I just purchased a new 2004 E-350 cutaway with a Knaphide KUV utility body yesterday! I started transferring my tools and parts from my 99 E-250 last night. I tried looking around the internet for pictures of nicely stocked work vans , to try to get more ideas of how to organize my stuff better.
I couldn't find anything. Since many of us in this forum probably have work vans- we could start posting pictures in our galleries of our setups.
If anyone knows of any pictures like this on the web, let me know. Thanks!

 

I'll take some pics of my E-150 when I get it straightened out this weekend. It's a mess from work this week and working in the rain today didn't help any.
A box truck is the way to go if you need to carry that much stuff, when it rains you can get right inside to get your tools together.

I use a trailer also, when I have a lot of materials to get to the site. I reverse load it. Drywall against the wall followed by plywood (1/2" then 3/4) 2X studs on the floor first then joists with PT for plates last. No need to move anything to get to something else. Materials come out of the trailer in order of use. I leave the trailer right at the site until the job is done.

 

<TABLE class=tborder cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR title="Post 2094697" vAlign=top><TD class=alt2>I just purchased a new 2004 E-350 cutaway with a Knaphide KUV utility body yesterday! I started transferring my tools and parts from my 99 E-250 last night. I tried looking around the internet for pictures of nicely stocked work vans , to try to get more ideas of how to organize my stuff better.
I couldn't find anything. Since many of us in this forum probably have work vans- we could start posting pictures in our galleries of our setups.
If anyone knows of any pictures like this on the web, let me know. Thanks!</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- / close content container --><!-- open content container -->

what type of materials/tools are you trying to get organized ?

I'M in HVAC and i used some wire shelving like is used in closets.i flipped it upside down is there is a nice lip to keep things from sliding off. also the open wire design allows me to use bungee cords to keep the "rattles" to a minimum

Frank

 

Just placing the stuff we use everyday efficiently. I had my cargo van organized well, but with the new side boxes, I'm just looking for ideas.
I use bungees all over the place, too. They're great for hanging belts. 4 bungees and you can keep your 20's, 30's, 40's, and 50 inch belts separate.
I mount bungees to the front of drawer sets to keep them closed.
Storing filters has always been a pain. I had a hinged wire basket attached to the ceiling in my old van. It worked great, but only held about 8 filters.
I'm ordering freon tank towers from American Van. I like their design better than Knapheide's or Adrian Steel's.

 

I just bought an 05 e-350 with a kuv body, and I am in hvac. I transferred all the things from my other van, and all the parts and small tools fit in the outside bins. I use the shelves inside for the motors and power tools, that keeps the back empty for other carrying. I love the truck, it has twice the room my old ford had. The only bad thing about it is it gets real dirty real easy. Must be the aerodynamics. I also had some actuators hooked up to the locking rods for the side bins, and they work with my power locks. Saves a lot of unlocking with the keys. Best truck I've had so far.

 

hope you have a solid bulkhead (wall) between you and your homemade racks, I have seen guys crushed from the load they were carrying. if you think something out of wood in a vehicle is solid, you get a rude awaking in a collision.

 

Hi Mark- The actuators are a great idea. Were they made for it, or how did you do it? Are they hooked up to your power lock system?
Thanks, Drew

 

Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">what type of materials/tools are you trying to get organized ?

I'M in HVAC and i used some wire shelving like is used in closets.i flipped it upside down is there is a nice lip to keep things from sliding off. also the open wire design allows me to use bungee cords to keep the "rattles" to a minimum

Frank </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
for sure i have the steel bulkhead behind the front seats to keep IFO's from taking me out in an accident!
been there/ done that in my first "old"van and it sucked!!!!!!

Frank

 

check out here: Cargolock
Have them tied in with the vehicle alarm(only opens with alarm) and put a guard over manual releases to keep stuf from jamming against them.

 

dwells50; The acuators are some kind of 75lb. rated pull that the alarm place ordered. They tied it in to the alarm with a window motor actuator module. That is a circuit board that open the windows all the way when its activated. They also used isolating relays to keep the amp draw down through the module. then they welded a bracket inside to the locking rod. It works great though, well worth the cost of installation. I probably will cut the rods off where they come out of the back of the truck so they cant be pulled out.

