I am jealous! SMART stands for Small Mobile Awesome Rolling Toolbox and you beat me. Dang😩. Stick with it, don't follow the crowd and think the answer is bigger. Smaller is better. Great job and from this, I know your client work is top-notch.
Thanks for the nice words Ron and thanks for all the hours you put in over thirty years that allowed me to create my SMART trailer (and compact bench)! Your channel and videos are really appreciated. I will avoid the “bigger is better” crowd mentality and likely settle on a 7x12 for SMART trailer 2.0 just to allow me a bit more room and a more efficient configuration. Ideally, the 8.5ft wide would be nice but I will likely end up with the 7’. If the spring is good to me, I will make the purchase and do a new build and will combine your SMART and ART design into a single build. If I get to that point, I will post a few videos. Again, thanks for all you are doing! Stay safe.
Hi Fabio....I wish I had plans to sell or give away but giving credit where its due.....It is Ron Paulk. All I did was buy his SMART trailer plans from his website for $25 and downloaded them. They are set up for a 8x12 trailer but I was able to easily scale them for the 6x10 and then modify them for my tool needs. So I recommend you visit the SMART Woodshop site and look for Ron's plans. I think you will find them very valuable and easy to work with. Best of luck if you build out a trailer, truck, van, or workshop!
@@sdsconstruction all can change with unique adaptations that make for interesting builds and giving credit to Ron Paulk makes for a more interesting build . Be well and keel posting
First of all thank you for your service. Very nice job with this trailer, I recently bought a 7x14 and have been watching a bunch of trailer build videos for different ideas. Yours is certainly one of the best
Thanks for commenting ET! Congrats on the trailer purchase and good luck with the build out. If you put any videos up, make sure to let me know. They are my guilty pleasure! I wish I had bought a larger trailer (8x12 or 7x14) for the build out. It would have been a lot more convenient for this particular style of build from Ron Paulk.
Very appreciated and thanks for your comment! I have had this trailer 4 years now and could not be happier with having a mobile organized tool hauler!! When spring hits, I plan to post an updated "deep dive tour" video.
Very appreciated! Thanks for commenting on this beginner's video attempt at a tool trailer deep dive. Since I discovered workshop and tool trailer/van tours on YT, I have become a fan! I was happy to throw my tour in with the lot of them back a couple years ago and am glad a lot of people have responded positively to it (even though it is really rough with no video editing).
Thanks for commenting! I borrowed the small container idea from Ron Paulk and his "hardware store" using the plastic viewtainers. They are fairly expensive when you need a bunch so I found the clear plastic jar option on Amazon and have been really happy to have such an inexpensive and easy way to organize all the small amounts of screws and washers and such. Having such an organized accumulation of various types of hardware has really saved a ton of time and trips to the hardware store during jobs. I will keep this idea going when I create my next trailer!
Thanks for checking out the video and commenting. Thanks to Ron and all the other trailer video contractors out there that gave me such cool ideas for a trailer build.
Tom, thanks for commenting! I am incredibly excited for you! I had a great time with mine and look forward to my next (and last) trailer in 2025. If you document your build out. Don't forget to let me know how to check it out! Very cool Tom. Very cool!
Thanks for checking out the video (one of my early ones before I had any editing software)! Using R Paulk's design, I was really tried to maximize the available space with a small trailer and maximum tools. It has worked out well! I hope to expand in a couple years to a 8x12 trailer with extra height.
Thanks for the kind comment! I knew when we got the job a few states south I would need to take “everything” with me for the two month remodel and so a trailer made sense. Thinking I would have basic open shelves and some floor space, I committed to bring the generator home. Then……I found Ron Paulk and his SMART trailer and with plans in hand, built mine out like a mini version of his. When the job was done and I realized how big the generator was, I realized I would have to demo the one side of the trailer to accommodate. I have given my word so there was only to make it happen. Like I have learned from many great people around me, I made this an opportunity to improve on a rough draft and it worked out very well. Glad I was forced into it.
Pure inspiration. Your trailer is amazing... im working on mine and between my projects im here on youtube getting inspired... much love and respect from salt lake city!
All my best to Salt Lake City! I have been through there once and loved it. Make sure you check out my inspiration Ron Paulk along with Renovation and Repair's trailer build at ruclips.net/video/hlufXnr1osg/видео.html&ab_channel=RenovationsandRepair and ShooshineJonnie's trailer at ruclips.net/video/gkwuCH78nJU/видео.html&ab_channel=shooshinejonnie among a hundred or more out there that are great examples of what can be done with tools and a trailer and organization! Best of luck with your build and if you document and post it, let me know!
Thanks for the compliment. I will pay if forward to those like Ron and others who gave me the ideas, inspiration, and motivation to build it. It has been a blessing ever since.
Thanks for commenting and checking out the video. And yep....the hardware store is still an amazing thing to me and how often I have inadvertently collected enough random hardware to keep me from heading to the store for those "two screws" that seem to hold the entire day hostage if I didn't have them and with the organization I have now, I can find them!
This is great. I also have a 6x10 enclosed trailer and LOVE Ron Paulk’s trailers. Glad to see someone else with such a small trailer. Thank you so much for sharing with everyone. Lots ideas I took from your trailer, hope you don’t mind! Lol! Keep up the good work!
Thanks for commenting! If you took any ideas from my “magic trailer” as I like to call it, I must say that chances are, they were already stolen merchandise to begin with. I am great at appropriating good ideas from others. Ron Paulk and others like him are innovators of these cool ideas while I am more of a modifier and implement or of these ideas. I have small luck with original cool ideas but have great luck taking someone’s idea and making it work for me in some modified form. All credit to the innovators though! I am happy they exist.
Howdy WVR! Thanks for commenting. The post that supports the shelf with the miter saw and the ceiling of that cabinet does have two screws but to be honest, I only use the screws when I am taking the trailer farther than 30min from the house. I have found over the past 4 years that it rides fine with just a friction fit. The bolt latch is a great idea though and is tooless to operate. Thanks for the tip!
Thank you very much! I should have part 2 up by 10-12-20. I am really loving the organization and increase in efficiency I did not know I was missing until I had the trailer up and running. Stay Safe!
Thanks for commenting Luiz! I appreciate the positive words. I know I am very blessed with the work I get and what I can charge for my work and the clients I work for. I have been very lucky to have built a network of clients and other local contractors to trade off work with and keep the reputation and recognition out there for a part time guy!
Nice trailer setup 👍 I found the best thing to hold the smaller tubes of caulk is a milk crate and Menards sells the heavy duty plastic milk crates now just like the ones you see all the grocery stores and they are only like 6 bucks... The nice thing is you can just grab the whole milk crate and take the whole thing on the job with you... Try it out and see what you think...
I have seen that too! Very cool advice. No room in this trailer to make that work efficiently but in the next trailer, it is worth a serious look at using those crates. Thanks for the comment.
To say this is exactly what I have been looking for is an understatement. I too am a part-time contractor/handyman. I bought a 6 x 10 V nose trailer in march of 2019 because I got tired of packing my tools into my suburban every time I had a job. About a month ago I got tired of never being able to keep things orderly even in the shelving I built in the trailer, so I started looking for ideas online. I swear your beginning story sounds EXACLY like mine. I discovered Ron, watched a billion videos and felt a surge of energy and enthusiasm I hadn't felt in forever. I just bought his plans this week for the SMART trailer and have been adapting and designing for my size limitations and tools. Your trailer is amazing and I'm beyond impressed! I have one question though--were you able to find lightweight plywood? and if not, how has the standard 3/4 and 1/2" ply been with regard to the weight on the trailer?
