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Amazin

  • Posts: 221
I been looking on ebay and gumtree but my options are limited when it comes to vans with WC systems installed. I'm thinking just get a regualr van first then install it later.

Where can I find people who can install it for me?

Spruce

  • Posts: 8462
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #1 on: February 16, 2015, 09:37:16 am »
http://www.reach2cleanonline.co.uk/contact

He is down south.

here is another

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/40-INCH-RO-PRO-500-LITRE-WATER-FED-POLE-SYSTEM-/191512839639?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276

Before you buy a van you need to ensure you have a water supply in place. If you buy water then you just need a tank, securing frame, pump, hose reel and brush. You won't need the r/o. You also need to have some means of ensuring that winter freezing temperatures aren't going to damage your kit. (Gas heater for example. Several cleaners have installed these

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PROPEX-HEATSOURCE-HS2000-V1-GAS-12V-HEATER-KIT-vehicle-motorhome-caravan-camper-/181551964903?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a455722e7

Expensive yes, but cheaper than having to replace frost destroyed kit.)

Good used vans aren't easy to come by. There are a couple of wfp vans for sale (one on Ebay at the moment)

here's one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Window-Cleaning-Van-Fiat-Scudo-Water-Fed-Pole-Van-/261779298807?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cf34319f7

However IMHO the tank is too small and I would ask a hell of a lot of questions with regard to the replacement turbo being done this year. Has the complete job been done or has the blow turbo just been replaced. If half the job has been done and he is getting shot of it, which I suspect, then I wouldn't touch it. 4 owners is also a negative. (The clutch I wouldn't worry about as it would have been one of those crappy dual mass flywheeler issues.)

This may help
http://c4owners.org/plugins/faq/faq.php?0.cat.5.110

If you are looking to buy a small van you will need something that will easily carry enough water for your daily useage. The 2 vans the lads have both have 500 liter tank installed which is more than enough for their daily use. Perhaps you could get away with a 400 liter tank system. However if you saw a Citroen Berlingo 600LX for sale, that certainly wouldn't carry you, 500 liters of water, a full tank of diesel and all your kit as the payload isn't high enough. But a Citroen Berlingo 800 LX would be OK as it has a higher payload.

The point is not to buy the first van and then try to find a system to suit the van. You need to chose a van that will suit the system you need to accomplish a day's work.
Success is 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration and 2% attention to detail!

The older I get, the better I was ;)

jk999

  • Posts: 2089
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #2 on: February 16, 2015, 09:54:41 am »
Buy van without because alot of people put systems in their vans and then think its worth three grand more . Plus you always end up with crap equipment , buy you van then everything you put in will be what you have chosen

Spruce

  • Posts: 8462
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #3 on: February 16, 2015, 10:40:44 am »
Buy van without because alot of people put systems in their vans and then think its worth three grand more . Plus you always end up with crap equipment , buy you van then everything you put in will be what you have chosen

Agree ^^

 - some of the suppliers also sell crap equipment, especially when it comes to poles. So I would take the poles out of the quote and order my own - Gardiner SLX for me.
Success is 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration and 2% attention to detail!

The older I get, the better I was ;)

Matt.

  • Posts: 1832
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2015, 11:09:42 am »
Find a nice van first, then build DIY system.

All help will be available on here with any problems as you go along.

Spruce

  • Posts: 8462
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #5 on: February 16, 2015, 11:42:03 am »
Find a nice van first, then build DIY system.

All help will be available on here with any problems as you go along.

Trying to put something together in the street, especially in London, will be quite a challenge I would imagine.
Success is 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration and 2% attention to detail!

The older I get, the better I was ;)

Matt.

  • Posts: 1832
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #6 on: February 16, 2015, 12:06:40 pm »
Once the tank is in everything else is small, spend an hour in sainsburys car park putting ur clips an pipes in.

