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Spend a month making a note of what tools you used and needed. That should give you a good idea of what you use most. I know i carried nails and screws around for years before putting the odd stuff in the garage.
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Spend a month making a note of what tools you used and needed. That should give you a good idea of what you use most. I know i carried nails and screws around for years before putting the odd stuff in the garage.
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Go to walmart, kmart, blowes, home despot and get some rubbermaid bins, divide your tools into sections. I.E. drills ,.. cutting tools,.. plumbing,.. electrical,.. ect. Label with big letters in permenant markers and start packing.
these bins( i've been using an assortment of recycling bins) work real handy and help to keep your shop neater as well. In the evening before a job or morning of, you can plan your day accordinly and then go grab the appropriate bins throw them in your truck and off you go. Also it works really good if your working with other folks you can just say , "drivers side , bin labelled so and so, look in there".
*Kevin - when I had a cap on my truck I hinged one side with heavy duty door hinges and used eye bolts on the other side to accept padlocks, at the job site I could lift the cap up and prop it open with a 2x4 giving me access to the whole bed so I didn't have to climb in all the time to find stuff. as far as what tools to carry, when you do your estimating or scheduling make a list of the larger tools you need and when you need them and take a few minutes in the morning to pack.Jim
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Kevin,
I, too, use a small pick up with cap to carry tools, although this year I picked up a landscape type trailer to carry material, leaving the whole truck bed for tools. I prefer to carry as much stuff as I can, because i hate spending that 20 mins per morning thinking the day through as to what i need, finding it, and loading it. Having all my tools with me makes my life easier. Hope no one ever breaks into the truck though!
I just put in some plywood shelves around one side and in the front of the bed, need more but does the job for now. Also removed passenger seat, for stuff and Chuckie the dog when appropriate.
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kevin- Buying something you already have at the shop kinda stinks, but the cost in time and gas calls for it sometimes. I carry a trailer with with my "essentials" (4000 lbs worth) and leave the the truck fairly empty. I can unhitch in a flash and go fetch a bid, a widget, or whatever while the guys are bangin' away. It works for me.
*Agree with Mark. Loading out in the morning is something to avoid if possible. I always forget something. The more you can carry with you the better. One of the neatest rigs I ever saw was a 3/4 or 1 ton service truck body mounted on a trailer chassis. The body I am talking about looks somewhat like a pickup bed but has lockable storage on both sides. Ladder rack on top. Compressor in the bed. Folks who have these bodies tend to keep them when they trade for newer chassis. Every now and then I will see one for sale. Going to grab the next one that comes along.
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Steve and all the rest of you guys. A trailer is the only way to go and I make that statement as someone who has tried pickups, regular vans, box vans (like a Ryder truck), also had a longwheel base 1ton on which I had built a custom body . I have since gone to a 24' enclosed cargo/car hauler trailer and this setup beats anything I haved had previously. The nice thing about it is that you can set up the interior in any way you like as opposed to truck utility bodies where you are always trying to make your tools fit into someone else's design. To handle all the hardware and other items that accumulate but are too good to throw away I built a cabinet of 27 drawers complete with removable dividers and mounted it in the back corner. Also built ladder racks and shelves for various tools and supplies. Have a ladder rack on the top of the trailer for long ladders,pumpjacks etc. This rack is accessible via a permanent ladder mounted on the front of the trailer. My trailer has a flip down ramp on the back along with a side door up front which makes getting things in and out easy. Another advantage to the ramp door is it enables you to build rolling carts for tools and things like tablesaws and not have to have three men and a boy to load your gear. Another major benefit not to be overlooked is that having a rig like this not only makes you more efficient but it impresses the heck out of customers and potential customers. In addition it can be a rolling billboard if you wish. As already mentioned by someone else it's great to just unhook and go when you need to. If you have a crew this also means that even though you leave the trailer is there with tools in case they need something while you are gone. I pull my trailer with a 1ton crewcab but even someone with a half-ton can pull a smaller trailer which can still hold a lot more stuff than a pickup by itself. One last thing is that the locks on a good quality trailer are much more secure than most other systems of tool storage. Try it and see for yourself.
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I have a 3/4 ton LWB ext. cab truck with 2 side boxes and one behind cab (conventional) tool box. I still cannot get everything I need in them and am considering buying a tool trailer. The only problem with the trailer is when you have 2 or 3 jobs going....I keep my nail guns, levels, squares, testing instruments and handtools( saws, screwdrivers, etc) in the box behind tha cab. In the side boxes i keep skil saws, sawzall, hammers, prybars, pipe wrenches and misc. tools. Behind the front seat in the ext. cab goes the tranist, brief case, blue prints, safety glasses, freon gauges and various books. In the front seat goes the coffee bottle, cell phone, checkbook, to do list, 2 kids, backpacks, lunchboxes and various boards with things to get on them. The black hound dog rides in the middle of the bed along with various 2x material, freon jug, tripod, pine straw and selected nuts, bolts and nail gun nails.
