Prius as a carpenter's "work truck?"

Short trips less than 5 minutes will get you about 30-35MPG. After the 5 minutes, that's when you get the 50's MPG. The added weight may reduce MPG, especially the roof rack.

My dad's a handyman, he definielty needed a van to carry tools/repair parts, and job supplies, like plywood.

 

even with the rack and a bunch of tools, there aint no van or pickup that will come close to the mileage you will get with a Prius. only thing i would be hesistant about would be the fact that all your tools would be in plain sight. if i were you, i would prefer a van since "out of sight, out of mind" does apply with some people.

 

I spent many years as a carpenter and I think the Prius is a very poor choice for this. I used a ford explorer and it worked ok. A big problem is safety. The Prius suspension is maxed out at 850 lbs. Over this weight and perhaps less on a continual basis will wear it's components out prematurely. Evasive maneuvers will be much more difficult to make and in a head on collision even at 20 mph you can be killed by your unrestrained tools. My tools totalled out at around 1000 lbs. just by themselves. Add your weight and the Prius is bottoming out. A roof rack is just crazy. If you have a long commute you might leave a cheap work truck in town but I was never able to make that work for me. Sorry.

 

I can see how the mpg is attractive to a person who requires a vehicle to make trips back and forth between job sites and the hardware store.

The Prius is definitely not your solution, however. I did a two years in construction and then went into hardware retail with a large chain. I've loaded the vehicles of many general and specialty contractors, and I think you could get away with 850lbs capacity for nearly everything you do as a carpenter if you lugged around your tools wisely. But you will have some jobs where you'll need more! You could push it and risk damage and safety in your vehicle, but that would bite you eventually. You could make two trips, but your time truly is money.

I hate to not recommend a Prius for anything, but really if you're truly going to narrow your choices to hybrids, you'll do much better in the long run to wait it out for a pickup/van hybrid, or at least a SUV hybrid. They are coming.

 

I agree with the preceding analyses.

The Prius is not the right tool for this job.

It is a passenger car, on the borderline between small and medium sized. That's all it is.

 

I’m a retired finish carpenter / estate manager along Sunset Boulevard. My 2005 Gen 2 with 490,000 miles was my work truck. I added a 2” hitch for hauling a trailer to help with 4x8, widows, or doors. I picked up a couple foam pipe insulation tubes when I needed roof racks fast, or to haul a 20’ extension ladder.
I found 800 lb of tools will get most jobs done. I have an inverter connected in back under the cover to keep my 18volt charger plugged in. I have a two wheel “basic box” (weighs 75lbs) for basic hand tools with an integral vise, it’s also a step stool, a number of job specific buckets with Bucket Boss organizers; painting, plumbing, sheet metal, masonry, stair building, etc.
I keep the back seat folded down to make room for my Dog/security system, making room for a 18’ Werner ladder that secures the load of tools when I need to stop faster than the fool in front of me.
My tools enjoy a safe climate controlled environment and they are covered by a clean white painters runner I load or offload them in less than 5 min and convert the car back into a 5 passenger vehicle. My shelves in the garage are designed to hold the buckets. For the past 12 years I’ve saved over $30,000 in gas,that driving an F-150, or Van would have cost me. And I’ve never had to pay extra to license my vehicle. I consider myself a Residential Systems Engineer and my Prius “Electra” real handy man. No mater what the job.

 

Interesting 2 tone color.

Custom job?

Impressive hauling though.

 

I carried a Werner 17 foot ladder in my Gen 2, but it was much easier in the v.

The roof line puts the potentially dirty feet right against the seat backs. I was doing networking, where I had finished interiors and not much dirt.
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000VYDHK

Loaded with all my networking gear, I got about 42 MPG, on 55 MPH roads, very few stops. Both freeway speed and stop and go would have lowered that.

 

We've been active in the Des Moines real estate market and the Prius cars have been a godsend over the last 4-5 years. We've hauled block, strapped stuff on top, moved dirt, moved doors, ladders, you name it. Great function for this kind of stuff. The only thing that I think isn't the best is the lack of the ability to move a 4x8 sheet of plywood or gypsum inside... But hey for 90% of what you need, it works great.

 

I’ve considered using the hitch to support a collapsing 4x support that stores in the back ready for4x8 or a kayak when needed but doesn’t stay on the car as roof racks do.


iPhone ?

 

16 years later and I'm wondering how you fared with this situation. I bought a used 2008 prius with the intention of making it into my work vehicle. I am a carpenter and lug tools and materials around to job sites. Small town so low miles/hour roads and a lot of stop and go. I really want the better gas mileage of a prius - knowing that added weight and drag will reduce it but maybe still better than a pick up truck? If you have an update on what you ended up doing with your prius and if you were successful in making it a handy work vehicle, please let me know

 

I was trying to figure out how to do something like this too. Did you ever get the 4x supports set up? If so, do you have any advice or pictures you would share?

 

It would make a great work truck with one caveat.

you must have a very good hybrid battery. Any substantial weight increase is not an issue with a excellent battery but the car will struggle if it’s the original G2 battery.
The Prius power comes from its battery. It is a joke with a poor battery.

 

Up here I see a lot of Ford Transit, various sizes. Often with roof racks. There’s a Mercedes van too that’s prevalent.

 

I've been using plastic bins to put my tools in. They offer the flexibility of storage of oddly shaped items, i.e. batteries, rolls of tape, gloves, tool bags, etc., with the convienance of handles. The handles make it very easy to pull your tools out without having to touch each and every tool. Plus the plastic container keeps items secure instead of rolling around in hatch area.

 

I’ve always used a wheeled box with Essenchial tools 22x20x16 then I would flank it with tool buckets each with a different trade, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, masonry, up to nine different ones depending on the days activities. It really worked well.

 

I was looking around the web to see if anyone had tried this. I am on the slow, eccentric side and often don't realize I can't do something until after accomplishing it. (ya should see some of my ultra lite vehicles and perfectly good bicycles powered by snow thrower or lawn mower engines. The local cops laugh and wave Or help me up after crash/fire/small explosion etc

Just today I started ordering tools to open a drain cleaning biz. While figuring out what van I could "get away with", read how small could I go. Dawned on me the Prii is just about perfect. 3 machines, sewer is 240 lbs. (PITB to drag up and down stairs and in and out of a truck with me weighing a whopping 130 lbs) 2 remaining machines weigh138 lbs. Add another, I do not know 40 lbs for hand tools and inevitable clutter of a work vehicle. and am at around 400. I am still well below 600 lbs.if I ride in the car while driving.

I am thinking a flat roof rack that has holes instead of protrusions to tie-down. Perhaps solar panels to charge battery operated tools.(?)



Not my Prius. But most likely my future..


LoL. This thread started in 2005.