I have A DIY system and I have just changed tanks over I reckon it will take me about a hour to put all pipes an clips back together.


david mark

  • Posts: 468
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #7 on: February 16, 2015, 10:54:40 pm »
http://www.reach2cleanonline.co.uk/contact

He is down south.

here is another

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/40-INCH-RO-PRO-500-LITRE-WATER-FED-POLE-SYSTEM-/191512839639?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276

Before you buy a van you need to ensure you have a water supply in place. If you buy water then you just need a tank, securing frame, pump, hose reel and brush. You won't need the r/o. You also need to have some means of ensuring that winter freezing temperatures aren't going to damage your kit. (Gas heater for example. Several cleaners have installed these

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PROPEX-HEATSOURCE-HS2000-V1-GAS-12V-HEATER-KIT-vehicle-motorhome-caravan-camper-/181551964903?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a455722e7

Expensive yes, but cheaper than having to replace frost destroyed kit.)

Good used vans aren't easy to come by. There are a couple of wfp vans for sale (one on Ebay at the moment)

here's one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Window-Cleaning-Van-Fiat-Scudo-Water-Fed-Pole-Van-/261779298807?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cf34319f7

However IMHO the tank is too small and I would ask a hell of a lot of questions with regard to the replacement turbo being done this year. Has the complete job been done or has the blow turbo just been replaced. If half the job has been done and he is getting shot of it, which I suspect, then I wouldn't touch it. 4 owners is also a negative. (The clutch I wouldn't worry about as it would have been one of those crappy dual mass flywheeler issues.)

This may help
http://c4owners.org/plugins/faq/faq.php?0.cat.5.110

If you are looking to buy a small van you will need something that will easily carry enough water for your daily useage. The 2 vans the lads have both have 500 liter tank installed which is more than enough for their daily use. Perhaps you could get away with a 400 liter tank system. However if you saw a Citroen Berlingo 600LX for sale, that certainly would carry you, 500 liters of water, a full tank of diesel and all your kit as the payload isn't high enough. But a Citroen Berlingo 800 LX would be OK as it has a higher payload.

The point is not to buy the first van and then try to find a system to suit the van. You need to chose a van that will suit the system you need to accomplish a day's work.
500litr is not enough water for guys based along the UK coasts, like our company we have 650litr tanks in all our vans to contend with all the sand and salt which covers our customers windows alot more rinsing is in volved trolleys are not a option

Amazin

  • Posts: 221
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #8 on: February 17, 2015, 08:26:05 am »
Thanks everyone's feedback, very much appreciated. especially to Spruce

Yeah, I going to just get a van first with a budget of around £3500. (hope thats sufficient enough)

http://www.gumtree.com/p/vans/nissan-primastar-2.0l-diesel-...low-mileage-98000....1owner...year2008/1099560467

how's does that one look?

is there any requirement in term of size of the van?


Ian101

  • Posts: 7887
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #9 on: February 17, 2015, 08:32:49 am »



is there any requirement in term of size of the van?



 YES .............. customers  ;)

apologies for my sarcasm but from your posts it would appear your just starting out ?

if starting out before spending out any money on van etc I would go knocking / leafleting for a week or 2 to see if you can get any customers.

if your not a newbie and have lots of customers then forget all of the above  :)

Spruce

  • Posts: 8462
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #10 on: February 17, 2015, 11:44:08 am »
Thanks everyone's feedback, very much appreciated. especially to Spruce

Yeah, I going to just get a van first with a budget of around £3500. (hope thats sufficient enough)

http://www.gumtree.com/p/vans/nissan-primastar-2.0l-diesel-...low-mileage-98000....1owner...year2008/1099560467

how's does that one look?

is there any requirement in term of size of the van?





It doesn't look too bad. I always get suspicious when there are numerous photos of the outside but none of the inside cargo area. The condition of the inside cargo is the best way to tell whether a van has been treated well or not. If its a mess, dented wheel arches and damaged trim panels then its been abused no matter what the outside tells you.

Is it a dealer or a private sale?

You also need to check that everything is working as it should be. We all know these have gearbox issues so a good service history and gearbox are very important. If you can, get the oil in the gearbox inspected. Removing the filler plug and sticking your pinkie in will give you a good idea about the box. If the oil is milky, walk away.
If it has had a gearbox replacement, try to find out who did it and what they did. Most reconditioned boxes are fitted with secondhand parts from other old gearboxes and will usually fail again.

