Van racking companies vs DIY projects
Do It Yourself or contact van racking companies? What’s the best option when you’re considering investing in automotive racking systems and van accessories for your service van?
As with most things, there’s not always a clear answer as both options have their own merits and demerits. For example, while DIY van racking is cheaper, it’s also very time consuming to build it yourself.
To shed some light upon a discussion that’s been ongoing within the van racking industry for a long time, in this article we’ll give you a clear answer on what’s the best: building your own automotive racking systems or seeking professional help from van racking companies.
DIY projects
DIY projects in all honour. They are a fun and challenging way to build van racking, helping you prove and polish your skills as a craftsman. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of DIY van racking.
Advantages
- Cheap. DIY automotive racking systems can be extremely cheap as the only real cost is the materials you buy. Finding a cheap dealer can cut costs significantly.
- Tailor-made. You’re in full control of the van racking. You can design it however you want all according to your needs and wants.
- Fun & Challenging. There’s a certain sense of accomplishment creating something from scratch. It’s not only fun, but it’s also a rewarding experience putting your skills to the test and honing them even further.
Disadvantages
- Time-consuming. While DIY van racking might be cheap, there’s still a price to pay: time.
- Safety concerns. It goes without saying, DIY van racking is very rarely up to safety standards since it hasn’t been tested in the same way professional van racking systems are.
- Lacks flexibility. DIY automotive racking systems lack a certain type of flexibility. If another need arises or you want to complement it with additional van racking, it’s back to the drawing board.
- No insurance. Unfortunately, as it’s not tested, DIY racking does not come with insurance. The responsibility of the van racking will be all on you.
Van racking companies
So, how are van racking companies different?
Advantages
- Wide range of solutions. While not perfectly tailor-made to the smallest detail, it might as well be. Van racking companies offer a wide range of van racking solutions, allowing you to create the perfect cargo space according to your needs.
- Easy and fast. Van racking companies take care of the whole process for you by helping you find the ideal solution for your needs and then installing it for you.
- Safe. As these are prefabricated solutions, they’ve been regularly tested and optimised several times over to make sure they uphold all safety standards.
- Insured. While this is not true for all van racking companies, it certainly is with System Edström. We give you a 5-year warranty on all van racking as well as the installation (3 years on the van racking if you decide to install it yourself).
Disadvantages
- More expensive than DIY. While it is more expensive than a DIY project, it’s not a significant difference.
We racked our brains to find more disadvantages of buying van racking from van racking companies to give the impression of being as objective as possible, but we can’t for the life of us find another one…
Which option is the best?
We’d say the winner is clear: van racking companies. The only thing favouring DIY van racking would be the price, and maybe not getting that special sense of accomplishment building it yourself. But can you really put a price on safety?
If you’re looking for professional automotive racking systems, contact System Edström today. We’ll help you create the ideal, tailor-made solution according to your needs and wants. Try our configurator to design and see your van racking in a digital 3D environment.