What vehicle do you use?

[gibson]

cooper mini. great little car. we do mostly commercial stuff, so the car gets loaded for doing a particular job. it holds a surprisingly large amount of gear, and the gas mileage is great. it fits into smaller parking spots, it's a sport edition, so it even makes driving to a job more enjoyable.

[soundwave5150]

I'm torn at the moment, on one hand I'm thinking proper van with signage and work benches etc but on the other I'm thinking maybe I could getaway with using a Landrover Discovery as I could use that for transporting dogs/camping etc too, how much would a proper van help with starting out as a locksmith?

[Evan]

I'm torn at the moment, on one hand I'm thinking proper van with signage and work benches etc but on the other I'm thinking maybe I could getaway with using a Landrover Discovery as I could use that for transporting dogs/camping etc too, how much would a proper van help with starting out as a locksmith?

@soundwave5150:

How valuable is it to he able to bring more tools, equipment and stock with you so you save a trip back to your base camp to obtain a needed item you discover is necessary during your work you could not have anticipated being needed based on the customer's call...

How about being able to stock more accessories like protector plates and or flat stock you can use to reinforce a door rather than having to go fetch it from somewhere else...

Having a proper workbench available inside your work vehicle allows you to work inside in a clean dry place in all weather without having to bring in a portable folding table or cart inside the customer's premises and have them watching your every move, or worse yet, using a customer's table or counter to do your work on...

Definitely go for a proper work van unless you can not afford it... Being able to arrive at a customer's location fully prepared to do battle with unforeseen issues is better than having to leave a customer's premises with locks or doors taken apart whilst you go obtain a part because it wouldn't fit into your mini-mobile -- or having to try pinning locks in your lap in the driver's seat because it is pouring rain...

~~ Evan

[cledry]

cooper mini. great little car. we do mostly commercial stuff, so the car gets loaded for doing a particular job. it holds a surprisingly large amount of gear, and the gas mileage is great. it fits into smaller parking spots, it's a sport edition, so it even makes driving to a job more enjoyable.

We have in the past used a mix of larger and smaller service vehicles. For the small vehicles we use a small station wagon (estate car) remove the passenger seat and disable the passenger airbag. We instal in place of the seat a workbench for keying locks. It has a pin kit, a small vice, a block for tools such as followers, files, tweezers etc. Underneath is storage and the whole thing slides on the same track as originally the seat did.

The rear seat is removed and replaced with a swivel boat seat on the passenger side. The rear compartment and side next to the swivel seat is covered in marine plywood. To the left of the swivel seat is a key machine and cabinets for key storage. The rear is used for stock and tool bags, drills etc. We also have some stock on the front passenger floor in front of the pinning bench. Last ones were Ford Focus, before that Escorts and before that Mazda 323, before that Mazda GLC.

We use these vehicles in the city because of the ease of parking, but also on simple jobs that are located a fair distance due to their better mileage. We use trucks for larger stuff, delivering safes (with trailer), carrying doors, door frames etc.

[Rickthepick]

Heres my current van.

[crusaderman]

I got myself a Mercedes Vito compaq van....and put in my own lighting (2x flourescent tubes), shelving, bench (which is basically a Van Vault....big metal box)...and cabled up my Key machine and plonked it on the top. I have 5 keyboards (not a vast amount, but usually covers most customer needs). mounted down the opposite side to the shelving. A few 3 pin 220V sockets for extras. All the electrics run off a leisure battery via an inverter.

I carry about 60 different euro locks..as these are the most commonly used in my area. Usually only about 6 or so Mortice locks...as there's no guarantee there being a match...and most can be collected within an hour from Screwfix. Various handles and emergency replacement lock cases.

This van is just the right size for my needs, and goes like "billy-yo" You can sit quite comfortably inside whilst cutting keys, tho the headroom is a bit restrictive when walking about. There is still enough room for all my tools. so it works out just fine.

I looked at lots of different vans, but this one turned out to be the ideal one.