Recommendations of best manufacturers for hire business (1 Viewer)

[MarkKirby]

Hi all

Newbie to the site! I am in the process of setting up a hire business In Kent, with a partner who owns a campsite in Worcester. Between us looking to start with 8 vehicles.

Interested in anyone’s experience or recommendations of which manufacturers to consider to purchase the vehicles from. Looking at Swift, Bailey, Roller Team etc., but open to all of your wise thoughts and input!

Many thanks in advance.

 

[Stealaway]

The cheapest? - they will wreck them whatever the make

 

[Garfields]

If for hire consider this lot https://www.interarmored.com/

If you are considering new vans see which manufacture will do a deal
Brave thing to invest in

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[The Wino]

I think I would at least try having one for a while before going out and buying 8!

 

[rosalan]

Knowing that "Just Go" use Roller Team vans as their range of vans is quite large and components not too expensive may be one reason to consider them.

 

[mitzimad]

look at what other hirers are using allways the bottom end of the market

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[Jenka]

Most use entry level models such as Sunlight,Challenger nothing wrong with these Van's but less stuff to go wrong. My friends started a MH company in France and you would not believe the damage they incurred just in the first week!.Good luck.

 

[nicholsong]

Presumably if you have not owned a motorhome before you do not know much about what can go wrong and how to fix it. What will happen when 4 come back from first hire and two need repairs on a 4 -hour turnround?

Oh dear!

Geoff

 

[RidersofRohan]

New Bailey range the Adamo aimed at uk hire market. They say the demand from hirers is for auto gearbox family vans of high capacity 4 berth.
Many of the foreign vans currently used break the law regarding weight limits. Be interesting to see if Bailey have produced high capacity vans with sufficiently high payload.

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[mikebeaches]

New Bailey range the Adamo aimed at uk hire market. They say the demand from hirers is for auto gearbox family vans of high capacity 4 berth.
Many of the foreign vans currently used break the law regarding weight limits. Be interesting to see if Bailey have produced high capacity vans with sufficiently high payload.

Thanks, I hadn't heard about these. All automatic, all 160 bhp engines and all built on the Ford chassis.

Bailey launches all-new coachbuilt motorhome range

Bristol-based motorhome manufacturer, Bailey, has launched an all-new coachbuilt motorhome range

www.outandaboutlive.co.uk

 

[steve 6644]

.

 

[Jenka]

Vanbitz will be busy once they start getting nicked. Most of the hire companies won't use British brands due to reliability with the fixtures etc.

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[RidersofRohan]

Vanbitz will be busy once they start getting nicked. Most of the hire companies won't use British brands due to reliability with the fixtures etc.

Nonsense. I’ve seen Baileys used as hire vans, despite being manual gearbox. British vans traditionally built on Peugeot and without an automatic gearbox option this is the main reason they aren’t used. The value end of Eldiss/ Bailey use Peugeot. The hire market use value end of market Roller Team on Fiat very popular.

 

[Spriddler]

You'll probably need to employ a full time maintenance/repair person competent in all m/h equipment as most dealers' workshop lead times are extraordinarily long, even for warranty work. Consider the location of your supplying dealer since it won't be practical to take a m/h 100 miles or more (and leave it there) for warranty work to be done.
Most changeovers are at weekends when spare/replacement parts will be difficult to obtain and you'll need an 'engineer' prepared to work at weekends.
I wish you luck.

 

[mitzimad]

i would think most hirers buy without warranty n or very limited warranty and have a parts account at pref rates with the manufacturers
im no expert on the motorhomes but this is how the big boys buy their boilers cheap they already have a network of engineers to do repairs the get parts on assistance schemes this is why british gas push worceseter boilers and most hirers stick with one make

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[Jim]

If I was starting a hire fleet, the core would be made up of Sun Living motorhomes. Very well made, basic, reliable strong, everything easy cleaned and comparatively cheap.

 

[Simon Select]

Hi all

Newbie to the site! I am in the process of setting up a hire business In Kent, with a partner who owns a campsite in Worcester. Between us looking to start with 8 vehicles.

Interested in anyone’s experience or recommendations of which manufacturers to consider to purchase the vehicles from. Looking at Swift, Bailey, Roller Team etc., but open to all of your wise thoughts and input!

Many thanks in advance.

Hit me up with a PM, I have 3 of those brands you mentioned.
Rollerteam are always a good choice as are Swift, purely because the favored bunk house options you get with them. You generally get the vans supplied cheaper than you normally would as say Joe Public but normally its down to yourself to sort warranty work.
Adria for instance do not offer a warranty on vans supplied as a rental van. Its also worth bearing in mind if you ever buy an ex rental.

 

[Jenka]

Nonsense. I’ve seen Baileys used as hire vans, despite being manual gearbox. British vans traditionally built on Peugeot and without an automatic gearbox option this is the main reason they aren’t used. The value end of Eldiss/ Bailey use Peugeot. The hire market use value end of market Roller Team on Fiat very popular.
[/QUO
Easy I said most and i know some Bailey dealers use them on hire fleets. I can tell you now my Bailey Autograph at 42000 miles and is constantly having warranty work from day 1 therefore I would not want one as an hire vehicle if I owned an hire business.

