Tool Trailer...Shaken and Stirred - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

jcalvin · 06-12-2009, 01:49 PM

I am getting tired of having to dig through a pile of tools to find whatever it is that I need. I have tried everything I can think of to keep them tied down in the enc. trailer so they aren't all over the place. I am a little picky about storing my tools and am not a fan of a tool bag that they all just pile up in. What do you all use to secure the small stuff? I am talking about tip snip, chisels, pry bars, dry wall saws, utility knives...

steves · 06-12-2009, 02:16 PM

Have you tried the mechanic tool chests
sears has a ton of different sizes, with different draw configurations

JonM · 06-12-2009, 02:32 PM

Get an office job....end of problem...

Warren · 06-12-2009, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonM

Get an office job....end of problem...

Or a purse!

WarnerConstInc. · 06-12-2009, 04:40 PM

Veto Pro Pac.

GnB Co. · 06-12-2009, 05:27 PM

I use a tool chest that is strapped down in my trailer, (just make sure you lock the drawers) Also organized tool buckets help alot too, 1 For siding tools, 1 For Roofing tools etc etc. I have also built shelves with a locking face so all my nailers, drills, and bigger items stay in place, But really no matter what you build, buy or how organized you are you will still always deal with looking for the right tool for your job.

Santa's Helpers · 06-12-2009, 05:35 PM

I use the mechanics tool chest from Sears. I am too lazy to lock them so I bought the grip latch line. Each drawer has a catch that keeps the drawer closed. It's about twice the price of the others but, I went through 2 other setups that broke because the drawers opened in transit and then fell out or ruined the guides.
I hope this helps.
Jeff

MetalBender · 06-12-2009, 09:56 PM

I have shelves that lean back towards the wall of my trailer with a 1x2 ledge on the front. Also milk grates attached to the walls with a 1x2 across the front and my work bench has trays with 2x4 dividers. Slots in the bench for snips and speed SQ's, hooks for roofing guns and staplers, old pouches screwed to the walls and door for misc. small stuff(nail set, pencils, knives), and a bent piece of metal to hold tape measures and chalk lines from their clips(i remove the clips from bad tapes for chalk lines). Even have a few bolts sticking out to hang pouches on around inside trailer. Oh yeah a tile stair termination strip is for my screw drivers and caulking guns. Ice buckets from motels provide colored nail storage, they ride on the bench and pack themselves very tight over time.

jaros bros. · 06-13-2009, 09:52 AM

I currently have three lunchbox style toolboxes. One is for screwdrivers and stanley knives. One is for any type of tool that is a handtool. The last one is for miscellaneous and metal folding tools. I have other boxes set aside for other things. Usually, the first two will cover any situation I run into.

Mike Finley · 06-13-2009, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcalvin

I am getting tired of having to dig through a pile of tools to find whatever it is that I need. I have tried everything I can think of to keep them tied down in the enc. trailer so they aren't all over the place. I am a little picky about storing my tools and am not a fan of a tool bag that they all just pile up in. What do you all use to secure the small stuff? I am talking about tip snip, chisels, pry bars, dry wall saws, utility knives...

I don't know how you work, but from years of trial and error what works the best for us is having tools divided up for their intended purpose and keeping them all together that way.

Prybars, scrapers, old rusty drywall knives, crow bars, tin snips, etc... are all demo tools and go together in a demo box/bag

Drywall saws, drywall knives, drywall pans... etc... are all drywall tools and go together in a drywall box/bag

Sometimes to do this you have to have some redundancy which initially costs you a little more out of pocket but you will get back in the increased productivity.

For example a drywall saw is a good tool to have in your drywall kit, but it's also a nice tool to have a 2nd one in your electrical kit. Same with screwdrivers, we keep 2 complete sets, one in the electrical kit and one in the plumbing kit. Or for example in our texture kit we always need a big honk'n flat head screw driver to take apart the sprayer to clean it, instead of having to always go search around for the one big flat head screw driver you won, there is an extra one dedicated in the texture kit always there.

It's way easier to pull out one box/bag/tool box dedicated to certain tasks and have everything you need right there, then trying to run to your trailer/truck every 30 seconds for what you forgot or discover you need to complete the task at hand, or trying to guess what all the tools you need to do something and gather them all up one at a time.

Utility knives are hand tools that like your tape, should be in your bags on your person at all times.

MarkNoV · 06-13-2009, 02:57 PM

I cut up canvas bucket organizers and hang them all over the place

Mark

WarnerConstInc. · 06-13-2009, 03:20 PM

Holy hot pink milk crate.

Does your daughter know you took that from her?

RCPainting · 06-13-2009, 03:34 PM

We went thru wire shelves, crates, wood shelves until we saw these plastic "dressers" at a store. They work perfect, they can be labeled easily, are lightwieght and inexpensive. A lot depends on how you use your trailer, the first year of using we probably changed several times.
There is another thread with lots of pics here.

Mike Finley · 06-13-2009, 07:12 PM

Yow, you guys must be very dainty, those plastic things would be broken, scratched, missing the handles and all busted up in 1 month with us.

RCPainting · 06-13-2009, 08:45 PM

You know how it is with painters, lowest bar to entry and all!

The boys are far from dainty!
This trailer has been used hard for a year doing NC, production and Commercial.