Perfect Plumbing Van

[Dan]

What's the perfect Van for plumbers? And what Van have you got?

If you have pics, please attach them to your thread.

Thanks.

 

[so-solar]

mercedes vito!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dan]

Nice Van there mate. Any other plumbers fancy replying?

 

[GreenArmy]

The perfect van would be the VW Transporter. Dont care if the backs not big enough all i know is it is by far the best van i have driven (dont have one unfortunately). A popular choice seems to be the Vauxhall Vivaro. I hate this van due to the front cab and dash as there is no where to rest anything because the dash is all slopey. The Ford Transit has the best dash.
I actually drive an LDV Pilot (Sherpa) for my job with the council and it is most definately the worst van ever made, for myself i have a Renault Kangoo which is probably the second worst van ever made.

 

[jpm]

Navy Blue Mk6 SWB Medium roof Transit.Well racked out.Youngman trade 3 tier ladders and Rhino tube on the roof I'll take some pics and attach 'em.
T300 100bhp

 

[Puddle]

Well at present I have a peugeot expert, the old shape and I love it and considering it is French that’s good coming from me, I got it because I wanted more room in the front as my son came with me for a while and you have the three seats before I had a Vauxhall combo, another great van, really nippy but not much room in cab
I have had it a few years now and has been really reliable, love the gear box and the big over head shelf in cab, plus two side doors, I even have little buttons on the steering wheel to control the radio
However was looking at newer ones and think they are to big up front meaning the back not as big as it looks
I was looking at the VW Transporter, looks a very nice van, good reports, saw a black one this morning looked the bis, but not sure I would pay the premium for the badge, as plumbing vans do tend to get abused
Anyway have been looking around and out of all the vans I have had, I always come back to the transit, £ for £ you can not beat it, thinking of getting a short wheel base, thats all I need, the turning and maneuverability are second to none, parts and servicing is cheap, the any down side is that I will have to be disciplined and not fill it with junk that I will never use

 

[Jimbob]

i have an 07 vivaro, its a great van. Very cheap for such a new van, look smart, pretty nippy and gd on fuel. Iv driven T5 transporters and there not much nicer, they're just rediclously expensive.

 

[REDSAW]

transit 350 125psi jumbo in red.
very fast, top speed, ahem! at least 118mph
every thing goes stealthly inside, rip of mag signs and increases security and window knockers.

 

[dontknowitall]

As a newbie last year I started with a Transit Connect (LWB) with a decent roof rack. Not regretted it at all. Felt that parking could be a problem with a larger transit or Vito or whatver as well as being more expensive.

8' x 4' sheets of wood fit on the roof rack and 3m lengths of pipe fit inside ... just. 45mpg and reliable.

I'm not saying it's everyone's cup of tea but 18 months on and I still don't wish I'd bought anything larger or more fancy. If my next van can have a heated windscreen, air con and no swimming pool, after it rains, under the pedals, I'll be happy has Harry or Larry.

 

[pipebender]

VW Transporter for me.

Not the biggest but in my mind the best. I have had extra racking put in to create pigeon hole for various fittings, tools and step ladders etc that saves space and the usually mess. Seating is comfortable and it is quite nippy

 

[pauls]

ive been looking at getting a citreon dispatch i think these are a decent size

 

[secret squirrel]

I've got a 53 plate vauxhall combo, that was used by the post office and then scuba diving in the UK (very cold and dark), so, I've got an excellent cd player with ipod attachments, upgraded speakers and (very essex) a 1000watt sub (not the underwater type)in the rear.

No room for plumbing stuff but it sounds good.

Seriously though, I wish it were slightly bigger, its already full.

 

[steviep005]

i have a transit connect 94,000 miles on it had it over a year now and nothin's went wrong, over 40mpg and i pulled a trailer with ton a stones few weeks ago not a problem

 

[radswilldo]

I've got an Iveco daily 2.3litre mwb, bought new in 05, wouldn't want anything smaller. Without tempting fate, she hasn't let me down yet. Carry all that I want and dont have to rely on the yard for deliveries.

 

[unguided1]

the unguided missile was my perfect van, an ageing ford transit pre smiley face, but the mot inspecter told me last year to not bother bringing it back, so now I have a mk4 escort van, and since I have put everything in there from the unguided missile the tyres are bulging the suspension is on the floor and everytime i go over a speed hump the exhaust drags on the floor, only had it 2 weeks, thinking of up grading to a smart car next.
Regards
Mike

 

[MrT]

Well i must say my Toyota Hiace is an abcolute workhorse - bever let me down - ten years old and is v good on the juice too.

Another plus is gets under most barriers in car parks as dont need a roof rack!!!

 

[jpm]

I'll be the first to be ridiculed,fire away peeps and remember grass doesn't grow on a busy street

 

[secret squirrel]

Mmmmmmm Sexy,

Thats the van of course.

 

[Tim.A]

Ever seen the state of a 5 year old Transit? I think i'll stick to the Transporter or Vito.

 

[badbob]

Boot is large enough for a 5 or 6 elbows :-D

 

[jpm]

Ever seen the state of a 5 year old Transit? I think i'll stick to the Transporter or Vito.

