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where do you install vehicle graphics
I don’t yet have the luxury of having a unit where I can drive a vehicle in to apply graphics.
I did have access to a free unit about 10mins away which was great but is now full of stuff making it useless.
We do have a massive carpark at the rear which is shared with the other shops so fairly high traffic, and as I don’t own it I can’t see them letting me throw up a shelter and fitting it.
So where do you install vehicle graphics?
Or how do you handle working out doors? -
21 Replies
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I don’t have a big enough space either so I have to do it out the front of my workshop entertaining the gawkers across the road (tyre fitting place) Otherwise its dodge the showers and gales or try to do it at your customers place if they have room.
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Shelters have bean talked about before.
John
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I’m liking the idea of a cover. Not sure what size or type to go for.
Trouble with me fitting away from the shop is that I carry spares, which reduce profit and add time to what’s a simple job. I’d rather do that than cock something up and have to travel an hour each way to replace it.
Fitting at the shop means we have the materials and machines there as and when.
I’d like some kind of protection from the elements. Its no good arranging to fit a van out then cancel that morning cos of rain.
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We’re OK now as we have a unit but it’s not always been the case.
In the past I’ve thought of the Awning type thing that’s fitted to a camper van.
You’d need a wall to permanently fix it too and if you have that it might be the way to go.
You could even make banner type sides to hang from it to give you more protection from the elements. -
quote John Hughes:Shelters have bean talked about before.John
oh dont you just love those threads with broken image links? 🙄
quick reply here mate…
many years ago when we were based in Glasgow city centre, we had no place to fit vehicles. this wasnt bad because we often fitted them new coming out of car garages so used their premises. some times the customers premises.
However, we often found ourselves stuck!
Blagging our way thru the sale, we would tell the customer we would pick the vehicle up from their premises and return it lettered a few hours later.
we arrived in our car complete with fitting kit and graphics. jumped into the van and drove it to a close by our own premsies, multi-storey car park and fitted it there. once done we returned it. 😀downside of thise these days is that a great many have height restrictions. 😕
another one we have done years gone by is bus/coach depots.
buses are out on the road most of the day and seldom will you see the bays occupied during the day. we had several companies we did graphics on their buses. so we asked them if any time we had a van or large vehicle, could we fit in the bay for a couple of hours and give the guy a £10 or £20 for allowing us too.obviously this wasnt ideal, but got as by way back then…
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It’s something I need to look at.
Fitting all over Manchester at customers is convenient, same with local units. But I find myself cutting spares just in case.
It would be much better if I could fit with all the machinery on site.
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I have hear of people doing mobile signage in vans. would it be an idea to buy a second hand plotter and a laptop and instead of cutting spares to take to a job just take your vinyl rolls with you to a job. if you make a mistake pop into your van and bobs your uncles you have a spare!
Martin
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Spoken to an engineer about this. The trouble is getting a reliable power source to run the machines off.
Generators are OK for running tools, but apparently PC’s etc need a more stable power supply.
Plus it’d be cheaper to get a cover of some sort and do it at our premises. This would reduce costs and I could then subsequently charge the customer less for installation than doing it at their place.
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quote David Hammond:Spoken to an engineer about this. The trouble is getting a reliable power source to run the machines off.Generators are OK for running tools, but apparently PC’s etc need a more stable power supply.
Plus it’d be cheaper to get a cover of some sort and do it at our premises. This would reduce costs and I could then subsequently charge the customer less for installation than doing it at their place.
we have run a lap top and cutter from a honda genny with never had a problem in 15 years
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Cool.
I’ve just got rid of a small 610mm plotter too. Just that I run a Mac and would cost the earth to get a 2nd laptop or buy the software for the PC.
I’m still swaying towards a cover of some type though.
Installing at the customers premises doesn’t always mean there’s shelter. Plus I can charge additional for installing at their location to cover additional costs.
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TBH David
After reading some of your other threads, things are not great where you work from now, you seem to be having a few issues with the landlord etc.
Personally I would rather move to a slightly bigger place at £50 per week extra, than spend several hundred pounds on shelters etc.
The bigger space would provide you with more opportunities and solve your problems in a flash.
@ ROB LOL, fitting in an multy story car park……..
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I have always worked off site, at the premises of the vehicle owner or dealership….take a bit of each colour and if need be hand cut any letters if you need to.
ive fitted under bridges in multistory carparks or anywhere else if the weather is okay…generally customers can always find shelter if they want there vehicle signwritten.
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You’re right Denise.
Trouble is:
1) I am paying really really cheap rent… which I am playing to my favour as it gives me low overheads.
This is good, because it’s giving me time to build up the money to enable me to move.
2) It’s a shop front, which is great for passing business.
Again good because I need to build my customer base, there’s not enough substantial work to survive if I move to a unit.
Things are going OK… work’s picking up, and I am now considering if I can afford an apprentice to help with the work load.
