the racks etc for next week.

 

[RandyVSP]

Ive worked out of vans, bronco's, suburban, and now a pickup.

The best yet has been a 3/4 ton 4x4 chevy pickup with a shell. The ones we have have a side door and shelf on drivers side, this is a great place for test gear and tools. The other side, I have metal cabinets for parts, and bungee straps hold my cable boxes.

I have easy access to everything, safety for me in case of a wreck, heats and cools faster, and room between the seats for radio, pc, notebooks, etc.

The pickups have also lived longer. Everything else died at around 125,000. I swapped trucks at 178,000. Other guys have gotten that and more.

I can get the shell maker name if your interested.

Randy McKenzie
Va State Police Communications

 

[Mongo5150]

In seeting up our trucks I have installed the jotto desk in all of ours. We also added a Delorme' USB GPS. Has great mapping software to navigate through WI and Chicago.

MFurrer@charter.net

 

[AvayaNovice]

Yup, same deal with GPS. I like Rand Mcnally's software better though. Randy -- I use an ARE DCU shell, and my other vehicles use Brand FX fiberglass shells on dodge rams. They work well.

 

[mikey62]

boogie in to the job and boogie out! = you know the routine, because you are pro tech dude and know your routine which we all have. So. pickup with cap and ladder rack is key with side flip up on side for easy access to the telco gear you organized and need. gps is cool and so is a standard highway book. Truck or Van = they are all good = what ever fits your preference. the key is to stay organized.

If you do this you are Super cool

Mikey