I am considering purchasing a cargo trailer for my carpentry and roofing/sheet metal needs.
I am looking for pictures of your interior layout and what works best for you.
Thanx.
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I have a box truck with a 14' bed and I bought shelving from Weatherguard and they are the best things I've ever spent money on because I can fit every tool I own in there plus my compressors and ladders.
They have all different sizes and widths for whatever you want. I Lay mine out exactly for what tools I had and the right side of the van in front of my shelves is where I put my compressor. You can tell by how dirty the shelves are on the right side.They will fit in any trailer also.
The little tuff guy is my son.
http://www.knaacksecure.com/content.cfm?page_id=16&subcategory_id=23
Thats a great setup. What years that ford ? Looks Mid 80's like my F250. They are super strong trucks. I'd love to get a setup like that.
Headstong, I'll take on anyone!
The pickup is a 97 and the box truck is a 89 with a fiberglass body.Where you from? I'm in Caldwell.I bought all the shelving and most of my tools from Northeastern Hardware in Morristowwn.Joe Carola
I'm in South Hackensack. I go American Van for my equipment. They have great van and box truck gear. I'm thinking of buying a van. I do mostly repair work instead of remodeling work. But' I'll always keep the tank I have.
Headstong, I'll take on anyone!
Is that the American Van on 46 West in South Hackensack? That's where I bought my tool boxes from and my System-One Racks from. Carl is the owner there.Joe Carola
Edited 11/19/2005 9:38 pm ET by Framer
Yeah that's it. I live close to there. I bought 2 system one racks from him. The first for my Ranger the second for my F250. I also bought my lowboy boxes for my Ranger and the topsiders for my tank. I knew him from a bar in Clifton I used to go to. He's a good guy.
Headstong, I'll take on anyone!
I've been thinking along similar lines as a box or cube van...but with gas the price it is I wonder about the efficiency of hauling everything around all the time. There's also a recent post re theft - having my name on the side looks as if you're saying "come and get it". What a sorry state.All the best...
To those who know - this may be obvious. To those who don't - I hope I've helped.
I actually thought that was your personal collector for late pays .
View Image
Fairly awesome, that.
The heck, you say?
GD, the only thing you are missing is one of those quick shelter setups.
A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of coloured ribbon. - Napoleon Boneparte
My company truck is a 1ton 99GMC Savanaha with
a 10' body and cab over. My layout would also work for a
trailer. sorry about the size of pics
Edited 11/20/2005 5:06 am ET by butch
Here it is resized.
Headstong, I'll take on anyone!
Good effort, 'cept it's BIGGER than the original - LOL! I think you meant to save as JPEG, not BMP, like this...
Thanks for the resize
It opens the same size. I have Cable so it opens just as fast. I just checked the physical size of the picture not the kb size. Sorry but i had no problem.
Headstong, I'll take on anyone!
here's our 7 x 14... crammed with stuff.. and we use most of it... just not on every job..
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Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 12/9/2005 3:23 pm ET by MikeSmith
Edited 12/9/2005 3:24 pm ET by MikeSmith
The V-front trailers are great. Go with an extra tall model so you can stand up inside. The E-track is a bonus as well. I bought a Wells Cargo with several pages of options including a 30AMP subpanel, insulation, and full lining.
My complaints with my Wells Cargo trailer are that it wasn't factory undercoated and the frame needed additional welding. The frame was spot welded in several areas rather than full pass welded. Less than a year later, the underneath was covered in rust. The trailer still needs to be inspected by a licensed commercial trailer inspector for about $100 because of the welding on the frame. Wells Cargo refuses to pay the inspection bill because they say that it was inspected in the factory. The response to preparing the surface for the undercoating was to tell me that it was acid washed on the assembly line. The time span and the accumulation of surface rust didn't seem to phase the warranty and service representative.
Wells Cargo's response to the absence of undercoating was to send my dealer some cans of aerosol undercoating paint. No sandblasting, no rust removal, and no preparation. (The website and brochure point out and boast the quality of the acid wash.) Undercoating is supposed to be a standard feature but it wasn't done on my trailer. Double check before you accept delivery! Very disappointed with the service from Wells Cargo warranty department. My dealer in Saskatoon seemed very embarrassed with the incident. My next trailer will probably be a Wells Cargo but I'll be making it very clear that the factory needs to inspect it before they initial the check list and ship it out.
Up until recently, I was telling everyone to pay the extra premium for a Wells Cargo trailer. Now, I keep quiet. I'm embarrassed that I didn't spot such a obvious flaw when I picked up the trailer. Hopefully I don't run into any more problems...
