Grumman Trucks

Ken D.

I am wondering how many other Wallies have Grumman Step Vans in their fleets? We started buying them 10 years ago and haven't looked back. Plenty of room, maneuverable. I got mine 5 years ago. Just what I had been waiting for my whole career. There was no more crawling over parts and equipment in search of a needed part or tool. Can stand upright without hitting your head or killing your knees. We have Chevy chassis and have had no mechanical problems at all. It was great. Recently the company contacted our Grumman dealer for a new truck, we were told that the Grumman Truck division was sold and shut down! It figures, as soon as we get a truck that suits us they get kicked out from under us. A plumber I know that had a Grumman, now has a Utilimaster Step Van and he tells me he is not happy with it. It is not up to the par his Grumman was. Anyone out there know anything about this situation with Grumman? Will they be back under another name? Maybe our friends on Long Island can add something. Another great American company laid to waste! It seems America has lost the will to be a great industrial powerhouse.

J.C.A._3

Keep an eye,

On the U.S.Postal service. They were the ones keeping Grumman in business for a LONG time. The regular delivery (residential)vehicles were based on a Chevy Blazer chassis after the AMC/Jeep models went south on them.(20+ years!)

The life of most will be coming to an end soon, and the purchase order will put another maker in the spotlight for the next 20 or so years.

My monies going on Chrysler/Daimler and the Sprint. Diesel engines by Mercedes Benz, and better economy than any gas engines used, thus far, will be the deal maker. Nostradamus.

Al Letellier

grumman trucks

did you say no problems with Chevy Chassis???? Hard to belive from my experience. Any vehicle, well maintained, will give years of service, but I haven't had a Chevy yet that didn't cost more than double to maintain than anything else.

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Ken D.

> did you say no problems with Chevy Chassis????

> Hard to belive from my experience. Any vehicle,

> well maintained, will give years of service, but

> I haven't had a Chevy yet that didn't cost more

> than double to maintain than anything else.

>

> _A

> HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=

> 248&Step=30"_To Learn More About This

> Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in

> "Find A Professional"_/A_

Ken D.

Chevy

No kidding. I have had Chevy, Ford and Dodge vans over the years including the Grumman/Chevy. The only one I have ever had problems with was the Dodge that literally fell apart on me.We presently have 5 Grumman/Chevys One ton step vans, 3 Ford E350's and 1 Chevyvan 2500. No major or recurring problems with any although the 2500 is getting to nickle and dime us as it is the oldest (18 yrs.) and the one we are looking to replace. The main reason we use the Chevy chassis is that the Grumman dealer was also a Chevy dealer. Other Grummans came through with Fords probably from Ford dealers. But it is a shame that the Grumman body is no longer available no matter what the chassis.

Ken C.

I've worked off of ...

... several types of work trucks: Ford E-150 vans, pickups with utility bodies, box trucks, Sprinters and Grumman step vans. Of those, my favorite by far was the Grumman step van. Plenty of room, both height and width. The aluminum bodies will last forever. They do use a lot of fuel, compared to the diesel sprinters, though. A company I worked for that had three Grummans also was constantly replacing door handles and locks. They're not big on creature comforts: no A/C, weak heater, spartan seats. They're not bad to drive otherwise. With the exception of the gas guzzling, these are great work trucks with plenty of space and easy to get in and out of.

Ken D.

Grumman

Ken,Your'e right. They are so much easier to work out of than anything else I've had. I keep a sheet of Celotex along the bulkead behind the seats as insulation. That does help with the heat.The newest Grummans our company has are an '01 and an '02 and both have air conditioning. It was an available option as of recently. In talking to others who have Sprinters, they like them to an extent, but I am told are not as easy to work out of, nor as roomy as their less than verticle sides do not make the best use of space as the Grummans do. Hopefully Grumman's demise will be short lived.

Ken C.

Speaking of Sprinters,

I am currently working off a new one. I have mixed feelings about them. Their biggest advantage is fuel economy. The diesel has decent power, but sometimes, it lags accelerating from a stop. I make sure I have plenty of time to pull out into traffic. The truck rides and handles well (although with the narrow wheel track, it tends to rock from side to side badly on corners or bumpy roads). The seats offer good support and comfort. The controls (radio, wipers, heater, A/C) are not user-friendly. And the cargo area has shortcomings. Unless you get a high-roof model, you can't fully stand up in one (I'm only 5'8"). They're narrow, so floor space is limited. I work with a guy who has four toolboxes (and many duplicate tools), and walking inside the truck is like negotiating an obstacle course. Two of the Sprinters in our fleet have also had electrical problems. Yup, I sure miss the Grumman step van. I hope they don't go the way of the dinosaur. By the way, are the 2000-2001 Grummans still available with aluminum bodies? What was the sticker price?

