For many stone shops, the pickup is the universal means of transport. From hauling the boss to an appointment, hauling slabs to the shop, and hauling finished counters to the job site, it can do it all.
BUT SHOULD IT?
Appointments? Of course! Slab transportation? Maybe.
Installing? No way! Not if optimizing productivity, keeping your tools and installers safe, and doing so at minimal cost is your goal.
Here are five reasons you should remove the A-frame in the bed of your pickup and put it in an enclosed trailer instead:
1. ECONOMICAL
Unlike a box truck or a sprinter van, an enclosed trailer is comparatively inexpensive. Since you already own the pickup to haul it with, there is no need to add another motor vehicle to your fleet with the associated costs of insurance, maintenance, and depreciation.
A 6×10 single axle enclosed trailer is a huge step up from a 5×8 pickup bed; brand new, it costs less than $3,000. A 7×14 double axle that can carry every tool know to mankind goes for less than $6,000.
2. OUT OF THE ELEMENTS
In the northwest U.S., it’s the incessant rain, in the northeast, it’s the frigid cold, the southwest, the baking sun. An enclosed trailer will prevent counters from showing up at the job site soaking wet, frozen together, or so hot they can’t be touched.
Additionally, there is headroom inside, so you and your installers can discuss, handle, and load the counter onto a cart completely sheltered from the elements beating down outside.
3. ERGONOMIC
Physical safety is key to a long career, and nothing is more harmful than climbing up and dragging heavy counters off a tailgate seven to eight times a day. The floor of an enclosed trailer is lower to the ground than the alternatives, making for short steps down and even better enabling the use of ramps to roll heavy counters into the work area.
4. MORE FLEXIBLE
While not quite a “transformer,” an enclosed trailer enables you to transform your activities without having to change rigs or unload all your tools. Have an install and a warranty, template, or a lunch appointment on the same day? No problem! Get the job going onsite, leave your crew with all the counters and tools by disconnecting the trailer, and zip out to your appointment without hassle. Return to the site, finish the job, hook up and go home!
5. SECURITY
Whether your install tools parked out front of your shop, waiting in the Home Depot parking lot, or on job site, they are at risk in the open bed of a pickup. Not in an enclosed trailer with a lock on the latch! Additionally, an enclosed trailer is small and nimble enough to be parked inside the shop at night, when tools are most vulnerable.
Sadly, too many stone shop owners invest all their resources in their shop operation, overlooking the equally important install operation.
Don’t miss out on the huge opportunity to improve your productivity, safety, and bottom line by updating your install rig to include an enclosed trailer.
Looking for another way to save your business money and improve the safety of your installers? Check out the No Lift Install System!
Heavy and awkward counters cost your shop profits and skilled installers. No Lift Install System lowers unnecessary labor costs while improving quality and reducing install injuries, so you can increase your business’s profits and retain your highly skilled installers.
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