i am purchasing a 7×14 cargo trailer and will be using for jobsite tool storage. i am looking for any input with regard to design and setup. thanks
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i use afull sized van, but im sure the concepts will be the same,
1. lots of shelves sized for various tool boxes
2. for larger tools such as table saw, chopsaw, compressor etc, space on the floor and above that; a system of horizontal braces for carrying cargo such as sheet goods over the floor tools
3. cabinet storage for essential but rarely used bits and pieces such as spare plugs, blades and other stuff you never need until you cant find it
4. big garbage receptacle at the front accessible from outside through a small door
home depot has wire shelving for closets . turn it upside down and fasten to trailer using brackets made for it. mechanics tool chest with bar in front for locking drawers works great also , coat hooks good for cords. 4' ramp for rooling in wheeled chop saw & table saw + air compressor. Install 2 bolts at top for hooking to trailer so you don't break your neck. Princess auto has a wheeled jack for tongue that has a ratchet & lock device that allows you to hook to hitch on truck all alone . installed one last week & works great ($55.00 can) would seend pictures if i knew how to work puter& camera.
The wire shelves work great but I put 2x4s as supports for mine since they are packed full of tools. Back ramp door is great to along with side door so your not advertising your tool selection to the wrong people when loading or unloading materials. On one side I left the shelving out away from the side maybe 10 inches so I could slide in extra sheets of plywood or sheetrock. I left the shelves up off the bottom to allow room for 50lb boxes of nails and screws and for bigger tools such as an aircompressor. I put in 2 12volt florescent light to because it get pretty dark with no skylights (just another place to breakin through or leak)
Just did a post on another thread, some whining about trailers....but I have 6 1/2 x 12 extra tall and I never leave home without it...LOVE IT...so congrats. As for the set up, not done yet and is always evolving, but some includes: One side has 6 ft work bench with pipe legs flanged to the floor and attached to side. compressor, table saw, miter saw underneath, with a small shelf above the compressor and miter saw, (still under the bench) that holds many tool cases. Above bence is a 6 inch wide shelf with 2 in lip that holds puttys, cans, you name it, and screwed onto the lip of that shelf is a couple of magnetic strips. A must. A 4 or 5 drawer toolbox is great and attached. As for the front, still in construction, but I have 4 or 5 of those plactic drawer bins, and I put dividers in them and that's my hardware store....a must! I have 4 or 5 soft tool bags, one for plumbing, elec., sweating stuff, drill/driver/bits, reg tool bag, so I can just reach in, grab my elec. bag and have most everything in there without having to polk thru the trailer to get certain tools. Then, on other side of trailer, I have small book cartons, from staples, that are divided into for instance, paint stuff, drywall tools and tape, masonry and tile stuff, ect. That also allows me to grab and go. These crate will be on basically "L" brackets my welder and I are making, as the crates can just sit in them without having big or heaving shelving material. A couple of buckets with stackers in them stowed under lowest shelf. Anyway, sorry this got so long, oh yea, put a 1/2 rack on top, put 6" abs pipes with ends, (one set up so I can pull a "false "bottom out easily, that holds sections of pvc, copper pipe, etc. Out of the way, not used a lot, and can be reached with small ladder. Sorry for the long windedness. good luck, you're gonna love it, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!
I just helped a buddy start to organize his new trailer: he was really getting upset after he found out how much the pro systems would cost, or even how much to buy a bunch of shelving. I took him around to a couple of outlets that sell used office furniture and found some really heavy-duty cabinets with roll-out flat shelves and individual drop-down doors (these were made by Storwall), and 2 display shelves (the chrome multi-basket kind they use in the grocery store. We put in three cabinets and 2 shelves alternating and all bolted to the wall. The cabinets lock (1 has a common lock, the other two have individual locks per shelf - he figures he'll get broken into sooner or later and he's hoping to avoid a total loss or at least make it very hard work for the thieves). He also has his old Greenlee job cabinet in there.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
I have built interiors for five trailers over the years, took one apart and did it over again. Everyones use is different, so try to imagine what you will use the trailer for. I do not use my trailer to haul materials other than fasteners, but my air compressor can be hooked up inside and I have 110 volt lites and receps. (Dad was an electrician.) I have found that drawers on full extension heavy duty slides are wonderful for fasteners. I build boxes from plywood, large enough to hold a five lb box of whatever. Build the boxes to fit neatly in the drawer. I have found that a bit of slop in the fit is a good thing because invariably one of them will be left outside in the weather and will swell a bit. These boxes will survive the bumps on the job much better than the cardboard boxes fasteners come in. I also dado my shelves top and bottom and use 1/4 " stock to make dividers. Having frequent dividers will allow you to remove tools and those remaining will not slide around. I dado every 5 