Ken D.

Grumman Price

Yes still all aluminum. I'm don't know what the company paid for them. I will ask the boss-if he'll tell me. The limited floor space and head room are the drawbacks of the standard Chevy and Ford vans- and from what you say, so are the Sprinters- especially in our business. Having to crawl over parts and equipment is no fun.

Hilltop Service

grumman

I bought a Grumman step van about 9 month ago (1994 29000mi)
The best thing I ever bought!. I think grumman was bought out but are still making step vans under a differant name.
Check out this web sight for more info.
http://trailer-bodybuilders.com/mag/trucks_pieces_grumman_olson/

Ken D.

Hilltop

Thanks for the info.

Rudy

Trucks

Just passed our 1st year with the 2 new gmc w series & hackney 12.5' bodies & have to say they really work well, save me time & can handle the weight. They are pricey, & with gas engines I'm getting a whopping 8 mpg. I was dissapointed with a few things;
1-rear door locking mech fills with road salt & debris
2-rear door alignment has been out since purchased
3-was never informed that trucks over 10,000gvw req us dot
numbers, safety inspections, log books etc
4-loading ramp is not fully enclosed & accumulates road
debris
5-licsence plate lite accumulates road debris & salt & rots
out within 6mos
6-according to pa dot it is illegal to have anything
protruding from the drivers side of the vehicle other
than mirrors, & the rack was factory installed
Although it may seem as though I'm ranting & complaining
I love these trucks, might regret not getting diesels, but all in all they work well. might want to consider a back belt they ride like a roller coaster with steel wheels on a bumpy blacktop road. Hopefully Hackney reads this & corrects these problems before I'm ready to replace our 2 ford cubes. I'll also add that when I called Hackney about my concerns they sent me replacement parts alright, along with a bill, when the trucks were only 10 mo old. I also heard that Hackney bought Gruman's NE plant!?
AL

Ken D.

Al

Is your Hackney totally enclosed or do you have outside compartments? I have had Reading and Knapheide utility bodies in the past. Great bodies-although very heavy- but not well suited to service work. In heavy rain or snow everything in the outside compartments got wet when open. Also the backside of the rear taillights and backup lights kept getting broken by things in rear outside compartments falling onto them. Our Grummans are 1 ton single rear wheels with cargo area of 6 ft. high and two lengths of 11 ft. and 12 ft. Mine is 11. Everything inside is high and dry. Thanks for the ifo.

Rudy

trucks

No outside compartments. 14,500 gvw, I have just about everything I need on the truck, air compressor, chop saw, power threader, standup toolbox, pipe, ftgs, etc etc & i'm still 2200 lbs under weight.----AL

Ken D.

Al

Thanks for your response. With the room these type of trucks have, I am really surprised more contractors aren't using them. Being so much easier to work out of, your mechanics will be a lot less stressed out and a lot less grouchy. Thanks for all the responses.

Ken C.

Crawling over parts and equipment...

... is not only a hassle, it's a safety matter. I have a herniated disk in my lower back and I'm always afraid I'm going to aggravate it trying to climb over or around my coworker's many toolboxes that take up much floor space.

Boiler Guy

I agree the Grumman is the nicest vehicle to operate out of but it creates a lot of parking problems. I came out of a Chev 3500 to a 04 E350 and absolutely HATE IT! No room in the drivers compartment (and I'm not a big man). One of the roughest riding vehicles and poorest handling vehicles I have ever driven. Just rolled over 11,000km and the brakes are already squealing and the suspension is squeaking like a 15 year old truck. I used to be a Ford man but this thing has definitely made me look at GM a lot more serious. My only complaint about my previous Chev was the brakes really sucked.

Ken D.

Boilerguy

BG, My Grumman/Chevy is 11' ft. cargo with single rear wheels and I find it pretty manuverable. Of course I'm doing mostly suburban work these days, but still get into the city where it is a pain no matter what you drive. The other guys in our company have the 12 ft. cargo and do complain a little about the length. Mine is 5 years old and have not had any problems mechanically yet. It does rattle though. That I can live with. My last E350 was a '94. I did have suspension as well as other mechanical problems. The interior did not make the best use of space.

Boiler Guy

Yeah, ours is 12'-8 with the extended rear bumper. I found the biggest problem to be hieght in some of the heavily treed areas of the city. Oh ya, the local law here gave us a lot of static about dual wheels on residential streets. I even went to court about it -- but the judge completely agreed with my logic when I showed him how duals spread the weight better.