Clayton Holland didn’t want his drain cleaning business left out in the cold. So he brought it into the warmth of a customized 2004 Mitsubishi FE box van that lets his business, Advanced Hydro-Jet and Rooter Service Inc. in Wadsworth, Ill., keep on trucking during Midwest winters.

The truck carries a skid-mounted waterjetter (4,000 psi/18 gpm), made by Harben Inc., and a hydraulic-powered extendable hose reel that swivels 180 degrees.

“I really wanted the jetter inside the truck instead of on a trailer because I want to work all winter,” says Holland, who spent about two months in 2007 converting the van into a vehicle for both waterjetting and pipelining. “I did all the fabrication myself because I couldn’t afford to take it to someone and have it built for me.”

Maximizing space

The jetter sits on a skid 8 inches above the van floor, allowing room underneath to store a 10-foot stepladder and a pullout ramp. “Every inch of space has a purpose,” says Holland. “If I couldn’t store the ladder there, I’d have to put it on top of the truck, which is impossible because it’s too high to reach, or on top of the jetter, which just isn’t practical.”

Atop the jetter, Holland installed a 10-foot-long, 4-foot-wide aluminum table that he fabricated. He uses it to prepare and wet out CIPP liners from LMK Enterprises. He also pop-riveted plastic storage bins to the interior walls to hold parts and supplies.

For drain cleaning, the van carries a heavy-duty cable drain cleaning machine from Spartan Tool LLC for 3- to 10-inch lines; a RIDGID K-375R drum drain cleaning machine for 2- to 4-inch lines; a Super-Vee handheld drain machine from General Pipe Cleaners; Warthog nozzles from StoneAge Inc.; a RIDGID SeeSnake camera; and a RIDGID NaviTrack Scout locator.

Sharp graphics

“My truck carries 95 percent of all the tools for CIPP relining, televising, jetting, locating and diagnostics,” Holland says. He also owns a 2003 Chevrolet long van that carries lining equipment, in particular a deep freezer for storing bulk resin.

“I needed to set myself apart from my competitors, and jetting and lining give us a big edge,” Holland says. “Without this truck and equipment, I’d probably be like everyone else: basically a guy with a van and a rodding machine.”

A distinctive vinyl truck wrap prominently displays the company’s vanity phone number: 800/GOT-ROOTS, inspired by the well-known “Got milk?” ad campaign.