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Finally got van fitted out!

Spartan

Well-known member
Messages
801
Location
Greenwich
It’s been a while - had to source a new van, get it ply lined, waterproof the floor, ummed and arred forever on what to buy, finally settled on what I felt I needed, so at last I’ve had the tank installed.

700 litre tank, delivery only (buying the water at first then going down the diy route once I’ve settled into it)

Power up reel

Security pulley hose guide

Intelligent split relay charger

and obviously pump, leisure battery etc.

pole arriving Monday, should have been Friday but Gardiner messed about a bit....?

so all being well, Tuesday or Wednesday will be the ‘big day’ - finally switching to WFP since first starting windows back in 1992!

wish me luck lads - I’m sensing I’m gonna need it ?

 
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Cheers WFP Ten,

most arent at home but the ones  that are, will have the whole procedure explained.

over the past months I’ve explained to quite a lot that I’ll be eventually switching over to WFP.

Luckily , these days the WFP system is so commonplace that people have already got used to seeing window cleaners work that way. I’ve only had one that has insisted on still traditional and he’s a ground floor flat interior and exterior clean so no worries there.

I’ll try and post up a few pics maybe, although most members aren’t interested in seeing yet another window cleaning van ?

You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, lol.

 
Cheers WFP Ten,

most arent at home but the ones  that are, will have the whole procedure explained.

over the past months I’ve explained to quite a lot that I’ll be eventually switching over to WFP.

Luckily , these days the WFP system is so commonplace that people have already got used to seeing window cleaners work that way. I’ve only had one that has insisted on still traditional and he’s a ground floor flat interior and exterior clean so no worries there.

I’ll try and post up a few pics maybe, although most members aren’t interested in seeing yet another window cleaning van ?

You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, lol.


Totally the opposite. Each one of us can benefit from seeing someone else's setup. You might have an idea that someone else can incorporate into their system.

For example, many years ago another cleaner just showed an innocent photo of the inside of his van. His poles where mounted on the side of his van (inside) with gutter brackets. I've used that way for the past 12 years and doing the same with the replacement van I'm kitting out. Someone else showed a photo of his van with pole holders secured to the roof of his van. I liked that idea so looked at doing the possibility of doing the same, but find using gutter brackets the best solution for me and my circumstances.

The other beneficiary is you. Some one might see a better way to do something. 

 
Totally the opposite. Each one of us can benefit from seeing someone else's setup. You might have an idea that someone else can incorporate into their system.

For example, many years ago another cleaner just showed an innocent photo of the inside of his van. His poles where mounted on the side of his van (inside) with gutter brackets. I've used that way for the past 12 years and doing the same with the replacement van I'm kitting out. Someone else showed a photo of his van with pole holders secured to the roof of his van. I liked that idea so looked at doing the possibility of doing the same, but find using gutter brackets the best solution for me and my circumstances.

The other beneficiary is you. Some one might see a better way to do something. 


Excellent point Spruce.

i used gutter brackets for years to carry poles, brooms etc in my van but my current van has twin sliding doors so a bit difficult.

i need to attach something to the ceiling of the van for poles this time. There’s only 1 middle strut though so it’s proving a bit difficult....

I’ll  post a couple of images ?

Side view

7289C8EE-B8F8-4F36-A647-F33C6E2A0623.jpeg

1E9B289F-BE5D-448D-9284-D1D87956BA72.jpeg

Intelligent charger

 
Security hose guide

C063FCB4-C1E8-4686-87DE-483FAE7DE5CB.jpeg

Tank with power reel attached to top.

164356A2-6DC4-4D2C-A041-6E9E61A80BF6.jpeg

Rear view, not a great deal of room left on either side or at the back for additional items (maybe should have got the LWB version...)

FED80FD4-2DB6-4A28-8E21-88B9C5EBD476.jpeg

Firm bolted  spreader plates - don’t want that tank shifting at all

98A87EC4-5A1D-4B1B-A3D3-7B235D883FD7.jpeg

 
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I we have two side loading doors and this is how we have our pole racks  fitted ,it’s very easy to do and doesn’t cost that much very easy diy job , changing to wfp will be a sharp learning curve and initially you will be a lot slower with first cleans just take your time give the frames a good scrub getting into all the nooks and crannies the extra time taken on the first clean will pay dividends in the long run 

BAC5996C-D69C-4101-B982-98085A1852AB.jpeg

B5C32E27-0169-402D-8A09-4CCC61B3EA21.jpeg

 
It’s been a while - had to source a new van, get it ply lined, waterproof the floor, ummed and arred forever on what to buy, finally settled on what I felt I needed, so at last I’ve had the tank installed.
 
700 litre tank, delivery only (buying the water at first then going down the diy route once I’ve settled into it)
Power up reel
Security pulley hose guide
Intelligent split relay charger
and obviously pump, leisure battery etc.
 
pole arriving Monday, should have been Friday but Gardiner messed about a bit....[emoji58]
 
so all being well, Tuesday or Wednesday will be the ‘big day’ - finally switching to WFP since first starting windows back in 1992!
wish me luck lads - I’m sensing I’m gonna need it [emoji51]
Well done Spartan. I started in 1991 and moved to the "dark side" 18 months ago and you won't regret it.
I changed it all in one big hit, without telling them and lost 4 or 5 customers who just didn't like wet windows but picked up plenty of new jobs including a commercial which more than covered any losses.
If your pretty compact with little travelling time it might save you about two hours a day. You'll also be able to get at those hard to access those windows over conservatories etc and charge a little more.
I found some customers were genuinely interested in how it worked so took the time to explain,and some were given a tour of the van and impressed.
I was quite politely firm with them and don't give traditional (apart from one downstairs flat that has leaky windows) an option.even the bungalows get wfp now.
Good luck to you.
Although being well established I don't think you'll need it.
Don't forget to include pics!

Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums mobile applancashire

 
Excellent point Spruce.

i used gutter brackets for years to carry poles, brooms etc in my van but my current van has twin sliding doors so a bit difficult.

i need to attach something to the ceiling of the van for poles this time. There’s only 1 middle strut though so it’s proving a bit difficult....

I’ll  post a couple of images ?

Side view

View attachment 14901

View attachment 14903

Intelligent charger


Really nice and a neat job. ?

You will probably find that you hardly ever use the drivers side rear sliding door. Many years ago in the trade we often used to see customers disconnect the door mechanism for that door on Citroen Dispatch vans as they felt they lost so much usuable space behind the drivers seat area with an operational door. I wouldn't go that far but I would use that side of the van to carry my poles. It might mean a length of 32mm steel square tube from the panel above the door down to the floor to secure your brackets to. As your poles won't be that low to the floor you could still use that floor space for less used items accessable from the driver side sliding door.

If you want to support your poles from the roof as @Pjj has done then you are going to have to run two support steel square tubes from one side of the van to the other and mount your hangers onto that as Pjj has done.

What I like is the internal brackets in the roof for his ladders.

Everyones need is different. I would love to have those pole hanger that low in my van. But unfortunately, due to the nature of my health issues I need to regularily dive into the back of the van to pee. So I need headroom in the back. So a necessity for me need not be for you.

 
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I we have two side loading doors and this is how we have our pole racks  fitted ,it’s very easy to do and doesn’t cost that much very easy diy job , changing to wfp will be a sharp learning curve and initially you will be a lot slower with first cleans just take your time give the frames a good scrub getting into all the nooks and crannies the extra time taken on the first clean will pay dividends in the long run 

View attachment 14908

View attachment 14909


Thanks for posting your internals. Some good ideas there. I like the idea of those internal ladder brackets. What plate or metal sheets did you use to guide the ladders down the length of the frame work? ait looks like it has been fabricated to suit your needs Its obviously strong as you appear to have a hook screwed into it for something.

 
Nice looking set up, with all new vans we endeavour to keep them neat and tidy, 3 months in we have a bad day and that changes. I would personally fill in the ends of the ply lining and waterproof the bottom few inches of it as well. The pesky water gets everywhere 

 
Thanks for posting your internals. Some good ideas there. I like the idea of those internal ladder brackets. What plate or metal sheets did you use to guide the ladders down the length of the frame work? ait looks like it has been fabricated to suit your needs Its obviously strong as you appear to have a hook screwed into it for something.




Thanks spruce I thought for a long time before fitting out the van hear is a couple more pictures of the ladder rack it holds a 3:5 meter Ramsey double pointer ladder , I wanted the ladder inside the van as when we do work 200 miles from home by the time we got there I had a banging headache from the wind noise on a roof rack , I had this professional made to my own dimensions and design it’s a medium wheelbase van but the end of the ladder goes over the top of the seats in the overhead storage area 

3A63E560-F692-4D8C-8EC6-CFD8A9573228.jpeg

5A49237B-4DF0-4F5B-8E0B-5EB6CED2CDCD.jpeg

201404B6-68E6-44EB-A5E4-69C3F457249A.jpeg

76A50CCD-AB3C-4720-A756-92EDE23DD0EF.jpeg

 
I we have two side loading doors and this is how we have our pole racks  fitted ,it’s very easy to do and doesn’t cost that much very easy diy job , changing to wfp will be a sharp learning curve and initially you will be a lot slower with first cleans just take your time give the frames a good scrub getting into all the nooks and crannies the extra time taken on the first clean will pay dividends in the long run 
View attachment 14908
View attachment 14909
Good set up


Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums mobile app
 
I we have two side loading doors and this is how we have our pole racks  fitted ,it’s very easy to do and doesn’t cost that much very easy diy job , changing to wfp will be a sharp learning curve and initially you will be a lot slower with first cleans just take your time give the frames a good scrub getting into all the nooks and crannies the extra time taken on the first clean will pay dividends in the long run 

View attachment 14909




Hi pjj,

ive fitted a pole holder using similar pipe to you - how did you secure the poles inside the piping?

mine seems to slide up and down a little every time I accelerate, brake or go over the countless speed humps in London?

 
 
 
Hi pjj,
 
ive fitted a pole holder using similar pipe to you - how did you secure the poles inside the piping?
mine seems to slide up and down a little every time I accelerate, brake or go over the countless speed humps in London?

2371b49bc7237cfb9d1a37f35c86c0f0.jpg


Poles shouldn’t move to much as gooseneck stops it

2ec3c75c2f6b001584d0f2e7773f1969.jpg


For your telescopic poles for an upstanding at the end to stop it moving *fit

 
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