[dazmond]

ive been thinking again about my next van and i dont think i want a vivaro,transit etc as i think their too big for my needs,also im not sure about the scudo,dispatch,expert vans either.

so will a 500L upright tank and frame fit in the back of a connect 230 LWB with steel bulkhead?i think i will have to cut a hole in the bulkhead to fit my poles in but this van ticks all the boxes in regards to payload,reliability,cheap parts etc.

i will have 5 grand but that includes buying the tank,frame and half vinyl wrap so looking at 4 grand for the actual van.obviously id like to buy one with no VAT!

then ive got my pumpbox,reel and trad stuff to fit in.

whos got one of these vans and what size tanks do you have in the back?


cheers guys


dazmond

[Lee GLS]

Yes an 500l tank will fit and yes you will have to cut the bulkhead to fit the poles in.

[andyM]

You might want to also consider the newer shape Citroen Berlingo/Peugeot Partner with 850kg payload.
Will take a 500 ltr tank.
I've got a 2013 Peugeot Partner with 350 ltr tank in but considering sticking a 500 ltr in there.
To be honest with the 350 ltr tank full up I don't notice it in there and van drives really well.
I had the same dilemma as you and was considering a bigger van but as im on my own the Peugeot Partner suits me well.

[DeLuce]

I've got that model Daz, like Lee said, I've got 500ltr tank fitted across the bulkhead. I get everything I need in there. Backpack, trad gear, toolbox etc, even got a spare pump and reel connected up. Poles go over the top on a couple of neat planks I've put in with drainpipes, poles go in the pipes which stops the pole hose hanging down all over the place. Your Xtreme 25 will fit without you needing to cut a hole in the bulkhead.

[colin purewater]

I've got a Swb connect with a 500L tank in

All poles fit in nice on an angle

Just put re-enforced tryes on

Job done

[Dave Willis]

Just cut your poles in half.

[Carl@Cwc]

pug expert 2.0hdi   m8 and you will never look back.
i got one 650ltr flat  tank in ,2 man set up and pulls like a train.
and get it fibreglassed first with a drain hole

[Spruce]

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=139067.0

Other info

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=174667.0
http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=167012.0

[roundbuilder]

pug expert 2.0hdi   m8 and you will never look back.
i got one 650ltr flat  tank in ,2 man set up and pulls like a train.
and get it fibreglassed first with a drain hole

Thats what i have! Nice bit of power to get up the hills when full.

[DeLuce]

Just cut your poles in half.

 


It'll keep me going for the rest of the week 

[Crystal-clear]

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=139067.0

Other info

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=174667.0
http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=167012.0

really nice job spruce,
i love the connect.

[Spruce]

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=139067.0

Other info

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=174667.0
http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=167012.0

really nice job spruce,
i love the connect.

Thanks Crystal-clear.

Its a good van for the job. Apart from the documented van battery not keeping up with the pump requirements and the Varistream's current draw, he has had no issues.

In fact, now he switches the Varistream off when his day's work is finished, he has only needed to boost charge his leisure battery once this year.

The LWB is big enough for him with his 500l tank, ladders and hose reel. When the van is full of water it sits nicely and the Tddi 1.8 engine pulls fine.

The T230 is a more powerful engine and has an uprated payload of 900kgs.

The interesting thing is that Ford have paid attention to building a solid van. My son has a Partner 800lx so has an 800 kg payload. The L220 has a 825kg payload.
The tyres Ford fitted are 92T's which are well over-rated for the payload where the tyres Peugeot fitted are 86T's which are closer to their limit.

I have always had a great respect for the PSA Berlingo's/Partner vans, but I have to admit that the Transit Connect are better built.

Saying that, watch out for rust on the first Connects which appears first along the cills. There aren't too many low/average mileage examples for sale at the moment.

[tom20001]

how economical is the transit Connect compared to caddy/berlingo etc?

[robert mitchell]

I ran my first van off the van battery with no problems , even on a job where I was on site working for six hours without moving the van .

It was a vw t4 transporter (excellent vans ,almost bullet proof but looking dated now) .
It did however have a huge battery , a bosch s5 900 cranking amps and 100ah .

I think thats the key to running off van battery .

[Crystal-clear]

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=139067.0

Other info

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=174667.0
http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=167012.0

really nice job spruce,
i love the connect.

Thanks Crystal-clear.

Its a good van for the job. Apart from the documented van battery not keeping up with the pump requirements and the Varistream's current draw, he has had no issues.

In fact, now he switches the Varistream off when his day's work is finished, he has only needed to boost charge his leisure battery once this year.