This is priority over moving because I need to continue to offer the same level of service but generate more work, to get more money.
My Customer base is growing and I am now doing work across Manchester, which gives me the option to relocate further away from my current place.
I now have a 0844 number for a variety of reasons, but mainly because I do not own my 0161 number and moving out of the area would cause problems with customers not knowing my new number. 0844 numbers can point to any other number. In all honesty I wish I had done this from day 1.
A move is on the cards, but there’s still a fair way to go… but it’s heading in the right direction.. I just want to make my life as easy as possible, and tolerate the work space I have until I not only have the money but customer base to make moving work.
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I use a Honda generator on site but it can be overkill on some jobs, like recharging batteries, using a heat gun, but I found a rather neat little gizmo from Halfords, " power pack 200" used for tyre inflates , jump starting, but it also has a 12 volt inverter which kicks out 220 volts, but and here is the the thing that sold me on this unit, once fully charged it can provide 220 volts via 13 amp socket, I am still testing it to see how long I can run a laptop off it etc, also scaffold motor for hoisting signs from ground level without ten pairs of hands. All in all it’s proving to be the best little gadget I have come across for a while ( I got it on sale for 1p shy of £100.00)
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I do it outside my workshop if its fine. Try and watch the weather forecast and schedule when its fine. I have a motorsport gazebo which is great for protecting from the rain, but no good if its windy. On a hard surface there is nothing to peg it down so basically useless in any weather you want to use it in except rain without wind, which is rare.
I also have agreements with a couple of garages in two of the main towns near my home where I can Tint or Sign. I always do my tinting in these as that has to be done indoors but the nearest is 20 miles away. been trying for years to find a similar deal with garages or covered area in my home town but no luck yet.
So a variety of options really. -
Get a Gala tent, you will pay about 500 quid for a 6x4m one which will do small vans etc or if you do a lot of hi tops you could get a modular market stall obviously it would have to be a bit bigger height wise but can be adapted.
If you fit off site and have plenty of cash you can get pop up marquees which although will not cover the vehicle entirely it will keep the rain off it but these generally only come with about a 6 and half foot clearance but again can be placed on blocks etc to get the extra height. I have a market stall and a gala tent I have used at festivals and will use those if I ever need to, if the vehicle fits inside you can get a hot air blower to make fitting easier due to temperature.
Or borrow a friends unit, like i do 😉 -
OH, and Stuart.
Just buy some leg weights for your gazebo. plenty of places sell them abotu 25 quid a set, they are water filled plastic weights that clip round the legs and hold it down -
quote Steve Underhill:OH, and Stuart.
Just buy some leg weights for your gazebo. plenty of places sell them abotu 25 quid a set, they are water filled plastic weights that clip round the legs and hold it downI have owned and used both Gala type Tents and motor racing gazebos and find neither suitable even with leg weights.
The Gala tents are too awkward to put up alone and the Gezebo are easy to put up alone in fine weather but when its wet and windy are also impossible to put up at all. I’ve had both take off in the past. Its all very well saying use weights but you have to get it up before you can put the weights on the legs.
One gala tent lifted 3 people off the ground and they had to let go before they too were catapaulted into space. The tent ended up 2 fields away in a mangled heap.
Thay are all great if its just wet but I now wouldn’t attempt to put any sort of tent up in the wind, so they aren’t good enough to be relied on. Borrowing a unit or garage space is the most reliable method for me in bad weather. -
quote Stuart Miller:One gala tent lifted 3 people off the ground and they had to let go before they too were catapaulted into space. The tent ended up 2 fields away in a mangled heap.exactly what happened to me….i had to let go or would have been flattened on the A90 :lol1: if your sheltered then these are ideal if not i wouldnt waste your money. 😀
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quote Steve Underhill:OH, and Stuart.
Just buy some leg weights for your gazebo. plenty of places sell them abotu 25 quid a set, they are water filled plastic weights that clip round the legs and hold it downI get dragged to a few outside classic car shows with the hubby, I have seen tents held down by water filled containers. Buckets filled with stones and fence rubber feet…..
I too have seen stalls take off, I would not fancy paying to repair a new van because of scratches…
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Well, after working at sixteen festivals this year in all kinds of conditions, gales, wet, sunny etc my gala tent has not blown away or damaged anything, and that is putting it up alone and breaking down, also with a gazebo you put the leg weights on before the canvas, as wind does not blow metal frames away but simply blows through the frame……
But all of this is quite invalid as why would you want to be fitting vinyl in a gale of wind?My point was shelter,
if its not raining you don’t need the tent anyway.
If its blowing a gale, dust, dirt, and all other manner of crap will be blowing under your vinyl, not to mention everything flapping anywhere, so unless theres 2 of you fitting it theres not a lot of point anyway, but if there was erecting a marquee would be simple task.
as for time to put up and take down fifteen mins each way I can do it in so half hour as opposed to a wasted day seems like a good choice
but each to their own.🙄
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