And of course Ian101 is right. If you don't have any customers then the rest is futile. You might be better starting off with a small outlay and working traditionally until you can get a round together before investing in wfp equipment.
Success is 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration and 2% attention to detail!

The older I get, the better I was ;)

David lingard

  • Posts: 69
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #11 on: February 17, 2015, 03:27:22 pm »
http://www.reach2cleanonline.co.uk/contact

He is down south.

here is another

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/40-INCH-RO-PRO-500-LITRE-WATER-FED-POLE-SYSTEM-/191512839639?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276

Before you buy a van you need to ensure you have a water supply in place. If you buy water then you just need a tank, securing frame, pump, hose reel and brush. You won't need the r/o. You also need to have some means of ensuring that winter freezing temperatures aren't going to damage your kit. (Gas heater for example. Several cleaners have installed these

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PROPEX-HEATSOURCE-HS2000-V1-GAS-12V-HEATER-KIT-vehicle-motorhome-caravan-camper-/181551964903?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a455722e7

Expensive yes, but cheaper than having to replace frost destroyed kit.)

Good used vans aren't easy to come by. There are a couple of wfp vans for sale (one on Ebay at the moment)

here's one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Window-Cleaning-Van-Fiat-Scudo-Water-Fed-Pole-Van-/261779298807?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cf34319f7

However IMHO the tank is too small and I would ask a hell of a lot of questions with regard to the replacement turbo being done this year. Has the complete job been done or has the blow turbo just been replaced. If half the job has been done and he is getting shot of it, which I suspect, then I wouldn't touch it. 4 owners is also a negative. (The clutch I wouldn't worry about as it would have been one of those crappy dual mass flywheeler issues.)

This may help
http://c4owners.org/plugins/faq/faq.php?0.cat.5.110

If you are looking to buy a small van you will need something that will easily carry enough water for your daily useage. The 2 vans the lads have both have 500 liter tank installed which is more than enough for their daily use. Perhaps you could get away with a 400 liter tank system. However if you saw a Citroen Berlingo 600LX for sale, that certainly would carry you, 500 liters of water, a full tank of diesel and all your kit as the payload isn't high enough. But a Citroen Berlingo 800 LX would be OK as it has a higher payload.

The point is not to buy the first van and then try to find a system to suit the van. You need to chose a van that will suit the system you need to accomplish a day's work.
500litr is not enough water for guys based along the UK coasts, like our company we have 650litr tanks in all our vans to contend with all the sand and salt which covers our customers windows alot more rinsing is in volved trolleys are not a option

Not quite sure about that, we have varying size tanks from 350L to 1000L in the vans and have a base along 5 coastal towns in the SE, never been a problem with water, use backpacks all the time. Its individual houses and locations that make the difference.

Amazin

  • Posts: 221
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #12 on: February 18, 2015, 09:19:53 am »
Quote
YES .............. customers  Wink

apologies for my sarcasm but from your posts it would appear your just starting out ?

yes but i still need a van even if I was going to do traditional!




Walter Mitty

  • Posts: 1314
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #13 on: February 18, 2015, 10:18:29 am »
Thanks everyone's feedback, very much appreciated. especially to Spruce

Yeah, I going to just get a van first with a budget of around £3500. (hope thats sufficient enough)

http://www.gumtree.com/p/vans/nissan-primastar-2.0l-diesel-...low-mileage-98000....1owner...year2008/1099560467

how's does that one look?

is there any requirement in term of size of the van?


