Use racking to get more out of your van

We serve customers of varying sizes across a range of industries here at Van Discount, but we find that there are certain concerns that are common to all of them. One of these involves van racking – essentially, the art of efficiently storing tools in your van. It’s not only important to make sure that you can complete jobs smoothly and easily while out on the road, but as some of us unfortunately know, replacing tools that are damaged in transit can be inconvenient and costly, so effective van racking is essential. Here’s the best way to start thinking about it!

It’s never too early to start planning

This is true of a lot of things in life, but especially so when it comes organising racking for your van. It’s a good idea to think about the layout of your van racking well in advance. When out on a job you’ll need to think about how best to organise your tools so that you can quickly and easily get to the ones you’ll need most often, and you’re not having to bulldoze your way through clusters of other ones each time. At this stage it’s also worth thinking about how you’re going to balance the weight properly, so that you don’t negatively impact the driving dynamics (say for example, by having your van leaning on its left side).

It can be helpful to use a pen and paper to sketch out how you envision the layout working, and what your van will be carrying on a day to day basis. The pen-and-paper approach can also help you budget properly, so that when you start looking for new van deals, you’ve got a bit of capital left over at the end to outfit it with the best shelving system for your requirements.

Make sure to choose the right materials

You can take your pick from a range of materials available for van racking. You’re likely to find there’s often a trade-off involved. Certain materials may be heavier, potentially impacting the payload of your van, but they might also have increased durability. For many van owners, it comes down to a choice between materials like wood, and more expensive ones like galvanised steel. Wood is easy on the wallet, straightforward to fit, and is quick to install. Galvanised steel on the other hand requires a bit more time to fit and more financial investment, but is highly durable, long-lasting and available in easy-to-fit solutions.

Think about the bigger picture

For some owners, their vans are simply used for transport and temporary storage of tools (it’s rarely a good idea to store tools in a van overnight). However, if you also use your van as a mobile office of sorts, and you’re in the habit of doing sales and admin while out on the road, that may well then have an impact on the sort of racking solution to choose. In cases like these, certain van owners find that a modular solution can suit their needs quite well, as you can simply remove modules at your convenience, or when you have a particularly large piece of equipment to transport.

Beyond giving you a few general tips, we can’t give you particularly specific advice – when it comes right down to it, only you can judge what’s best for you! What we can give you, though is a huge range of choice in vans from an array of leading manufacturers, including Ford, Peugeot and Citroen. Feel free to browse our site for yourself, or simply give us a call on 01282 872 539 to see how we can help!