Need ideas for storing manuals and documentation

[rbstern]

I've got piles of manuals (for tractors, tools, lawn equipment, etc.) stashed away in various places. Have never really had a good place or system to store all of them, and once in a while, misplace a manual due to the lack of organization.

Interested in how you store and organize these materials.

 

[Doofy]

I have a large wall cabinet in the garage for all my user manuals and repair manuals. My tractor repair manual is on the computer. If working on something specific, I'll print what I need to know.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I found a used 24" wide kitchen wall cabinet at a thrift store for $15. Hung it up in the shop..... every tool manual, tractor / implement manuals, even all the receipts for any tools and tractor service stuff go in there.... nothing else.

Whenever I find some relevant paperwork somewhere else, it gets filed there. Once you get used to doing it, it becomes second nature. Now it is nice to go and find whatever info I need.

 

[MoKelly]

I have a big drawer in the barn for my small engine and power tools.

My tractor, zero turns, tiller and other heavier equipment stuff goes in a separate file inside.

Stuff goes in the big drawer but rarely comes out. Today, after reading this thread, I cleaned it out. I had at least 20 manuals for stuff I no longer own. I had a manual for a craftsman push mower I got for my first house with a yard.

Memory lane looking thru that drawer.

MoKelly

 

[Tinhack]

I have two 8-foot shelves in my office pretty much covered in catalogs, paint chip samples, shop manuals, parts manuals, owner manuals and tool manuals. About two feet on one shelf is full of folders containing shop and tool info I've printed for reference.

I would like to do as "LS Tractor Owner" has done and replace my shelves with cabinets with doors. It's has to look better than open shelving. Every open square inch of my shelves seem to accumulate knickknacks and whatnots. There's even a Model T radiator cap up there. And I'm looking at a can of 3-in-1 oil, a one-hole punch, a NiCad battery charger and various batteries. I can't even remember the last time I used NiCad batteries.

 

[rswyan]

Have one similar to this (with wheels) up in the shop under the workbench:

Difference being it only has one deeper bottom drawer, with two smaller ones on top. Bottom drawer is set up to take hanging file folders.

Also have two similar to these:

Like those a bit better, as they are better sealed so less dust.

 

[MossRoad]

4 drawer file cabinet.

 

[mikester]

Toolbox drawer for paper copies. PDF copies in dropbox.

 

[CH4Ohio]

I've got piles of manuals (for tractors, tools, lawn equipment, etc.) stashed away in various places. Have never really had a good place or system to store all of them, and once in a while, misplace a manual due to the lack of organization.

Interested in how you store and organize these materials.

Most of mine are in 3-ring binders that I've saved from the old days before everything was electronic. Just stashed on the bookshelf in my office, but at least they're together.

This is about the only thing I'm actually organized about . . .

 

[rbstern]

Thanks for the feedback. Got a few good ideas from hearing what you folks do, will implement one.