P.S......Other than the 2 kids and hound dog...if i had to give up all my tools except 3 i must have:
1) Cellphone
2) Coffee bottle
3) Sawzall
*Wow! The space shuttle travels light compared to some of you guys!How do you deal with the risk someone might drive off with your livelihood, besides insurance?
*The NRA sticker on the bumper has managed to deter those that can read, and possibly even some potential clients too.
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Kevin, What has always worked for me is a bunch of plastic tool boxes that are coded on the outside in big black or contrasting magic marker letters (by coded I mean "ST" for Stapler, "AF" for air framer, etc.) This way when packing, I can organize the back of my truck in the manner I'm going to need for the day. It also simplifies getting the truck loaded by one of the guys - just hand him/her a list of coded boxes and off you go. Fasteners, etc stay in a large Rubbermaide chest in the truck, Hand tools in another. Never had a cap, but always wanted one - I like Jim's idea of the "flip top", but what about a rack??
*In answer to your question regarding someone driving off with your trailer, there are several safeguards that will discourage someone if not send them looking for easier pickings. commercial locks are available to lock out the hitch. Putting a chain thru the two wheels with a padlock (use a hardened chain and a good quality lock) will work if you have a trailer with two or more axles. If you have a single axle trailer jacking it up and removing one wheel works well though it can be a hassle to do this. You can also take the trailer home with you although this destroys some of the convienience of having one. Been pulling mine for two and a half years and have'nt had any problems. I do use good locks and with the locking mechanism that came with the trailer it would be very difficult to break-in the trailer without a lot of tools to work with. As I said most thieves will go looking for easier pickings.
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I run a one-man remodeling show, mostly interior and alot of finish work. I got my dream vehicle last year, a Chevy one-ton extended van. Plywood shelves run all the way down both sides, one section each for painting, electric hand tools, caulk, primer & thinners, clamps, 5gal bucket with trays for all the drywall screws and nails, and all the other essentials. Extension cords hang from bike hooks near the back door and a small stepladder is bungeed in one spot. A couple fishing tackle boxes hold the brads, staples, wire nuts, switch plate screws, pop rivets and ? I took two automotive tool boxes, the three drawer pullout kind with locking front panel from Sears meant to sit on a roll around cabinet, and built them into one section so I can actually find most of the little stuff that used to end up at the bottom of my other buckets and boxes. A 9' straight edge, extension poles, and straight broom sit on top of the shelves. I built the floor up with 3/4" ply over 1x3s on edge so I can carry small trim, corner bead, 6' level, long clamps, etc. underneath. And I can still get a 4x8x12 sheet on edge in the main bed if needed. Aluminum ladder racks go on top and a heavy duty 5x9' open trailer goes behind for shower modules, cabinets, and tear-out. Now if I only had more room I wouldn't have to go to the lumberyard more than twice a day. . .
*Besides insurance , a concealed carry permit seems to work pretty well . Dont have the NRA sticker , but that would probably help . Chuck
*Knew an electrician once who built this real beaut tandem trailer, all closed in with full length roll out drawers at the back that he kept all his cable in. Good idea as it kept all the weight down low, except that the locks he used for the drawers gave way as he's driving along...the drawers fly out the back and the whole centre of gravity shifted in about a half second...rolled the trailer and took his 4X4 he was towing it with along with it....scariest ride of his life, he reckons.
*So the consensus seems to be, if there's room on the truck take it all with you (Whadda you mean my bumper's draging ?) And I agree with everybody who hates to load up in the morning. I'd rather spend that 20 or so minutes here, with a cup of coffee.So now the really tough question, how do you organize the individual tools, or groups of tools. I am considering building several wooden totes for the items that always go in the house together. Pair of cordless drills,batts, bits and charger. Finish and brad nailers, and nails. Half inch drill and big bits, holesaws and well you get the idea. Some of the tools should stay in those big metal boxes that they come in but some just take up too much space. Anybody else do it this way?thanks, Kevin
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Mark, I have a rig almost exactly like yours. The only improvement you could make is SKYLIGHTS! My buddy is a UPS driver and put me on to that one. What a difference!
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I am working on a trailer now (old chevy bed). I can back it into my shop at night. Trying to make the tailgate into a flip down workbench. When I am finnished I will finally have something good from GM, Being pulled by a FORD of course.
