Anyone who has ever bought a van for work is usually surprised that there really is nothing between the front seats and the back door. It is really and truly empty. The good news is that all that space gives you tons of options as to exactly how you want to customize it – shelves, racks, tanks, compressors, gear, tools, you name it, somebody has figured out a way to mount it (good or bad) in a van.
At Expertec, we think that we’ve figured out some of the secrets to making a work van great and over the last two decades, we’ve had a lot of experience. But let’s get back to that vast empty space behind the front seat in your van. All that space can be dangerous.
See, if you simply toss your tools into the back of the van, and then, Heaven forbid, have any type of serious accident, all that stuff behind you is on its way up to sit with you.
Newtonian physics tells us that objects in motion tend to stay in motion, and your toolbox that was moving along at 100 km/hour when you and the van were going that speed? It doesn’t know that you and the van are stopping. It’s still going…
Into the back of the seat, the side door, and, hopefully, not into you.
THAT’S the reason that many of our van-driving customers’ first purchase is the one thing that the manufacturer didn’t include in their cargo van – a bulkhead partition.
The “wall” that separates you and the passenger seating from your gear, tools, and workspace in the back of the van. For first-time buyers, it’s a little shocking when they peer inside the new van they just paid good money for and realize that their new ride didn’t come with one from the factory.
But there’s a great reason why – different vans and industries require different partitions! You may need one out of wire mesh, or perhaps a solid partition makes more sense. Need a door?
It all depends on you, and what Detroit doesn’t want to give you, Expertec can.
Why do you need to consider a partition or a bulkhead for your van? Aside from the obvious safety concerns, there are other, more subtle, reasons that a good partition makes a lot of sense for your work or cargo van:
- Noise Reduction – let’s face it, all that sheet metal in the back of a van makes it a giant resonating chamber. Sure, as you add tools and gear to it, the drone can be quieted, but with connectivity in the field being so important – and hands-free technology nearly a requirement for phone usage, keeping your passenger area quieter makes a lot of sense.
- Climate Control – Too hot? Too cold? Usually, work vans don’t have loads of insulation in the interior when you get past the firewall, and that means that your heater or air conditioner will have to work that much harder in order to keep you comfortable in extremes. By installing a partition, you can let your van’s climate control system work more efficiently every single time you use it – everyday! Just as useful, though, is that many bulkhead partitions allow you to open them up to circulate air into the cargo area as you need it.
- Image – This one is a little less tangible, but still just a true. By installing a partition, you can keep an “office area” in the front seat and a work area in the back. Every one of us has written out proposals in our vehicles, so keeping the front neat and professional and the tools of the trade stored neatly out of sight in the back is a fantastic way of subtly exuding you and your company’s professionalism.
- Organization – With the wide range of partitions that Expertec offers, you can actually have built-in filing systems on the passenger side of the partition while using the other side for tools, inventory, etc… The overall effect? No wasted space and a place for everything you need to effectively work anywhere the job takes you.
- Value – The right partition is one thing that will always add value to your van – when you buy it, when you use it, and even when you sell it. The facts are simple – this is a quality improvement to your work van, not some homemade affair that someone knocked together out of scrap lumber one weekend.
Don’t let the lack of a bulkhead bum you out! At Expertec, we’ve been helping folks find the right partition for years – whether from Ranger Design, Weather Guard, or even a full custom build, we take the time to figure out how you’re going to use the van, what you need it to do, and what materials and features make the most sense for you. One size never fits all, and that is how we approach any of our upfitting projects.