Douglas Tompson in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Wow! Sorry to hear about the customer service. If I can ever find a storage place I am planning on getting a trailer. After much shopping and comparing I had decided to go with Wells Cargo but I dont know if I want that hassle.
Other surprises on my shoping trips:
My local Pace dealer still hasnt given me a price (only been 3 months).
Looked at a Haulmark, brand new, cold day. Once I was able to pry one of the frozen doors open, the seal came off the door and stuck to the body.
Many others IMO didnt even compare to Wells.
been pretty happy with my CarMate... only thing i'd change is go for the Vee-noseMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
With the pile of debris in my van, i'd be happy with any trailer.
Gotta find a place to store one. I dont know if I looked into CarMate.
What kind of price range are they in? Are they cheaper than the wells cargos?
yes... i think our 7x14 was about $4500..
double -e-track.... roof racks, elec. brakes, dual axle, side door, dbl. back door.....
we load it up ... pull it with F150'sMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Thats a pretty good price. I was looking at about what you have but it was 16'. Wells came in at about $6700-7000.
msa... 16' is big.. if i had it to do over, i'd stick with the size i got but opt for the vee- nose cone...
i definitely know i'm pulling a lot of trailer when i haul this thing up the road
here's the specs if you're interested.....
http://www.carmate-trailers.com/trailers/cargo-trailers/700hdspecs.cfm
don't see any vee-nose, but i gotta think they have it
in the Advantage series they have the wedge-nose..
prettty slick ... check out the factory installed bunkbeds under the "bike week " photos...
http://www.carmate-trailers.com/gallery/gallery_listing.cfm?ID=49&start=1
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 12/11/2005 10:23 am ET by MikeSmith
Edited 12/11/2005 10:35 am ET by MikeSmith
They look like pretty good trailers. The nearest dealer to me is about 95 miles away. I can see size being an issue as far as parking at the big boxes and clients houses, but I wouldnt be too worried about moving it I used to drive semi.
All this gets me excited but I still dont have a parking space......
Park it at my house. ;)
Thanks, that'll be convienient.:) How far are you from MI?
Not too far. I swear. Just call before you wanna come pick it up. {G}
I had been thinking of getting a truck cap and stumbled upon a WellsCargo 5x10 trailer at an auto auction.Rear ramp, side door, nose cone, spare tire, Goodyear tires - was set up as a motorcycle hauler. Would have retailed for about $4300 - I picked it up for $1700.Smaller than I would've bought - but good timing. I sheeted it with 3/4 plywood, made a shelf in the nose cone and built a 5x8.5 sheetgoods rack with rollers on the bottom on the left side of the trailer.Sort of wish I had doors on the back so I could have more hanging storage, but the ramp is nice for when I wheel out the tablesaw or other heavy stuff.I'm 6' 4", so I'm not spending a lot of time walking around in it, but it's not too bad getting through it in daily use. I mounted three ladder rack sections on the top and carry around a 28' extension and a 7-13' combo ladder at all times.I can keep a 10' brake on top to when needed.JT
Here's a few pics...Wells Cargo 5x10 single axle
Thats a cool set up. I never really considered a smaller unit. I was picturing a work bench inside and walking room. Looking at what you have is enticing, I could fit that in my garage and my stuff would fit.
When I first started looking, I was thinking that a 6 or 7 x 12 or 14 would be the ticket - workbench, etc.Then I ran into this one and at the price decided to jump on it. I'm a one man remodeling guy, and this'll hold just about everything I need at all times.Because it's small, I constantly have to revise and revamp the organization. I'm always looking for the better case, better layout, better organizers, etc.It's not for hanging out in, but I can get in and out of it pretty easily, and it eliminates wasting space.Is it perfect? No, but it does have it's advantages - easy to tow, with the wheel on the jack, I can push it around my driveway by hand, and it fits in places others might not.JT
I'll play...
I've got a relatively small trailer but with some organizational skills it works really well. It's a 6.5 X 12' but it's a V-Nose which adds fairly substantial amount of space. I built a workbench with cabinet under up in the V-nose. In that cabinet is bulky items like cases of nails, sledgehammers, ladder jacks, lally cutter etc. With 6.5' ceilings, it's nice to walk around comfortably in there.
It also helps that my truck is a service body so all the hand tools and smaller power tools stay on the truck like circ saws, and nailers.
What make is your trailer? After reading the post about the welds, it makes me wonder about how the different manufacturers put their trailers together.