Although you can come unstuck with any van, the Primastar/Vivaro/Trafics can start to need expensive repairs once they get to 100k (before in some cases).  You might be fine with it though but don't be shocked to average £1k a year plus down time.  That one is newer than mine so some of the things may have been sorted.
I was recently without my (123,000 miles) Trafic for a number of weeks while the fault was traced.  Although the final bill was only about £300, it cost me £1k to rent a van for 7 weeks while working from backpack and containers.  I didn't think I was going to get it back as there was talk that a new engine might be needed (I would have replaced the van).  It turned out to be something called a boost solenoid whatever that is.  Runs great now but I will probably trade it in late summer just before my accounting year ends

Stoots

  • Posts: 6211
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #14 on: February 18, 2015, 01:40:57 pm »
Not looking forward to van breaking down. I reckon once I upgrade my van ill keep this one offroad its probably only worth a few hundred quid so seems sensible to ha e a backup. Or I could get an estate car as a reserve and use barrels

Spruce

  • Posts: 8462
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #15 on: February 18, 2015, 05:13:20 pm »
What about this?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2002-PEUGEOT-BOXER-WHITE-MOT-UNTIL-FEBRUARY-2016-/291381183552?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276

It not cheap but it looks pretty good for the age.

Dent in the sill on the left hand side could be ignored. I would question why there is water on the floor mat. It seems a bit much to have come from a boot. If its coming from a leaking heater matrix then that a dashboard out to replace that.
Success is 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration and 2% attention to detail!

The older I get, the better I was ;)

Spruce

  • Posts: 8462
Success is 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration and 2% attention to detail!

The older I get, the better I was ;)

Smudger

  • Posts: 13438
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #17 on: February 18, 2015, 07:59:46 pm »
Good find spruce

Best size/weight combo I've found is the dispatch/expert/scudo ideal for one or two men fits a good size tank and still room for gutter vac set up. A little bit tight for poles length wise but good overhead space helps out here.

Seem to be cheap as chips, low mileage straight models about

Darran
Never argue with an idiot, they will only bring you down to their level, and beat you with experience

hasti

  • Posts: 498
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #18 on: February 18, 2015, 08:06:37 pm »
http://www.reach2cleanonline.co.uk/contact

He is down south.

here is another

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/40-INCH-RO-PRO-500-LITRE-WATER-FED-POLE-SYSTEM-/191512839639?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276

Before you buy a van you need to ensure you have a water supply in place. If you buy water then you just need a tank, securing frame, pump, hose reel and brush. You won't need the r/o. You also need to have some means of ensuring that winter freezing temperatures aren't going to damage your kit. (Gas heater for example. Several cleaners have installed these

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PROPEX-HEATSOURCE-HS2000-V1-GAS-12V-HEATER-KIT-vehicle-motorhome-caravan-camper-/181551964903?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a455722e7

Expensive yes, but cheaper than having to replace frost destroyed kit.)

Good used vans aren't easy to come by. There are a couple of wfp vans for sale (one on Ebay at the moment)

here's one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Window-Cleaning-Van-Fiat-Scudo-Water-Fed-Pole-Van-/261779298807?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cf34319f7

However IMHO the tank is too small and I would ask a hell of a lot of questions with regard to the replacement turbo being done this year. Has the complete job been done or has the blow turbo just been replaced. If half the job has been done and he is getting shot of it, which I suspect, then I wouldn't touch it. 4 owners is also a negative. (The clutch I wouldn't worry about as it would have been one of those crappy dual mass flywheeler issues.)

This may help
http://c4owners.org/plugins/faq/faq.php?0.cat.5.110

If you are looking to buy a small van you will need something that will easily carry enough water for your daily useage. The 2 vans the lads have both have 500 liter tank installed which is more than enough for their daily use. Perhaps you could get away with a 400 liter tank system. However if you saw a Citroen Berlingo 600LX for sale, that certainly wouldn't carry you, 500 liters of water, a full tank of diesel and all your kit as the payload isn't high enough. But a Citroen Berlingo 800 LX would be OK as it has a higher payload.

The point is not to buy the first van and then try to find a system to suit the van. You need to chose a van that will suit the system you need to accomplish a day's work.

You know Spruce

You are one hell of a guy and some one to be proud of on this forum.
I always read your posts because you are not only knowledgeable you are also very helpful.

Many thanks for being part of the forum.


Smudger

  • Posts: 13438
Re: is it better to buy a van with or without the system installed?
« Reply #19 on: February 18, 2015, 08:08:04 pm »
I'll second that

Darran
Never argue with an idiot, they will only bring you down to their level, and beat you with experience