Cube Vans vs. Trailers

[Vibe Ray]

I am thinking about getting a cube van instead of a truck and trailer combo. What are all the pros and cons to using each of them for Landscaping/Lawn Maintenance??? Any types that i should look for(special features)in a cube van???

[accuratelawn]

I am considering this also. Plus side - equipment and fert. out of the weather. Rolling billboard. Everything on hand. Work area to fix equipment. No trailer to maintain. Easier to drive.
Negatives - hard to load with landscape materials, grass clipping/leaves etc. Climbing up into the truck for hand tools etc.
I'm sure there is more.

[cat320]

Guys this only works very good if you have another truck and or a big crew that you need to have just a tool truck.I would not use a cube van for putting leafs and grass into it this is good for just tools and fertilizer would be hard to be putting a 48" scagg into it every day.

[Vibe Ray]

It wouldn't be too hard with a long ramp?!

[Acute Cut]

I have been thinking about this alot lately. I checked out http://www.superlawntrucks.com. I talked to a guy there named Billy Bass. no joke. (HEAVY SOUTHERN ACCENT)

They sell the cube trucks with a good ramp system. Hydralic i believe. They are currently working on a "grass hauling" solution. I proposed makeing the front 4 or 5 ft into a bin. Then haveing each side of the cube open up. then we could dump from either side. The only real problem i see is wet grass and having to track through all your other loaded equipment to get to it.

You are also looking at about 40K for truck and all accessories. Very cool truck though.

Another thought, theses trucks are long. Corners are going to be kind of different. You will have to go extra wide. Will employees be able to handle it? What about stopping? I had an employee last year that was a tailgater. Drove me nuts. Needless to say, he did not drive alot.

Pro's---> This truck has extra tanks just for our lawn care fuels. I think the mixed fuel tank is like 14 gallons. And the other one is 30 i think. Then it has two tanks of its own to run off of. That would save me a ton of time at the pump.

Well, let me know. This grass hauling is my major dilema so far from getting one. I HAVE TO have that option. If yall think of a better bin system for the truck or something let me know. I would be interested.

Have a good one yall
Acute Cut

[Vibe Ray]

Anyone else thinking about this route?

[Island Lawn]

Working for myself, by myself, I am very happy with my tiny Aerostar utility van. The big sell for me was that it keeps everything out of the weather (inc. 21" push mower). I use a 5x8 utility trailer when I need the exta space and/or haul debris.
Between now and spring, I intend to upgrade to a wb.
I found this site just a couple of days ago. 'Yall sure are informative and inspiring.

[cutntrim]

For maintenance, I think a better option is a covered trailer pulled by a pickup. A cube van is a good fit for irrigation or pool companies.

[HOMER]

This is my opinion, I know, everybody has one and they all ............anyway, I couldn't see investing that much into a dedicated truck that you couldn't use for other purposes. My next move will probably be to an enclosed trailer, I can still unhook from it and use my truck for other purposes. The biggest thing I might consider, and I know I'm contradicting myself here, would be an NPR type truck. They look like the would be much easier to maneuver in and around traffic than the "Super Lawn Truck". With an enclosed trailer you still have everything out of the weather, still have the billboard, and from what I've read on here..........a good place to take a leak!!!!!! I'm looking at 2 right now, both are 24' car haulers in excellent shape. I can get either one for between 5 & 6 grand. $40,000.00 would buy at least 6 trailers. It would also buy a lot of open trailers and more mowers if you wanted to expand your business. That truck would be irritating sitting in the yard most of the winter knowing that the payment was due at the first of the month.

Again, this is just my opinion.

Homer

[SLSNursery]

I have posted about this before, and will hi-lite some points here. This past June we bought an Isuzu NQR with a van body to add to the conventional (F-series and trailers) trucks in our fleet. With 9' aluminum ramps its not a big deal to load walk behinds. The truck is awesome in and out of the city, and we use it every day. In addition, because it is totally enclosed, there are a number of other uses for it which make it worthwhile. I talked to Tony Bass about the Super Lawn Trucks this fall in Indianapolis (GIC). He puts a van body on an Isuzu chassis, with a pretty cool Hydraulic ramp that takes the place of the roll-up door at the rear of the truck. IMHO, He too found the enclosed truck to be a good system, that's why he invests so much time selling them.