inches or so and you can move the dividers to fit your stuff. Keeping things intact while the trailer bumps down the road is harder than you may think. Two inch lips on shelves, upward angled shelves, CATCHES ON DRAWERS, bungee straps, all of these can be used. I would also recommend having the items at hand that you are building spaces for. Space will be at a premium so use every nook and cranny. Small bins are good for holding loose tools such as drywall and concrete. Don't make them too big or you will rummage forever to find your Surform. I build slots to fit levels. T and framing squares, stepladders, transit legs, etc that are accessible from the rear door, keep shelf space for tools and other things that have a predictable shape. Your local big box will have a ton of hooks and hangers for cords and hoses. Make sure you have a good deep hook, that stuff will hop of a small hook as you drive, I have toyed with the idea of using some of the velcro/bungee hose straps to help this problem. Keep heavy stuff like nails near the floor and over the axles to improve the ride, tiedowns cut in the floor and anchored to a 2x6 screwed under the floor will hold a table saw if you use ratchet straps. A reverse plug on the outside and a heavy 8 gauge cord will allow you to electrify the trailer with lites and places to plug in chargers. Lites are great in the winter and on a framing job we leave the noisy comp. in the trailer and run an extra hose or two, this allows enjoyment of our radio. Coiling up a hose is easier than lifting a 5 horse comp. If you build an area for the comp, make sure you can lift the comp. up to access the drain cock. carpet scraps on the floor, hooks on the doors for brooms, the snap holders will not work, drill a hole in the handle about 2 feet from the top and put a loop of rope thru.budget for a new trailer in about 4 years, thats about how long it took me to fill my last 16 footer.
Take care of your tools and they will take care of you.
Good thoughts here. I wired mine for 110 with exterior male recep and ran plug mold the length of it. Put some cabinets in for fasteners, small power tools and charging station. Knock down benches and shelves. Storage beneath the benches and shelves sized to fit milk crates and large storage boxes. Place for spare. Extended tongue for generator and compressor to be mounted with lockdown cover.
Exterior removable ladder to walk on roof with custom racks. Added a backup light for getting into tight spots at night.
7x14 is the size I went shopping for but I found that the 8.5 wide has the same exterior wheelbase. The extra width allows workbenches on both sides with plenty of space between. I also found that the increase in price for a 16 footer was minor and then decided I needed and 18 to get 16 foot materials, ladders etc. inside. I got talked out of 10000# axel setup and regret not getting it, but it wasn't an inexpensive upgrade.
I'll try posting a pic.
Tom
here is a couple of pics of mine. Keep in mind I dont leave this at any site over night. I have had to many tools stolen before and will go the extra step to make sure it doesnt happen again.
I win. Mine's sloppier. What can I say, its a work in progress. Tom
Make sure you figure out how to secure it. Some framers near here lost a whole trailer a few weeks ago. The thieves hooked up to the trailer and took off with the whole thing. Cops haven't found it.
All these guys with six pack abs, and I'm the only one with a keg.
If it is a ball hitch, get a locking hitch cover. Now, get a receiver hitch tube with the correct size ball in it. This can now be locked in the hitch (with the tube of to one side so it will be seen before backing the truck up to it). (Coat of hi-viz paint not a bad idea, either.) Makes a nice place to toss the safety chains, too. This makes a nice visual clue, if anyone has been messing with the trailer (no matter where it is parked).
LoJak is not a bad idea for the trailer, in some locations (may not get the hand tools back, but not replacing the trailer is worth something).
To the subject of the thread: I like to get a slightly better set of wheels on the trailer, and repack the hubs with heavy-duty and/or waterproof grease. Check with the local sign outfits, you can often get a pretty good deal on graphics for the trailer, nothing like free advertising (and the police will notice faster if "your" trailer is pulled up behind the pawn shop, too). (Sign guy often need shelving or storage work, and can often work "for trade.")
Getting the interlocking rubber floor mats for the trailer is also a nice touch. They clean up better than bare wood or carpet. Being sectional, you can adjust the pattern, or pull them up to deal with spills.
If the compressor is mounted in the trailer, get a box fabricated to take the hoses through the side of the trailer (short hose from comp to box, QDs on outside). This keeps hoses from being a trip hazard in the doors. Also, running a dedicated drain line is not a bad idea.
Ventilation is not a bad idea, either, especially in warmer (or damper) climates. Get a trailer dolly for when the trailer is at "home." Being able to maneuver the trailer even a little bit helps a bunch. While thinking about maneuvering trailers, consider a receiver hitch for the front of the truck. Being able to see where the trailer is going can be a real help.
Sorry for the long post--I've spent a lifetime around trailers it seems.
My concrete sub tells me they weld a tube for a reciever hitch to the end of all of their trailers. Mostly, this is so they can hitch all of the trailers together in the yard. But, they also do this when they take a flatbed to the site &need to leave it--it gets hitched & padlocked to the job trailer on site.