Van Racking Ideas: 5 Things to Sort Out Before You Buy

Before you spend anything on van racking, we highly recommend sorting out these five things: what you actually carry every day, which units belong on which side of the van, what your van can still carry once the racking is in, the real size and shape of your load area, and how long that van is staying with you. Get those right and the racking pays for itself in the time you stop wasting looking for the right gear. Get them wrong and you end up with shelves full of stuff you never touch, a van sitting over its weight limit, or a setup that will not fit the next van. We know investing in the right setup is not a decision to take lightly, so here's how to work through all five of these things before you part with a penny.

In this article

• 1. What do you actually carry every day?
• 2. Which side of the van is doing which job?
• 3. What is your payload once the racking is in?
• 4. Are you measuring the van or just reading the badge?
• 5. How long is this van staying with you?
• FAQ

1. What do you actually carry every day?

Empty the van. All of it, onto the drive. Then split it into three piles: the gear you touch every single day, the gear you touch most weeks, and the gear that has been rattling around in there since the last van.

Most tradespeople are carrying a surprising amount of that third pile. It is dead weight, it eats the space you are about to pay to organise, and it is the reason you cannot find the thing you actually need.

Design the racking around the first pile. That daily gear wants to be at waist height, near the doors you open most, in a place you can reach without climbing in. The weekly stuff goes higher or further forward. The third pile goes in the garage.

This is also the point to be honest about how your stuff is shaped. Consumables, fittings and small parts want bins so you can grab a bin instead of an armful. Cased power tools want a flat run of shelf deep enough to take the case. Long lengths want a clear side. If you sort that out now, the layout more or less designs itself.

2. Which side of the van is doing which job?

The two sides of your van are not doing the same job, so there is no rule that says they should get the same racking.

The nearside is the kerb side. It is the side you can open on a busy road without stepping into traffic, so it is the sensible home for the gear you grab twenty times a day. The offside opens into the road, which makes it better suited to the stuff you get out once you have parked up properly and set the job up.

Then there are the things the van itself decides for you. A nearside side door eats into the length available on that side, so a long run of shelving may only work on the offside. If you carry pipe, conduit, trunking or timber, one side often needs to stay clear so lengths can go down the floor past the shelving. Wheel arches decide where a lower shelf can start.

Work out the two sides separately, then buy them separately. That is exactly what the configurator is for: pick your van, then choose a different unit for the nearside and the offside if that is what the job needs.

3. What is your payload once the racking is in?

Racking weighs something before you put a single tool on it, and that weight comes straight off what you can legally carry.

Your van has a design gross weight, which is the most the whole lot can weigh: van, driver, passengers, fuel and load. Take the empty weight off that and what is left is your payload. Racking, tools, materials and the bloke in the passenger seat all come out of the same number. GOV.UK guidance on driving a van is clear on the consequences: overloading affects how the van performs and stops, and exceeding your axle weights can land you a fine of up to £300 or a court summons. A standard car licence covers you up to 3,500kg.

Two practical moves. First, once the racking is in and the van is loaded the way you actually run it, take it over a weighbridge. It costs very little and it either puts your mind at rest or tells you something you needed to know. Second, keep the heavy gear low and toward the middle of the van rather than up high at the back doors, which is better for the weight distribution and better for you when you are lifting it out.

Material matters here too, and it is a genuine trade off rather than a sales pitch.

Material	What it is good at	Where it lets you down	Best for
Plywood	Cheapest way in, easy to cut and modify yourself, light	Soaks up moisture, sags and splits where it is loaded hard, edges get chewed up	Light loads, short term vans, DIY setups
Aluminium	Lightest option, so it costs you the least payload	Dents rather than springs back, and you pay a premium for the weight saving	Vans running close to their weight limit
Steel	Hard wearing, takes a beating, sturdy fabricated end frames that stay square	Heavier than ply or aluminium, so payload needs checking first	Vans that work hard and are expected to keep going for years

StowPro racking is steel, manufactured and assembled in Devon, and built for the toughest demands. That is a deliberate choice, and it is why checking your payload before you buy is worth ten minutes of your time.

4. Are you measuring the van or just reading the badge?

Two vans with the same name on the back can have completely different load bays. Wheelbase, roof height and the year the manufacturer changed the shape all move the numbers around, and a kit that fits an L1H1 will not fit an L2H2.

Before you order anything, write down five things:

• Make, model and the year your van was built, not the year you bought it
• Wheelbase and roof height, in the manufacturer's own labels such as L1H1 or L2H2
• Whether you have a side door, and which side it is on
• Whether there is a full bulkhead behind the seats
• The measurement from the back of the bulkhead to the rear door opening, taken along the floor

That last one takes two minutes with a tape and settles most arguments. If you are not sure which size label your van falls under, the van racking size guide walks you through it. And if your van genuinely does not match anything standard, that is what a custom design service is for rather than a reason to compromise on the layout.

5. How long is this van staying with you?

This is the question most people skip, and it changes the maths completely.

If the van is yours for the long haul, buy once. Racking that is still square in year five has cost you a fraction of what two cheap setups cost, and every day it saves you ten minutes hunting for something it is quietly paying you back. StowPro racking comes with a 3 year guarantee, which tells you what we expect it to survive.

If you are changing van soon, plan around that instead. Racking can move to a new van as long as the new one is the same size, so if you already know the next van is a bigger body, it is worth waiting or buying to suit the vehicle you are moving to rather than the one on the drive.

Either way, remember the racking fixes to the floor and the sides of the van, so if the vehicle is on a lease it is worth a quick look at your return conditions before you drill anything.

Worth a look at how other trades have set theirs up: here is a Ford Transit racking and electrical install we did for Pump Supplies in Bodmin, and a MAN TGE customer install for Cadwallader Ltd.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to rack out a van?

It ranges from under a hundred pounds for a single sheet of ply and some brackets to well into four figures for a full steel kit down both sides of a long wheelbase van. The three things that move the number are the size of your van, whether you are doing one side or both, and whether you want drawers and bins as well as shelving. The quickest way to get a real figure for your van is to build it in the configurator and watch the price change as you add units.

Does van racking affect my insurance?

Racking is normally treated as a vehicle modification, so tell your insurer before it goes in. It is rarely a problem and it is often barely reflected in the premium, but not declaring it can cause you grief at claim time. While you are on the phone, check what cover you have for tools left in the van overnight, because that is where most tradespeople find the real gap in their policy.

How is van racking fixed into the van?

StowPro racking fixes to the floor and the sides of the van. Kits turn up on a pallet already assembled, so you are positioning the units and fixing them in place rather than building them from a box of parts. Fixings and fixing brackets come with the kit alongside a comprehensive installation guide, and our customer service team is on the phone if you hit anything you are not sure about.

What is the best material for van racking?

Steel if you want it to last and the van works hard, plywood if you want the cheapest way in and are happy to redo it, aluminium if you are running close to your weight limit and will pay a premium to save the kilos. Steel is the heaviest of the three, which is exactly why it is worth checking your payload before you order.

Can I fit van racking myself?

Yes. Because the units arrive assembled, most people get a kit in with a second pair of hands to help lift the units into position, a drill and an afternoon. The install guide covers the sequence and the fixing points, and if you would rather talk it through as you go, give us a ring.