This might be a good comparison article for FHB. I know that cargo trailers have become real popular in the past couple of years.
Do you ever leave your trailer at the site, or does it make the trip back and forth with you every day?
What options do you think are worth getting?
Thanks.
If it wasn’t for the Bank Payments,
Interest, Taxes, Wages, and Fuel Costs,
I wouldn’t have to charge you!!
Mine is a CargoPro and I've been really really happy with it for the (almost) two years I've had it.
I have a Trailer Dog self contained alarm system in it, but I still don't leave it on site very often. The only time I will is when we are framing an addition to a house with occupants living in it at the time of the work. It can be a pain to drag it back and forth, but not as much of a pain as getting all my stuff swiped or getting to the job and realizing you don't have the one tool you really really need that day.
I highly recommend getting a dual axle trailer. They balance the load better, track better, and are easier to maneuver. I also recommend getting electric brakes and torsion axles. The axles and E-brakes are often standard on some of the better brands.
Another thing I recommend is getting a trailer with 'seamless' aluminum walls. No exposed rivets. As far as whether to get barn doors or a ramp door, I think that is a personal preference. On the rare occasion that I have to load something heavy into the trailer by myself, I sure wish I had the ramp. But most of the time my trailer is parked on a rough graded site where the ramp would take an awful beating and probably end up out of shape and not sealing properly. Hence the reason why I went with the barn doors.
A side door is also another nice option. Nice for "sneaking" in to grab a small item if the azz of the trailer is blocked with the larger stuff. I also highly recommend you look at the ceiling height of the trailers you are considering. To be able to stand up right comfortably in your trailer is key. I often use the workbench to unroll drawings and prints or to go over paperwork with the GC when the weather is nasty. It's nice to not be all hunched over when you're wrestling you tablesaw out of there too.
I paid extra for ladder racks on top of my trailer and now wish I didn't waste my money. I think they are a great idea if you have a trailer with a walk-on roof, but mine isn't a walk-on. Since getting racks on my new truck, the trailer racks have been bare. It's just a PIA to try and strap anything down up there because you have to do it off a ladder and keep moving the ladder to each tie-down point. Usually scratching the heck out of your trailer in the process. If I had a huge ladder stack or maybe a bunch of aluminum staging planks and pumpjacks to tote around, it might be just the thing. But it's unnecessary for what I do. My Proctor walls jacks and 24' ladder are much more likely to be used now that they are more accessible up on my truck.
I also bought mine with plywood already installed on the walls. They did a nice clean job and while I don't remember what it cost me, I remember thinking it was worth the extra $ even though it's something you could do yourself.
Another thing I wish I had done before we set it up and got busy with it, is to roll out a coat of Herculiner (DIY truckbed liner) on the floor and 6" or so up the wall to help preserve the floor and make it a little more durable. I keep saying I'm going to get to it, but it hasn't happened so far.
Personally, I'd buy another CargoPro in a heartbeat. In fact I wouldn't even look too closely at another trailer. Not because I don't trust any other brand, but because this one has proven to be a good value and has withstood some pretty good daily abuse. It was money well spent. CargoPro was one of the more expensive brands I looked at, but like I said.... sometimes you get what you pay for. The fit and finish is great. The welds are strong and beefy and I have no complaints on the materials used in it's construction. Take it for what it's worth, but I have a BIL who is an engineer and hobby welder. He said that it looks like they did a nice job putting the trailer together. Like I said... take that for what it's worth. I did, but it was still nice to hear.
The V-Nose is nice too. It wasn't much more than a regular 12'er and offers a pretty significant increase in usable space. Like I said, I used that space to create a huge cabinet and a workbench and it still leaves me with the full 12' box to work with. If I open the cabinet door and angle things just right, I can fit a bit of 16' stock in the trailer. Not a whole lot, but if I just needed a few sticks of something I could get them in there. With the racks on the truck now I'll probably never have the need again.
My trailer with the missing welds was a Wells Cargo trailer. (8' x 14' w/ V-front and several pages of options. ) I still think that their average trailer is good to above average quality. However, mistakes happen. What separates a good company from a bad company is whether they make good on their mistakes. Wells Cargo hasn't and I've given them every opportunity.
I'm going to have to spend my own money to get a brand new (less than a year old) trailer recertified because the frame wasn't welded properly in the factory. I suppose I could ignore the rules but I believe some rules aren't meant to be broken. If you start doing welding on the structural frame, it should be inspected by a licensed third party inspector.
Wells Cargo's slogan is "Never Look Back". This is accurate for their sales and service department. Once the sale is made, they don't look back at maintaining it!
