Medway Handy Van

[The Medway Handyman]

Someone asked for photos of the racking, so here they are;

vertical shelf unit holding the flat boxes is a temporary botch up from scrap ply - wanted to make sure it was practical. I will make a proper one when I have time. My folding step stool & folding ladder live behind it.

The shelf unit going across the van holds power tools underneath and four IKEA plastic bins on top. These hold stuff like Gripfil, silicone etc, plumbing fittings, electrical accessories. The black bins to the left have very light stuff in - washers, 'O' rings, ball valve kits etc.

Bit of a pain getting the ladder out and sometimes the power tools in the right of the rack; it holds SDS Drill, router, planer, circ saw, cordless nailer. I may replace my circ saw soon - hopefully for one in a smaller case.

All seems to work OK so far, but any suggestions welcome.

Well pleased with the van, Renault Kangoo. 1461cc direct rail diesel. Much quicker that I imagined it would be, very comfy & appears to run on fresh air. I put £25 in last Saturday & still have a third of it left.

I'm really pleased I spent the extra on the sign writing. Got it done late Monday afternoon, had 1 job & 2 enquiries so far.

[Weatherlawyer]

And now that the contents have been analysed by half a dozen local tea leaves you might consider the weight that your tools add to the daily grind.

I worked out that my kit costs something in the range of 100Kgms, so does yours by the look of it. If you could work out what you need for the jobs you will be dooing that day you could save a bi more on fuel and a lot more in security.

[Guy King]

The message from "The Medway Handyman" contains these words:

happened about that bloke who was trying to trade on your name?

[Stephen Dawson]

> What happened about that bloke who was trying to trade on your name? >

Looks good dave, nice to see the graphics turn out sharp.

-- Regards

Steve Dawson

[kontiki]

Dont know too much 'bout this but is it illegal/silly not to have a partition/ mesh between driver compartment and rest of the van? might get the ol'e circ saw across the back of the head upon sudden braking?

[Stephen Dawson]

I don't know wheter it is law or not, but we have full bulkheads in our vans just in case>

-- Rgds

Steve Dawson

[Dave Fawthrop]

|!>> > The message |!>> > from "The Medway Handyman" contains |!>> > these words: |!>>

|!>> >> Someone asked for photos of the racking, so here they are; |!>> >>

|!>>|!>> > What happened about that bloke who was trying to trade on your name? |!>>

|!>> > -- |!>> > Skipweasel |!>> > Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. |!>>

|!>> Looks good dave, nice to see the graphics turn out sharp. |!>>

|!>> -- |!>> Regards |!>>

|!>> Steve Dawson |!>

|!> Dont know too much 'bout this but is it illegal/silly not to |!> have a partition/ mesh between driver compartment and rest of the van? |!> might get the ol'e circ saw across the back of the head upon sudden |!> braking? |!>

|! |!I don't know wheter it is law or not, but we have full bulkheads in our vans |!just in case>

There is a law about fitting luggage restraint loops in estate cars and the like. We carry a 13kg bottle of LPG in the back of our estate, *well* secured with luggage straps. It would be difficult to secure all heavy tools etc. in the back of a van with straps.

[Weatherlawyer]

You should have a mesh between you and the tools just as a security precaution. I would suggest another padlocked inside the back door(s) too as vehicle doors are notoriously susceptible to thieves.

If I lived anywhere near a region where thieves smash and grab, I'd fit them on the windows too.

Road mattress mesh is light, large and strong I don't know how cheap though. It hinders viewing very little and can be easily fitted after painting some neutral colour.

[Stuart Noble]

Don't you get a removable bulkhead with the van?

[The Medway Handyman]

> What happened about that bloke who was trying to trade on your name? Wasn't my name he nicked but the exact phrases & wording from my website. I sent him a snotty e-mail and his site had changed within a few hours.

[The Medway Handyman]

I did that for nearly a year. Constsntly found I didn't have the right kit for the job. That's why I went for the van.

The security aspect is something I've given a bit of thought to. The van has dedlocks on all three doors & an alarm - the sort that detects motion. It's backed onto my gravel drive every night under the security light.

That's why I want the wire rope locks, to go through the handles of the power tool cases.

So, if they sneak up the drive without crunching, evade the light, jemmy open the doors, defeat the alarm - they have another obstacle.

I realise I can't make it 100% secure, but I want to make it as difficult as possible.

[nightjar]

by walking up the brick edging

spray paint, if they bother about it at all

Without a bulkhead between the cab and body, it would be sufficient to break a door window.

Most car thieves know how to do that. Alternatively, they trigger it a couple of times every night until it gets left off.

which will have been visible through the windows, so they will have double action bolt cutters with them.

You really need to do what you claim - remove all tools every night.

Colin Bignell

[Tony Williams]

Some tea leafs went around an estate here doing all vans. They entered by removing the windscreens, and apparently no windscreen was damaged.

[AJH]

I've got one of those that is used for my saws, it has a 9v battery that sounds an alarm if the rope is cut.

AJH

[luke58]

How much did the sign writing cost ???

Did you have to do any of the graphic layout yourself up front etc etc.

[Ian Stirling]

The rear windows are blacked out, if there was a bulkhead, then there would be nothing really visible.

[andyrdhall]

There's a diversification opportunity here. You could sell space on the van or do franchising

- Medway Handy Tan for the local UV tube place

- Medway Handy Lan for a cabling business

- Medway Handy Fan for air conditioning

- Medway Handy Pan for food to go

- Medway Handy San for cleaning

The possibilities are endless

[gort]

You don't listen to Terry Wogan in a morning do you?. This getting like the Swimarama .

DAve

[John Rumm]

nightjar You really need to do what you claim - remove all tools every night.

Or build a secure garage to store the whole thing in...

Difficult thing is, when the vehicle becomes your "shed on wheels" the practical implications of removing and replacing all the kit twice a day becomes a logistical nightmare. It also assumes you have somewhere more secure to store what you take out.

[Bob Eager]

- Medway Handy Can for portable toilets

- Medway Handy Nan for baby sitting etc.