Van shelving is a great way to organise tools and equipment for your trade, and fortunately there are lots of ways to rack out your van; put in some ply shelving yourself or have a bespoke van racking system designed and fitted for you. These are the extreme ends of the offers out there and each comes with its own pros and cons, but what if there was a happy medium? Enter the new era of self-fit modular van racking and shelving systems. Here are our top 5 reasons why a modular van racking and shelving system which you fit yourself could mean you get the best of both worlds.
Modular van racking solutions tend to offer a range of pre-designed modules, each with different features that appeal to different trades, businesses and uses. This will not only save you time in coming up with your own ideas (as you would need to with a DIY ply wood solution), but solutions like the bott Smartvan modular van racking and shelving system have been tested and honed in the field, so are proven to work in real life scenarios and not just on paper. You get the benefit of van racking experts designing your van racking, and you decide what you need to get the job done.
Any good modular van racking and shelving system will allow a decent level of customisation. The bott Smartvan range allows you to not only select from a wide variety of modules, but also then customise the storage within those modules. Multiple fixing points within the module frames combined with consistent width dimensions across the range of drawers, shelves, panels and case holders, give you the flexibility to buy a van racking solution that will work for you from a simple, off the shelf range of options. So unlike ply-wood, the layout you see is not necessarily the layout you have to use.
A big part of the cost of a bespoke van racking system is that it requires professional fitting. The bott Smartvan modular van racking and shelving system uses an innovative approach enabling it to be safely fitted by the average DIYer. With a range of van racking brackets specifically designed for each vehicle, we use existing manufacturer fixing points in the loading bay of the van to bolt the van racking modules into. No drilling is required, so you don't need to worry about drilling into anything you shouldn't and you're helping to protect the integrity and value of your van. Our systems are fully crash tested, so you can fit them yourself with peace of mind, knowing that they meet professional standards. Full, vehicle specific fitting instructions are included with your order and we also have a range of useful fitting videos on our website.
Getting a professional, light-weight steel, modular van racking and shelving system without the cost of a professional design engineer's time or the cost of a trained vehicle converter's time to fit it, represents great value for money for the end user. You have the benefits of a tried and tested solution which is built to last, without the constraints of a DIY ply-wood van racking kit. The average cost of a bott Smartvan van racking kit is around £1500, that's just £125 a month over a year and our customers tell us it's well worth it! You can even finance your van racking if you would like to spread the cost.
Made from light weight, pressed steel, bott Smartvan's modular van racking and shelving system is built to last. With almost 40 years of experience in vehicle storage systems, bott has a reputation for quality in both its products and customer service, and the bott Smartvan van racking range reflects this commitment. Our van racking modules also come with a 3-year manufacturer warranty as standard.
Although it's incredibly sturdy, our racking is also highly flexible, allowing you to adapt to meet your needs for years to come. You can add in and swap around the different drawers, shelves, panels etc as your tools and work change over time. You may even be able to transfer it from your current van to a new one in the future. On the face of it the defaults for van racking are cheap DIY ply wood or expensive bespoke professional systems, but it's definitely worth considering whether you can have your cake and eat it with the bott Smartvan modular van racking and shelving system.
To take a look at how easy it is to design your own customised solution, head to our online van racking configurator at https://config.bottsmartvan.co.uk/vehicle. Or if you have questions about how our kits can work for you please get in contact with one of our team.