Need to buy a new vehicle to get to work?
Maybe you have been thinking about starting your own Masonry business, and need a start up work vehicle. What should you buy?
Most likely you will be tossing up between a small truck, a van, or a pick-up truck (Ute). Which best fits the needs of a Bricklayer? Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of all three.
A small truck provides a lot of practicalities. The most obvious is loading capacity. With the help of a couple of storage boxes, all hand and power tools can be tidily and safely put away, leaving plenty of room for your concrete mixer, bricksaw and even materials. The ease of access is great, especially if you get a truck with small wheels, which lowers the tray height.
On the down side a truck is certainly not the cheapest option for starting out a masonry business. The back of a truck offers little security or weather protection. It also has limited signage space.
Van
The pros and cons are almost swapped when comparing a van with a truck. You normally pickup a older van for a good price. It is good to know if your van is out of sight, it is nice and secure and tools won't be getting wet. If you are big on advertising through signage a van offers lots of blank canvas space.
A van has its challenges. It's not always easy to squeeze things in, especially if you pick up materials. Although vans can be fitted with nifty shelving setups, access to all of your tools can be a hard because of the enclosed space. If you decide to get a van, choose one with double sided doors and a tow bar to hook up a trailer.
Pickup Truck (Ute)
Not a common choice for a bricky is the pickup. It has excellent ease of access. A low tray makes getting heavy items on not so challenging. Also the mileage is generally a lot better in a pickup than a van or truck.
The pickup truck will challenge you for storage room. Trays are normally a lot smaller than a trucks so a towbar and trailer is a must. Canopies can be added for protection, but the height restriction pretty much makes it unworkable, so don't go down that line.
Conclusion
The two that make the most sense are the truck and van, pickups have too many limitations. The main type of work you do and perhaps your location should determine whether you go for a truck or van. If you supply a lot of your own materials, bricks, blocks, mortar, reinforcing steel go for a truck. Maybe you commonly work labor only and in an area where tools go missing, a van would be a good decision here.
