Yet another last night. The chap across the road (general builder/mechanic) had his Renault Trafic and Sprinter broken into last night. He estimates that there was over £8,000 worth of tools nicked. This included the likes of four Paslodes, some festool gear, some dewalt gear, some mechanic's tools and a flue gas analyser. Another heads up lads, this is a lot closer to home than you may think. Spend the few hundred on securing your van and save the thousands you may loose. We cannot let these ***** win. Scum of the earth, should all be hung.
Sad it's happen,but he's a idiot to leave tools in the van overnight. Sadly a lot of peeps don't like spending wads of cash to secure their vans.
Couldn't agree more. I have deadlocks and an an after-market alarm on both the Caddy and Crafter now, and haven't had any issues. I also empty them entirely now. It might only take half an hour in the morning and evening, but I'd much rather that than have them broken into. The Crafter sits very high when its empty, so it's obvious from the outside.
It is about time that the vehicle manufacturers take further steps. Car security has improved greatly from the dire state it was in during the early 90's. However, commercial vehicle security hasn't improved much at all.
Let's face it lads, locks on van doors are there to keep honest people out (and they're pretty good at that)
Transit's don't stand a chance with the tibbe key, vivaro's and trafic's can be opened by pulling the handle off and if its a secure van they'll just fold the door over. There's been no difference in security, I was very surprised to see the stock security options (or lack thereof) when I was looking at vans last year. There's no way we can completely secure our vans, we can only make them harder to open.
Even my workshop I use to have a large tool vault securely bolted to the floor,all power tools went in there. There is a firm who makes inner security door for vans, but their mame eludes me at the moment.
If you folded in the mirrors. It's only the MWB CR35, I would struggle to find parking for a LWB around here. It's handy to have the Caddy for London work, the bigger van comes in handy for materials and big jobs.
Not always feasible to take everything in with you though unfortunately, plus everyone at some point has been guilty of a sh_t day and thought 'sod it, they can stay there tonight.' I live in a mid terraced house with no garage, thousands and thousands worth in the van at any time, spare bedrooms taken over with cases and buckets of tools as currently doing the bathroom and spare bedroom out, family live half hour away and I've taken over most of the garage there with tools and timber too. Lucky I don't have kids otherwise they'd be sleeping on the settee It's undoubtedly my fault for owning so much stuff, but it's all needed at some point to earn a living from self employment (and I'm a self confessed tool addict, which doesn't help.) A house with a garage is the next purchase I think......
It was a site box or trade safe tool vault,not a van vault weighed about 70kg maybe more empty, anyone nicked, just needed to look for oik with a double hernia. Got at a farm auction really cheap, had it for years,had to sale it as I didn't have room for it when I moved.
A commercial workshop would be the ideal, place to work, store tools & materials. I have looked at getting one several times the lease isn't the issue it is all the associated costs of insurance, security, rates even commercial rubbish collection is a premium
Yes, and you need the volume and consistency of work to warrant the workshop beforehand, then you have a different yet identical issue then of pikeyproofing your workshop with all your tools and equipment. And then as you said all your bills to pay, and finally Mrs Jones has a coronary when you quote her £100 to manufacture and fit a small oak shelf(for arguments sake), any less and it's not worth turning the lights on in the shop. It seems a lot of hassle for questionable reward.
But you will get to empty the bedrooms and the garage and can stick the van with the tools inside at night. Workshops seem to be less of a target than a drive by opportunist. I have looked at them several times but can't justify the commitment and make do with my own 25 sqm workshop - the doors I made even withstood an accidental ram raid when my neighbours van rolled down the hill into them
Yep its 5m by 5m and 5m high. Space does get used up very quickly. The king size bed I made recently was a fiddle to assemble. Although now I got rid of my old workbench and use a Festool MFT table I have a lot more room. I have everything on wheels and move stuff in and out as I need plus the two platforms I have inside for storage. I have a couple of patio doors I open for working on longer pieces
Local Bobby popped in first thing for another download of my CCTV. In the neighbouring streets, 8 Transit vans were robbed over the weekend, no signs of entry and only a few portable things (drills, hand tools etc.) taken each time. Obviously somebody wandering around with a lock pick and taking advantage of the trades people being home on a long weekend.
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