Thank you for the heartfelt comments and the enthusiasm! I still feel,it when I drop that door down each time and am thankful to have discovered Ron’s system before my first build to give me a great direction to go the very first time building out a tool trailer! As to your question....I really tried to get the Moreland at the time but they were just going out of business and I couldn’t find 18mm anywhere near me and I looked as far away as New Jersey and Long Island! So....I simply used A/C 3/4 and 1/2 in plywood, regular wt in the build along with some 1/4 in for the cubby panels. In my next trailer, I plan to hunt down this premcore plus, even if I have to drive half of Canada to get it (when the border opens of course). My wt is a little under max with ply and tools. Hope this helps! If you post pictures or video of your trailer, let me know! Best of luck with the build.
@@sdsconstruction Thanks for answering my question. I definitely plan on doing a time-lapse video and/or final tour of my trailer when complete and will definitely let you know when it gets posted. Time and money at this time of year are in short supply (three kids and a 4th on the way) so my enthusiasm outweighs my ability to get things underway, but it will be underway soon!
I know the feeling of time and money. The eternal contractor’s cry of “when I have the time, the money isn’t there and when I have the money, I have no time. I live that life even as a part time contractor. And.............Congratulations on your next family member and the three that came before! Best of wishes for healthy and trouble free entry into the world for the little one. Best of luck to Mom!
Thanks Pop!!!! (and thanks for commenting!) 5 years in with this trailer and it is still delivering on jobsites. I am looking forward to building another one but a bit bigger next time.
Stunning tour. I'm sure that the cost of the trailer and kitting it out will soon be regained with the time you must save on each job by having everything so neatly organised.
Thanks for commenting and the compliment! Having all the tools on the job and not forgetting anything…..having a variety of common and specialty fasteners on the job: all of that has really allowed for me to say that the trailer has paid for itself even with just the first job I had it for which was the cause of buying and building out the trailer in the first place. Since then, and a bunch of jobs later, it has been all that and more. In fact, it has actually gotten me a couple jobs because the ramp was down and people going by saw it and stopped and stuck up conversations because of the trailer and it ended up with work! Very cool.
Great Video! Your right though, you did go on for a while explaining your rational for creating your trailer, However, that just goes to show how much love you have put into this outfit. If only all tradesmen were as passionate about their trade as you are about yours, then the world truly would be a better place. As a potential client, if you rocked up to my property with this trailer to provide me with a quote, you would get my work no matter how your quote compared to others, the way I see it….. If you care for your tools and equipment that you make a livelihood with then it only stands to reason that you would show the same consideration to my property. Top Tip: you obviously have but a great deal of time and effort into labelling and organising your entire outfit, your shelf unit that is around the corner would be better if it were labelled too. You have your trailer organised in such a fashion that someone else can go in your trailer and grab what you need on your behalf, this unlabelled section just lets you down a little here, yes I know its labelled round the corner, but you can't see the labels when you’re looking at the shelf. I'd like to see the Plans for your Shim Jig if you can recall where online you found them. Regards Family Prepper
And you are correct....I should label the large endcap "screw-tainer" shelving to better find what is on there. The top three or four shelves are very predictable but below it gets a bit random.
Thanks for the compliment! I have been a part time contractor since 1990 (full time in summers as a student then as a teacher) and have never had anything but a pickup with a cap and a load of tools. Having a trailer is a blessing I never knew I needed. Thanks to Ron and the other trailer guys and gals out there who had the hard job of coming up with the cool ideas for me to appropriate! All the best to you in your business! Stay safe
Very cool trailer concept! I am a teacher in upstate New York as well, and I too have a trailer and truck that I do part time carpentry work. I love what you did with your trailer! Congratulations on a job well done!
Thank you very much for the comment! Hope the teaching is going well this strange year and best of luck with your carpentry! If you ever post your trailer, let me know. I am always willing to thief an idea or two
I really appreciate your comment and compliment! Thanks. All the big credit to Ron Paulk for the design and making the plans available. He took the guess work out of it and it became a neat lesson in fabrication and modification.
I found the local Iraqis to be very friendly and as a member of a 4-man special ops team, we had an interpreter so we had a lot of interaction with our locals from north of Baghdad to Just south of Tikrit. Insurgents and crime lords made it tough. In the end…we were just the next round of guys with guns driving the streets. Largely, if left alone, the people of Iraq just wanted to keep on going with their lives. I hope we did some good to offset some of the bad. I hope it is better for them as a people now that we are gone and they are autonomous (as far as I know) and that some of the people I personally interacted with are doing well and experiencing success and happiness. The kids in Iraq were amazing! Just goes to show that kids are kids no matter where you go. Thanks for commenting! I guess I strayed a bit from a trailer video.
if you pull out those drywall screws on your vertical support brace, you can put double ended course threaded & machine threaded bolts, think maybe for dining room table legs, and get you a couple of wing nuts. Then, the bolts holding the support for your table saw remain stationary, you can drill a couple holes in your support, and you dont have to find a tool to remove the support, just unscrew the wing nuts.
Thanks for commenting! I believe the aluminum stud framing behind the walls is at or close to 16" on center but could be a bit wider. The ceiling support joists are wider than 16 on center.
That’s awesome! I just bought an older 6x10 trailer and been looking for a nice setup to do. I love yours! Do you have a video step by step how you put it together?? Thanks! New sub here!
Hi Denis. Thanks for commenting! I wish I had a "here is how I did it" video series but as you can tell from the quality of this video tour, I was new to videos and youtube and had no video editing software at the time and I couldn't even turn the screen/phone camera around as I shot the video so this is why I am not in this video at all. Just the pause button was all the editing I had. Ron Paulk has two great video series about the build for his ART trailer and the new one (that mine is built like) SMART trailer. I would recommend you look up his channel and go to his playlists and find the SMART trailer build. He offers great insight. In a year or two (which doesn't help you today) I am getting a larger trailer and will do my best to do the build-out video series you were inquiring for.
Mine is 8.5' wide, 7 1/2' tall inside and 15 1/2 ' long. It has a light over a workbench with a vice. We have a large power tool box, shelves with all of our containerized equipment, etc.
I am envious Tom Sanders! It sounds like an awesome setup! I am hoping to graduate to a 7x12 or 7x14 tandem next spring and have plans for the ladder rack system, interior buildout, and lighting/electrical throughout. I would love 8.5ft wide but am between full size trucks to pull a wide trailer with trailer mirrors and all. If I can attend to the truck first, then the 8.5ft wide is back on the “need to have” list. Congrats on your trailer and if you have video up, please let me know where to look! Stay safe
Someone had asked about the labeling material....I used Fastcap edge-tape that is a PVC material that is adhesive backed and used on shelf and countertop edging. They have 40 colors...I chose the high contrast yellow because I have trouble with color. I bought a large roll at the time and still have 1/3rd left after all I have labeled.
