Best option for dropside van?

[Bancroft]

HRH has seen the sense in us buying a van during the forthcoming build but I'm swinging between which option to go for.

 

Just a straight dropside?

Or a tipper?

Or one with hydraulic tailgate?

 

The variant doesn't seem to make much difference to the price so that doesn't help.

 

I don't plan to be picking up van loads of aggregate - but you never know...

 

Hydraulics are useful but they can also go wrong (especially on an elderly van)

 

I've thought about trailers but (apart from lower price) not really sure I want the hassle of trying to manoeuvre car and trailer around builder's yards/B&Q.  And (just checked) our local authority requires the same permit at the tip for vans or trailers over 1.8m long so no trailer benefits there as i want something that can take 3m loads as a minimum.

 

What have been your thoughts and experiences from your build?

 

[Alan Ambrose]

Probably doesn't help any, but I'm leaning towards a transit, preferably with a high roof ... and getting all the aggregates delivered.

[twice round the block]

This suggestion won't help either.

 

But I used a transit luton van for my first build. 

All materials stay dry and out of prying eye's, plus big enough to carry heras fencing and a pallet of plasterboard.

 

[Dave Jones]

tipper. so much more useful than a panel van. can collect palleted goods, jumbo bags, muck aways, concrete, pilesof insulation etc etc etc

[Mulberry View]

I was fortunate enough to find a 2010 Renault Master MWB Flatbed with 40k miles on it.

 

That has been a godsend. We cleared all vegetation from the 0.6 acre plot, brought many many loads of aggregate into the plot (we have difficult access), took concrete and rubble away from the plot and collect most of our materials from merchants with this truck. I shuttle-run supplies into the plot either from the merchants or from their lorries. I brought in 180 concrete floors beams (10 at a time) and 13 packs of medium dense blocks in (pack by pack) using this truck. I can and do take 16 or more bulk bags of garden waste to the tip with it. It weighs 2300, so can carry 1.2 tonne legally.

 

A tipper would have often been handy, but a smaller buck, less payload and the obvious mechanics that could go wrong were what put me off.

 

I also have a queue of people wanting to buy it from me when I've finished with it as it is still only on 44k. LOL!