Tradesmen – Best Car / Trailer setup for Work
What’s your preferred setup for work? All the gear on the back of a ute, inside a van, or everything in the trailer for a quick hook-up and detachment?
We have done some research to discover the advantages & disadvantages of each setup.
Van
The obvious advantage of a van over a ute is inbuilt load security. With options of powered sliding doors on some vans, it’s possible to enter and leave the cargo area with both hands full of equipment without touching a door handle or leaving the van unlocked.
Although cargo shares the same bodywork with the occupants it can be segregated by an optional bulkhead. Semi-bonnet vans have much more interior space than utes, with walk-through access to the cargo area.
Crew vans have comfortable seating for six, compared with the “squeezy” five-seat accommodation of crew-cab utes.
European vans have car-like dynamic and passive safety, with stability and traction control and multiple airbags.
Recent turbo-diesel releases have seen van performance match that of all but V8 utes; There are also vans for people who want four-wheel-drive ability.
Ute
A ute is the traditional choice of tradies: the boys can chuck wheelbarrows, tools and messy stuff in the back and not have to worry about spillage.
The driver and any passengers are not forced to share the interior with smelly, sometimes dangerous freight because the cargo area is entirely separate from the cabin.
A ute has the ability to double as a work vehicle during the week and a recreational machine on weekends, so it’s important that ute buyers can get as close as possible to car-level dynamic and passive safety features.
Utes have poor load security unless they are ordered with a hard tonneau or canopy. Another route is to fit lockable storage boxes into the ute trays.
Nearly all utes have an inherent handling compromise because they are designed around a beam rear axle with leaf-spring suspension. This simple solution provides the vehicle with a strong rear end with inbuilt variable-rate springing to handle widely differing loads but it lacks the handling finesse of a car-style independent suspension. Buying a ute used to mean a safety compromise but now some brands have introduced passenger car-style electronic stability (ESC) and traction control to their ute range.
Trailer
The best thing about trailers is that they can be used in conjunction with a van or ute.
It gives you extra storage space for when you need even more than
With the lower height of trailers, as well as availability of ramps and removable sides, it means you will not break your back by lifting heaving cargo into the back of your ute.
Perfect for transportation of ride on lawn mowers particularly trailers with a tilt or hydraulic tip.
You can chuck messy stuff in the back & not have to worry about spillage and damage to your car.
A good quality trailer will come with internal lashing rings to secure your loads, and will have optional extras such as tarps & hard tops to increase load security & keeping water off on rainy days. A High tarp on a box trailer, or a closed cargo trailer will be best for large loads.
Depending on your trade, a flatbed can also be used as a working bench. All Variant box trailers have removable sides meaning any trailer can become a flatbed.
Enclosed trailers can be used as a mini portable workshop.
Using a trailer rather than your personal vehicle allows you to separate business from personal life when you get home. You don’t have tools and materials to lug around on your weekends and after hours.
