Going to be converting the older family minivan into a work vehicle and I am looking for suggestions on a storage system for the back. I’ll be at least taking the rear seat out.
We do work from framing to finish so I’ll be looking to keep a lot back there including larger power tools like the site table saw as well a good system for nail and screws, etc.
Any thoughts on a self built system as well as companies that make them would be great.
Thanks
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Replies
Not knowing the age or condition of your minivan I`m wondering if you haven`t considered trading it in for even a used cargo van. An old, small work van should still out perform most minivans.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
That would be my vote but the van would be for my Dad, and he likes using the minivan. He's a teacher and we do carpentry in the summer and weekends so it wouldn't be 100% work. I belive the van is a 2000 will 130k on it.
Figure out what you need and build your own, and in doing so you can show off
some of your craftsmanship.
I'd be curious as to the back suspension, or lack there of...
Probably doesnt have much for wieght capacity back there, so if you load her up you might be dropping the back end.
Might want to look into stiffening it up a little so the back end isn't always sagging.
My thought as well. I think of my 3/4 ton truck dragging it's butt behind it and figure there ain't a whole lot of room for nails, once the TS, SCMS, air compressor, and wild assortment of hand and power tools gets loaded on board. Gotta admit, never seen a mini van with a construction sign on it, but they're probably out there, doing a whole lot better than the 7 mpg my truck gets.
I never met a tool I didn't like!
you get 7mpg?
sweet jesus I thought I had it bad getting 10ish.
Try driving a 68 chevy dump 1 ton! Down hill with a breeze in neutral 5 mpg!
yeah, but I got a '04 150, I really ought to be doing better lol
to be fair it does have the heavy suspension package and tips the scales close to 7k I'd imagine but come on!
"Try driving a 68 chevy dump 1 ton!"
I have a '67 Chevy C30 with a dump bed. I try not to think about how much gas I'm using......................(-:It takes months do devolop a good customer, but only seconds to lose one. The good news is that we'll be out of them in no time.
tell me did someone replace the carb jets with watering cans!!!!!!!
in the heady days of my youth i had an aold landrover. it was a great car but to drive to work and back 5 days a week a round trip of 5/6 miles cost me £20 in fuel. and that was 12/13 years ago!!!!
it was a great car though.
1987 C-20, 454 V-8, fuel injected. Don't matter if I coast or floor it, 7 mpg, highway and city. The sucker is from California and is loaded with the whole emmissions cra-p they smother them with.
Now that's a thought; Ca. stangulates their cars to improve emmissions, but they make the vehicles less efficient, so you have to burn more fuel to go the same distance, which uses more gas, which drives up the demand, which causes OPEC to drive up the price... Hmmm, maybe I should buy a Prious. But where would I put my SCMS and air compressor?
I never met a tool I didn't like!
I'm sure a prious could pull a tailor, don't ya think?
that's one thing that is similar, my mpg is pretty standard, doesn't move city or highway either, doesn't matter how hard I drive it either, just for kicks one week I drove it a little harder (within reason) taking off the line, accelerating hard etc, the next I drove like my grandfather, (slow) no difference.
My '99 Chevy Silverado (5.3L V8) gets 19 in the city and 24 on the highway :). An interesting sidenote: GM is supposed to be releasing HYBRID Silverados and Sierras in '05 (supposedly with no power loss?).
Rick
If you can read this, thank a teacher...
If you are reading it in English, thank a soldier.
I like your set up butch thanks for the photos.
You would be surprised at what a minivan can handle. My Father has used one for the last 15 years or so for a work van. He doesn’t do this year round expect for weekends but the van has it’s advantages, decent gas mileage, can seat more then a cargo van or truck, tool better protected for the weather then in the bed of a truck, and we have never had a problem with theft people don’t expect there to be valuable tools in the back of a minivan. The rear suspension is something I have also been thinking about but haven’t had much a problem with our previous vans; we try to keep the load light keep the compressor in the shop or on the site. But we have carried bags of concrete and roofing shingles in there before.
I have a remodeler friend in Richmond, VA and he has been driving Ford Aerostar minivans as work trucks for many years. He got good service out of the first one and now has replaced it with the second one. I guess it just depends on how much stuff (weight) you intend to carry and how many miles a year you will drive. He built bins inside to hold tools and supplies similar to Butch's ideas.
Frank DuVal
I actually have three minivans - '93 Grand caravan, '92 Chrysler Town & Country, and a '90 Chrysler Town and Country. Don't ask me why, it's a long story. I don't use any for work but my observation would be (based on driving them), they'll be a little a$$ heavy when you load them with stuff, and they sway when cornering. The '93 we bought new and got it with a trailer towing package.
If I were contemplating doing something like that I'd only consider using the one with the towing package.
If yours doesn't have this, I'm sure you could beef up the suspension to take a bit more weight and cut down on the sway. I'm sure it would work if you were reasonable in your demands on the vehicle when loading it. Good luck. Have fun!