# What vehicle did you start your company with?



## Johnny Canuck

Just curious how many of you started out. Truck, van, trailer? Start small and get something more appropriate when the money started coming in or go whole hog right from the get go? I'm in the planning stages and want to spend wisely.


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## Shoot'N'Plumber

My personal f-250 diesel. I bought a trailer because 1). i felt equipment (drain cleaning equipment) and tools were more important. 2). I scored a sweet deal on my trailer and insurance is absolutely ridiculously cheap as well as registration. But all that changed when I exploded on the commercial side. 

I live In a small town and a trailer is no issue driving my 200 sq. mile service radius, but commercial parking is a nightmare in the cities.


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## ToUtahNow

When I started by business I had a F250 covered utility bed and a GMC dually crewcab. I added a F250 oped utility bed my second month.

Mark


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## plumbdrum

I had a short bus


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## Johnny Canuck

I'm thinking that spending on tools (drain machines etc) is the most important. I'm starting small, in service work. I'm in an area where its mainly rural and word of mouth travels fast. Wondering about a trailer for the first 6 months then revisiting the idea of a van or pickup.


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## Flyout95

I like the idea of a van over a trailer just based on convenience and appearance, but I don't live in a rural area, and I don't do service work.


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## Roto-Rooter

The first thing I remember Dad having was a Falcon Stationwagon That would have been back in the early years. It has ended with me and now a 12' box on a F350. Business has grown from 1 machine and 1 cable to 2 machines, 5 reels of 130' of cable, a camera and a jetter. Also a lot more tools!!!!!


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## plbgbiz

My first was an '81 Chevy Caprice, 2-door, landau roof, milk crates for fittings, and bungee straps for the ladder.


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## jmc12185

plbgbiz said:


> My first was an '81 Chevy Caprice, 2-door, landau roof, milk crates for fittings, and bungee straps for the ladder.


 I still have my fittings in milk crates.


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## Johnny Canuck

plumbdrum said:


> I had a short bus


I've seen this. Local guys put them in the woods for hunting. I always figured an ambulance would be good to.


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## ToUtahNow

Johns_TPS said:


> I've seen this. Local guys put them in the woods for hunting. I always figured an ambulance would be good to.


A lot of guys buy used ambulances. We had a company out here that had 20 of them driving around. Where you have to be careful is they often have low mileage but high idle hours.

Mark


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## Johnny Canuck

plumbdrum said:


> I had a short bus


How did you set it up? What did you with the windows?


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## plbgbiz

plbgbiz said:


> My first was an '81 Chevy Caprice, 2-door, landau roof, milk crates for fittings, and bungee straps for the ladder.


This was my 2nd....


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## Shoot'N'Plumber

I use to roll an old ambulance at my last shop...a 7.3L power stroke diesel...it burned down though! I cried


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## PlumberDave

Kinda started in a 63 VW double cab. Moved pretty quick into the frontier and then the E350.


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## plumber11928

I walked with all my tools.... up hill both ways !!!

Sorry I had to...:jester:


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## Will

Cash flow your business, if 5 years into it your turning profit, then start thinking of upgrading. Buy a used vehicle, under $5000 at first. My first was a beat up GMC Forward(same as NPR) paid $4200 for it


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## GREENPLUM

Still running!


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## plumbdrum

The short bus comment was a joke, but my first van was a short style chevy


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## Johnny Canuck

plumbdrum said:


> The short bus comment was a joke, but my first van was a short style chevy


That's too bad - it was a great idea. It would be awesome being in the front of the short bus for a change.


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## Drain Pro

Ford Explorer Sport Trac


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## JorgensenPlbg

PT Cruiser took out the rear seats had a lot of room! Did a repipe,couple of water heaters and an old farmhouse new everything. Couldn't wait to get my Sprinter.







Has a little more room!


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## plumbdrum

Johns_TPS said:


> That's too bad - it was a great idea. It would be awesome being in the front of the short bus for a change.



Helmet or no helmet?


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## Hoosier Plumber

Chevy express van. Trade in personal vehicle before starting. 

Hindsight being what it is I would have figured out a way to start fully loaded and ready to go. Starting small only means it will take you years to build up to appropriate level and that will be a constant struggle.