The LWB is big enough for him with his 500l tank, ladders and hose reel. When the van is full of water it sits nicely and the Tddi 1.8 engine pulls fine.

The T230 is a more powerful engine and has an uprated payload of 900kgs.

The interesting thing is that Ford have paid attention to building a solid van. My son has a Partner 800lx so has an 800 kg payload. The L220 has a 825kg payload.
The tyres Ford fitted are 92T's which are well over-rated for the payload where the tyres Peugeot fitted are 86T's which are closer to their limit.

I have always had a great respect for the PSA Berlingo's/Partner vans, but I have to admit that the Transit Connect are better built.

Saying that, watch out for rust on the first Connects which appears first along the cills. There aren't too many low/average mileage examples for sale at the moment.


i like your posts spruce very informative as always ,

i have been repairing my old war horse for years and know well about the price of a connect as it was what i wanted till recently when i had the revalation of the cool looking pick up 2 in 1 , then i hear that they are horrible on fuel and not confortable to drive so now im back in the middle kinda!.

regarding the 230 connect they always fetch a good price at 2005 with 70-80k which is what im after expect to pay £4k ;/ its annoying as you could get a t200 for £2.5
whats your opinion on 100-110k mileage ones? those are cheaper.

[dazmond]

thanks for all the replies guys!

as i only do about 2500-3000 miles a year in my van due to having very compact localish work and having a car for leisure i think it would be overkill to get a vivaro/transit van.also i have some narrow driveways to park on and winding country lanes so a smaller van with a bigger payload than my kangoo would be ideal.

also my local garage where ive been taking all my vans and cars for 20 years really rate the connect.cheap parts and are usually reliable vans.

the kangoo to be fair has been a good van but it would be great to be able to carry a bit more water esp on days where i have a fair few large domestic and commercial jobs due or where im squeezing in a few first cleans on top of my regular work.

hi nic i will probably still have to cut a hole in the bulkhead mate as i dont think my extreme 47 will fit in even without the gooseneck!

very best wishes to you all


dazmond

[Crystal-clear]

if it was a van i would only look at the 230 high roof

[Spruce]

Hi Crystal-clear,

I would always pay a little more for a lower mileage van with a known background. British Gas vans were always a good buy as they had 1 allocated driver who was held responsible and accountable for his van. Their mileages also aren't that high on most examples.

I definitely wouldn't buy a post office van as most of them have been thrashed by a variety of drivers.

Once you start getting into the 100k mileage area, you can expect all sorts of expenses to come your way. Exhausts, cambelt changes, brakes & clutch are the costly items and the reason why the leasing companies won't usually do leasing of small vans that's mileages exceed 100k during the lease period.

From a trade point of view, the value of a vehicle drops quite dramatically at 100k because of these expected extra costs.

[DeLuce]

Hi Daz, oh yeah, how could I forget that you own a 47xtreme 

[Spruce]

thanks for all the replies guys!

as i only do about 2500-3000 miles a year in my van due to having very compact localish work and having a car for leisure i think it would be overkill to get a vivaro/transit van.also i have some narrow driveways to park on and winding country lanes so a smaller van with a bigger payload than my kangoo would be ideal.

also my local garage where ive been taking all my vans and cars for 20 years really rate the connect.cheap parts and are usually reliable vans.

the kangoo to be fair has been a good van but it would be great to be able to carry a bit more water esp on days where i have a fair few large domestic and commercial jobs due or where im squeezing in a few first cleans on top of my regular work.

hi nic i will probably still have to cut a hole in the bulkhead mate as i dont think my extreme 47 will fit in even without the gooseneck!

very best wishes to you all


dazmond

Hi Daz,

Cheap parts? That rolls off the tongue of most mechanics and older salesmen when it comes to Transits. That was the case once when imported vans parts were expensive compared to the locally produced British manufactured stuff.
That no longer applies. In this day and age, Ford will be looking for every penny profit it can make to recoup some of the margins it sacrificed with new van deals.
Longer warranty periods were also introduced to keep you with the main dealer for longer. When it was first introduced, you lost your warranty if you took the van elsewhere for servicing until the government legislated against this.

Yes you will have to cut a hole in your bulkhead for your longer poles.

To get back to buying higher mileage vans commented on by Crystal-clear, do a search on Tdci Mondeo's on ebay and see how many 2002/2006 cars are on there for sale as "parts or repair" as I did a couple of months back. Then look at the mileages. Some comments - just needs a fuel pump or an injector etc. Why don't they do it and sell the car as a working vehicle? The reason is that it will cost more to fix that the car is worth.

Buying a van with a high mileage is taking on a higher risk, but I see window cleaners looking at vans with similar mileages.