*It never fails......Whatever they need, I don't have with me. Sometimes it's easierjust to go buy another one. That's why I have two of mosteverything. We have a large crew of guys working with us. Noteverybody has everything with them all the time. Some of the guys don't like loaning out thier tools, and I don't blame them.But when you need a sawzall, you need a sawzall. I've seen people pulling trailers and that works great if you just have one job. We can have as many as seven going at any one time. The best thing we've found are Knack job boxes that we can chain up to the ladders and table saws at night. I have only lost one to tool theives in all these years. Having said that, I think I'll jump in the truck and go check the job sites. I don't like tempting fate.Ed. Williams
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Kevin,
It sounds like you are on the right track with your idea of building modules for dedicated items. I would recommend you put a lot of thought as to how they will fit into their respective spaces and also as to what needs to be accessible the quickest based on how often you use it. Also if you can put it on wheels do it, (you can always make or buy a light- weight ramp to get the stuff out of your pickup and into the job site.) I would highly recommend Jim Tolpin's "the toolbox book " available from Taunton Press. There are some really good ideas in there that can be adapted to your needs. One other thing you might consider if you are determined to work out of a pickup is a slide out tray for the bed(there are some advertisers for thistype of product in Fine Homebuilding. Above all remember that only you can decide what works for your particular style. Wish you the best.
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I had a metal box madefor the bed of my long bed Chev. the box is about 16 inches tall and 6 feet long and 24inches across with a door on the end nearest the tailgate the door has a welded on hasp for a strong lock and the box is screwed down to the bed from the inside to prevent tampering. I constructed a plywood box sized to fit inside the above. The box rests on about five 18 inch conveyor belt rollers I salvaged from the junkyard and the rollers rest on two 2X4S with notches to hold the roller spindles and space out the rollers. The insert rolls in and out of the box with ease. The box has partitions to separate stuff and works much better than a cross bed box. You can partition the box to fit your needs with the least used stuff in the back. I made a honeycone with 2 X 2 PVC gutter downspouts cut five inches long for the front section of the box this works great for storing screwdrivers, pliers etc.
*I can't even begin to tell you guys how many tools I have in multiple quantities because I forgot mine at home and bought another one close to the job.Then I finally bought a new truck a few months ago. A 1998 Dodge Ram 2500 with a Covered Stahl Bed. It has the outside boxes with locks (3 on each side) plus you can walk into the back which is covered and has locking doors...shelves inside. It's quite the dandy setup. Had my buddy fabrcate a rack for the top and off I went! This truck sat on the dealer's lot for 8 months before I bought it and I kept going back until I got it for what I wanted to spend. Came out to 22,721, with tax, title and tags. This was originally a 30,000 plus truck. the bed sells for 6500.00 from Stahl by itself. Sure has made life easier.Pete Draganic
*Belive it or not I use an explorer that usually gets cleaned & reorganized about every week. I use buckets with the organisers for hand tools. For power tools I have a small compressor, trim & frame guns; portable 10" table saw, sawzall, circular saw,caulk gun,couple of drills, framing square,couple levels & ecxtension cords. I can even keep the seats up the first part of the week. I use a trailer for the big stuff.
*Kevin, Let us know how you made out, there are infinite possibilities. As an aside one of the neatest rigs I've seen was a Dodge van cut off right behind the drivers seat and mated to the last three feet off another van. The owner had a trailer with doors at each in, lots of cubic space and it didn't look to bad.More important than any rigging look at Your desk, or shed or shop and note the style of organizer You are. If there is a place for everything and eveything is in it's place then the truck will reflect that. If You organize by the pile then that is how Your truck will probably look. Accept the obvious and go from there. I've known capable tradesman on both sides of the aisle. Okay how do I do it? I look at the load rating on the truck add 10% and try mightily hard to stay in those bounds. I live in the sticks and work in the city so for me a trip back home is to time consuming. That also should figure into the calculations. Good luck
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In the back of your truck, that is. I am finally taking the time to organize my truck and pack only the tools that I will use I hope, at least on a weekly basis. This means no more hole hawg, no more 9118 door plane, and really no more roto-hammers. I do residential remodeling almost exclusively, and am trying to reduce trips back to the barn for forgotten tools and also get rid of some of the dead weight from the truck. How do you other remodelers set up your trucks? I have a cap and am planning on a pack-rat type of pull out tray so the top of the tool storage area will be open for transporting material when I need to. And have the space for the tools I use only occasionally, like that hinge mortising jig.
thanks, kevin