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## SchmitzPlumbing

01 ford 1/2 ton super crew. personal vehicle and cherry. bought an enclosed trailer. 3 years into business, still the same, except the truck is not cherry. the trailer is rusting as well.the tools are getting bought, not the truck. a new truck doesnt mean a higher bill out rate. more tools, makes money. buy a truck, no. ridgid 300 compact, hilti electric saw, hilti wet core, drain augers, and the list goes on and on.


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## KoleckeINC

4500$ chevy 2500 van with 67k miles. Most importantly, Get a solid Steel partition, hockey puck locks-and a two way viper alarm. In my area if I didn't have these I would have to buy my tools twice. The door locks have been broken several times but I've only lost a gps.


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## rjbphd

69' half ton Chevy, straight six, stick shift with Reading untily box..


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## affordabledrain

77 ford f 150. Given to me by a drunk relative. While he was locked up. Used it during my apprentice ship. Leftplumbing for a while. When stated up officaly was a 1993 Dakota extended cab. Paid 400 for it. Used it for 3 years.


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## jc-htownplumber

Moped

Not really I'm still working for someone else


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## GAN

67 Chevy 1/2 ton with hand made fancy wood pipe rack......


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## Johnny Canuck

Nice to see others had humble beginnings too.


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## themavinator

I just started my company. Here it is:


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## MACPLUMB777

On June 29 1979 
started with a 1967 ford country square station wagon,
unlicensed lasted 6 months

May 15 1987 started with a 1979 ford f250 van and worked up to a license 
and four trucks by 1991


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## 89plumbum

This was my first.


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## Gargalaxy

89plumbum said:


> This was my first.


Lucky you....my first.....


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## rjbphd

Gargalaxy said:


> Lucky you....my first.....


Lol.. no precharged shock areestors??


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## Gargalaxy

rjbphd said:


> Lol.. no precharged shock areestors??


Not but used an AAV in the exhaust system......


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## rjbphd

Gargalaxy said:


> Not but used an AAV as exhaust system......


 More like used for intake system... useless die-electric unions are for exhaust..


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## mytxplumber

This may be off topic but I was in the Philippines and a guy shows up and says he is the plumber and there to fix a faucet. He was on a scooter and all the tools he had were a screwdriver, pliers and a little pipe wrench. It was funny as hell. My mother in-law lives in a place we have there and she called him to fix a faucet I laughed my ass off. The stuff I see over there cracks me up. On the truck for your business something that looks decent and reliable and cheap for me. Tools make you more money that the truck you drive. Guys drive the hell out of them and don't care what happens to your trucks. Only you will take care of your truck the way you should. When I got into this my uncle had been in business 40years so I started with a 80 Ford Van. I started before I could drive but that was the first I drove.


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## plumb_aus

LOL -- good question, mine was a 3rd generation 1980 Toyota Hilux (like a mojave pickup for you yanks)... It took a beating and never missed a beat as I drove it into the ground.

I now drive a new Ford Ranger and quite like it (tows like a mule)


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## hroark2112

Ford Windstar - a retired USPS package delivery van. Bought it for $1500 and when I got rear-ended a year later, the insurance payoff was $1900.


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## Johnny Canuck

Just bought this on Friday. I've got 7 weeks of school then when I pass the Journeyman exam I'll get it wrapped. I'd rather a van but I got this for $1400


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## Dpeckplb

My first company work truck was a 89' gmc 14' Gumman. It was a pos. only lasted me 4 months. I'm now looking for a good used Chevy extended van. They are hard to find that aren't white and bare bones.


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## plumberkc

Johns_TPS said:


> Just bought this on Friday. I've got 7 weeks of school then when I pass the Journeyman exam I'll get it wrapped. I'd rather a van but I got this for $1400



What type of jobs do you have to do with that truck? If you're running service you'll have to charge a lot, since you won't be able to complete many jobs without running to the supply house.


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## Johnny Canuck

plumberkc said:


> What type of jobs do you have to do with that truck? If you're running service you'll have to charge a lot, since you won't be able to complete many jobs without running to the supply house.


Starting out I'll have to anyway until I can build up stock. If I stick with a truck I'll add side boxes etc. Not ideal but any vans I could afford were wore out and full of holes.


