New Vehicle/Skips On the Highway

[ukminch]

It looks like my contract GM Work is going up again next year and I've scrapped my tranny tipper so I need a new van.

 

I'm thinking of going for a van with a demountable body, now most of my contract work is private estates so it's not a problem to unload what is effectively a skip and leave it there with equipment.

 

Now I'd also have another container for a chip body that could be left on site, or sites depending on the workload.

 

Does anybody have a link to the complete list of rules for placing skips on the highway. I know I need a licence for each skip, and the council already has copies of insurance so they can invoice if I fax them details through. I'm more wondering about lights, cones etc and if it's a good idea full stop.

 

Also anybody got ideas on vehicles. Looks like theres a few transit/ldv roll on/off out there. I presume these would be overloaded very quickly. So probably looking at about 6 tonne mark, but preferably still a smallish vehicle.

 

Budget wise, not sure would like to buy secondhand outright but if I need to finance a new vehicle then I could do, but with work yoyoing don't really want to.........

 

Operators licence is a consideration but shouldn't be a problem, I had one for a road sweeper about 5 years ago so if you can do it once....

 

Or should I just buy another 3.5t tipper and make do??

 

R

[Stephen Blair]

i have seen a landscaper use one of the little cargo roll on jobs, its excellent, they can barrow all their muck on, drive the digger on and then lift it up and go and tip or what ever, good idea mate. great for the jobs where there is a big take down, you can run chip while the boys load the heavy stuff onto another body, good move i say.

[ukminch]

Thats exactly what I was thinking of, but I'm always wary when everybody else isn't doing it, theres normally a good reason!!

 

It would also mean that I would have a genuinely multipurpose vehicle for lanscaping and tree work, what I'm not sure of is, whether I should be multipurposing or making the more seperated......

 

R

[Mozza]

A chap i know round here has a defender with a roll on/off body for logs and a 3.5 tonne truck for chip, He goes to site in the Landy, His staff go in the chip truck, He leaves the body there, Goes off and does quotes and what have you, Comes back at the end of the job (depending how many logs are there obviously he may do more than one trip) picks it up an goes and tips, Its a good idea i think!!

 

As far as im aware hes just dropped it off, put cones round it and left it in the street, without any trouble so far, Hes had it a good couple of years now

[Peter]

RORO sounds like a good idea for your needs. Sometimes if no-one else is doing it its just because they never thought of it. Definatly go for 7.5 tonner though, get a reasonable payload that way.

 

Avoid cable hook lift systems, get a proper hook lift.

[Tom D]

if you're building it from scratch I'd have decals, lights, reflectors etc built on as cones and stuff are expensive and just go walkabout. It would be great advertising too, in fact just fill it with logs and leave it in the poshest streets wether you've worked there or not:001_smile:

[ukminch]

RORO sounds like a good idea for your needs. Sometimes if no-one else is doing it its just because they never thought of it. Definatly go for 7.5 tonner though, get a reasonable payload that way.

 

Avoid cable hook lift systems, get a proper hook lift.

 

Any ideas on what vehicle. I think the roadsweeper was a DAF45, and I certainly wouldn't want to go any bigger than that. Contracts don't start til March so I've got a fair amount of time anyway, well until the faithful fizzbomb and master blow up.........

 

 

I like the idea of building in lights etc, although I think that may come at quite a cost. Wouldn't mind something that there are already bodies out there for.

 

R

[Peter]

Iveco, DAF, MAN, they're all good.

 

Are you thinking brand new or secondhand?

[ukminch]

I'm thinking secondhand to be honest. My turnover has gone from 250k to 20k in a year, and I reckon it will be 100ish next year, but the year after who knows.......... So I don't really want to be in a position where I have to make payments.

 

And the other thing is if I'm getting new it would probably work out cheaper just to run a few 3.5t as the weight is not normally an issue. I'm trying to make sure I'm properly set up though, as when I had massive turnover I wasn't properly equiped to deal with it and ended up running round like an idiot for no reward.

 

It's going to be a tool so it needs to be able to help me earn more money than an alternative vehicle or vehicles can or at least the same money for less effort!!

 

Rob

[Peter]

Find a decent example with the gear you want on it, and dont worry too much about the make then.