 

Thanks for the info!
My van did not come with power locks, as I got a 2004 remaining on the lot. I did get great rebates, though! I'm considering adding aftermarket power locks/ security system for the front, to get started, and then adding the rear actuators.

 

Did you get the diesel engine? If not what size is the gas engine and how does it handle the weight?

 

No, I got the 5.4. It seems to do well, but I can tell the van is much heavier than my 99 E250. (8700 lbs.) What I've noticed is the sound is different. It has more of a rumble or a clatter, kind of like a diesel. That is probably due to being geared lower (4.10 limited slip- had a 3.73 in the 99), and being the PI version of the engine. The specs show about 20 more horsepower. The cruise control is about worthless here in the mountains, as it has to downshift on most grades at 65 mph. Otherwise, on level ground, it's easy to hit 75 without realizing it.
I do hope Ford has cured the engine problems, as I developed an external water jacket pinhole in the head, and had head gaskets seeping oil and coolant (on the 99).
Both of the first 2 tanks of gas got 9.6 mpg. The 99 got 9.5 to 12.5, depending on highway usage.
I'm taking it in for a free re-alignment. The dealership told me to once I got it loaded up. At 800 mi., the front tires are already starting to "cup" or "scallop" where the tread is becoming uneven.

 

I had to get mine re-aligned also, after I put the lift gate on the back. I got the deisel so mine is probably is over 9000 lbs, the gate is about 400 lbs. I get about 12.3 mpg's and I hope it will improve as the motor breaks in. I hope I didn't got one of the problem motors also. Did you get the alum. rims? they make the truck look a lot better. The brakes seem not to handle the weight very well, is yours like that? I guess you got the int. upgrade pkg. it is well worth the cost. Overall I like the truck better than I thought I would, it rides great and has a lot of space, it is the nicest work truck that I have had. Let me know if you want the details of how to do the rear actuators. How does the gas motor handle the weight? This is my first deisel and I like it a lot, I will probably buy diesel trucks from now on. The truck gets very dirty too easily. Do you mind if I ask how much you paid for the truck with gas motor? This truck is too expensive, I hope it lasts a long time so I can get my money's worth out of it. All in all it is a great truck. When I went to the dealer I was going to buy a regular diesel truck, But they had a kuv on the lot and the dealer talked me into checking the truck out. I had not seen one before and at first look I thought the truck was too ugly but I bought it because of the space. I like to carry a lot of parts so I don't have to make two trips to the job. They should have come up with a truck like this a long time ago, it is very practical and perfect for a/c work. Hope you enjoy the truck as much as I do. My 99 van had a leaking head gasket also, and they replaced the motor with less than 1,000 miles left on the warranty, I lucked out on that one the bill to ford was over 7,000 bucks. Talk at you later.

 

Hi Mark- I got my van aligned yesterday- the toe-in was off 3 degrees- meaning I was pigeon toed going down the road, wearing the heck out of my tires. Oh well, I had them rotated, so all that weight in the back ought to flatten them back out soon. The guy said weight didn't have anything to do with toe-in, It was just aligned wrong to begin with. I beleive Knapheide aligns them after they put the bed on.
Extras- It has cruisecontrol, tilt wheel, 4.10 limited slip, and manual towing mirrors. My truck came with the exterior upgrade, but not interior. I got shiny chrome covered plastic hubcaps. They look alright. I'll have to check out the alum. wheels- that would have been a nice upgrade.
I've been looking into an aftermarket keyless entry/ power lock /security system. I'll have to do that before I put the actuators on. I've found actuators online, but would like to see how they did yours. That's a great idea- did you come up with it? Did they use a controller, or relays and stop switches?
Something else I would like to do- on the Reading van bodies- they have 12V rope lights going through the tops of the side boxes. I don't know how they are switched.
Being a 2004 still on the lot, I got great rebates. The sticker was $33,250, but I paid $29,850 for it, and had a choice of another $3000 rebate or 5 yrs./0%.
Drew