Van-Mounted vs Trailer-Mounted Sewer Jetters: Which Setup Suits Your Plumbing Business?

Water weighs a kilogram per litre. Put 400 litres in the back of a van and you have added 400 kg before the pump, the hose reel, the toolbox or the bloke driving it. That one number settles more sewer jetter purchases in Australia than pressure ratings ever do.

Most contractors ask which jetter to buy. Wrong question. Ask where it lives, because the mounting decides what jobs you can take, where you can park and what you are legally allowed to tow. Here is how van, trailer and flatbed compare for an Australian plumbing business.

Sort the jobs out first, then pick the mounting

Write down your last 20 jetting jobs and note the access on each one. A narrow terrace frontage in Newtown, a basement carpark under a unit block, a council reserve with a locked gate. The pattern in that list is your answer.

Pipe size matters just as much. FlexJET is built for OD 40 mm to OD 300 mm, which covers house drains, laterals, manholes and the sewer lines behind most residential and apartment work. If your bread and butter is 600 mm trunk main flushing, you want a recycler truck instead.

Van mounted: quickest on tight urban work

A van mounted sewer jetter turns up, opens a door and works. Nothing to uncouple, nothing to reverse, no trailer hanging off the back in a one way lane. Your gear also stays locked and dry overnight, which matters more than people admit once a ute gets raided on site.

Payload is where it comes unstuck. Read the GVM off the compliance plate, subtract the kerb weight, and whatever is left has to carry the jetter, the water, the hose and the crew. Plenty of operators only find out they are over when an insurer asks.

Two other things decide it:

• Exhaust. An engine running inside a van body has to vent properly. FlexJET has a front mounted exhaust pipe, so there is nothing extra to pay a fabricator for.
• Height clearance. Basement and strata carparks are signed low, often at or below 2.2 m. A van gets in. A van towing a trailer does not, and you run 60 m of hose from the street.

The trade off is that the van becomes a jetting van. That space is gone.

Trailer mounted: more capacity, more paperwork

A trailer carries a bigger tank than a van comfortably can, and you can drop it on site and take the vehicle away. For a crew running three utes, one shared trailer beats three van fitouts on cost. It is also easier to sell on its own later.

The catch is regulatory and it starts early. Under Australian light vehicle rules a trailer over 750 kg GTM must be fitted with brakes, and above 2 tonnes you are into breakaway systems and all wheel braking, as South Australia’s light vehicle towing regulations spell out. Fill a 600 litre tank and you are close to 750 kg on water alone.

Then there is the daily reality: reversing a braked trailer into a Bondi driveway, finding legal parking in Melbourne’s inner north, extra rego and tyres. None of it is a dealbreaker. It is the price of the capacity, so cost it in before you commit.

Flatbed and tray backs: the middle option

A tray or flatbed suits outfits already running a light truck. Loading is simple with a forklift, servicing access is the best of the three, and the deck can carry a jetter next to a camera reel. What you lose is the weather protection and the lock up security of a van.

Where FlexJET differs on mounting

Most jetters are sold in one configuration and that is what you live with. FlexJET is different. It is a frame built turnkey unit that mounts in the side door or back door of a common van, on a trailer, or on a flatbed truck, and because the unit is light the installation stays simple. It arrives ready to work with electric start, a sewer nozzle, high pressure hose and four channel radio remote control.

Fleets change. A plumber who starts with a trailer and later fits out a dedicated van can move the same frame across instead of buying a second machine.

Put it in plain terms. A van suits residential and strata work with tight access and keeps the unit locked and dry overnight, but the compliance plate decides whether it fits at all. A trailer suits crews who want a bigger tank, or one unit shared across three utes, and it brings the 750 kg brake rule and your towing rating into the decision. A flatbed suits anyone already running a light truck, and needs covers plus a licence check above 4.5 tonnes GVM.

Buy the mounting that matches the work you already win, not the work you hope to win.

Frequently asked questions

1. Can you run a sewer jetter out of a standard work van?

Yes. A FlexJET unit mounts in the side door or back door of a common van, and the front mounted exhaust means no extra installation work. The limit is payload, not fit. Check the GVM on the compliance plate, subtract the kerb weight, and keep the jetter, water and hose inside what is left.

2. Do you need a special licence to tow a trailer mounted jetter?

A standard Australian car licence covers a towing vehicle up to 4.5 tonnes GVM, so most jetter trailers are fine to tow. The trailer is what changes. Brakes are required above 750 kg GTM, and your vehicle’s rated towing capacity has to cover it loaded.

3. What pipe sizes will the FlexJET clear?

FlexJET works on pipes from OD 40 mm to OD 300 mm. That covers house drains, laterals, manholes and sewer lines in residential and apartment buildings, including blockages caused by grease, dirt and roots. Larger trunk mains need a recycler truck.

4. Can a sewer jetter be moved from a trailer to a van later?

Yes, with a frame built unit. FlexJET is designed to mount in a van, on a trailer or on a flatbed, so the same machine moves when your fleet does. Speak to the Austeck service team first, so the mounting and exhaust are set up correctly.

Talk it through before you buy

Tell us the five jobs you do most often and what you currently drive, and we will tell you which mounting fits, including when the honest answer is that you do not need a new sewer jetter yet. Austeck has supplied and backed pipeline gear across Australia and New Zealand since 1992, and after sales support is what customers bring up most.

Call 1800 287 835, 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday, or contact us. You can also read the FlexJET sewer jetter specifications, compare the drain cleaning equipment range, or ask about equipment finance and leasing and service and support.