You "have trouble with color". You can't see it? Or don't agree with it? Or can't figure out how to get appealing combos? Don't get along with it? Or? I get tired of orange very quickly. Purple, too!
Hi Joseph! Each cabinet bank (L and R sides) should have an overall depth of 24in +/- 1/4in. My isle is about 23 1/2in. So yes, a little less than 6 interior feet. I am sure that it is not off from these measurements by more than an inch, if that. The 6x10 should be nominal interior measurements. Also -- I had made responses to questions you had on other videos - and that may be the set of responses you are looking for and cannot find. One was on the video for "Small SMART tool trailer Pros and Cons - 6x10 V-nose" and the other response was on a video for "My Ron Paulk SMART 6x10 tool trailer deep dive tour - part 2". And the last response -- on a video "Fixing a Detached Cabinet Bank in the TOOL TRAILER" where you asked about trailer width. Look there for your other responses if they did not come to you through the YT notifications system. Hope you find them!!! Or ask again, and I will copy/paste responses.
Mines not as neat but I install multiple doors a day and I have to have the right side available to haul away all my old doors and debris everyday, I keep my latter ratchet strapped to the right side, it comes out then at the end each old door goes against the wall and all trim and trash and then when it’s in the latter goes back against the doors and gets strapped so the debris doesn’t bounce or move. Nice build you’ve got!
Sounds like you have a great system and as importantly....it works for you! I struggled for efficiency for a long time until I stumbled on the whole trailer-buildout idea. I am always impressed at how many different ways contractors can make their situation work for them and how diverse they are. Very cool to see such diversity. Great for ideas.
@@sdsconstruction thanks, I would LOVE a setup like yours but wouldn’t work for my doors, I do however have the front v framed with shelving for tool boxes and saws floor to ceiling and in the middle of that is a cutout for my mobile table saw on wheels, left side is a rack for trim and chop saw is under it.
Awesome setup! Any idea what the trailer sits at fully loaded? I run a similar size business and I'm debating over a new dual axle 6X12 vs a single axle like yours. Thanks for posting!
Hi Romand! Thanks for checking out the early deep dive video! The trailer is around 4200lbs as it sits now. I had a 5000lb axle installed last summer for the weight. If you are in the market for a trailer, I would recommend a dual axle and go with the 5000lb axles if you can. No crime having more possible weight than you will ever carry. My next trailer is set to be a 8x12 (with at least 7ft ht) duel 5000lb axles, ramp door. Now that I have lived with a trailer build out, I know what I need but I needed to have this trailer to learn on. Best of luck and thanks for the compliment. If you document your purchase and build out, let me know. I am a junkie for trailer videos.
Quick lesson for the "part time contractor" full time teach-5'5"= 5.416 5'6"=5.5- so measure twice cut once- Sorry couldn't help myself. Great build out.
Good one!!! Well-played williamking638. Well played...... Thanks for checking out the video. It is one of my first and so it is what it is but at least the trailer built out well. Not a job goes by that I am reminded how thankful I am to have a good level of organization with that system.
Hey brother, good vid. Im commenting 7 months after, so you probably found a work around, but here it is, that little problem with the right side where your non passing restrain!, whre yoy have to unscrew the stock... Maybe you can do a frame with hinges on the right side, 1 inch frame (picture frame if you will) and a latch that way you can just remove the stock that holds the shelves anytime you need to get your miter saw out,.
That is a very clever idea that never occurred to me. I have gotten so used to the support brace with the two screws that I have not bothered to explore any other options but yours is a good one! It is passive in as much as it would only have a latch of some sort to keep it in place while not needing to remove screws to get to the saws. Nice. Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for checking out the video. I used 3/4in A/C plywood and 1/2in A/C ply and a bit of 1/4in for the cubby slots. I did not use birch and I did not have access to any light weight ply. (3/4” = 18mm and 1/2” = 12mm).
I am planning on revisiting with a new trailer video to address some requested details. I will include that! Thanks for the question. The shelves work exactly like the drawers without the sides and front pull. They use the dado slot in the cabinet sides and the Paulk passive drawer restraint system with the small piece of hardwood that the shelf or drawer has to be lifted over to be pulled out.
Thanks for commenting Mike! It is an old single family home from back in the day when 7000sqft was single family, and is now refurbished into an apartment complex. Progress is not always real progress in my personal opinion.
Thanks for checking out the video. I have the factory ply installed but I think it is very thin so I mount through to the metal studs with self-drilling screws of appropriate length so I don’t punch through the exterior. Before building I marked all the studs so I could locate them quickly. 2 years in and it has worked out well. No issues.
Hard wax your drawer sliding surfaces and tool decks (table saw top, miter saw top and such). You will never regret it. Nice trailer. Any chance @ standing your table saw on its side or back to make it easier to get in and out?
Great advice. Any specific wax your would recommend for tool surfaces? As far as ease of getting the table saw out….I have been doing it this way for so long that I don’t think about it and truth be told, getting it out is actually easy once my vertical support is removed (which can be screwed in for active support but I have found that it stays in place without being screwed so it is easy to remove for tool access and put back). Thanks for commenting and for the advice!
So honestly how much do you insure your trailer for. I'm about to purchase a 7x14 and will deck it out too. My worst fear would be to have all that stolen. Like what would be a ball park value you would apply for all that. I currently only have renters insurance and have found that doesn't cover squat unlike having a homeowners policy. Also thank you so much for taking the time to create this video. Helps us all keep moving forward.
Cost of the trailer replacement less a deductible and several thousand dollars for the tools. It is also why I video the trailer and do tours and deep dives. Not only do I get a video to post for fun but it is documentation of what is in my trailer. Great question! And thanks for checking out the videos. Best of luck.
Dou you feel like the trailer handles the weight well, how much would you say is in it? I'm thinking about getting a very similar trailer but am a little concerned about the rough roads I work on.
I feel the trailer weight because I am pulling it with an SUV (in between trucks currently) but the SUV is rated for double what I am pulling so I am okay with it. Most roads around here are not bad and I drive carefully when pulling the trailer just in case. So far, I haven't lost a tool out of a cubby and have never had a drawer or shelf open up while in transit. Fingers crossed but Ron Paulk's system works well. (and the roads here are not a war zone, to be fair.)
I work on rough roads quite a bit. I have a 7x14 currently, and used to have a 6x10. My current 7x14 is built out halfway Paulk style and I rarely have anything fall out/off inside. I have left open coke cans sitting on my workbench multiple times and have never spilled one in transit. They don't bounce as much as you think, especially a tandem axle
Awesome job! could you let me know the gross weight full loaded? I am planning ahead and want to make sure I don't exceed my weight limit of 6,500 lbs. My trailer is a 16x7 and weighs 1,000 lbs. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for commenting! At last weighing at our local transfer station, I was just under 3000lbs on my 3500 max wt trailer. Needless to say, I won't be adding anything more to it!
Howdy Jay. Thanks for checking out this real early video of mine on the deep dive. The isle is just a little under 24inches. The left drawer bank is 24 deep, the large tool garage on the right is 24 deep, so what was left out of just under 6ft width became the isle. Next trailer is going to be 8ft wide so I can get a real wide isle and a better designed right side of trailer for big tools. Thanks for the question! All design credits to Ron Paulk of SMART WOODSHOP for his video build series and his plans I purchased to build this out.
