Hey guys, I have been doing a lot of searches on here and finding a few helpful threads but some were pretty old. So I am going to see what guys are currently doing.
I am using a trailblazer with ladder racks right now and it is working great, the set up, not the vehicle that is. Trailblazers are constantly having problems and down time is NOT needed especially going into Spring. At 100k miles they start to “hundred and thousand dollar” me (Nickel and Dime is no longer true in today’s world). I have 1 crew and the 3 of us roll in that all day every day of the year. I am going to invest in my business and purchase a brand new (Or less than 15k miles) vehicle this year.
I am looking for an all wheel drive or 4 wheel drive enclosed vehicle. I have looked at Nissan NV type vehicles, Ford Transits. Both of those would work perfect but don’t offer AWD or 4WD. So I was looking into the Ford Flex or Honda Pilot. The reason for it needing to be enclosed is that we work in the winter and our buckets and poles function so much better if i can keep them in the warm vehicle. Anyone have any better ideas or things that work best? Thanks! -Eric
Side Note - Million Dollar Question - Anyone looking for a Full Time Window Cleaning job in South Dakota? Only 4 tough months a year, the rest are beautiful! You can Start ASAP. lol
A friend of mine who does a lot of driving didn’t have happy times with his Trailblazer either.
If/when I put a second work vehicle on the road it will be specifically for my storefront routes and I had Transit or a smaller NV in mind. Although 4wd or AWD is nice, I’d still probably deal with not having that by using studded snow tires in the winter.
One thing I can say is using my F250 for the routes is okay, but not great. I leave the back uncovered and have to bring certain things inside overnight. Only this week are seasonal items showing up as the feet of snow and ice are melting away from my bed!
I’ve got an extended cab 2011silverado 1500, it’s great for everything I do and the 4WD is a lifesaver in the snow and crap weather.
In the fall ill be trading it in for a 2015/2016 crew cab 2500 with a plow so I don’t have to switch between trucks for plow work and window cleaning work (also will help when I have to drive kids places)
If you need the vehicle to get you around in garbage weather I’ll always suggest a pick up truck.
Mike Radzik
Pro Window Cleaning
Central Massachusetts
Sent from my iPhone using Window Cleaning Resource
What do you drive Alex? Im thinking of trading my truck in for a minivan. a local college has Uplanders with ladder racks and they seem to like them but they don’t make them anymore, and Im not sure how reliable they are. I was thinking sienna, but can it carry all that ladder weight? Im just so sick of my F150. Im too short for it, and its like going to the gym every time I need to get anything out. Ive tried every which way to reconfigure it too.
I currently have a 17’ gorilla, 5’ step, 20’ extension, and a 28’ extension on the rack (been doing a lot of roofs). I would say it does alright :). I do notice some wind resistance with the bigger ladders. It will handle longer ladders as well, but the car is less than 13’ long, so anything bigger than a 28’ should have a flag on the back of it. And driving with a full tank of water does slow me down a little on the hills - just have to downshift sooner.
We also installed a hitch last fall, for towing our little power washing trailer. So far I haven’t gotten enough weight on the trailer to see how that will impact handling.
I can vouch for Siennas being decent. We just traded in our 3rd Sienna for another Toyota, but I used it several times for storefront and residential. I was super careful since it was the family vehicle, but it worked fine. Could fit a 17’ LG inside.
if you hunt around you could find an AWD Chevy Astro or GMC Safari. Those vans are beasts, run forever. way better to work out of than any of the above listed suggestions, IMHO. it would be worth traveling to buy one if you could find one in good shape with lower miles.
i would pay a premium price for one of these if i was in the market for an AWD work van.
one of our cars is nissan nv1500 bought that last year and love it. very solid van no 4x4 but allot of room inside and on top for ladders , not bad on gas either . got it 4 months old $5000 less then new one. i think you can get best car value in 1y. old car
The only problem I see with the Astro is that they stopped making them 10 years ago. Otherwise, they’d get my vote, as well. Sounds like the OP is done with vehicles of that vintage…
… I picked one up last year (not AWD), a 2005 with 67,000 on it. Only problem so far was when I bought my Reach-It Pro and it is too long to fit straight inside because I have a Adrian Steel divider behind the seats. I thought “oh crap, now I have to get a new truck”
I have been considering a Honda Element for a while now. They come AWD and the back seats come out or flip up for alot of space. Rubber floors make it appealing also.
Anyone looked at a Dodge Journey? I have found a lot of those locally (Within 150 miles) with less than 20k miles and around $20k. I have not looked inside of one yet, might be small. Thank you for all of the input, I will be looking at all of the options you guys listed to see if any of them would be a fit.
Eric, I purchased a used 2012 Chevy Express Passenger Van ALL Wheel Drive last year and love it. It has room for 8 but I removed the third bench seat and use the area for all our equipment. I can easily transport all equipment and four crew members. I also added a ladder rack for my extension ladders. All is safe and dry. Gas mileage is bad but we only work in a 10 mile radius. Nothing says business like a full size service van.
You can Start ASAP. lol
