Good racking system for my van?

[Tobi1186]

Hi guys,
I've been working as a self-employed craftsman for some time now and have finally afforded a new van after my old one nearly fell apart . I am currently equipping my new van and I´m looking for some good racking systems? Can anyone of you recommend me good ones in which I can store my tools and everything in my van ? Thanks for your recommendations

 

[marcros]

I don't have a van, am not a craftsman, and don't have any first hand experience, so ignore if you wish.

My consideration would be what type of tools are you carrying? Are you invested in a particular brand of tools already? Is it loaded up each morning with the tools for the job plus a general kit, it is it the same each day? Are you then offloading on site, so need the consideration of a trolley/cart compatible system?

Sustainers are expensive, but stack well and come in a range of sizes. You can buy trolleys and carts. You can certainly make racking for them but may well be able to buy them too.

What type of van is it?

 

[Doug71]

I don't have any racking in my van but use systainers (other similar stacking boxes are available), it's much more flexible and easy to organise.

The thing that puts me off racking is the fact it's fixed and there will always be something that won't quite fit in your van because of the racking.

 

[Doug B]

Hi @Tobi1186
dont know if this is what you’re looking for but this is my racking

The black boxes are from IKEA, they’re cheap & cheerful but I’ve used them for years & ideal for holding fairly light tools, fittings, mastic etc
The rack with Stanley organisers in hold small fittings & hardware.
The big blue steel box is a van vault that houses power tools I leave in over night though the more expensive power tools get loaded as & when I need them as my last quote on tool insurance was stupidly high.

I used to have Bott van racking it was great but weighed a ton, so I sold all 3 units & built the ones above from pine, I can pick both racks with one hand where as the Bott units took all my time to lift one, it’s certainly made a difference to the handling of the van & fuel economy.
The best up grade I made was changing the flooring from plywood to cheap laminate flooring it makes sliding 8x4’ sheets in a doddle & is holding up well

 

[ian33a]

I had a fitter working for me who did a good job workwise but the rear of his van looked like the aftermath of a hurricane. No end of gentle as well as hard persuasion made any difference.

The back of your van, Doug, is beautiful - I wish his van was half as good.

I no longer have fitters and no longer have such headaches, thankfully.

 

[Spectric]

Depends upon the activity levels of the local scum, you may need to either drastically improve vehicle security or have a means where you can unload the valuable tools for safer storage when not in use. If scum levels are high then you want high security storage and not something that is pretty and like a sweetshop for scum so they help themselves, look at this company, The UK's No.1 Vehicle & On-Site Security Box Solutions I have known several people who have used their products but they have also added other security measures such as decent door locks and the like. Remember it is no good just making the tools safe inside the vehicle if they can just steal the vehicle, here a good alarm/tracker system is worth while.

 

[Ollie78]

Whatever you do make it removable, you always have to move a large sofa or deliver a French door or something. At least I always do.

I am like Doug 71 in that I don't have racking as such but use systainers.
I also use "Euro boxes" some of the 600mm ones and a bunch of the 300mm ones. These all stack neatly on each other. I have some battens on the floor which prevent the boxes sliding about.

I have been meaning to get around to do racking for 10 years but can never be bothered as my system works well.

Ollie

 

[Jameshow]

Hi @Tobi1186
dont know if this is what you’re looking for but this is my racking

View attachment 109401

View attachment 109402

View attachment 109403

The black boxes are from IKEA, they’re cheap & cheerful but I’ve used them for years & ideal for holding fairly light tools, fittings, mastic etc
The rack with Stanley organisers in hold small fittings & hardware.
The big blue steel box is a van vault that houses power tools I leave in over night though the more expensive power tools get loaded as & when I need them as my last quote on tool insurance was stupidly high.

I used to have Bott van racking it was great but weighed a ton, so I sold all 3 units & built the ones above from pine, I can pick both racks with one hand where as the Bott units took all my time to lift one, it’s certainly made a difference to the handling of the van & fuel economy.
The best up grade I made was changing the flooring from plywood to cheap laminate flooring it makes sliding 8x4’ sheets in a doddle & is holding up well

Nice job Doug,

If you don't mind me asking how did you secure the racks down.

That laminate looks ideal for a dual use works van / camper van, if my camper dosen't get fixed.

What model van is it?

I'm think if a fiat Ducato / boxer.

Cheers James

 

[Soylent1]

That is one tidy van Doug,

Can I ask where you got your OCD from?? as looking in the back of my van just now nearly made me cry!

At least its a bank holiday weekend, so I WONT be tempted have a good sort out!

 

[Doug B]

Nice job Doug,

If you don't mind me asking how did you secure the racks down.

That laminate looks ideal for a dual use works van / camper van, if my camper dosen't get fixed.

What model van is it?

I'm think if a fiat Ducato / boxer.

Cheers James

The one rack is fixed to the side of the van with two metal brackets bolted to the wood & steel of the van side, I used pot rivet threaded inserts into the metal of the van to provide fixing points, also the two legs are screwed to the laminate.
The rack against the bulkhead is simply bolted to it, both racks only take a few minutes to remove for when I need to move larger loads.
The van is an old T5 VW transporter

 

[Doug B]

That is one tidy van Doug,

Can I ask where you got your OCD from?? as looking in the back of my van just now nearly made me cry!

At least its a bank holiday weekend, so I WONT be tempted have a good sort out!

It’s only the last 10 years I’ve worked close to home so previously having an organised van with everything I needed was key for me, that said my workshop has often been described as an operating theatre & sickeningly well organised so perhaps it is just me.
I once got a 4 year contract on the strength of how organised my van was, I kid you not, I went to see a chap who was building houses he asked to see the back of my van & gave me contract on the spot, so it can pay dividends.

 

[Tobi1186]

Guys, thank you very much for your numerous messages! @Doug71 and @marcros : In my case, everything always stays in the van and I never really need to transport anything else which would be big, so it should be fixed racking. @Doug B Your racking looks amazing! Thanks for the pictures! And the weight thing is a good point, I hadn't thought of that at first, but it makes a huge difference. A craftsman friend recommended Sortimo van racking to me this weekend. He said his company has those racking systems in all its vans and he thinks it's really practical. Does anyone of you have experience with them? I had a look at their website and they actually make a good impression I think. And @Doug B , the laminate flooring looks so good! I think I should consider that too. A floor like that makes a huge visual difference. Isn't it easily damaged by scratches and so on?

 

[Ollie78]

That sortimo stuff will add up quickly, as will the Bott stuff or any other "system".
I say make your own around the boxes and kit you have.
Seriously check out the euro crates I mentioned.
It is no coincidence that these fit in the exact same space as a systainers and several other systems. They are relatively cheap and a sort of universal system that someone very smart worked out long ago. They are the mini version of the shipping container.
There are a few guys on ebay selling systainer racking made of plywood for specific vans pretty cheaply, which would work as a good starting point.

Extra note about the floor, in one of my old vans I stuck carpet tiles down, this is great as it prevents sliding looks nice and reduces the noise a bit too. They were pence to buy from a charity reclaim place.

Ollie

 

[Jameshow]

The one rack is fixed to the side of the van with two metal brackets bolted to the wood & steel of the van side, I used pot rivet threaded inserts into the metal of the van to provide fixing points, also the two legs are screwed to the laminate.
The rack against the bulkhead is simply bolted to it, both racks only take a few minutes to remove for when I need to move larger loads.
The van is an old T5 VW transporter

Thanks Doug.

Cheers James