Love your videos. I have a 6x12 and starting the SMART conversion. I am worried about the width and if I should make the drawers shallower that the 23 ⅞" in the plans. My inside width is 69" inside wall to wall. I will need to do something like you did on the right side as a mod as well because I think I want the door as an option. Did you keep the full depth of the drawers? and what is your aisle space now? Thanks!
Howdy RS. I went with his plans for the drawer banks on the left so mine are full depth but I did change the width as a customization to my 10ft length. I might change the depth if I did it over but I really confess to liking the countertop space in front of the cubbies and the end counter and this is driven by the cabinet depth. Best of luck with your build out. I am thankful every time I go in my trailer that I took the time and that I found Ron with his plans.
@@sdsconstruction Thanks for the reply! I am going forward with the full depth on the left side. What depth did you go with on the right side (i.e. DB-3) and how wide is your isle now? Thanks again, I have been binging all your videos :)
@@robertstephenson9720 no problem. Glad to be help. The right side is around 23 1/2in give or take. The depth is driven by the large tool garage and the table saw/miter saw needs. I believe my isle to be around 23in. I am so used to the narrowness of my trailer that I won’t know what to do when I (hopefully) upgrade to an 8ft wide trailer in a couple years. I might put in a disco ball and rent out the isle for Raves.
Hey there Guanacoboi! My apologies for taking a year to reply (to a question I assume you found the answer to a year ago)! I never received a notification of your comment and just ran across it. Just in case..... my trailer build out is based on Ron Paulk's plans for his SMART tool trailer. Just head to TheSmartWoodshop.com and look up the plans in his store. They are under $30 last time I checked and once purchased, are immediately downloadable to your phone or computer as a PDF. I printed mine off at Staples on 11x17 and still have them (and the PDF on my computer too of course.) I easily modified his plans for my smaller 6x10 trailer. His trailer is 8x12 with a little extra head room. They modify easy.
Thanks for the comments SB! If the large items are not delivered, I will pick them up in my truck. At times I have free access to a open high wall utility trailer and use that for larger orders. Once in a great while I will rent a trailer for transport of large items, materials, etc. and the cost is passed on to the customer. When possible though, I try and have the items delivered. Our local hardware store will also take old appliances away free of charge but will not take appliances that I would try and drop off so sometimes delivery comes with a bonus!
Thanks for the comment and good eyes! I build myself a Paulk compact bench but call it my semi-compact bench since his is 3x6 but mine is 3x7 (I wanted a 4x8 but it won't travel as well in the trailer). As soon as I can find a supply of the light weight plywood Ron talks about, I will build a new compact bench and I will also build a total station. When I take the bench with me, it indeed rides in the isle.
Howdy Brian! Thanks for commenting. I know what you mean! Space in a trailer to work (get out of the sun, rain, etc...) and be self contained. Now that would be cool! I am 5 years into this trailer and bought the trailer before I discovered amazing buildouts like Ron's and others. Once I found Ron Paulk, I went with his plans and modified for my smaller trailer. I quickly realized it would only ever be a tool hauler and was okay with that. I saw where he outfitted a box truck to be a fully functional mobile shop and that looked great but am not sure how I could make my workflow into that type of build. The next trailer will be larger, 8.5ft x 12ft x at least 7.5ft tall but will still be just a tool hauler. For me to get a usable shop on wheels, the trailer would be so big that I would have no where to park it and could not get it on most jobs I take on. Best of luck to you with your trailer. If you have any videos up, give me a title to search for and I will check it out! I love trailer videos!!!
Prior to heading out of state for that remodel we were hired on for, I took a week and a half of 10-12 hr days to do the initial build and got it done but for the drawers. I built those after the job was over. In the end, it was time well spent. I am on a 30K bathroom remodel now and it is worth all the time spent on it to have it up and working on a job. I would do it again in a heartbeat for the work that I do!
Thanks! I really like the arrangement I have now but wish I had an extra 2ft for another bank of cabinets, and just a little more isle width. Easy work around but still would be nice. I hope your trailer is going well for you! Let me know if you ever give a video tour!
Thanks a lot Ian for commenting! The total weight of the trailer is around 4000lb and I originally pulled it with a 2012 VW Touareg (max tow of 7700lb) but I now pull it with a 2018 GMC Canyon (tows up to 7k lb). My mid-size truck does very well with the trailer. Last spring, I had the trailer axle swapped out to a 5k lb axle with stiffer suspension. I am really happy I did it!
Nice video. I may have missed it but how does the single axle fare with the weight of all your tools and shelving? Do you haul materials in it as well? If so, how does the trailer handle that additional weight? I'm asking because I can't decide if I want to purchase a single axle or tandem. I like the single axle for the weight savings. But I don't won't to overload it. I also like the idea of a tandem axle due to having brakes on the trailer as well. Decisions, decisions....
Thanks for the comment! Single axle handles fine with my build and tools but am close to max. I would prefer tandem and next trailer will have them either 7x12 or 7x14. I haul basic materials in small quantity because this is my only trailer and I am in between trucks. It still hauls fine with a few sheets of drywall or ply or .... whatever with no difference in handling. If I were buying my first trailer knowing now what I am doing, I would definitely go 7 x 12 or 8.5 x 12 tandem and know I will never overload with the build out or any materials I would haul. And yep........decisions, decisions........
thanks for commenting and with an easy question at that! Go to Smartwoodshop.com and look for the tab for all Ron Paulk's plans. They are inexpensive and once you pay you get an email with a link that allows you to download immediately. I used his SMART workshop trailer plans and modified them for my shorter/narrower trailer. Easy to do!
I am about to embark upon my own 6x10 SMART Workshop. You mention you only have 23 inches in aisle. What are the widths of left and right. My trailer has 69". Doing 18 on left, 24 on right, leaving 27" aisle.
Thanks for the comment! I will try to remember to get accurate measurements tomorrow but I believe the left cabinet bank is a full 24in and the right was driven by the end tool garage needs that hold the table saw and mitre saw. That side is more like 26 or 28 in. My isle is just about 23in as you walk in at the counter height. It is tight but it works. I like your wider isle idea for sure but in my build, I really appreciate the two banks of tool cubbies at the two different depths which allows for a narrow but full length counter which is I find very convenient. For me, any narrower on the left drawer bank would have shorted me the counter. But.......the neat thing about these trailer builds is that whatever you do will work and you will discover a really good work flow with the trailer and it’s organization! My next trailer, a spring purchase, I hope, will be a 7 x 12 allowing for a wider isle just as you are talking about. Best of luck with your build and if you post any video or pictures, please let me know. I am shameless at stealing good ideas.
Real world carpentry Remodeling -- thank you very much! It was a fun build and is now an absolute necessity on my job sites since my workflow is incorporated into having the trailer/tools present. I am looking forward to the next trailer in the spring. Likely a 7x12 or 7x14.
Stephen Spencer . I’m having a 7x 14 x7 high built now. Ill have it next week. I am also doing a Paulk style trailer. With a bunch of stolen ideas from others . Including yours lol. It will take me some time to build because I’m flat out with work . I’m going to post the build video once I’m done. Maybe I’ll have ideas for the next guy or your next trailer , and the evolution will continue :)
the drawers and sliding shelves all have a dado-ed notch about two inches long and 3/8in deep at the front of each drawer bottom (which is also the slide for the drawer since the bottoms are wider to fit in the dados in the cabinet sides). This notch drops behind a small piece of glued in hardwood and the hardwood piece stops the drawer or shelf from moving or sliding out during transit. To open, I simply lift the drawer or shelf about a quarter inch before pulling forward over the small piece of hardwood. Ron Paulk calls it "passive restraint" and it works perfectly.
