A Tool Box Teardrop

[Mr. Lahey]

Starting this journal for an upcoming build. I wanted to share my plans/ideas and look forward to any input from forum members.

I got myself in trouble by using the search engine in the for sale by others section of this forum. I am already deep into a teardrop camper build right now. I am on target so far to complete it for fall of 2019. Mostly because I have an unheated shop. So I have to park it for the winter.

While killing time one night I was browsing teardrops for sale. BAM!! I run into this beauty located a couple hours from my house. Beside it's look it was priced very very reasonable. So I had to go look

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[Mr. Lahey]

It is all brand new from the tires to the roof. It even has a custom frame with a 4" drop channel in it for the axle. You can't see it in the pic's but this thing sits low. Very cool profile. It's 5' 7" wide and 10' long. The walls are 1/2" birch ply and the roof and hatch are skinned with 1/4 inch birch ply. The ceiling is insulated with 2" foam. It is painted in white primer over the birch. The prior owner was a skilled do it your selfer and did some very nice work.

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[Mr. Lahey]

So I bought it with the intent to finish the galley and cabin cabinets, and then sell it. As I started planing what I would do a thought crossed my mind. I make part of my living managing/maintaining some rental property. I have been been thinking of buying a small cargo trailer to store and haul all my tools in. I never did for several reasons. First was the cost. Second was it would need to sit outside in my yard year round for me too look at. Too tall for my garage.

As I looked at the inside the new tear, I started to envision a doable plan to make this my mobile tool box.

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[Mr. Lahey]

My first concern was total weight. Prior owner weighed it as it sits at 850lbs. The trailer has a 2000lb axle. So I set out to figure how much weight in tools I wanted to put in it. Things like my portable 10" contractors table saw, miter saw and stand, pancake compressor, and a slew of hand tools.

So while watching TV one night I made a list of all the tools I want to carry in it. I then went on Harbor Freight tools web site and looked up similar tools. Since they ship every item they sell, they all had shipping weights listed. I came up with 393lbs of tools and equipment I want to put in it. Still left me 600-700lbs of capacity.

Next up I looked at shelving, storage fixtures etc. I have already made some very light yet very strong shelf units out of some 1/2" thick x 6' long cedar fence pickets for framing. The pickets are feather light. Then I glue/staple 1/4 thick plywood to the cedar frames for the shelves. I think I get get all the storage fixtures/shelves built for 75lbs or less in material weight.

So that left over 600lbs for spare tire, nuts, bolts, screws, extension cords, cooler for drinks and food, couple lawn chairs, and job supplies. Mathematically this thing will do the job.

Now I was getting pumped up about the plan. If I do this right I could end up with a really cool looking, yet very practical and functional tool box on wheels. Plus it will stow in my garage when not on the road. I will also just really use it as a tool box at home too.. I will leave my stuff stored in it, and take tools out as I need them when at home.

[Mr. Lahey]

So for now the future tool box tear sits tucked away in my girlfriends garage.

There it will stay until I finish the camper I am building now. For now I just want to post some plans/ideas in this journal, as I think over how I will finish it out. I hope board member will chime in with their thoughts on the build.

[ojgrsoi]

Cool.

[Pmullen503]

You might want to rework the back so the opening is flush with the floor. That way you don't have to lift tools or materials over the high sill in the back.

[Mr. Lahey]

I thought about the rear load thing too. I think I've got a very workable solution for it too. The biggest item to get in and out of the tear is the portable table saw. I have this one below.

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I think I can wheel it to the back of the tear, back it up to the hatch opening and lay the handles on the opening. Then come around and lift it up by the bottom handle and slide it into the tear. I'm even considering having the floor drop down an couple inches or two. I want to create a pocket or bay to help keep the saw in place while traveling. So it kind of drops into it's pocket and stays put. Removing it would just be lifting it by that large lower handle over the pocket lip. Then sliding it out and down till the wheels touch down. Plus it's really not that heavy a saw. Has a cast aluminum table. It's more bulky than heavy.

