Box Truck or Enclosed Trailer?

After buying some units, I quickly realized that my F150 woulnt cut it. Im looking to get something that would make things a lot easier moving things from facility to storage.

I really dont want to spend too much. That is why I am leaning towards an enclosed trailer.
-Lower Initial cost
-Low maintenance cost
But...
-harder to maneuver in tight places
-cant store as much as a box truck can
 
I really want to make the right decision so I dont regret it later. Have any of you used a trailer? Any problems using one? Or did you move to a box truck? Is it worth the extra cost to get a box truck?



Thanks ahead of time for your input. Advice is much appreciateed!

I just rented box trucks. I always wanted to buy one...got real close, then Storage Wars & Auction Hunters came out and that put the brakes on that idea. You can find some really decent box trucks in the 8-10K range. 

I'd also look into a step van. You can get a nice 14 foot step van for about $4k around here..

Just starting out I'd say trailer.  Don't want to dop to much cash.
In fact just a flat bed(open) trailer could work and cheaper.  Around here you can get them for $500-$1000 depending on size.

Might want to rent a trailer and see how it works for you.  Can be tricky driving them....

I just rented box trucks. I always wanted to buy one...got real close, then Storage Wars & Auction Hunters came out and that put the brakes on that idea. You can find some really decent box trucks in the 8-10K range. 

That is what I did last week when I bought two decent sized units. It worked out great. Just dont know if I want to keep on paying rental fees week after week. But if your making decent enough money on the units, guess it doesnt really matter!

I'd also look into a step van. You can get a nice 14 foot step van for about $4k around here..

I was looking into those, I feel that would be the ideal vehicle. But maintenance and insurance is what I dont want to pay, when first starting out.

Just starting out I'd say trailer.  Don't want to dop to much cash.
In fact just a flat bed(open) trailer could work and cheaper.  Around here you can get them for $500-$1000 depending on size.

Might want to rent a trailer and see how it works for you.  Can be tricky driving them....

Yeah I used to use my friends trailer when we were landscaping. Wasnt too bad. Except for backing up. Never really got the hang of it. And backing into loading docks is what I am worried about. But practice makes perfect, and a couple hours in a empty parking lot may do the trick.

Im probably going to try to find a good deal on a trailer. And see how that works out. Worst case I sell it for a little bit of a loss and upgrade.

Dont want to bite off more than I can chew.

Thanks for all the advice guys!

That is what I did last week when I bought two decent sized units. It worked out great. Just dont know if I want to keep on paying rental fees week after week. But if your making decent enough money on the units, guess it doesnt really matter!

Yes, renting trucks might not be a winner if the lockers don't turn out to be winners. That will probably be the thing that helps you to make the decision.  One winner...."x" losers, and "y" break-evens, plus of course some "z" minor profits.  Only time will tell you the whole story.  If we still see you posting on here a year from now (or even 6 months) we'll have a better take.

We currently use a f-150 truck and a 19 foot flatbed trailer.  At times we borrow the son-in-laws mothers 19 foot enclosed trailer.   The enclosed trailer is much nicer to use then an open trailer.  Once your done loading it you can let it sit over night until when you get around to off loading.  He got it at an auction form $2800.  My flatbed was $1500.00.  A trailer is hard to get around, but is lower to the ground then the box trailers also.  No real upkeep and no insurance.  We sold some stuff to a lady who had some friends with a 30 footer, OMG the room in it.   Also U-Haul sells their older trucks on their website, no to bad of a price.

I use a box truck and a trailer. I like both of them a lot. If you keep your eyes open you can get good deals on both. My box truck I got for $500 from a guy who needed money. It is a 1985 but looks good and runs good. My 12' duel axle trailer was $300. Mt other trailer which is a duel axle 12' also was $200. It took me about a year of looking and talking to everyone but it was worth it. So what I would say is just keep your eyes open and borrow a trailer tell you find a good deal.

In my opinion, a box truck is only a better investment if you have made the decision to do storage auctions full-time and you plan on buying multiple units per day or week. Otherwise the extra cost of insurance, fuel, maintenance, license & registration, storage fees,  (most neighborhoods have restrictions on parking commercial vehicles) do not outweigh the benefits of having an enclosed trailer.

I use my truck and utility trailer that I have now.  I'm working to put a brake controller on my truck and then I'll buy an enclosed trailer.  I want an enclosed trailer more for the selling side of things then buying.  My buddy who has a store has a enclosed truck.  Then we have used it only 4 times.  It's mostly used for storage.  In fact he is thinking of selling it and just getting a storage building to replace it.

Every unit that him or I have bought and cleaned out has been with a truck / utility trailer.  Except for those 4 times we used the box truck due to rain.

I would say a Cargo Trailer. Big Tex sold us ours with the best price. I know there are a few Big Tex dealers outside of Texas but we did research etc for a new one and they were by far the best price. We have a 6x10 for now and plan to go larger at a later time. If you are into the rainy season the cargo is the way to go around here. Tarps over large items just do transfer well. JMHO