I made my trailer very functional with little time , as I worked I would change things as I seen a need an hour here and there I would never spend a ton of time building all that stuff in a trailer to look pretty I focus more on function my time was better spent on job sites crafting but the trailer was organized
Thanks for commenting! I certainly understand your approach and it is a sound way to go for having tools/material and efficiency on a job site. I was headed in that direction enthusiastically when I stumbled onto Ron Paulk’s videos on his trailer buildouts and really liked the organization method. After watching other contractors and their build outs based on Paulk’s ideas, I committed to going with a more involved design rather than the open shelves I was initially looking at. I was very lucky to have a week and a half to start from an open trailer shell and build it out without sacrificing not being on a job site earning money so I could take the time and make it what you saw here. For me it has nothing to do with the aesthetics (although it was what got my attention with his first video I saw) and all about the organization that comes with the build out. Within reason, I have everything I need tool-wise when I pull in to a site and more so for me, (being inherently disorganized) I can find what I have very quickly. We all have different systems and most of them work very well for us individually and keep us in business earning money and keeping the craftsmanship first and foremost where it should be. I am really happy to hear your system is very dialed in and makes the job site a very productive place. Thanks again for commenting!
reallylike the video and I am wondering what your actual weight is after the build with all the tools? I am guessing ou are likely well overweight for the trailer axles? I am guessing your max weight shoud be 3500 Lbs on the trailer axle unless you went to 5000 Lbs axle then you may only be slightly overweight.
Al of these smart traikers look great. But as someone who has towed daily for almost 20 years, they look really heavy. Replacing trailer suspensions gets old fast.
Hey there John! Thanks for checking out the video and for commenting. As for material, I think I have somewhere around 15 to 17 sheets of A/C plywood (mostly 3/4) and at the time, I paid around $70 a sheet. The half inch and quarter inch was less. As far as the build, I initially had 10 long days (10-14 hr days) to get it three quarters built before I had to load it and go out of state for that big job. When I got back, I rebuilt the right side (3 days) and then set to making all the drawers which took a couple days. When I build the next trailer (8 1/2 x 12 ft) I will plan on it taking two solid weeks (14 days) to build and finish. This will actually take longer because I plan to make a number of videos on the build and that always takes a lot of extra time. The time spent away from jobs building this trailer is well worth it since an organized built out will always pay for itself time and time again. I would not hesitate to block off time to make a build a priority knowing this.
You mentioned that you have plans for this, but I didn't see the plans anywhere. I have pretty much the same trailer and would like to build this in my own, where can I get the plans for this?
Thanks for checking out the video. The plans I mentioned are Ron Paulk’s plans for his SMART trailer that I purchased for $25 from his website as an immediately downloadable PDF. His plans are set up for a 8.5ft x 12ft trailer with a ramp door. I modified his plans using a ruler and graph paper for my trailer to make sure the math and the measurements worked in then6 x 10ft. My graph paper plans would not be very useful to,anyone so I would recommend Ron’s plans as something to copy or to use as a starting point for a trailer build with your own modifications to make it fit your tools and work flow and way that you organize. For my next trailer, (a 7x12 or 7x14 next time) I am planning on using his SMART trailer plans for the left side build out but using some of his other trailer plans he calls ART, to better build out the right side to accommodate work benches and my big tools. I will have to buy his ART plans at that point. Best of luck with your build and if you post pictures or any video, let me know please! I would like to check out the build.
Ah awsome thanks for the quick reply, if you dont mind me asking roughly what was the material cost and time investment in building one of these beasts?
The time.....first build was about a week and a half with some long days to get 2/3rds of it done before the out of state job. I ended up removing the right side cabinets at that job for trailer space and had to rebuild it when I got back but did some redesign so it was a win. Another week to rebuild but then I was able to at last, build the drawers. So all told.....maybe two solid weeks with some long days including the learning curve I needed for the build. Cost? Sheets of ply were around $50 or so a sheet for A/C at the time. So all told, maybe around $1000 to $1250 for what I have into it currently materials and electrical.
Thanks for the view to the video! If you are interested, just search for the same video name just change out the 1 for a 2 after "part." There is a final part as well because I just can't seem to either talk faster or talk less and I am not accomplished yet at video editing. Stay safe!
I bought Ron Paulk’s plans for his SMART trailer which is set up for an 8.5ft x 12ft trailer and them modified it for the 6x10. Basically, on the left side,I eliminated a cabinet bank. I also eliminated the middle bank of tool cubbies (Ron has 3 banks, I have 2). My reel system for power and air had to move to the V-nose wall since I did not have room to mount it to the left side end cabinet like Ron. The right side was much more original to the build since I had to do an end vertical large tool garage. This caused me to rearrange the rest of the right side into the current configuration. I did keep the end tall cabinet drawer bank. I do not have plans for my build but you can find Ron’s plans for his SMART trailer by going to his SmartWorkshop site. Once you pay, it is an instant download. Thanks for the question!
Very true! I have yet to undercoat but it is on my long term list of to-dos. And yep......I have had problems with the OSB flooring. I am anticipating a durable runner for my isle and ramp to avoid further issues. Thanks for the advice! Stay safe
@@sdsconstruction Ours started developing problems on he second year of use. Go thicker than factory spec for undercoating (after phosphoric acid wash to convert rust) and double thickness for top of floor. Since we are a restoration painting contractor [Wet Paint], ours must be waterproof and chemical proof. Also, one of our benches is stainless steel topped to be used for various epoxies (finishes as well as injection/ consolidation resins) and paint mixing
Thanks for the heads up and advice on undercoating. Your business sounds fascinating. As a general carpenter, I dabble in a lot but have little chance to master much but have always appreciated the trade in all its facets. My wife and I live in an 1870 constructed home and are only the third owners. We very much value the integrity of maintaining the house and complimenting it, maintaining it, without altering its structure and history in as much as we can. Thanks for all you can do at your professional level to keep that history standing and restored and desired by homeowners.
@@sdsconstruction My wife and I lived in a Victorian built in 1862 for a couple years. A breeze would blow out a candle with the windows closed. I dedicated decades to trim duplication and refinishing of these gorgeous homes.. When I was called about the Tomek House, I didn't know it's historical significance and told them 1906 was too new for me to be interested. A week later, they offered to pay for consultation. Contactor's lesson: Hoof in mouth tastes bad! I worked there for 4 years exclusively.
Beautiful work and the fact you made it work for you . Would like to build this as well that organized work space, trailer , shop or job site makes for detailed outcome , thank you for sharing and wish you well .
Thanks for commenting! I think you are onto something in that this idea for a trailer organization is very adaptable for a fixed shop application. If a trailer and a shop were really made with some thought in mind, drawers/cabinets/parts could be transferrable between the two.
