Choosing a car for building a house

Truck, passenger car, pickup, gazelle - which assistant is better for a suburban area?

Having started an independent construction of a country house or summer cottages, many are thinking about purchasing a car for the delivery of tools and materials and the removal of construction waste. A passenger car for everyday needs for these purposes is usually of little use, and it is a pity to "cripple" it at a construction site. Maybe it's better to get a used gazelle or a small truck? But how convenient and cost effective would such an option be? Let's figure it out together with FORUMHOUSE users.

Content:

• Truck is not an option
• Cars with a trailer
• Pickup trucks
• Gazelle and variations on the theme

Truck is not an option

According to many members of the forum, if the owner's plans after the construction of the house is the further operation of the car for everyday needs, and its replacement in the foreseeable future is not expected, to purchase a truck specially "for construction" impractical. It is better to immediately buy the car you like. It is easier to transport large-sized building materials to the construction site with a hired gazelle, and you can carry tools and consumables in a car, especially if it is a station wagon, the forum member believes

tazer.

tazer

FORUMHOUSE user

The difference in price between a regular and a truck won't pay off. And to drag a body behind you, while having all the disadvantages of a large car (dimensions, consumption, noise, handling, etc.) for the sake of one construction site is stupid.

Cars with a trailer

Indeed, many forum users have successfully built up, having only a passenger car in their household. The main thing is that the trailer is good. Victor50 he delivered materials for his construction site on a regular "Zhigula" 2106 with a KMZ trailer, which has an additional extension drawbar, which can be connected to transport lengths up to six meters.

Mikhail11

FORUMHOUSE user

I completely and completely for the trailer: I bought it once and for life. Compulsory motor third party liability insurance is not necessary, technical inspection is not needed, hooked up - and carry what you want... And I don't see any sense in taking the "killed" Gazelle and lying under it.

Forum member Bias I bought a trailer with dimensions 2.5x1.3 meters - it turned out that this is the standard size of OSB sheets, hardboard and other sheet materials. In his opinion, the main difference between the trailer and the same cargo Gazelle is the convenience of loading and unloading. There is no need to lift, for example, bags of cement on a high side, then climb into the back and transfer the bag more than once, and in the reverse order when unloading. In addition, if you need to go somewhere urgently, you can simply unhook the loaded trailer and leave it. And in the evening, a "truck" with a slight movement of the hand turns into an ordinary car. Well, after construction, if it is not needed, it is enough to simply sell it.

Bias

FORUMHOUSE user

Most manufacturers indicate a maximum trailer weight of 750 kg, although it can easily withstand a ton. I loaded more than two tons at maximum, only the wheels had to be pumped up. I drove on the Niva almost every day during the season, often off-road, the trailer withstood and paid off many times compared to the Gazelle.

The best choice for construction is tipper trailers: it is convenient to unload sand, clay and other bulk materials from them. Forum user Nfnfhbyz when choosing a trailer, he also advises to pay attention to the wheels. It is convenient if they are proportional to the wheels of your car: it will be enough to take only one "spare tire" with you. And be sure - folding sides both in front and behind.

Pickup trucks

Pickup is another option that many users have tried and appreciated. Forum member GOR777 specially for the construction site bought a used Chinese Great Wall with a kung. A very convenient device, he claims: the cross-country ability is quite decent, you can load almost a ton, and in the body, unlike, for example, the cargo compartment of a station wagon, you can load at least clay or manure. It is easy to wash it, and the interior will remain clean.

GOR777

FORUMHOUSE user

A used Chinese pickup is not a pity, you can load whatever you want and go as and where you want, and then, as unnecessary, sell it for a cheap price and buy a more decent car.

User PVG1985 preferred the domestic version based on the Lada 4x4. He claims that he has made the right decision both in cross-country ability and in carrying capacity.

PVG1985

FORUMHOUSE user

Personal record: 4.69 m³ of insulation in bags, although a 3-cube septic tank looks good. When the construction began, even the "Belorus" could not drive to me to dig a drainage trench, it skidded for 4 hours. And I drove in normally.

Gazelle and variations on the theme

However, most people think that purchasing a pickup truck specifically for construction is unreasonably expensive. This is a versatile vehicle for an active lifestyle. The same building materials fit into its body less than a decent size trailer. Well, for a more or less large-scale construction and a trailer is still not the best option, the forum users say. Many people prefer the Gazelle. For solid volumes of concrete, brick, reinforcement, etc. in any case, you will need to order a heavy-duty transport, but it is convenient to bring a large the number of various little things that are required at the construction site continuously, especially during the period of finishing works. You can argue which option - a body or a van - is more convenient, but here is a clear advantage of a van: you can leave materials and tools in it without fear that they will be "attached to the legs."

Dubrovsky

FORUMHOUSE user

I've been driving a Gazelle (onboard) for probably 20 years. I changed the second one. The business is connected with construction, I build cottages, I built myself two houses. I do not see another car for myself. The cabin is comfortable, spare parts are no problem. The overhaul of the engine in the workshop was done in two days and inexpensively.

One of the main disadvantages of Gazelles is low cross-country ability. And if we take into account that we have to drive up to most of the construction sites not on asphalt, this minus can outweigh all the advantages. And secondly, such a car is still for the "rukasty": regular breakdowns are common for it. Forum member Arkann He has owned a "summer cottage" Gazelle for ten years and considers it an indispensable assistant, but only after 100 thousand kilometers of run this car literally starts to "crumble", he claims. Either an almost new radiator will take and flow, then the muffler will suddenly fall off ...

An alternative low-cost Gazelle is the UAZ "tadpole", especially with an extended base. With "flowability" it has the same problems, plus a less comfortable small-sized cab, but there is a significant advantage - four-wheel drive.

Maksim3435

FORUMHOUSE user

I have 3303. Short. Of the minuses compared to the Gazelle: carrying capacity, capacity (a bit short, now I would look for a long one), fuel consumption. From the pros: cross-country ability (you can drive without roads), and when buying a used one, it's easier to find a completely live version.

Another popular option is a small cargo van or minivan. So, many forum users praise the already legendary Volkswagen Transporter model for a relatively low cost (we are talking, first of all, about buying a used car specifically for a construction site), economy and solid carrying capacity.

But the purchase of a small-sized truck with a manipulator is advisable if you use it not only when building your own house, but for work or business, forum users believe. It is unlikely that such a purchase will justify itself: everything is large, loose and heavy (i.e. e. the main building material) is easier, cheaper and less labor-intensive to transport by delivery by special transport.

Did you save on the construction site due to delivery on your own? Click Like!

Issues of selection, operation and modification of universal car trailers - in this thread. How to make inexpensive sliding gates with your own hands - in one of the stories. In the video - how a blind person built a house, not that without a car, by touch.

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