mobile shop ideas

[jimg]

Anyone here have a mobile shop for their farm? The more I think about it the better this idea sounds. I'm thinking about this as an all purpose sort of shop...for machine break downs/repairs, fence/barn repair, mobile power etc. It would be based on a Miller Trailblazer 302 Air Pak. I'm just not real sure how to put it all together. Was thinking about setting it up on a trailer w/ room for my tool boxes which I'd load/unload as needed. Thats just a first cut and your ideas/comments would be appreciated. The Miller machine I mentioned above seems to give ultimate facility...its a welder, generator and air compressor in a single package....seems idea at first glance.

 

[DieselPower]

Sounds like a good piece of equipment to start off with. I at one time had a full time mobile service business for heavy trucks and still do it on a part time basis. First thing you need is something to put everything in. Personally I'm a big fan of cube vans. They have better turning radius than a P/U truck and tend to set closer to the ground. Distance from the floor to the ground is something to keep in mind as you may be going in and out of it a lot. I wish Chevrolet still made the G30 with their own box. That's what I have used for years, a 1988 G30 12 foot cube van. What is really nice is it has a 10,000 lb GVW so it did not need DOT numbers and I didn't have to worry about going over the scales. It has a very low floor due to the fact it has no real frame rails past the cab of the van. Back when they made them they had a unibody construction where the floor was a intergral part of the frame structure. The big downfall was they were a all steel body and living in the rust belt the rust monsters tend to attack them. Something to keep a eye out for is a used utility company service truck. They usually have everything you need, air, generator, shelving, etc...

Other than a vehicle or trailer put some thought in your shelving and storage. Take it from me, it's easier to design it right the first time then redoing it a couple of times. Get a good road chest tool box, I use two Snap On road chest. Other than that some jacks, stands, air tools, hand tools and a good selection of hardware and parts and you will be up and running in no time.

 

[jimg]

Thanx DP...the shop Im thinking about would need to be 'nimble' as there are some pretty close spots on my place + some woods. I think the hi-cube wouldn't do well. I didnt want to dedicate a vehicle to the task which is why I was thinking about trailering it. That way if I needed to leave power I could still drive away. Its really hard to know exactly how to arrange things and I felt that there wold be some (maybe significant) trial/error. Having pics would be very helpful. At times Successful Farming show high lights rigs but, so far, all are fixed to the truck.

 

[radioman]

A trailer is a better way then a box truck due to lower step into hieght and better portabilty. If needed, using the tractor to tow it to remote areas would be better then a truck. But seriously, Have you worked in a trailer before ? I would think it would be cramped. Sure it would be nice if the weather wasnt good, but the weight couldbe an issue. What if you had a open trailer and its all boxed in at 2 ft high for a toolbox and place to hide the welder/gen? You would have the whole trailer top for work space, and it would be lighter to go to places a box trailer or box truck wouldn't go. Even a small 4X8 trailer should be roomy enough? Add a telescoping pole on corner on trailer for lighting?

 

[WantedWolf]

If its meant to stay on the farm or maybe just a nearby rural rescue or two then you might try what im doing. I picked up a 89 chev subburban for $150 (with a great rebuilt 350 for another thread) but the body is in good enough shape for my mobile shop. The weight cap may be a little low but staying on the farm so go slow and tell DOT its private land. Not sure about the front axel yet but it will be a trailer. Im pulling the motor and thats the ventilated enclosure for my welder/gen. I think I will add a blanket thing to the bottom to keep muck from coming up the bottom. Then find a way to hook the old lighting system to the gen for work lights.
Storage would be left to your imagination but I will remove the long rear side windows and install roll shutters for outside access to indoor shelves. All for passenger doors will open for drawers and cutting tank storage etc. Out the back ambulance doors rolls out a medium weight steel table with vice and small anvil on drop legs for the outer edge, inner edge rests on truck bed.

For a bit of shelter I am placing some telescoping alluminum tubing framework and an R.V. style canvas awning encloser on the roof rack(not sure how big but I want it to fit the tractor). thats about it. Its tough to design a mobile shop that you can actually " Work In" and still move around so Im looking at building the best/cheapest mobile tool shed basically to beat towing a dead unit home to the tools

 

[jimg]

Was thinking about an unenclosed trailer so cargo it accessible from all sides.

 

[Taylortractornut]

i know a man that bought the Short bus fro m the county, it had a side lift for a chair and he left it on it. He has a lathe, welder toches and a small diesel generator air compressor and a drill press as well as boxes of tools. It even has AC. he boxed in the windos with sheet metal and made some larger windows that opened and added a fill length RV awning on the side for working out of it. he works out of town on a large farm somewhere in LA. He contracts as a farm maintenece man. he pulls a camper with him and also can sty in the truck. The lift is handy about loading items onto the bus or using as a welding table.

 

[deereguy]

This idea doesn't completely fit what you are thinking, but if it could be worked onto/into/around an enclosed trailer or ?? it might work. I like the ideas in this article and would like to implement them in the future but will most likely be the far future.

http://www.progressivefarmer.com/farmer/magazine/pdf/G2409shop.pdf

 

[Tororider]

JimG,
How big is the multipurpose tool you are talking about. Could you fit everything onto a pallet of some size that could be moved by the three point on your tractor or are you looking to move too much stuff? Just a thought.

 

[ScottAR]

Sounds somewhat similar to what my Dad and I are working on with our rental biz.

The current setup is a 14ft enclosed trailer that we've been experimenting with.
I've mounted E track to the walls, Scored a bin setup at Sam's club for bigger stuff like light switches and plumbing fittings, mounted hangers for shovels, ladders etc. , and left
some space to haul materials like plywood or the occasional refrigerator.

I still need to organize my hand tools better and make some small parts storage more accessible. Work in progress as they say. Takes awhile to figure out how one usually
works and what should go where.

I can tell you it's absolutely worth the effort even though the trailer can be
a bit ponderous at times. Our number of "Nut's! I forgot those widgets!" trips are quite
a bit fewer. Trips to the lumber yard are easy too as you just pile it in the trailer. One doesn't have to unload the truck at the end of the day either.

If I was doing a mechanic style trailer, I'd want about a 4x8 enclosed with fold open sides 'ala contractor camper shell. That way your tools wouldn't get rained on.