Proud recipient of a new work van

Unknown

to outfit me with a new van , a Ford E-350 . The guys in the garage put in a plate of steel to protect the floor when we load the boilers . The problem is no protection right where the door meets the van . What's there is a black plastic piece of moulding - which will probably survive one boiler loadup . I'm gonna need something more heavy duty to protect the door clasp , spare tire crank and the 2 rubber shims . Anyone else use this type of van and found a way to do what I'm asking ? We might just fabricate a piece of steel with a slight angle to cover the area , making it removable , but I thought there might be something premade for this setup . Thanks for any help in advance . Ron

lchmb

take it out

I took the plastic out. fabricated some 22 guage to replace it then set it in...when it got beat to bad I just replaced it. BTW?? That poor van is empty, need more slop bucket's!! Just kidding, enjoy the new rig!!

Ted_9

Wow you guys load up cast iron boilers in your vans? What about having it delivered?

Unknown

Every boiler

we install goes into the van , unless it's a commercial job . And every old boiler , scrap and garbage gets loaded in there too . The back end is hit with alot of wear and tear .

We pick up the boiler and all the parts at our shop . I guess coordinating deliveries from a supply house might get tricky with the volume of work . I'd hate to wait 2 hours for our boiler if the delivery guy got caught in a traffic jam .

Unknown

Oh , I'm going to keep it empty

The old van had way too much material on it . I left about 200 lbs of fittings off the new van - no need to have stock for 5 boilers when I load up parts every day .

Replacing the plastic with steel sounds like as good idea . Thanks 1chmb

lchmb

my pleasure

Just a second thought on that though..make sure to carefully grind the edging down so as not to create a spot to either catch everything or remove the skin (ouch). And just a side bet, I'll gander a thought that in a year all those fitting's you took out will be right back where you started! been there done that.. LOL

ScottMP

good investment

Your company is smart to buy you a new van.

If you worked for me I would buy you a new van also.

Anything to keep the best installer on the East Coast happy !!

So how about a ramp to slid those boilers up and in.

Ron, I can't believe they dont give you a cube van.

Scott

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Unknown

Best in the east coast ?

Wow , Scotty , I do appreciate that ! With the work I continually see showcased on here , yours and Chris' included , I am always in awe . The bar is raised so high , I'm afraid to post anything but the absolute best of work . And as you know , what looks fantastic in person sometimes looks blah in a pic . Thanks a bunch Scott .

We do have 3 cube vans , but they seem to have more upkeep than the regular vans . The cubes are Ford E350 in front , mated to the cube and they have the hydraulic lift gate . Our company encourages us to take the vans home ( limited space at the shop ) , and I aint got the room in my driveway for a cube . Love the space in em though .

Speaking of a ramp , our ace truck mechanic Tony had this built for me today . He had some diamond plate bent on a slight angle and welded steel to the bottom to slide between the bumper . First try with this rig is tomorrow . The other pic is my old van and what happens when the back end is not protected .

J.C.A._3

Ron,

Looks like the only thing keeping the doors closed was the "back scratcher" bar on the old van. (wish I had a dime for everytime I ran that PITA down my spine, blood was usually a few seconds behind.

One of the turkeys I used to work with pushed a bit harder than anyone thought he could while loading a removal from a basement. The shelves on the left were never straight again. The divot in the holding section of the shelf just kind of buckled and would never hold it's shape again.

Glad to see that your company is giving you some new equipment. It really makes a difference in "customer perception". I had a new customer tell me the other day that one of the reasons she called was that our trucks always look nice. Big ego boost! Congratulations! Chris

P.S. Thanks for the kind words.

EJW

Cage?

Ron is there a cage between you and the boiler? Just thinking, steel floor + 700 lb. boiler + slamming on brakes = Ouch!

Unknown

Chris

Yep , there wasn't much holding the back door closed . About an inch and a half gap between the doors and floor . I could get a good whistling noise back there when cruising on the expressway ( doesn't happen much on the LIE ) . The shelves took alot of abuse too . We layed many a cast section on the left side only to bang back and forth between the shelves .

The truck served it's purpose damn good . Built in 1992 and has around 140,000 miles on the diesel - every one of em heavy miles . Went through 2 trannys and a few starters , but other than that no problems . One of our helpers will inherit it next , and without all the weight it drives almost like a dream .

The new truck has A/C , my first worktruck with it , and I gotta say it is worth it's weight in extra gas to run . I'll never have to step out of a van feeling like I sat in a convection oven for 45 minutes , before we start a boiler job . Thanks Chris .

Unknown

Yes , theres a cage

that separates the cab from the back , with a nice lockable door in the middle . I have the same steel sheet in the old van and the boilers stay in place even when I gotta make a quick stop . But I was looking at how the cage is attached and if I was ever hit head on with a boiler in back - if the collision don't turn me into hamburger , the boiler will . My buddy Kenny says this when he rides with me and thinks we might crash and get thrown through the windshield - " I hope I land home " .

clammy

congrats

congrats to the new vechile i recieved a f350 diesel van just last year it's excellent watch out for the brakes had to get the rotors replaced after about 3000 miles only 1 driver the best of luck waiting to see you post some more of your most excellent work haven't been on much lots of work around the house and a bunch of a/c stuff waiting for the temp to drop and some boiloer work to come to the surface good to see you post again good luck with the new van peace keup the great work ron clammy