Nothing wrong with my transit 85000 from new,1 owner before me and FSH got it sorted the way I like it and wouldn't swap it for a transporter or 2 vitos!

 

[migoplumber]

i love "my" primastar, rear parking sensors are dead helpfull apart from when you reverse into the eaves of a low level fire station!!!

shaun

 

[david williams]

transit 350 great van lots of room and if wife kicks you out you can live in it

 

[Seb.Pickering]

W reg Transit 120 swb Semi high roof. Plenty of room BUT wrong engine !!
its a 2.5 di , About 110bhp i think, very very slow but torque is good.


Have some blue storage tubs screwed to the ply with some fittings in.

 

[Hugh]

Hey Buddy this is my first year being self employed and i decided to buy a small van. I test drove everything and the best 2 where the vw caddy and the peugeot partner, i ended up buyin the partner its nippy handy parked around town/city and you can even but 3 metre length of copper inside the van. I get about 510miles to a full tank which is awesome!!!! partners kick caddys asses everyday of the week for me they are to expensive& overated vans.

 

[Tim.A]

Yeah, but it's French.

Enough said.

 

[Plouasne]

Yeah, but it's French.

Enough said.

Well what's wrong with France then??, even a c**p French plumber would wipe the floor with a good English plumber or 90% of them, I have worked on both sides of the channel and I know which side I prefer, and that's the side that does not speak English as a mother tong

 

[Puddle]

Well what's wrong with France then??, even a c**p French plumber would wipe the floor with a good English plumber or 90% of them, I have worked on both sides of the channel and I know which side I prefer, and that's the side that does not speak English as a mother tong

What a disappointing, bigoted out burst
I see the French arrogance has rubbed off on you nicely

 

[Plouasne]

What a disappointing, bigoted out burst
I see the French arrogance has rubbed off on you nicely

No I was like that before I went to France, plumbers were the best trade etc, but seeing the arrogance of the Brits has only served to enhance it

Puddle ,
I was an arrogant sod almost from the word go, being a London trained plumber we used to consider ourselves a cut above the rest
I have been lucky in the trade, and done just about all there is, apart from hospital work, right across the board, lab work with poly and glass wastes, and 4" soil stacks,, 4" lead pipe work, cast iron soil stacks, drains, water mains up to 12", 6" copper water and soil, PVC water mains up to 4", 150mm blue Poly water main with electro fusion, 63mm Poly gas main with electro fusion and hand, gas lamp heated saddle tapping tool, also worked on sludge main in a sewerage works, steel tube up to 4" once with a solid head die stock for 4" threading, worked mostly on large developments, but done a fair bit of house bashing as well, also had a time in the office as a junior design engineer, doing pen and ink drafting, with a bit of estimating and taking off from bills of quantities, plus a couple of spells in the Middle East
When I first went to France I thought that I would wipe the floor with these "peasants", but I am not ashamed to say they used me as the floor rag, at first. Example, I was sent to second fix a school, everything was there they said, bench, bottles, a few bends, and half a dozen "bar" of copper, no couplings, no tees, in a few places around the building there were a few stumps of copper tube sticking up out of the slab, ranging from a couple to more than half a dozen, it turned out that I had to make on site the manifolds and join them to the first fix tubing, this is normal in France, how many UK plumbers would know what to do??
In the time I have been in France, I have had to go back over work carried out by UK "trades persons" to rectify the work, a good half of it would not meet the Norms, and when the person is told this, the standard reply is, we have always done it like this in the UK, whilst you might soft solder all copper pipework, its hard solder for water, and silver solder for gas, ring mains are not allowed same as unswitched neutrals in the fuse board, or 13 amp socket outlets but the "English" still insist on them
Supermarkets somebody with two trolleys, no food but just booze, arguing with the girl on the till, in English, that last time he was allowed that amount of booze, or hearing them swear in front of the girl, because he did not get his way
Whilst its not all milk and honey over here, the trade training is better, a tradesman is a respected person in the community, the wages are lower than the UK, but you can live better than in the UK for what you get, there is not the compulsion to work all hours god gave you, "family comes first" I offered to work on a sunday to help get the job out on time, and was told nobody works 7 days a week full stop
I do reserve the right to defend my adopted country, which has given me the opportunity to retire early ( I retired 2 years late at 62 instead of 60 the norm for France), a better pension, no council tax bill because I am retired and don't have enough to pay the council tax, also we are below the income tax limit so no income tax to pay (between us we pick up from the state in the way of pensions the best part of 14000€ a year say £13000) health care
we pay about £60 a month to cover us for the difference between what the state pay and what the medication cost, the state pays normally 70%, life saving drugs are 100% paid for by the state

Edit:: One thing I did forget to mention, is the fact that nobody can just pick up a set of tools and start work as a plumber, electrician, etc, they have to register with the authorities first and that means a week back at school, doing accounts, tax, vat returns, the law in relation to your work, after this is done you have to find an assurance that will accept you, for the mandatory 10 year assurance of your work
How does that grab you all you plumbers in the UK by law you must guarantee your new work for 10 years, repairs and renovations are for 2 years

 

[Barry Sparks]

expert/scudo all good vans just about right size for london 2 litre HDI with 6 speed box really nice but value for money can,t beat SWB Transit 08 van 90,000 miles with history at Dealers Heathrow £3900 compared to 08 expert £6000.