Ours is an NQR which has more capacity than an NPR. 4 cylinder diesel can't be beat. Auto Trans, tight turning radius makes it easy to drive. The 16 foot body is long, but handy for deliveries, or putting a couple of spray tanks in, or 4 pallets, etc. Sometimes we fill up the truck with nursery stock for deliveries or jobs. Really I have nothing but praise for the truck and your idea. With a few modifications to a simple van body, like a permanent ramp installation, or two custom ramps, some vents, and maybe a couple cabinets, this would make a perfect truck for a full service small operation, or an add on to an existing program. In addition, you wouldn't ever need to unload it if you dedicated it to one type of job. I have a friend who uses an old cube van every day for mowing and maintenance. The only problem is its older, and a gas job. Other than that, its like he has a shed full of tools with him at all times.

[jeffex]

I use a Dodge work van and a trailer. The van
will hold two wbs shoehorned inside. Thats how I
store them for the winter. I have my trimmers
and blowers stored on racks inside too. Its like
a shed on wheels!! I'm a van man all the way. The
side of the van makes a great place to put signs.
"WHITE LIGHTENING" is a 1982 DODGE b-150 beater.
http://www.angelfire.com/md2/jeffex click on lawn page
and scroll down to picture.

[Vibe Ray]

Thought I would mention that I am using an extended cargo van now and it is working great!!! I load my 44" Lazer Z HP in there with some ramps I made out of bleachers an mounted some angle aluminum onto the ramps that notche onto the bumper to hold them in place. The ramps are about 80" long and couldn't be any shorter or they wouldn't work. maybe in the future I'll either buy or make a better ramp system.

[Grassman]

Sounds like a good setup Vibe. I bet you really have to hunch down when moving that lazer in or out. I use vans too, an 87 Ford 3/4 ton and a 92 Ford 1 ton. We keep everything in the vans except the mowers. I have a 16ft enclosed trailer and a 12ft open(soon to be replaced with an enclosed) and the vans pull them great. Good luck with your business, Russ

[AVRECON]

I've been using my cube van for 5 yrs. It's the DEAL! You stop for the day put a lock on the back and you're done. The biggest advantage for me is NO TRAILER to haul around. If you're still bagging grass then stay in the 80's and keep draggin that trailer around. I know some of you guys are up nahth cuttin that thar fescue and have to bag it. I use 9 ft. ramps and drive a 1500-200 lb. machine in and out of it everyday. I'm even thinking about getting a 22 or 24 ft. Ryder type truck. I do use my trailers in the fall for leaf clean ups and thats because the Woods machine won't fit on the ramps. Oh yeah I have everything in there except the kitchen sink.I'll put it in next week, LOL!

[ronslawncare]

if you guys want cheap cube trucks go to the uhaul auctions they have them every year im not sure were .but my buddys father owns a huge painting business this all he uses plus the cargos.i understand about mulching lawns what do you do for leafcleanups and hauling .

[Albemarle Lawn]

Got a new Mitsubishi Fuso with 16' landscape body this spring and I will NEVER EVEN THINK of pulling a trailer again. It is open, and does almost everything the truck+trailer combo can do. The deck has 16" high expanded iron sides, tool boxes, and is wider than even a deck-over trailer. The ride is so smooth, and the rear axle is huge compared to a 1-ton Ford/Chevy/Dodge. Very heavy duty in general, very professional looking.

It is a diesel and gets 12-15 MPG, very manueverable and great visibility. 13,500 lb gross and drives like a car. 15,000 btu air conditioner is FROSTY!


My only complaint is a lack of power. The four cylinder diesel is weak on the highway, only about 150 H.P.

Ken

[Albemarle Lawn]

GET an old Ford Ranger pickup with lots of rust and a huge crack across the windshield.

CUT the muffler of of it.

PULL a crappy little single axle trailer with tiny golf cart tires and electrical wires dragging the road.

STRAP a nasty old craftsman riding mower and push mower on the crappy trailer.

LETTER your truck with at least one word mis-spelled.
ie: "Junior's Lawn Mowing and Home Reper"


GO make lots of money :^)

[summitgroundskeeping]

is if you do strictly mowing and fert. it would be okay as long as u don't bag. Or if u do landscaping and junk U could use the van for a mowing crew and the truck trailer for landscaping. A van would probably work great, but u would probably also have to take lots of abuse from other local LCO's for not using the truck/trailer.

Huge advertisment.