Hi all
First post on here after having spent hours reading through loads of great threads - what a great resource!!
In short I am looking at a career change and am trying to gauge realistic start up costs for a maintenance / garden improvement contract business. As I live in a rural area I'd like to target properties with larger gardens so as to maximise paid time 'on the tools' rather than driving between lots of little jobs.
The main cost i am looking at is obviously the vehicle and my question is should i get a Pickup with trailer, or a van. I'm probably going to have to use the vehicle for personal use as well so am leaning more towards the pickup but the hassle of a trailer and having to have somewhere to store it over night is a bit of an issue......
I would be interested to hear from anyone who has tried both van and pickup and what their experiences have been? Is the back of a pickup with a hardtop big enough for all the tools, do you find using a trailer too much hassle etc etc. I am also interested to hear what people think about the image that either a smart sign written van or pickup portrays bearing in mind i will be trying to target the mid to upper end of the market and really want to look professional.
Sorry for all the questions but any advice would be hugely appreciated.
Many thanks in advance, R
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There is a current trend for loads of people to persuade themselves that they need a 4x4 pickup just because they want one. It's purely down to the fact that they want to drive around in a Navara (or alternative) rather than a van. I have lost count of the amount of clients who have told me they have a 4x4 pickup, but can't give me a sound business based arguement for it.
My opinion (as someone who advises guys just like you on a daily basis) is that you need to get the vehicle that best suits your needs. First work out exactly what type of jobs will be most profitable, and then build your business around that. I would suggest, based on the info given, that a Medium or high roof transit style van would be your best bet. However, you may also want to consider a crewcab tipper if you have the need.
There is a popular theory in marketing which basically states that the best way to make a decision like this is to work out what your competitors are using, and buy something completely different. It doesn't matter what you buy, as long as it is completely different to what everyone else is using. The theory behind this is that although you may end up with a vehicle that will be unsuitable, so therefore give you a disadvantage in some respects, it will also be more useful for very specific tasks, therefore giving you an advantage over the competition and a niche in which to concentrate your efforts. For example, if a tree surgeon has all his competitors driving around in 3.5t tippers, an advantage can be had by using a Unimog. Equally, if all of his competitors were driving Mogs, he'd be better off getting a tipper. It's all about finding a point of differentiation that you can leverage to create an advantage.
More than happy to explain the above in more detail if anyone is interested.
If you live in a rural area, like we do, you will know, that everything involves driving somewhere...
eg our doctor is 41/2 miles away
It is unrealistic to assume that you will only do large gardens and that they will be near each other...
In a rural area a pickup is a useful, off-road vehicle, every farmer around here has one.
But trades all have vans, we have a Citreon Dispatch long version. useful for 2.4m posts, etc
You can of course have a roof rack, and have a trailer, we have a box trailer, box is 1.8m l x 1.5m h x 1.2m w.
We can fit 2 x bulk bags with waste in the trailer and plenty more.
It all depends on what you are trying to do?
Note the MPG or MPL of a van compared to a pickup
Just a question, not a poke, Do you have any experience in Horticulture? As if you don't a van or truck will be least of your worries. Starting out, a van would be better imho
a van is more secure, keeps everything dry and use a trailer for the odd occasion you cant get all your waste or bark in the van. mower in and out of van is easier and lots more ply space to keep tools tidy and easy to find.
How do you keep your tools safe in a pick up? I have seen a few gardenrs that just leave their tools loose in the pick up while they are working.
I had about £900 of tools taken from my car while I was working a few weeks ago so a pick up must make it even easier for the opportunist thief
Hi Richard,
And welcome to the site!
We have run both pickup and van, but for us as a tool suppler the van works better for us. However the pickup's look better! IMO
Anyway look forward to reading your posts on your new venture!!
Regards
J S Tools
Robert Champier-Clarke said:
Thanks Robert - i'm no expert (yet) but have reasonable plant knowledge and a fair bit of hands on experience and currently working my way through the RHS levels.
My post was about recommendations for vehicles so i can estimate costs for my business plan as a pickup / trailer 'rig' will likely be more expensive than a panel van.
Thanks to all so far for responses - very interesting. A van seems to be the consensus so far, but as Harry has said, not great on the driveway!!!! :)
Maybe hard at this stage, but think through the likely work you will go after and choose a vehicles that best fits.
IMHO, a Van is probably the best bet - secure, flexible and takes branding well....That's the route we chose.
If we need a flatbed or tipper, we batch a few jobs together and hire one for the day etc, or you leverage delivery services to get loose/bulky items to site for reasonable costs leaving you to concentrate on earning.
It's frightening how much 'running around' to collect/pick-up items you need costs you, when many local landscaping supplies business will deliver for a small fixed fee.
If you have a Iveco Daily Very Long Wheelbase. Or one of the other huge vans then it will look ridiculous on the driveway. But you need to decide if you do actually need a van that size. I currently use a Vauxhall Combo which is a small van and for the moment it suits my needs although I am looking to upgrade to something like a Citreon Dispatch LWB. I initially considered a larger van but realised that it would be rather expensive to insure due to my age as well as not suiting my requirements.
EDIT: Missed a sentence.
So you need to decide in your business plan what size van will really be required, not one that you think you'll need. If you only use the full size of the van once a year then it probably isn't the right van.
Ha Cool Richard,
I am glad you are doing your RHS, I wish you every success.Its refreshing to see someone who is studying before taking the plunge, too many people star with no clue what they are doing. I did and paid the price.
A cheap to run van will keep costs down when you start and you can assess if it works after a year.
I started with a Vito and moved to Kangoo after a year. With good planning you can make it work. As has been said get everything delivered and if targeting larger gardens compost on site.
Cheers Rob
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