You can either build or buy racking for your electricians van, and create storage with:
- Aluminum or wooden shelves
- Storage boxes for vans or regular ones
- A false bed to create a false floor with an access hatch
- Using old pipes for storage
- Side cabinets, a workbench, and hooks
If you decide to build van racking, the best materials to use are aluminum or wood.
If you want to have a work van that is organized and fully optimized for ease of use, you need to add van racking. This is going to help you keep your tools organized and in good condition.
This can also help your electrical jobs to go by faster as you don’t have to waste time looking for your tools.
Special Van Storage Boxes or Plain Storage Bins
Van boxes are an easy and effective way to install more storage in your electrician van. They do not call for any handy work and can simply be bought and used.
You can pick up special boxes or plain storage bins to hold bigger pieces of equipment. These can be neatly lined up in your van for easy access to everything that you might need on the job.
The downside to this option is that they are not secured into the van like traditional racking. Making it much more likely that they could move around as you drive.
You could try to counteract this problem by drilling or strapping them to the van walls.
Create a False Bed
A false bed is one of the most common types of storage that can be installed in your work van. It is secure, useful, and hidden, giving you plenty of extra room without cluttering up your van’s cargo space.
You can use supporting legs, storage boxes, or containers for your false bed with a removable hatch or false floor over the top. This will create a type of false bed where you can store extra equipment.
If you want a more professional-looking false bed, you could hire someone to alter your work van.
Attach Pipes for Storage
One very easy and resourceful way of installing racking into your electrical van is to use old or spare pipes. These can be secured to the walls of your van to use as storage for smaller pieces of equipment.
A simple stainless steel bracket is all you should need to secure your pipes to the walls of your van. This is a great way to keep track of those smaller tools that often get misplaced.
This is also handy for storing ropes, wires, or anything else that has a tendency to spread out and get tangled.
Create Side Cabinets
You can easily create side cabinets by piecing together wood and securing it to the walls of your van. This is an easy way of installing racking that anyone can do with minimal experience.
These types of cabinets or boxy shelves are great for organizing and storing important types of equipment. Ideal for when you need to have your stuff organized for electrical jobs.
These cabinets can be built along the inside walls of your van or even installed right at the side door of your van. Then you can easily access them when you open the door.
The downside to these cabinets is that they need to be well filled to keep everything in place. If your equipment is stored sparingly, it may be too loose and fall out of the cabinet as you drive.
Install Wall Shelves
Wall shelves are typically made of aluminum or wood, two durable and easy to work with materials. These will both create sturdy and long-lasting shelf racking for your electrical van.
These shelves can be attached with brackets or any other kind of tool meant for securing heavy items.
Make sure you create shelves with enough space to hold your equipment and don’t have them sticking out too far, or they will get in the way. Your equipment can be stored on these shelves to ensure that you can easily find everything that you need.
To keep everything secure on the shelves when you are driving, you can add a slight lip to each shelf. Creating an edge so that nothing will fall off the shelves when you stop or make turns.
Create a Workbench
A workbench is a great thing to install in your electrician van to give you storage, as well as additional sitting space.
This is an easy project that you can build yourself with very minimal expertise. You can easily put together a wood workbench that is secure to the floor with brackets.
Make sure the top of the bench is removable so that you can store equipment inside; you can even create compartments inside for better organization.
This is an easy way to add extra storage to your work van without making any major changes to the inside.
Install Hanging Hooks
One of the best ways to install storage into your electrical van is to add hanging space on the walls of your van. This will give you the perfect way of organizing and keeping track of smaller tools and equipment.
You can do this by installing simple hanging hooks or even attaching a piece of wood to the walls of your van to add hooks to. Either way, the hooks will serve the same purpose and help you to stay organized.
This is a great way to keep track of tools as well as keep them from rolling away and getting lost as you drive. It requires minimal materials and minimal expertise to install.
Van Racking is Usually Made of Aluminum or Wood
No matter what type of racking or storage you decide to use and install, you will usually be using the same two types of materials. Aluminum and wood are the most popular and reliable material options to work with for this type of project.
They are easy to work with, affordable, and sturdy without being overly bulky. They are also great at handling heavy equipment and can withstand a great amount of weight with little wear and tear.
If you are going to be making your van racking yourself, these are the two materials that are best to work with. What you choose to use should mainly depend on what type of racking you are going to be creating.
There are Many Benefits to Van Racking
Van racking is a great idea for electricians and anyone who works out of their van. It can be a lifesaver when it comes to staying organized and neat. As well as lengthening the lifespan of your tools.
Racking is pretty simple to put up in your work van and can make a world of difference as you do your job. Making it easier to find important tools, work faster and more efficiently.
Here are some of the top benefits of installing van racking that you should consider.
