One of the true marks of an expert is what they don’t do. Walk through a building under construction after each group of contractors finishes and simply look at what they left.
Not just any trash or debris, but the state of the systems they built.
Are the wires tied up?
Is sheetrocking compound slathered everywhere in the boxes, or neatly edged?
Are floor drains actually in the low spots of the floor?
Today, technology has given us the means to do a lot of jobs previously reserved for experts, but an experts’ ability to see the big picture is often missing. It’s not just the trades, either. Look at car repair. An experienced shop will take those extra few moments to protect your carpets and seats from dirt and grease, while the “shadetree” mechanic will simply jump in your ride and leave you hoping he washed his hands recently.
In our industry, it’s much the same. In fact, we love the fact that so many folks like to improve their trucks and vans on their own time. So much so, we built an online store to serve them!
The point in this is to say that, when it comes to upfitting a truck or van, the little things count. It might be using superior hardware or ensuring wiring is properly spliced, but the quality of a build is in the details.
Nearly any quality shelving unit or topper can be a smart investment for a truck or van, but how you go about installing it, and the steps you take to support it, make all the difference.
Take ventilation, for example.
We transport chemicals, aerosols, expensive tools and electronics, and LOADS of other items in our vehicles every day, and while it might be easy to think about “ventilation” in terms of keeping the interior cool, that’s rarely the case. Sure, you could leave the windows cracked, but the air that’s moving is moving across the passenger area, not the cargo area.
It’s an even bigger challenge when it comes to an enclosed trailer or topper – where can you try to bring in some air? Or at least let out the fumes?
Flettner Ventilators have been around for years and at Expertec, we’ve been installing them in a variety of upfits for some key reasons:
- They’re super easy to install
- They’re incredibly durable and move a lot of air
- They require NO power – seriously – they’re a wind-powered device that works with even the faintest hint of a breeze.
- The Flettner Ventilators have a lifetime warranty and – unlike the cheap copies – are completely waterproof.
Installing a Flettner Ventilator is a real no-brainer for anyone, even those companies and people who like to do things in-house. Many of us can remember the old crank out roof vents in cargo vans when we were younger, or, more notoriously, in some full-size SUVs like the Dodge Ramcharger, and – well, you already know what we’re about to say.
You’d forget they were open and the rain, or even the dew, would come pouring in. And, of course, any kind of overzealous cranking inevitably stripped the mechanism.
Not the Flettner units – they work precisely because they don’t need to be managed. Our “go-to” ventilators from Flettner is the TSX-2. A flick of the tab on the base of the unit and you’re either “open” or “shut” and – more importantly – your allowing fresh air in … not the weather.
So far, we’ve been sharing this from the point of view of venting a cargo van – maybe keeping inventory or equipment cool, or ensuring fumes can escape. But think about how these units assist in cross-ventilation? They are perfect for vehicles that handle and transport animals, RVs, and delivery fleets.
The real key, though, is the ease at which you can install and use them – they are one of the true “set and forget” components that not only work perfectly every time, they also demonstrate the upfitter really looked at the big picture of how a truck or van will be used.