Hi , I have been following you for a while. You really have a vision about the trailer set up. Please let me Know if you figure out a beneficial for you way to help me or share ideas how can I design. The best set up for my newly designed expandable work truck and trailer
Hi Rick. Thanks for checking out my channel and thanks for the kind comment. As far as helping you, I must say that the only buildout I have done is the trailer in the video and one workbench, both of which I am incredibly happy with and hope to have a second chance at another build of each. I would strongly recommend Ron Paulk’s channel. He has two very detailed video playlists of the build out for his earlier 7x14 ART trailer (awesome rolling toolbox) and of his most current 8x12 SMART trailer (where I got my idea from). He offers for small money, PDF plans for each of these trailer builds and his plans are scaleable for different trailers like my 6x10, and adaptable for fixes shops or trucks/vans. You may find some really adaptable opportunities for your build. Also……Ron re-posted a video from a guy named Luis, who built out a Sprinter Van using Ron’s ideas and it turned out fantastic! Ron found it was such a valuable video, he reposted the whole 30minutes of it. I hope this helps!
3500 for the new trailer before taxes and then ten to twelve sheets of plywood (half inch and three quarters altogether) and one sheet of quarter inch ply. When I built this, A/C ply was around $50 a sheet for 3/4, less for half inch. Maybe all told, over $5k, under $6k. Before tools. No labor charges of course.
Literally just bought a tall 6x10 & Ron’s SMART plans... my question on this build - what are the depth dimensions for your build vs Ron’s SMART plans?
Thanks for checking out the trailer and congrats on the plans purchase and your build. Good luck. From the ramp door looking in, left side- base cabinet dimensions are 24" deep by 36" wide with dado drawer slots exactly as the plans and drawer construction per plans allowing for the increased width of my cabinets. The first two cabinets needed to hit on the long drawer cabinet they sit on and run the same length. The narrow height third cabinet above the compressor is same width and height allows for two narrow drawers or one deeper drawer. The length of both tool cubbies are about 84" to allow me to have some usable front counter and the viewtainer shelving above. Bottom cubby is then 14" deep x 12" tall, top cubby is 20" deep by 16" tall. I did not have room for the third cubby (which is the middle cubby on the plans). The right side only uses Ron's DB3 drawer bank and is to spec per plans. My large tool garage and all others builds on the right are custom to my build since his design did not work for my tools and trailer size (6x10x72"). His trailer is 8' wide, mine is 6' wide. His is taller and longer too. My right side is 24" deep on all cabinets. LTG is about 60" tall and about 32" wide for the mitre and table saw. They sit on a 49" x 12"x12" med-long drawer and level garage (build to Ron's plans but not as many levels and only to 4' level depth.) This left me with 23" for an isle-way and it is indeed narrow but I am a hobbit so it is not so much of a big deal though I cannot store much in the isle, like big barrels, table saws on roller-stands, and such. My screw organizer bins are on a 17" wide x 48" tall cabinet with 3/4" dado shelf slots every 3" and the shelves are really drawers without sides or ends. My viewtainer shelving for hardware and chemicals generally runs 4 1/2" to 5" deep usable shelves for jars and chemicals by whatever width and height I can get in the location I put it. Let me know if you have follow up questions! My next trailer will likely go 7x12 or 7x14 (with a hope to actually score an 8ft wide rather than 7' if possible). When I purchase and build, I will use a combination of Ron's SMART (l;eft side of trailer) and ART (right side of trailer) plans to make the best build I can for what I do and what I want to haul. I will also incorporate Renovations and Repairs trailer ideas of the use of long drawers for materials storage (i.e. plumbing, electrical, paint, etc.). I will still have to modify Ron's plans for the loss of 8' width on a 7' trailer but it will be better than my current 6'.
I used Fastcap edge-tape that is a PVC material that is adhesive backed and used on shelf and countertop edging. They have 40 colors...I chose the high contrast yellow because I have trouble with color. I bought a large roll at the time and still have 1/3rd left after all I have labeled. It was expensive but well worth it and real durable.
@@sdsconstruction This information was exactly what I was hoping most to find!! You have made some AMAZING choices and I am grateful for your kindness in sharing your hard work and design ideas! You are a craftsman Sir! I know your father would be very proud!! Keep up the good work!
@@sdsconstruction Love the Video by the way. I am in the process of ordering my light plywood. I have the extract size of trailer what is the dimensions of the battery cubby? thank you in advance.
just under 3000lb as it is loaded here using the transfer station scales. I am actually getting it measured for a 5000lb axle package so I can reliably put things in the isle on my way to jobsites that are more than just the tile tools bin. Thanks for commenting!
@@sdsconstruction thank you. Do you know off hand what the trailer weight is unloaded ? I am looking at doing a build and trying to get a feel for how much all the stuff inside will weigh
@@xdmatt1320 not sure what the trailer wt is right off the lot before the build. It should be around 1300lb at a guess. It is certainly over 1000lbs and I am sure it is not over 1500, since the trailer is rated at 3500 gross, including the trailer due to the axle size. If I am correct, my build plus tools is just under 1700lbs.
Knowing what I know now, I would buy at a minimum 7x12 but more like a 8x12 or 7x14 with all the height I could get and a dual axle. HOWEVER - if I had to stay with a 10ft trailer, I would go with a tandem axle and get the 7000lb gross. It is the best of both worlds for small trailer and carrying capacity. Hope all this helps with your build! Best of luck.
Thank you very much for checking out the video and for your question! Currently, 4000lbs. Tools, build out, everything. This summer I had the axle exchanged for a 5000lb axle so I am still within weight limits.
Great Question. For me, I own multiples of some tools because on a jobsite, I can set up the same tools differently for a multiple step production (like three drill and two drivers with different drill bits and different drivers). I also own multiples on tools that if they broke during a job, I could keep on working with a replacement. Granted, I mostly buy bare tools to keep costs down so I can afford to have 3 drills. Others have multiple employees and need more tools to keep larger crews going. I do confess to only having two grinders though. I would like a third. Doing tile work, having one set up with a diamond hole saw, one with a diamond tile cutting wheel, and one with a finger milling bit would be very efficient with tile work around plumbing and electrical.
I know, right? I was real surprised when I got all of my fasteners stock out into one place and sorted it and realized how much I had. I was impressed. Nothing in big quantities but several 1lb size boxes. Having a rolling hardware store really helps me to avoid breaking into a day on a job to go to Lowes for screws and nails. If I leave the job, minimum an hour goes by and it breaks my momentum. Before the trailer, I did not have a good system to store and organize so I had multiples of a lot of stuff. Can’t say how happy I am to have this system. Keeps as efficient and productive as possible in my perpetual second gear pace I inherently have. Thanks for commenting! Stay safe.
@@sdsconstruction Totally agree. I try to keep enough in the truck to keep me going while either I or my helper can go if we run out and the other can stay to keep working
Thanks for checking out the video and for your advice! I had thought of that but in that area around the cabinet, the space is tight and am not sure if it would allow me to get to all the stock I have. I am thinking when I outfit a part of my walk out basement as a small shop to use that system in some way and have them connected to the underside of a sliding shelf for mobility and accessibility.
Thanks for checking out the video.......Most of each cabinet is built from 3/4 ply but there is a lot of 1/2 in but primarily with the drawers and shelves. 1/4 inch for the dividers in the tool cubbies.
