GM pickup truck plant announcement yesterday

[Renze]

Anything that I tie down in the pickup I also would tie down in a van. There's something about having 1000 lbs of steel in my lap after stopping quick that doesn't appeal to me.

A cargo van has a steel firewall that is as sturdy as the front of your pickup bed, and rear of your cab. Off course you tie down heavy stuff, but when you have a well equipped service van with purposed storage racks, you can just put your drill suitcase back in the rack, slam the door shut and drive off. Field service mechanics usually have full drawer cabinets over the full length of both sides of the vehicle so you never have to pull a box out of the stack in the back of a pickup truck.

And yes, a friend of mine has a VW Transporter (eurovan) pickup, with a flatbed with dropsides. In which he hauls stuff on the farm, not to construction sites in the city where stuff gets stolen. Yet a dropside is in another league than a regular pickup because the dropsides make it so much more practical.

 

[Renze]

I only have a suburban that comes with more limitations than the van but I agree on all points. And the trailers are much easier to load and secure the load on vs the pickup bed. I have a dump truck for doing actual truck stuff. Pickup beds suck.

Well, thats exactly the common way of thinking in Europe. Toyota HiAce, Opel Frontera, VW Amarok, are few and far between. And half of them have a plastic igloo on the back to give them the advantages of a van, yet you still have to load over an extending tailgate.

 

[Jstpssng]

We're still comparing differences of opinion.
Your van is bigger than anything I would ever want or need. If I had something that big it would have a dump body, and only get used when I had something to put into the bed. Most of the contractors I know of in your line of work have enclosed trailers which they bring to the jobsite and leave there. We also don't have the problems with theft which so many people seem to. Woods contractors have service bodies on their trucks where their tools are locked up, so that they can still keep a diesel tank in back.

 

[Industrial Toys]

A friend who installs Inverters and generators in commercial vehicles Just Loaths ALL the new style vans. Virtually impossible to install stuff and he just considers all of them JUNK, being a GM P/U fan himself.

 

[Renze]

A friend who installs Inverters and generators in commercial vehicles Just Loaths ALL the new style vans. Virtually impossible to install stuff and he just considers all of them JUNK, being a GM P/U fan himself.

Its the same for any van. Because a new style van is the same kind of money as a new style chassis cab, some people try to put stuff in vans which arent meant for that. For certain applications youre better off with a chassis cab with a custom body on it.

 

[Industrial Toys]

The dysfunction of many of the after market body builders, here in Ontario, drives my friend to the brink of insanity!

 

[Renze]

Most of the contractors I know of in your line of work have enclosed trailers which they bring to the jobsite and leave there.

luckily we dont have warranty jobs every day. And welding trailers on a construction site, are usually left high and dry in a crane over the weekend, before dawn they have it halfway Poland, or it is already in international waters on a boat on its way to Africa. Its all nice to have track&trace GPS but once you find its missing, its in international waters and the police cant do a thing.

mini loaders and ride on lawn mowers are also popular among eastern European gangs. They scout first, and then come back on a stormy night so you dont hear them. A farmer near my parents, had his mini loader (articulated skid steer, sort of) stolen twice, the 2nd time they knew the guy would have a brand new one for them to steal within 3 months. The GPS signal was lost before the barn they stole it from, was out of sight. The only thing worthwhile about GPS trackers is that it lowers your theft insurance fee substantially....

We also don't have the problems with theft which so many people seem to.

with EU's open borders, Polish and Romanian gangs even break your van open and steal your Rigid pipe threading set, even in quiet towns. My brother had copper water pipes in a 6 inch PVC pipe with threaded caps on top of a roof rack: they stole that in on a quiet night in a rural town. Many put a lockable pole over the towbar of their van that prevents the rear doors from swinging open, if you stall them long enough they'd rather try someone elses van. Leaving stuff in the back of a pickup, unattended for 15 minutes, is an open invitation for those who will gladly take it off your hands, on large construction projects with multiple contractors coming and going each day.

Woods contractors have service bodies on their trucks where their tools are locked up, so that they can still keep a diesel tank in back.

then you dont have a pickup truck anymore, but a chassis-cab with a custom body. ??

 

[Industrial Toys]

Our local "Crime Stoppers" has enough reports of contractor trailers being stolen or broken into.

 

[zing]

I come in narrow streets less than two times a year. For Dutch understandings, my S70 is rather large. Yet it offers more leg room than my Canadian cousins Buick Roadmaster. Its just that North American body-on-frame designs were lightyears behind. Thats why Ford uses the Volvo P3 platform (S80) for the current Crown Victoria, and that nearly all American vans are replaced by European unibody or integrated frame designs. Ford sells the Euro Transit, Mercedes the Sprinter, Ram the Fiat Ducato, GM a Jap Nissan.

The bottom line is that a van is bought for practicality and a truck for bragging rights. Which is why the Sprinter changed an entire vehicle class in the US, with all other manufacturers following.

I think saying a truck is only for bragging rights is a bit of a stretch. Vans and pickups are different for sure, and for the contractor situations you have described a van and trailer are often a better fit. My buddy owns a garage door company and for his fleet that is what he uses too. On the other hand, I have never seen a landscaping company use vans for their fleet. Pickups and trailers seem to be a better fit for them.

A van won't haul my 4 horse gooseneck trailer either, and neither will your volvo. When it isn't pulling the trailer my truck's bed and tonneau cover do a fine job of keeping my groceries, tools, and other miscellaneous items contained, which I couldn't do with a flat bed. Custom backs for a chassis cab are not free, so a chassis cab and custom deck is not cheaper than an off the lot pickup. The 4 door cab still carries my family, and the hay and dirt stay outside except for what those slobs drag in on their feet. And yes I do have a utility trailer too, because sometimes that is better than the bed of the truck.

A van and trailer are certainly better in some situations, but I don't buy your argument that pickups are bragging rights only. And if this guy below was using a flat bed, the cooler of beer would fall right off!

 

[4570Man]

I think saying a truck is only for bragging rights is a bit of a stretch.]

It’s not far from the truth. Pulling a GN trailer is pretty much the only thing a regular bed pickup does better than other vehicles. And not very many of them do that.