 

[S90GAM]

Vauxhall astravan 1.7 sportive for me, fits everything i need, quick and looks pretty good

 

[PlumbersMate]

Fiat Doblo at the moment. Surprisingly spacious but really miss my berlingo as it had the best shelving in it and everything had a place. Need to get same done in the Doblo but yet to find a decentish price

 

[MP plumb]

i shamefully reversed my old bosses transit into a MASSIVE tree, completly broke the exhaust off, dented the roof ladder, the back door, and no dout more. so, ofcourse, not to blame the accident on myself, i wouldnt suggest a transit as it has very poor blind spots! not my fault at all. the Massive, 300 year old tree just appeared from nowhere!

i am now comfortable in my lil citroen berlingo (no space at all but less accidents!)

 

[E4gas]

ive been looking at getting a citreon dispatch i think these are a decent size

That's what I have in black , if you get one you must get dead locks fitted as they are weak , plus bulk head

 

[Roger Welton]

SWB medium hi-top Transit I don't know how i managed when i had a smaller van. I'm sure even if i had a 7.5 tonner i'd still manage to fill it.

 

[E4gas]

My pal just bought a astra van , looked at the room in the back , said it's big enough for him, got me thinking is it worth carrying stock in my van , he dos not , said if he needs anything he drive to a nearby shop .

 

[Mike Jackson]

You've got to strike a compromise with vans. I had a LWB, high top Renault Master when I was employed and it was great for the amount of stuff you could carry but there were a lot of places that you couldn't get it.

At the moment I'm working out of my Land rover 110. It's a wee bit on the small side but I can manage out of it with a bit of planning and I can always hook my trailer on the back if needed.

Long term I want to get a Land Rover 130 with a workshop back. This will give me all the room I want but retain the go anywhere ability that is so handy with the 110.

 

[MattWeth]

I'm looking out for a van at the moment.

I want something smaller at least at first - my short list at the moment is Berlingo, Transit Connect or Vauxhall Combi.

The Berlingo is good as there's lots about. Hadn't looked at the Connect but had a mooch round a nice LWB at the weekend which had a lot of space and was impressive (although too many miles on the one I looked at). Not that taken with the little Vauxhall but the prices aren't bad.

I'd like one without a bulkhead as I could post long stuff over the roll forward passenger seat - is there any reason that not having a bulkhead is a bad idea?

Any advice much appreciated!

 

[Roger Welton]

I've had a van without a bulkhead as a rental before now and was very paranoid about stuff being thrown forward in the event of a collision, plus tea leaves can easily see whats in the back.

On my previous van I cut a section out of the bulkhead under the passenger seat so pipe would fit in.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

without a bulkhead, contents of rear can be seen from front windows. also front doors may be less thief proof then rear ones, a bulkhead would act as a deterrent.

 

[MattWeth]

I've had a van without a bulkhead as a rental before now and was very paranoid about stuff being thrown forward in the event of a collision, plus tea leaves can easily see whats in the back.

On my previous van I cut a section out of the bulkhead under the passenger seat so pipe would fit in.

without a bulkhead, contents of rear can be seen from front windows. also front doors may be less thief proof then rear ones, a bulkhead would act as a deterrent.

Good point Steve and Roger.

That LWB connect had a wire bulkhead which hinged so the passenger side could be removed. It's a shame - that van had a lot going for it with the LWB and high top - if it'd had 20k less miles I'd be driving round in it now.

 

[jase158]

Camper van. loads of drawers, cooker to have hot lunch and electrics for kettle

 

[MattWeth]

Had one of them years ago - based on a Talbot Express.

Could hardly drag itself around, let alone a load of tools

 

[jase158]

but nobody knows that it is full of expensive tools, they think it is owned by a grumpy old man. and the newer versions must be a lot better

 

[WaterTight]

talking of vans full of expensive tools i was putting some cards out today and noticed a hilti box in the back of a caddy in a driveway. it's a good job i did because i passed it again 10 minutes later and realise i'd taken a wrong turn and was doing the same street twice. i blame an interesting audiobook.

 

[PlumbersMate]

my van hasnt got a bulkhead atm and tbh it gives me sleepless nights

 

[Barry98]

talking of vans full of expensive tools i was putting some cards out today and noticed a hilti box in the back of a caddy in a driveway. it's a good job i did because i passed it again 10 minutes later and realise i'd taken a wrong turn and was doing the same street twice. i blame an interesting audiobook.

thought you was going to say it was your own house lol

 

[MattWeth]

Good points about the security aspect of the bulkhead fellers - I might have to rethink my 'no bulkhead' preference...

 

[cr0ft]

MWB VW Crafter. Pipe fits inside the van no probs and I don't have to run to the merchants because I can keep lots of stock in it.

 

[WaterTight]

i don't have a bulkhead. i hung a pair of black curtain across. that way (i kid myself) a potentia thief will think it's a camper and not bother breaking in.