Howdy Brayden. Sorry for taking 3 years to reply! I would love to say that my channel is that busy but the subscriber numbers don't tell the same story. In truth, I never got a notification of your post back in the day and only stumbled on it tonight. In answer to your long ago asked question: In its original configuration, I had a 3500lb single axle on the trailer and the weight, trailer and all the tools and build out, was just under 3500lb back then. In fact, it might have been over. Finding this out, I immediately had my trailer sales yard order me a 5000lb replacement axle and when It came in (with two new, larger tires), I had them swap it out. As it stands today, fully outfitted, The trailer weighs around 4400lbs with tools (some new), the buildout, and the new (heavier) axle. I really appreciate your comment!
As a video-documented fan of hardware, I can say I am envious of the span of your variety of hardware. Maybe you could tandem a second smaller trailer for just the hardware like the UPS trucks I see on the highway. Thanks for the comment! Stay safe
@@sdsconstruction As an award winning master finisher (1991 Chicago's Finest Painted Lady) and world famous restoration artisan (F.F. Tomek House),n most of my hardware store is 1850-1925 new, old stock.When I take my trailer out to a project, it is fully stocked with new hardware, unless we are going to a restoration project. That is when we bring job specific hardware.
Hey Tom, Im not sure what area you work in, Therefore, this comment be may be this comment is obsolete. However, Do you need to carry that amount of Hardware with you on jobs? Could any of it be thinned out and left in a static location and topped up as required? My trail of thought is less weight means less fuel used and less wear and tear on your engine and brakes, which inturn means less out goings.
@@Nathan-H We only carry universal hardware in trailer unless a project is period or style specific. Our main assortment stays in the studio. Our trailer is 7,000 before we get materials. We can fit 12' sheet goods or countertops or an entire kitchen (except big ones). One project had us carrying a over dozen hundred year old 2" doors.
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I am jealous! SMART stands for Small Mobile Awesome Rolling Toolbox and you beat me. Dang😩. Stick with it, don't follow the crowd and think the answer is bigger. Smaller is better. Great job and from this, I know your client work is top-notch.
Thanks for the nice words Ron and thanks for all the hours you put in over thirty years that allowed me to create my SMART trailer (and compact bench)! Your channel and videos are really appreciated. I will avoid the “bigger is better” crowd mentality and likely settle on a 7x12 for SMART trailer 2.0 just to allow me a bit more room and a more efficient configuration. Ideally, the 8.5ft wide would be nice but I will likely end up with the 7’. If the spring is good to me, I will make the purchase and do a new build and will combine your SMART and ART design into a single build. If I get to that point, I will post a few videos. Again, thanks for all you are doing! Stay safe.
can y buy your plan for trailer 6x10 ?
Hi Fabio....I wish I had plans to sell or give away but giving credit where its due.....It is Ron Paulk. All I did was buy his SMART trailer plans from his website for $25 and downloaded them. They are set up for a 8x12 trailer but I was able to easily scale them for the 6x10 and then modify them for my tool needs. So I recommend you visit the SMART Woodshop site and look for Ron's plans. I think you will find them very valuable and easy to work with. Best of luck if you build out a trailer, truck, van, or workshop!
@@sdsconstruction all can change with unique adaptations that make for interesting builds and giving credit to Ron Paulk makes for a more interesting build . Be well and keel posting
First of all thank you for your service. Very nice job with this trailer, I recently bought a 7x14 and have been watching a bunch of trailer build videos for different ideas. Yours is certainly one of the best
Thanks for commenting ET! Congrats on the trailer purchase and good luck with the build out. If you put any videos up, make sure to let me know. They are my guilty pleasure!
I wish I had bought a larger trailer (8x12 or 7x14) for the build out. It would have been a lot more convenient for this particular style of build from Ron Paulk.
Great walkthrough of your trailer. Super job!
Very appreciated and thanks for your comment! I have had this trailer 4 years now and could not be happier with having a mobile organized tool hauler!! When spring hits, I plan to post an updated "deep dive tour" video.
One vet to another vet . THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE !! And great job on your trailer.
Thank you for YOUR service! Thanks for hanging through one of my videos.
Really nice job! I find these fasinating
Very appreciated! Thanks for commenting on this beginner's video attempt at a tool trailer deep dive. Since I discovered workshop and tool trailer/van tours on YT, I have become a fan! I was happy to throw my tour in with the lot of them back a couple years ago and am glad a lot of people have responded positively to it (even though it is really rough with no video editing).
I like the jar idea!
Thanks for commenting! I borrowed the small container idea from Ron Paulk and his "hardware store" using the plastic viewtainers. They are fairly expensive when you need a bunch so I found the clear plastic jar option on Amazon and have been really happy to have such an inexpensive and easy way to organize all the small amounts of screws and washers and such. Having such an organized accumulation of various types of hardware has really saved a ton of time and trips to the hardware store during jobs. I will keep this idea going when I create my next trailer!
Wow, u speak very well and ur trailer is phenomenal. Great job and thank u for ur time. Much appreciated!
Thanks for checking out the video and commenting. Thanks to Ron and all the other trailer video contractors out there that gave me such cool ideas for a trailer build.
Wow!!! Soon as you dropped that door my jaw dropped! Seriously that is truly beautiful. Excellent work!
Ps....goals.
Thanks a bunch! All credit to Ron Paulk and his designs.
I’m starting mine soon, I just ordered it with a single back door and roof and side ladder racks. Love your build.
Tom, thanks for commenting! I am incredibly excited for you! I had a great time with mine and look forward to my next (and last) trailer in 2025. If you document your build out. Don't forget to let me know how to check it out! Very cool Tom. Very cool!
That's awesome! What a great way to maximize your trailer space. I really like it!
Thanks for checking out the video (one of my early ones before I had any editing software)! Using R Paulk's design, I was really tried to maximize the available space with a small trailer and maximum tools. It has worked out well! I hope to expand in a couple years to a 8x12 trailer with extra height.
You took out your shelves and cabinets to tote a generator for your friend? You’re a good friend! Awesome trailer!
Thanks for the kind comment! I knew when we got the job a few states south I would need to take “everything” with me for the two month remodel and so a trailer made sense. Thinking I would have basic open shelves and some floor space, I committed to bring the generator home. Then……I found Ron Paulk and his SMART trailer and with plans in hand, built mine out like a mini version of his. When the job was done and I realized how big the generator was, I realized I would have to demo the one side of the trailer to accommodate. I have given my word so there was only to make it happen. Like I have learned from many great people around me, I made this an opportunity to improve on a rough draft and it worked out very well. Glad I was forced into it.
@@sdsconstruction absolutely incredible! Love the designs and everything!
Pure inspiration.
Your trailer is amazing... im working on mine and between my projects im here on youtube getting inspired... much love and respect from salt lake city!
All my best to Salt Lake City! I have been through there once and loved it. Make sure you check out my inspiration Ron Paulk along with Renovation and Repair's trailer build at ruclips.net/video/hlufXnr1osg/видео.html&ab_channel=RenovationsandRepair
and ShooshineJonnie's trailer at ruclips.net/video/gkwuCH78nJU/видео.html&ab_channel=shooshinejonnie
among a hundred or more out there that are great examples of what can be done with tools and a trailer and organization!
Best of luck with your build and if you document and post it, let me know!