Maximizes Your Space
One of the biggest benefits of adding van racking to your electrician van is how it helps maximize your space. By removing all of your tools and work gear from the floor of the van, you are opening up so much extra space.
Your work van may not have a huge cargo area for storing your tools, but a rack system can help with that. Creating store space along the walls of your van, utilizing every area of space for storage.
This is the main reason why many electricians install a rack in their van as it helps them travel with more, without losing important tools or creating a giant mess in the back of their van.
Organizes Items
A racking system also allows you to better organize all of your necessary tools, gear, and supplies. This makes it so much easier to find exactly what you need when you need it.
This will help your jobs run smoother as you have access to everything you need and can visually find things. This will help you avoid having to dig around in piles of equipment.
Being able to organize your items will also help to keep them in better condition. It is not good to have tools lying around on the floor of your van where they can be more easily damaged.
By having all of your equipment organized, you can take better care of everything. As well as replace certain items when they need to be replaced.
Keeps Things From Moving Around
A rack is a great solution to the problem of having all of your equipment moving around in the back of your van as you drive. Not only is this an irritating issue to have, but it can also be damaging to your van and equipment.
The last thing you want is heavy and expensive tools skidding across the van floor every time you make a turn. This kind of constant movement can damage your tools and even the van over time.
By having racking put into your electrician van, you are helping to solve this issue and keep everything in its place. This may not be a complete solution, but it can at least help significantly and cut back on the loose items in your van.
Pros and Cons of Building Your Own Raking
There are most certainly pros and cons to building the racking in your electrical van yourself. Like any project, there is always a chance that it may not quite pay off the way you want it to.
Before you undertake such a large and costly project, there are a few things that you should consider and read up on. Here are some of the most important pros and cons to keep in mind.
Pros
- It is much more affordable to build your own van racking, especially if you want extensive racking added to the inside of the van. Having an expert do it can become very expensive depending on what you are wanting.
- You have the ability to get as creative as you like and design the van racking to fit your needs exactly. You can combine a bunch of racking ideas or create your own layout for your work van.
- By building the racking yourself, you get to choose the materials you work with and what is the best fit for your project and line of work.
- You have the flexibility to build as you are working, doing a little here and there as you have time. This allows you to continue to use your van even as you are installing inside storage. If you were to pay to get it done, you would be out of work for at least a week as the racking was installed.
- You can make your van racking removable so that you can remove it if you ever decide to try something different or want to sell your van.
Cons
- Building the racking yourself could result in less quality racking, as you are not a professional and are bound to make some mistakes. This could put you at risk of damaging your van or creating unstable racking that could fall or break later on.
- If your van is insured, your insurance will most likely not cover any damage or expenses in relation to your van’s racking. This is because you have created it yourself and are now responsible for any damages from it.
- Doing the racking yourself can significantly lower the value of your van. This may not be a big deal to most, but if you ever want to resell it, it could really impact the price you could sell it for.
Electrician Van Storage Tips
Even when you install racking in your van, you may still have issues with some items running rampant in your van. This is because some things just can’t be organized no matter how much you may try.
There are a few ways to counteract this problem and try to organize those last few pieces of equipment. Besides installing racking, there are a few other tips that could help you to keep your work van organized and clean.
Here are a few things that you can try to keep your electrical van tidy and clean for when you are going from job to job. They can help you work faster and waste less time searching for misplaced tools.
Use Hauling Straps to Secure Bulky Items
Straps that are often used to secure items when hauling are also great at securing equipment in your electrical van. These can help you to better control pieces of equipment on the bed of your work van.
This is also a great idea if you are using storage or plastic bins in your van to organize tools as they can be strapped to the sides of the van. Securing them in place so that they don’t move around as you drive.
This is the perfect solution for those large and heavy items that can be stored away or placed on your van racking.
Keep Heavy Things Near the Doors
There will always be a few pieces of equipment that you just can store on shelves or in cabinets of any kind. These are usually the largest, heaviest, and most awkwardly shaped pieces of equipment.
The best way to store these items is to place them on the floor closest to the doors of your van. Try to shove them into a corner or crevasse where they can be contained somewhat as you drive.
Not only does this help to keep them from rolling back and forth as you drive, but it also makes them much easier to get to. During a workday, you will thank yourself for having the heaviest items close at hand.
Use Work Bags for Your Most Used Tools
As an electrician, there will always be a handful of tools that you need very regularly for your work. There are often relatively small and easy to lose and misplace from one job to the other.
The best way to counteract this problem is to store these tools in your work bags. You can have one or two to help you keep your day-to-day tools organized and easy to find.
This will help you save time at each job as you are no longer going to be searching for what you need. Everything that you regularly reach for should be kept in a work bag if possible.