[Mike Halliday]

Anyone any experience of working from a trailer?

Been looking at buying a 4x4 for personal use but I already pull a trailer behind the van for the pressure washing which I find real handy as I can leave my helper to do the work and go to the coffee shop and use the wifi I mean go do quotes

If when my van needs replacing in a couple of years I could buy a really good 4x4 for the same price as a new van,  and I would have a good vehicle for personal use

I' m brilliant at reversing trailers ( in my very modest opinion)  so access would'nt be a problem

[Paul Pearce]

Derek Bolton is a good man to ask about using a trailer as he successfully used one for years.

For me personally 4 wheels is enough.

Paul P

[scott johns]

think your pressure washing is good from a trailor I have been looking for a decent one myself
as I have invested in a pressure washing system earlier this year. as you have said you can leave
it on the job and pretend to go and do some quote and leave workers on job. I think a van is also
needed for security reasons as you can lock up easily, trailor have to keep your eye on it easy
target for crimanals, also in van all your equipment is on there so you wont forget any thing.

[DB]

The box trailer worked for me for many years...it meant I had one vehicle for both business and pleasure so I bought a good 'un.

The advantages are that at the end of the day you can pop the trailer in a garage out of sight and as you say you can change your vehicle anytime without the hassle of refitting a van all you need is a tow bar.

The trailer will have a lock on to the tow bar so security isn't really an issue....it also ensures the trailer stays on the tow bar on bumpy roads :-)...it can happen

If you do decide to go for a box trailer go for the twin axle job with a breaking system

Have fun

[John Kelly]

Fine as long as you don't travel more than 50 miles from your business address. If you do you need to have a Tachograph fitted to the vehicle permanently. Absolute joke but a couple of our customers have fallen foul and received big fines.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Mike 50 miles  be lucky at 5 miles away.

What will your customers think when you pull up with a Range Rover or Hummer? I once used our car to do a quote the response from the customer wasn't good.

Shaun

[DB]

Shaun

[DB]

Shaun

I did just that towed my trailer with a Range Rover Vogue...rather than put people off (and I thought it might) it had the totally opposite effect ...when pulling into a customer's drive often with another  Range Rover in it we immediately had a talking point

Best thing I ever did... apart from marrying the wife that is

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Good answer

[jasonl]

I like quoting in my car , love it when customers say you must be expensive to have a car like that , I just say I can afford it because I do a great job, and I have done a lot of nice jobs.

Shauns car takes the biscuit though .

I have a really rubbish van though, just been and bought a new one to expand again.

[Neil Jones]

I have a nice van because I live in it and it's tax deductible bla bla but never waste my money on cars. They only lose you money, rather spend it on my home or holidays. Just spent a fortune on Sonus in the house, rather that than a Merc sat on the drive.

[jasonl]

Have you not seen some carpet cleaners houses ?   With mercs and bmws on the drive .

[Radek Jablonski]

I have a nice van because I live in it and it's tax deductible bla bla but never waste my money on cars. They only lose you money, rather spend it on my home or holidays. Just spent a fortune on Sonus in the house, rather that than a Merc sat on the drive.

+1

[Ian Gourlay]

Now I know DB used a trailer I wished I had followed my instincts and got a trailer . I am useless at reversing try to avoid it with van but I would have had to learn   Perhaps twin axle helps.

Local Chem Dry had one but he only lasted about three years probably because they had to many franchises in area.

Why have we not discussed this before .

[DB]

Ian

Towing a small box trailer is really simple to get used to... after towing one for a few years I bought a caravan and went on a caravan towing course. I was told that if I could park my box trailer then towing a caravan would be easy. 

He was right...with a box trailer you can see clearly when reversing which way it is going and can adjust the steering accordingly.

Towing it with the Range Rover was the tricky bit....with all its towing power it was easy to forget you were actually towing a trailer or caravan for that matter

Since retirement (that's a laugh) I have bought a smaller trailer to do the odd jobs I do these days

[Mike Halliday]

I have my C& E class licence which means i can drive articulated lorries, I drove arctics all over France  delivering racing pigeons , so trailers are not a problems for me although the smaller trailer the faster it turns.....  so a 50ft  trailer will go off course quite slowly, but a little thing  will crease up within 15ft of Reversing.

Still looking for a box trailer although I found a really nice  2 tonne twin axle plant trailer  which I bought myself  just for the heck of it, good for taking garden rubbish to the tip.

I thought you can't go onto the tip in a  commercial vehicle without a permit from the council but they do allow you to go on to tip green waste,  I used to pay £55 a load to a guy to get rid of my  tree cuttings & garden waste, but now I can take my own

[DB]

So when you are not using your trailer for garden waste Mike...which layby can we find you in cooking egg and bacon sarnies?...