Mobile workshop / tool trailer...?

[aland75]

As my garage* isn’t big enough, and I often help with house maintenance jobs for friends & family, I’ve had a ‘tool trailer’ for years.
It’s an 8x4x5’ (l,w,h) Ifor Williams, with a door at the front, as well as the rear.
I’ve shelved one side to hold various power tools in cases, my folding table saw, as well as cases of screws, nails, plumbing bits etc etc. There’s a long top shelf useful for pipe, wood, spirit levels etc.
The opposite side has saw horses, workmate, ladders etc.
Also two large leisure batteries and a 3kw inverter.

* The garage is mostly full of tools etc related to cars and metal fabrication stuff

All great, except it’s not big enough. So I’ve recently bought a bigger version, 10x5x6’ (l,w,h). Excellent, except a tight fit to store it. However I can stand up inside it, and it’s longer and wider, and rated to 2700kg 😀
Rough plan is to kit it out with some/most of the shelving from the old one, add a narrow bench down one side, move the tools and electrical stuff across, then sell the old one.

I’m looking for inspiration for how to lay it out, what I should fit, what might be useful etc.
It’ll spend most of the time parked, and needs to function as a mini workshop as well as tool shed, but everything needs to be secure/clamped so it’s safe to tow.
I plan to use 12v LED lighting, and the existing inverter/charger.

So, what would YOU do?

And if anyone might be interested in an Ifor BV84 with or without fitted shelving in a few weeks, let me know!

[aland75]

No suggestions?!
Change of plan. I’ve now sold the 10’ one for pretty much what I bought it for. It was just too big to store at home comfortably.
So now back to the drawing board. Either buy something a bit bigger than what I currently have and cleverly fit it out, or live with what I’ve got, which is rammed. And I can’t stand up in it!

[kevins]

Is it possible to cut a well or even a hatch in the floor to lift out so you stand lower?

For ideas take a look at the various van conversions some are pretty ingenious, one trick which works well is for the bench to fold out the back or even hinge up from the outside. You could even add a canopy for protection, something like the bat wing autoglass use would make an amazing work area.

[jakebmx]

As above a cut out in the floor or how about a camper style pop up roof to give the required headspace?
Doesn’t help with the lack of extra room though, maybe get super creative with the storage and have things fold out of areas that increase the overall storage room?
Hope this makes some sense and doesn’t come across as pointless rambling 👍.
Maybe post a picture up so we can see what you’re working with or maybe it’s just my imagination that isn’t that great.
Good luck with the build.

[luckygti]

I do like this idea, and even though I have a large workshop at the moment, I keep looking at my ever growing list of tools, welder, compressor etc and bricking losing the space! So, bookmarked and watching with interest. Oh, and Pinterest, loads of tool storage options.

[aland75]

Apologies for lack of replies, didn’t get notifications of replies.
The current small trailer is an Ifor Williams BV84 trailer- their box-van trailers have a front door as well as various rear door options. Mine has double doors.
I’ve fitted shelving along the ‘non-door’ side, cunningly positioned to fit my folding Makita table saw under the lower one, along with wheeled toolbox etc.
Next shelf up holds tools in cases, like mains SDS, jigsaw, multi-master etc, as well as cases full of screws, rawlplugs, cable clips etc.
Next shelf up holds plastic boxes full of electrical and plumbing bits.
Top shelf is only 8” from the roof, but is ideal for lengths of pipe, wood, props, spirit levels etc.
All shelf’s have a plywood lip and anchor points for bungees to keep stuff in place.
Opposite wall has stuff like saw-horses, workmate and folding ladders held in place with a ratchet strap.
This all leaves a narrow walkway from one end to the other, which is plenty big enough to carry 8x4 sheets when needed.

I’ve added a 16a mains hookup underneath, power sockets, lighting, wall mounted de-humidifier, 6-way charge for tool batteries etc.

It’s great as a tool shed on wheels, but not so much as a mobile workshop!
I can provide pictures if anyone is interested.
I’m tempted to repeat what I have, but based around the BV85G trailer, which would give me another foot width and height, but be the same length as what I have, therefore could store it where the current one lives.

[llwynogmon]

Might I suggest an old caravan chassis(not expensive) and a fibreglass ex BT Luton Body. Mount the body to the chassis, The bodies are quite spacious and are already semi -fitted out as a workshop. I did this a few years ago it's been very useful.

The bodies are available on E Pay from around £100.

[aland75]

That’s good recycling
I gave up trying to find a tidy BV85 single axle trailer, 6’ high, so ordered a new one, in March. Then COVID happened. ETA now delayed until October!
Just as well I have other projects to keep me busy!

[aland75]

New trailer is finally ready and I collect it tomorrow
However, initially I need to use it as storage so I can empty a 'summer-house' that I use as a workshop, in order to move it, as a new brick garage will eventually get built where it is now.

I've made a crazy contraption from scrap steel to lift the (empty) building in one go, onto 8" castor wheels, so it can then be pushed along the decking it stands on, initially to a temporary position, then to an extended area of decking which doesn't yet exist.
The building is around 2.7 x 2.7 meters, with a diagonal corner where the doors are, so has 5 sides.
I could do another thread about that 'building mover' if anyone is interested?!

[duncanmartin]

That sounds like the sort of thing that would be right at home here.

[aland75]

New trailer:


Plenty of space:


Inside old one, looking from front, currently messy:


New one is 1’ wider and 1’ taller, with roller shutter rather than double doors the old one has.

Old one (BV84) will be up for sale in about a month or two, I can leave shelves in it!