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## Dpeckplb

Johns_TPS said:


> Starting out I'll have to anyway until I can build up stock. If I stick with a truck I'll add side boxes etc. Not ideal but any vans I could afford were wore out and full of holes.


I realize your in new foundland, but look up ex union gas vans from Ontario. They are very well fleet maintained, come with shelving and a roof rack for less than 5000.


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## supakingDFW

My first...just need to get lettering.


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## Johnny Canuck

Johns_TPS said:


> Just bought this on Friday. I've got 7 weeks of school then when I pass the Journeyman exam I'll get it wrapped. I'd rather a van but I got this for $1400


So I'm kicking myself. Looked at the tires, frame, brakes, leaks etc and all were acceptable. Talked him down to $1400. Didn't look at the rad support ($850 to fix on top of the spring hangers that needed welded up). Got under it and started working on it and realized that the hole in the rocker panel was actually the entire rocker panel and had been taped over, rock guarded and painted. They did quite a good job of hiding it. Then crawled under further and saw that the cab crossmembers were rotted. 
Time to sell it and see how much I can recoup.


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## Dpeckplb

Johns_TPS said:


> So I'm kicking myself. Looked at the tires, frame, brakes, leaks etc and all were acceptable. Talked him down to $1400. Didn't look at the rad support ($850 to fix on top of the spring hangers that needed welded up). Got under it and started working on it and realized that the hole in the rocker panel was actually the entire rocker panel and had been taped over, rock guarded and painted. They did quite a good job of hiding it. Then crawled under further and saw that the cab crossmembers were rotted.
> Time to sell it and see how much I can recoup.


I hate when people hide this type of stuff. No different than house flippers.


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## Johnny Canuck

Dpeckplb said:


> I hate when people hide this type of stuff. No different than house flippers.


I'll most likely take a loss but I'll be honest with whoever looks at it.


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## MootsNYC

Was in a 96 Chevy van


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## Plumbus

'57 Chevy step side PU. Still have a picture of my old man in the driver's seat somewhere. Goota go looking for it.


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## plumsolver

I started out in a caprice wagon and then switched to a Chevy tracker... that thing was loaded... then we went to a 2005 canyon with work cap and pullout bed, just upgraded to a sprinter... No More Tetris!!! First week though we left all kinds of tools on jobs and everywhere. Before our motto was if doors closed to well in back of truck must be something missing... now too much room we were like a frickin yard sale for a bit there. Got it under control now sprinter is awesome!!


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## Tommy plumber

I started with a small trailer pulled by the family car.

Now I drive a Chevy van.


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## OldNelly

2008 3/4 ton Ford van and a 1999 Chevy half ton.


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## Pacificpipes

95 Grand Prix. I used to strap water heaters to the top. I'll serif I can find pics.


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## Workhorseplmg

94' chevy 3/4 ton 4wd. I put a utility bed on it from a AT&T truck. It got 6 miles a gallon wether I was going uphill, downhill, into the wind or out of it.


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## IPSplumber

first company truck was a 2006 chevy g3500 box van with a 12 foot Spartan body. it was used cost us $10000 but was perfect when we were just me on the road. I had enough room to carry every thing we had. 3 years later I still have that truck along with 8 others. each of the trucks and vans have their pros and cons but none off them have the room and storage space of that first truck. it was a great start up vehicle


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## TerryO

Not really...


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## oldgofaster

I used my wife's Vega hatchback with cardboard bins for cpvc fittings plumbing new houses for a small builder.

In '78 my brother and I bought my father out and inherited 3 International Harvester pickup trucks. Fugly things with little side bins and pipe racks made out of...pipe.


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## Johnny Canuck

oldgofaster said:


> I used my wife's Vega hatchback with cardboard bins for cpvc fittings plumbing new houses for a small builder.
> 
> In '78 my brother and I bought my father out and inherited 3 International Harvester pickup trucks. Fugly things with little side bins and pipe racks made out of...pipe.


A buddy of my folks had an old Vega with an LS7 454 putting out about 600hp. Now that would be an awesome plumbing truck!


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## supakingDFW

Got lettering and a rack...


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