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[Cheshirecat57]

We hired a SWIFT SELECT about 4 years ago, and there were loads of things Falling or fallen off it

Got talking to the Mr Fixit when we returned and within the talk I asked “ is it just the hirers that are animals?”

His reply, with absolutely zero agenda, was “ its the same animals that hire the Roller Teams....and they don't fall to bits..

Interesting

 

[Spriddler]

i would think most hirers buy without warranty n or very limited warranty and have a parts account at pref rates with the manufacturers

Interesting that warranties are not normally included with hire motorhomes. Seems reasonable.
My point was really that it's no good relying on having repairs done by a dealer or having a parts account with a manufacturer if the motorhome's needed to be repaired quickly at a weekend changeover. I guess that keeping a spare motorhome on hand for such issues wouldn't be financially advantageous.

 

[busby]

Thanks, I hadn't heard about these. All automatic, all 160 bhp engines and all built on the Ford chassis.

Bailey launches all-new coachbuilt motorhome range

Bristol-based motorhome manufacturer, Bailey, has launched an all-new coachbuilt motorhome range

www.outandaboutlive.co.uk

It's not the base vehicle that will cause you the most problems it's what they break or damage in the habitation area,,blinds locker doors, heaters,Windows etc.Motorhomes are not robust inside and need handling with care,,a bit like a women really.BUSBY.

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[Tognut]

Hi all

Newbie to the site! I am in the process of setting up a hire business In Kent, with a partner who owns a campsite in Worcester. Between us looking to start with 8 vehicles.

Interested in anyone’s experience or recommendations of which manufacturers to consider to purchase the vehicles from. Looking at Swift, Bailey, Roller Team etc., but open to all of your wise thoughts and input!

Many thanks in advance.

I wouldn't touch Bailey as they won't even talk to me when I want to buy one! Just imagine how bad their support will be once I've done so.....

 

[Simon Meadwell]

Swift go near us obviously use swift Motorhomes . Met a family in south of France who were in one . The awning was locked shut and couldn’t be used. Reason being everytime they came back they were damaged.

 

[Ridgeway]

Just a thought but our local MH dealer who i know quite well (the owner lives in our village) have a MH rental business model based on 3 things:

- rental revenues
- sales revenues as he sells the vans after 1 season for standard vans and 2 seasons for his end vans
- having a deal with MH manufacturers based on standard spec and a certain volume of units

For base vans they have Sunlight and Carado, the higher end vans are Hymer and Cathargo, they also have quite a range of PVC's as he tells me many people are more comfortable to try a smaller van as a first rental. Overall he has around 70 vans on his rental fleet.

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[The Wino]

Just a thought but our local MH dealer who i know quite well (the owner lives in our village) have a MH rental business model based on 3 things:

- rental revenues
- sales revenues as he sells the vans after 1 season for standard vans and 2 seasons for his end vans
- having a deal with MH manufacturers based on standard spec and a certain volume of units

For base vans they have Sunlight and Carado, the higher end vans are Hymer and Cathargo, they also have quite a range of PVC's as he tells me many people are more comfortable to try a smaller van as a first rental. Overall he has around 70 vans on his rental fleet.

Wow thats some capital tied up! If it's on finance it must be hurting at the moment.

 

[jopparocks]

It's not the base vehicle that will cause you the most problems it's what they break or damage in the habitation area,,blinds locker doors, heaters,Windows etc.Motorhomes are not robust inside and need handling with care,,a bit like a women really.BUSBY.

OK Swiss Tony

 

[Coolcats]

Hit me up with a PM, I have 3 of those brands you mentioned.
Rollerteam are always a good choice as are Swift, purely because the favored bunk house options you get with them. You generally get the vans supplied cheaper than you normally would as say Joe Public but normally its down to yourself to sort warranty work.
Adria for instance do not offer a warranty on vans supplied as a rental van. Its also worth bearing in mind if you ever buy an ex rental.

A friend of mine always hires and it’s normally a roller team he has and very happy with his hires

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[Googlebot]

I had a cheap Bailey Caravan from new and two toddlers. I expected them to break everything!

Nothing fell off, or broke, apart from the stupid shower tray which cracked after a year.

It was surprisingly robust.

Leaked, a lot! But robust!

Good luck with the business, it’s great to see people opening what I hope will be a viable and successful venture.

As others have said, if you don’t know how to fix them, learn very quickly. Losing a weeks hire is a disaster for you but worse for your customer who will bad mouth you for years!

 

[Googlebot]

Just to add, we have a fleet of 550 Ambulances at work. Generally we expect 20% to be off being fixed or restocked and cleaned. It won’t be that bad but I would expect at least 10% of your fleet to be unavailable due to breakdown, servicing etc.

With 8 you will have to expect to keep one in reserve and bad weeks 2.