Right vehicle for the right  job

Home removalsCustomers seem to have this misconception a Luton van fits all removal jobs: let me tell you this is not the case. You have various sized Luton’s and every vehicle has a weight/load limit – having a tail lift decreases that limit to even less load weight/capacity.

The majority off small removals companies’ man with vans  use 10ft Luton’s (old ford transit with a box) not that great for a proper average home move unless you do 2-3 or more trips in it. The capacity is around 13-14 cubic meters and they all have weight limits, some no more than a smaller panel van. You will not get a one bed roomed flat in the small Luton unless you have little or no furniture and little possessions. You would normally need 14-20 cube to move a one bed roomed flat maybe a two if you are very lucky.

If you are moving a 2/4 or more bed roomed property you may/will need a 7.5 ton van,  twice the capacity of a large Luton van and it can legally take the weight involved. A lot of movers over pack the van and don’t actually think about the weight of the load if its going a short distance it might be fine but on motorways long distances it might become a problem especially if you are stopped by vosa . The next step is the big companies who run 13+ ton trucks, don’t be fooled by removals firms with Luton’s saying we can do it, unless it’s a big Luton – yes they can do it but it may take 2 or more trips and you might just not have time for that!

Man with vans mostly use panel vans: again only good for moving very small removals single items to mostly lightly furnished properties. The most useless van of all is the standard transit van; strangely people set this as the standard for moving home!? It has a low roof 1.4m height you can’t even stand up in them; if you can’t stand up straight in a van its no use in my view and just think you can even get a mattress in them without bending it, unless its a single mattress ! - capacity is only suited to very small jobs and is a waste of time for any small flat moves and a waste of time for customers as well who may not know whats needed to move the volume in volved. Panel vans can go up to 17 cubic meters so make sure the van/truck for the job is right.

Some companies say we use a 3.5 ton vehicle - yes, well you will find most vans bigger that a transit van are 3.5 tons but that doesn’t mean they can carry that weight. It will normally be 1200-1500kg unless the vehicle has been modified to carry more weight and if it was a tail-lift even less weight !

Ive had enquires for moving luggage/boxes longs distances mostly from students moving back home. Its normally not worth the cost for one man and the time it takes to travel 300/400 miles, I mean would you pay 450/600 to take a few boxes / bags /luggage to london ??  

I would suggest this site its free and will save you a lot of money rather than using a local Edinburgh removal company to take small volume a long distance for 100s of pounds

go to

www. freightalerts.co.uk

Moving Home has its hazards one in particular Ive noticed, well not really Ive been aware of since day one, is special events for example like this picture of Myself caught up in the Belfast marathon 2010. The customer forgot to say was on…. they did eventually tell me….. once Id got over there and unloaded the van. It was slap bang on my route back to the Belfast /stranraer ferry It was a nice sunny day and luckily I had a bit on time to spare but could have been a lot different if it was on a tight schedule.

So if you live near a football/rugby stadium or indeed an area that large events occurs like T in the park or the Edinburgh Marathon think about finding out of anything is on when you book the Home removal .

Ive just recently returned from exeter and luckily Glastonbury had finished!

Does having a lift make life easier for the Edinburgh removal guy? 

Well I suppose it does depending on situation… You could have a block 5 high or you could have a block 14-20 levels high. That’s when it becomes a real issue, depending on what part of town you are doing the flat Removal in e.g. the good/bad parts, it’s probably best to start after 9am, most of the residents who work will have used the lifts and you could have a good run. The removal is done in no time with little interruption. On the other hand places like Gilmer ton to the North,calders/wester hailes on west side of Edinburgh may have issues. It’s best to start very early before the natives awake, normally around 10-12 I find.  The lift can sometimes vanish for up to 5 mins at time, this really ads the time on for the movers (This is when the hourly raters come into the own) plus you also have the nuisance factor that some kids/adults who see someone is moving home deciding that’s pressing all the buttons just for the hell of it is quite amusing! So next time a customer moving home says don’t worry there is a lift, have a little chuckle how little they know.

Getting a single item delivered in Edinburgh bought from eBay/ Internet online shop or a local shop like habitat/john Lewis –It’s maybe oak, large, awkward & very heavy and needs two guys lifting it?

 You might have a problem! Most delivery/courier companies have one driver doing the run, so unless you have arranged suitable labour/assistance, he will leave it on the kerbside because that’s as far as he can safely move the single item, make sure you know what the online shop conditions are for the Edinburgh Home delivery, most are Ground – kerb to kerb, will they provide suitable labour? Or is that your problem, no point in finding out when it’s on your doorstep.

 I have lost count (true- not made up) of the number of times I’ve had calls from almost hysterical customers panicking about their new oak Habitat sideboard sitting in the front garden with dark clouds gathering and are desperate for help! Those customers need someone, a professional Edinburgh  removals guy to assist at very short notice.

We are happy to assist if this is the case so please save our number to your phone even if you know of a friend who’s in bother moving goods in the home give us a call, short notice labour only removal jobs are our speciality.