Daniel's Easy Access Chevy Knapheide KUV for HVAC
RIG DETAILS
| USED FOR | HVAC Refrigeration |
| TYPICAL JOBS | residential, commercial |
| BODY | Cutaway Van |
ORGANIZATION
Daniel's Chevy cutaway van is used for commercial and residential HVAC and refrigeration work in Texas. The body is a Knapheide KUV and has both a interior storage area and lots of external storage compartments.
Cutaways aren't hugely common in HVAC, we see more fullsize vans and Transits. This is a great example of how you can organize one to give you easy, no-climb access to tools and parts, while retaining a large space for hauling equipment.
This body can work especially well in climates without a lot of rain. It's possible to buy a cutaway with fob-activated locks so that you never need to turn a key to access your parts and tools.
We categorized Daniel's setup as no-climb because he likely doesn't need to climb in as much as most HVAC techs. Many parts and tools are located in the outside compartments, so even many initial servicings or diagnostic checks wouldn't require climbing in the back. Ladders are inside the van, not on the roof, so they are easy to get without reaching.
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Functional Cab
The cab of the van is simple and functional. Daniel added a jump seat between the main seats, and under it is located a battery charging station. An inverter powers the battery chargers and a power strip that can be used for other light duty 120V electrical needs.
Driver Side Compartments
The driver side compartments hold parts, hand tools, and power tools:
The front compartment has an assortment of mostly HVAC parts. A Veto Pro Pac Tech backpack holds Daniel's primary tools. Smaller battery-powered tools are in the bin above the whellwell. One Veto bag is designated as a service bag.
The vertical compartment at the rear keeps an oxy-acetylene setup secure. This compartment also holds an acetylene MC tank in a bracket along with a tube of brazing rods.
Passenger Side Compartments
The passenger side compartments have larger items and less frequently used tools.
The front compartment is dedicated to chemicals and a few miscellaneous items. Daniel says that the battery jump pack he keeps there has saved his bacon more than once.
Many of the parts are more for incidentals that you'd encounter in HVAC work: plumbing, electrical, and anchors.
Daniel says they go through a lot of gas, so he has plenty of nitrogen and oxy-acetylene tanks in the rear-most compartment.
Clear Main Cargo Area
The main cargo area of the van is basically clear. There is a wide, long area that would make it easy to fit fairly large pieces of equipment.
Daniel has lots of room, so he installed a copper caddy for his copper tubing. He says this setup keeps his coils quiet and they are easy to store.
There are two carts on this HVAC van: a caster-wheeled rectangular cart and a collapsible aluminum cart/handtruck; it's light and relatively compact. They use carts to move tools and parts onto commercial jobs.
The passenger side of the truck is loaded with different types of motors and a tank rack caps everything off at the bulkhead. Two more tank racks on the other side hold even more tanks.
He keeps another acetylene tank, a B tank, up in the front. The MC tank saves your back, but the B tank makes it so he has plenty of gas on bigger jobs!
Outdoor Light
A switched outdoor light is attached to a self-coiling extension cord. This light is bright and can be used to see into any of the compartments on the outside of the truck.
Lots of Ladders
Some techs opt to use only a multipurpose ladder and a shorty step ladder - Daniel has gone in the opposite direction and has four ladders mounted on the inside walls of the van:
- a 4' step ladder
- a 6' step ladder
- an 8' step ladder
- an extension ladder
Ladder choices among HVAC techs vary a lot, you're usually balancing space constraints, weight, and ease of getting it on a job site.
In Daniel's case, the outdoor compartments make it possible to stick just about whatever he wants in the cargo area.
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