I wonder if anyone (with authority to make things right) from their firm monitors online posting. If so, I'd be happy to report their efforts and repairs! Until then, be very careful!
Douglas in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
When I was shopping for a trailer, I considered Wells Cargo, but didn't buy. Now I'm glad I didn't ! Thanks for the heads-up.
I have a 5 x 10 Horton Hauler with extra height. I went w/ this size due to parking issues. I set this up w/ closetmaid shelving which has not been a problem. I used standards on every steel rib of the trailer. for shelving I inverted the shelves to create a lip so stuff does not slide off. I chose to organize some tools in large buckets so I can have all my drills and drill accessories in one box. Same goes for my spare circ saw, jig saw & blades for all in another bucket. I chose plastic shoe boxes for all fasteners and med. sized storage boxes for other types of tools in a similar category(cutting, measuring, etc.) On the left I chose to store stand mounted saws on the floor with 2 long shelves for longer tools(levels/straight edges) and the fasteners. The bottom right floor is where I store all the air tool fasteners. I made 2 ramps so I can remove the stand mounted saws by myself and then they can be placed over sawhorses to make a work surface. I used angle iron screwed to the ribs of the trailer to secure the saws to the walls w/ chains to prevent movement. I find the shelving to be very convenient. There's always somewhere to fasten a bungee to. Anyway...good luck. now I'll try to attach a few pics. --George-- in RI
Edited 12/14/2005 9:13 am ET by glsstep
Well... I just viewed the last message I sent out and had a good chuckle over the size of the pics. Sorry the're so big but you can look at ALL the details. I wish I knew how to resize them.
To resize images, if you do not have photoshop elements or similar, go to versiontracker.com, search under windows software for resize or similar term. You will find a few freeware programs that will allow for quick resize of your image files.Or, if you have some sort of image editing/viewing program that you already use, try and find an option for "email photos" or something similar that will do the resize for you.Or, if you are taking the pics merely to show up here, than set your camera at it's lowest resolution and they'll be much better suited to sharing here.JT
Greetings gl,
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=24441.1
is an old thread here on Breaktime that includes a lot of data on posting pics and the Irfanview download.
Dialup patrons of the forum cannot download real large files or will take excessive time.
Two things are necessary to assist the dialups with your photos. Making sure that the set file association is set to jpgs if you are using the Irfanview system.
The other is to keep the KG picture size to preferably 50 to 75 KGs.
'Nemo me impune lacesset'No one will provoke me with impunity
Hey Razzman, thanks for taking care of the pics for me. MUCH appreciated. I'll keep working on my computer/picture skills now that you took care of these, I have some time on my hands.
Just curious, but I saw your belt hanging up there in the trailer and didn't recognize it. What kind of rig is that you wear?
Nice looking trailer set-up, BTW. Looks very organized.
Nice looking trailer set-up, BTW. Looks very organized.
You are the reason I wouldnt show W this thread , you neat nic.
<G>
Tim
Keeping organized keeps me sane. You wanna see me flip my lid and blow a gasket? Let me look for a tool that I need and not be able to find it. Instant freakshow. Grown men scatter. {G}
That is my new belt I believe it's called a "Mullet Buster" from Bucket Boss thru Amazon. Check it out there. Good belt for the price. Thanks for the compliment on the trailer. It has to be organized because there is no room for a mess.
Looks like a good rig. I always think about getting a setup with suspenders. But then this visual image pops in my head:
About four or five years ago I stopped by my old bosses house to pick up something. He was out back mowing his lawn bare chested. He had on untied workboots with no socks, a pair of cut-off purple sweatpants that were too tight, a Newport hanging from the corner of his mouth..... and this big white "X" on his otherwise bronzed back. Hilarious. He just stopped giving an F about 10 years ago and hasn't look back since.
So I guess I'm saying that the suspender rig sounds great in the winter, but maybe I'm too vain to wear one in the summer and end up with that big white "X". Seems like it might be hot too.
The suspenders are secured to the belt w/ heavy duty clips. The rig can be used w/ or w/o the suspenders. Both the belt and the suspenders have a spot for a small cell phone. BTW... very funny visual.
Do what everyone on my crew does. Suspenders in winter or any time you still have clothes on. When shirts come off so do the suspenders. You're not the only vain framer out there.Greg
Do the standards and shelves stay attached when you tow over bumpy roads?
Absolutely... I cable tied them to each other. Another benefit of this system is that in about a 1/2 hr, I could be down to bare walls if I needed the trailer for another purpose.