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[Nate Howell]

Hi all,
I am looking for personal reviews or advice on cargo vans.

My business is small and I believe all my gear would fit in a van (but I will test that before I buy).
I have some tops and subs, and I just placed an order for 4 LA arcs wifo, and 4 sb18.

What brand of vehicle do you use or prefer? New or used?
Low roof, regular, or high roof?
Regular cargo van, or small box truck?
Anyone go the used U-haul route? Experiences?

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks much!

Nate

[Robert Piascik]

I used to use a full size cargo van but now have switched to trailers.

Trailer with ramp door is easier to load, van required some kind of ramp that I had to carry with me or lifting which got old fast. Trailer easy to maintain and I could leave it behind when not needed, driving full size van not economical. My van had front and passenger seats only for max cargo space but not elegant for the family. Many threads on here regarding trailers and use.

[Matt Vivlamore]

I bought a used '06 Chevy 3500 Express cargo van with 104k in 2010; it is the Extended body and has the Duramax diesel; I currently have 144k miles on it (It a gig only vehicle).  The Gross Weight is just shy of 9,000# for typical gigs and averages about 15.5-17 mpg (I did add a Bully Dog Triple GT tuner and had the transmission rebuilt for Heavy Duty Towing).  Right now the Turbo is acting up (variable vanes are sticking throwing errors) and I'll be adding a Stage 1 Turbo (it's throwing errors now) and 4" Exhaust and I am thinking I'll be able to get 17-19 mpg with the new set-up; as long as I don't play with the Boost.

I fit in my rig with room to spare:
2x Fulcrum FA22ac
4x JBL SRX718s
6x Wedges
1x LS9-32 in doghouse case
2x Trunks 20"x28"
2x Amp Racks
1x Lighting box (4 flat pars on bars)
1x drum hardware bag for mic stands.


I am in and around DC and other big cities for a lot of my gigs.  The Van is much easier to park and maneuver than a Truck and Trailer.  Prior to my Van I had a Chevy 1500 Silverado 4x4 and a 5x8 trailer and averaged 10-13 mpg on the gigs.

[Rick Powell]

I bought a used 1996 Ford E250 van (the regular wheelbase, not extended) with about 112k miles on it.  For most of its life it was an AT&T utility van and obviously well maintained. I have had to replace the tires and a brake line, and another line needs to be replaced now.  It fits a pair of Danley subs and tops, 4 wedges, an amp rack, my 4x10 bass rig, 2 cable trunks, 3 sections of Global Truss, 2 crank stands, 2 ultimate tripod light stands, 5 pre wired LED light bars, a Studiolive mixer in a case, and various odds and ends.  It's somewhat of a tight pack but could fit some more items in there if I needed to.

I did have to strip a ladder rack and a whole lot of shelving and metal cabinets out of the van when I got it, but some guy bought all the stripped stuff for $200 (thanks to eBay).  I spent $2,500 for the van itself and have put maybe $1,200 into it in the 6 or 7 years I have had it.

I have toyed with getting a new pickup as my personal vehicle and getting a trailer with stand up room and a ramp, but haven't done it yet.  Overall, I have been pleased with the cost effectiveness of the van, but it's starting to rust out pretty thoroughly.  If cost was no object and I wanted to stay small or expand just a tad, I think I'd get a Sprinter or one of the new hi-top Ford Transit vans.  Some friends of mine use a Mercedes Sprinter to tour the USA with their band, and they love it.

Mileage? I can get 15 mpg going downhill with a tailwind 😄.  Glad we don't do a lot of serious traveling with this van.

[Richard Turner]

Pick your brand and google for problem running gear, evey brand had a few dogs.

Diesel vs gas, are you short or long haul, running every day or once a week?

Diesel weight eats into your payload as would all wheel drive and secondary fuel tanks.

the 8100(496) chev vortec has some get up and go but is thirsty and some of the allison trans had issues.

Some of the ford diesels are noted for burning through injectors.

Also note UPS fleet has been moving to gas for the inner city panel trucks. so i imagine the bean counters have done the math.

[Bob Faulkner]

2006 3/4 ton Chevy Cargo van.  Commercial version (8 lug wheel nuts vs 5 lug) w/bulk-head cage.  ~130K miles

Transports:
2 x JBL SRX728
1 x 16 space amp rack
2 x 12 space outboard gear racks
1 x Soundcraft GB8 24-chnl
1 x utility road-case (carries 150 ft 32/8 snake, various power cords, speaker cords)
3 x utility cases (XLR cables, power strips, tape, etc...)
6 x Yamaha 12" monitor speakers
2 x Peavey QW2F FOH speakers
2 x 8' x 3' utility tables
2 x chairs
Misc smaller cases (mics, interface cables, etc...)
2 x collapsable 8ft ramps
1 x dolly
3 x bags of microphone stands
1 x case with backup power supplies.
1 x 8 x 8 tent (when doing out door shows)

The weight of the equipment exceeds the working load of the van.

...I'm now getting a 6 x 12 cargo trailer; this will be used to carry the heaviest of the equipment, but will still be using the cargo van to transport the smaller things.

[Richard Turner]

Fun little video


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qVmaXEs0DM

In reality though something in the 4500/ f-450 class is what you need to be actually scale legal 15000lb GVWR which is as much as you can get on your class 5 drivers liscence. Bigger and better brakes and all that fun stuff,,,,, Although buying commercial class 19.5"tires is not fun at all if so equpped.

Would avoid the ford v10. not overly popular in the aftermarket. the dodge v10 however you can get anything and everything to bolt to it thanks to the high performance market.

Was the OP looking for something from this century or were antiques being considered?

[Jerome Malsack]

Pro's and con's 

Parking,  Trailer is not parking friendly in major cities.   Box truck's over a height will not get into parking garage. 
So consider where you park and cost ? ? 

A good van with a towing option may be another good consideration. 

2 wheel drive or 4 wheel drive ??  for those ventures to a field of grass that is dew covered and slick  pulling a trailer may need the help of the 4 wheel drive. 

[dave briar]

Pro's and con's 
  --snip--
2 wheel drive or 4 wheel drive ??  for those ventures to a field of grass that is dew covered and slick  pulling a trailer may need the help of the 4 wheel drive.

...or living in the northern Rockies.

  ...dave (Helena MT)

[Nate Howell]

Van will be used mostly for shorter distances. Most gigs are within 20 miles...Occasionally a bit further.
I do not really have a place to store a large box van, so something like those Chevy or Ford 450 /4500 is out of the question. 
I want to be able to get into my garage, and a parking garage.

I think the space in a regular cargo van would be pleny, and would actually leave me some room to grow for awhile. 

I am not interested in a truck/trailer combo at this point. They do not do well on tiny side streets, one way streets, and getting into tight spots....which is sometimes the areas that I need to get to for gigs.  Although my area in Western NY gets a lot of snow, it is mostly flat. I think 2wd would be ok.  I am hoping to pick up something for $5k or less. 

Super old vans are not what I am looking for. I am not a mechanic, so I'm looking for something that is a little newer, and easy to find parts for / easy to find mechanics that understand the vehicle.

[ProSoundWeb Community]