About the only things to go in and out the rear door would be the table saw and miter saw. The miter saw is only 30lbs and not too awkward. I think I can create a pocket for it above the table saw that is accessed from the rear. The rest of the tools are small. I plan to go in/out the side door with that stuff.

First rough draft of tool box interior layout below.

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The sketch is crude and rear cross over is too far back. But you can get the idea from it. I plan a U shaped layout.

The height of the saw surface when in it's rear pocket, would dictate the height off the floor of all the red lines in the photo. The red lines indicate maximum height of lower shelves, and fixtures. The top surface of everything stored or installed, would be in the same plane of that red line, all around the tear.

The yellow line would be about six inches up from the red line. It too would stay in plane all around the tear. Any shelves, fixtures, cabinets etc. would go either above the yellow line or below the red line.

That would leave me an open pocket of space between the red and yellow lines, the full length and width of the tear. I could now use that space to transport sheet goods and lumber to the job site. I could slide full 4x8 sheets into that pocket. Same thing with 2x4's or other dimensional lumber. Not talking huge amounts. At most a couple sheets of ply or drywall if needed. These sheets would be supported by and lay on top of the lower cabinet frames in red. Again the photo is not accurate. Space between the 2 legs of the lower U shape would be about 24". Not as wide as the space looks in the pic.

So that's the first rough draft of intended layout. I welcome any thoughts or comments.

[Ottsville]

My first thought looking at your pictures was a slide out tray(kind of like a truck bedslide) coming out the back to access tools or create a workspace. You could still access the underneath area from the inside when it was pulled out. You would need some kind of support under the back end to keep the trailer from tipping.

Should be a cool project whatever you end up doing.

[Mr. Lahey]

I had planed a slide out work counter right above the yellow line . Nothing to really pound on. Just something to hold tools while working or do small things on. So I am with you there.

Dawned on me after the last post that I will have to make the table saw pocket flush with the existing rear sill. If I had it drop down an inch or two into the pocket the saw would be trapped in if I had sheet stock over it. You couldn't lift the saw up and out with stuff on top of the table. The saw will have to be able to slide in and out with sheet goods in place. Catching stuff like that before I build it, is the whole purpose of me rambling on like this here in writing. This journal is also a great way to keep track of that kind of info.

Been getting some ideas on some different exterior paint schemes and possible graphics too. One thought is a paint and graphics theme based on an instantly recognizable classic color combo below.

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[Staryder61]

I can envision cutting the lower unit of the back, between the tail lights. Work out a hinge across the bottom of it, so it folds down. Make some changes to it, and have it as a ramp to roll that table saw up into the trailer..
I worked out of my truck and van for a few years installing cabinets at job sites. Had the Bosch table saw that is an equivalent to what you have. After a few months taking it and out of either truck or van, it started bothering my back. So I made a small ramp to use..
Then on each side of where the saw would be, I made roll outs. On these roll outs, I had the smaller tools I needed most jobs. So i didn't have to crawl in and out of the vehicles..
Your trailer would be easy to do the same way..

Just a thought....

[Mr. Lahey]

The ramp thing is something to look at. I appreciate the input. I'm really trying to plan this one out well before I start building.

The first one I'm finishing up now, was too much plan as you build. Took a lot longer to get anywhere.

[Mr. Lahey]

Just a quick update on this back burner project.

I've been spending a few minutes here and there trying to plan out where all the tools will be located and so forth. The more I measure and look at it, the less practical it's starting to look.

The combination of the interior wheel wells, dropped rear floor, and raised rear hatch sill are all major stumbling blocks toward a practical tool storage interior layout. No matter how I place the major items and so forth the remaining space is hard to get at, or too tight to be practical. So I'm about 80% certain the tool box tear may not happen. I'm going to take one more final look at the idea. I'm going to mock up 2 empty cardboard boxes to simulate cubic area required for my table saw and miter saw. If I can't place them in the tear in a way to have useable space remaining, then It's all over for this tool box idea.

No big deal. I'll just finish off the cabin and add a basic galley. it will make a very cool camper for someone who does not want to build one.