We know from personal experience how valuable a grip truck is to a film production team. We offer a variety of grip truck rental packages for teams to rent when they’re working in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In this post, we’re sharing the key advantages of a grip truck, and how you can estimate the best size for your next project.
The Key Advantages of a Grip Truck
Grip trucks conveniently store all the necessary equipment for a production team, and every grip truck is built with special transport features like crates, carts, and racks.
This systematic storage of equipment has a second and important advantage beyond equipment protection. It provides the ability to quickly spot and retrieve items as needed. On a busy film set, this is a huge perk.
But what size grip truck is most appropriate for your particular production needs? Let’s take a look at how you can best estimate this before placing your rental order.
Selecting Your Grip Truck Size
In general, you want to look for a grip truck with a good layout where you can easily locate the equipment you need. You also want to consider the quantity of carts and crates included with the truck, and the amount of additional equipment you’ll be renting and adding to the truck.
In terms of how many tons you need for your grip truck selection, here is some general guidance we use.
1-ton to 3-ton grip trucks are best for handling small to medium film production jobs like music videos, short commercials and films, and photo shoots.
We carry a few great options for rent at the 1-ton size. We have both a sprinter van and a sprinter box truck. Both come with liftgates for ease of equipment removal.
We also carry a larger 2-ton 16 foot box truck that’s low profile and has the capacity to tow a generator. It includes a basic and expendables package, and is also available in a 3.5-ton package.
Larger 4-ton to 10-ton trucks are better for large film production jobs like feature films.
At this size, we carry several options. (Please note that a Class A driver’s license is required for all of them except the 4-ton truck.) The options are:
- A 4-ton 20-foot box truck with the capacity to tow a generator.
- A 5-ton 28-foot box truck with a large inventory of gear that has the capability to tow generators.
- A 5-ton electric truck that’s empty and built with shelving you can fill to meet your custom lighting equipment needs.
- A 10-ton 34-foot box truck with the capability to transport a large equipment package and tow generators.
- A 10-ton electric truck that’s empty, built out with shelving, and can handle any size job. It has the ability to tow a generator to your location.
We then have a few other vehicles available for specific needs:
- Our 4-wheel drive pickup truck with a lumber rack can tow generators to your location.
- Our 16-foot cube truck includes a liftgate.
- A 17-foot cube truck includes both a liftgate and an additional 3-foot storage space over the cab.
These guidelines should help you determine the best grip truck size for your next film production. If you happen to be working in the San Francisco Bay Area, or have plans to shoot in the area, we welcome you to contact us for your grip truck rental needs.