Nice work, glad I watched this before concurring my Winter organizing... 6x10 as well. Taking some screen shots for mine... Ha ha, Thank you.
Thanks for the comment! Like you, I really am happy with the organization. If you post anything of your trailer, let me know!
Straight up awesome setup. As a guy who loves to be organized this is next level. Great job
Thanks for the compliment. I will pay if forward to those like Ron and others who gave me the ideas, inspiration, and motivation to build it. It has been a blessing ever since.
Great deep dive. Appreciate how you gave a brief history of the trailer’s “organic” development. Loved your “hardware store”. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for commenting and checking out the video. And yep....the hardware store is still an amazing thing to me and how often I have inadvertently collected enough random hardware to keep me from heading to the store for those "two screws" that seem to hold the entire day hostage if I didn't have them and with the organization I have now, I can find them!
Looking to invest in a trailer in the coming weeks. Loading and unloading the truck every day is becoming a pain. Thank you for this video!
Thanks for commenting! I loaded and unloaded a truck or an open trailer for years and so I know exactly what you mean!
This is great. I also have a 6x10 enclosed trailer and LOVE Ron Paulk’s trailers. Glad to see someone else with such a small trailer. Thank you so much for sharing with everyone. Lots ideas I took from your trailer, hope you don’t mind! Lol! Keep up the good work!
Thanks for commenting! If you took any ideas from my “magic trailer” as I like to call it, I must say that chances are, they were already stolen merchandise to begin with. I am great at appropriating good ideas from others. Ron Paulk and others like him are innovators of these cool ideas while I am more of a modifier and implement or of these ideas. I have small luck with original cool ideas but have great luck taking someone’s idea and making it work for me in some modified form. All credit to the innovators though! I am happy they exist.
Instead of having to remove screws to remove your table saw or mitersaw, you should consider using some sliding bolt gate latches.
Howdy WVR! Thanks for commenting. The post that supports the shelf with the miter saw and the ceiling of that cabinet does have two screws but to be honest, I only use the screws when I am taking the trailer farther than 30min from the house. I have found over the past 4 years that it rides fine with just a friction fit. The bolt latch is a great idea though and is tooless to operate. Thanks for the tip!
Looks great, brother!!! Thanks for sharing
Thanks for commenting Justin! Love the organization of a build out like this (and wish I had been better at videos back then! )
Really enjoyed your trailer tour so far, some really great ideas. Looking forward to more.
Thank you very much! I should have part 2 up by 10-12-20. I am really loving the organization and increase in efficiency I did not know I was missing until I had the trailer up and running. Stay Safe!
For Part time you’re doing pretty good, better then me found as full time
Thanks for commenting Luiz! I appreciate the positive words. I know I am very blessed with the work I get and what I can charge for my work and the clients I work for. I have been very lucky to have built a network of clients and other local contractors to trade off work with and keep the reputation and recognition out there for a part time guy!
Nice trailer setup 👍 I found the best thing to hold the smaller tubes of caulk is a milk crate and Menards sells the heavy duty plastic milk crates now just like the ones you see all the grocery stores and they are only like 6 bucks... The nice thing is you can just grab the whole milk crate and take the whole thing on the job with you... Try it out and see what you think...
I have seen that too! Very cool advice. No room in this trailer to make that work efficiently but in the next trailer, it is worth a serious look at using those crates. Thanks for the comment.
To say this is exactly what I have been looking for is an understatement. I too am a part-time contractor/handyman. I bought a 6 x 10 V nose trailer in march of 2019 because I got tired of packing my tools into my suburban every time I had a job. About a month ago I got tired of never being able to keep things orderly even in the shelving I built in the trailer, so I started looking for ideas online. I swear your beginning story sounds EXACLY like mine. I discovered Ron, watched a billion videos and felt a surge of energy and enthusiasm I hadn't felt in forever. I just bought his plans this week for the SMART trailer and have been adapting and designing for my size limitations and tools. Your trailer is amazing and I'm beyond impressed! I have one question though--were you able to find lightweight plywood? and if not, how has the standard 3/4 and 1/2" ply been with regard to the weight on the trailer?
Thank you for the heartfelt comments and the enthusiasm! I still feel,it when I drop that door down each time and am thankful to have discovered Ron’s system before my first build to give me a great direction to go the very first time building out a tool trailer! As to your question....I really tried to get the Moreland at the time but they were just going out of business and I couldn’t find 18mm anywhere near me and I looked as far away as New Jersey and Long Island! So....I simply used A/C 3/4 and 1/2 in plywood, regular wt in the build along with some 1/4 in for the cubby panels. In my next trailer, I plan to hunt down this premcore plus, even if I have to drive half of Canada to get it (when the border opens of course). My wt is a little under max with ply and tools. Hope this helps! If you post pictures or video of your trailer, let me know! Best of luck with the build.
@@sdsconstruction Thanks for answering my question. I definitely plan on doing a time-lapse video and/or final tour of my trailer when complete and will definitely let you know when it gets posted. Time and money at this time of year are in short supply (three kids and a 4th on the way) so my enthusiasm outweighs my ability to get things underway, but it will be underway soon!
I know the feeling of time and money. The eternal contractor’s cry of “when I have the time, the money isn’t there and when I have the money, I have no time. I live that life even as a part time contractor. And.............Congratulations on your next family member and the three that came before! Best of wishes for healthy and trouble free entry into the world for the little one. Best of luck to Mom!
Good stuff son! 🤟10:19
Thanks Pop!!!! (and thanks for commenting!) 5 years in with this trailer and it is still delivering on jobsites. I am looking forward to building another one but a bit bigger next time.
Stunning tour. I'm sure that the cost of the trailer and kitting it out will soon be regained with the time you must save on each job by having everything so neatly organised.
Thanks for commenting and the compliment! Having all the tools on the job and not forgetting anything…..having a variety of common and specialty fasteners on the job: all of that has really allowed for me to say that the trailer has paid for itself even with just the first job I had it for which was the cause of buying and building out the trailer in the first place. Since then, and a bunch of jobs later, it has been all that and more. In fact, it has actually gotten me a couple jobs because the ramp was down and people going by saw it and stopped and stuck up conversations because of the trailer and it ended up with work! Very cool.
I started build one but have not been able to finish it yet. great tour.
I would encourage you to stick with it. I have found this trailer to be so worth the time commitment.
@@sdsconstruction Ya, I really need to get back to it.
Great Video! Your right though, you did go on for a while explaining your rational for creating your trailer, However, that just goes to show how much love you have put into this outfit. If only all tradesmen were as passionate about their trade as you are about yours, then the world truly would be a better place. As a potential client, if you rocked up to my property with this trailer to provide me with a quote, you would get my work no matter how your quote compared to others, the way I see it….. If you care for your tools and equipment that you make a livelihood with then it only stands to reason that you would show the same consideration to my property.
Top Tip: you obviously have but a great deal of time and effort into labelling and organising your entire outfit, your shelf unit that is around the corner would be better if it were labelled too. You have your trailer organised in such a fashion that someone else can go in your trailer and grab what you need on your behalf, this unlabelled section just lets you down a little here, yes I know its labelled round the corner, but you can't see the labels when you’re looking at the shelf.
I'd like to see the Plans for your Shim Jig if you can recall where online you found them.
Regards Family Prepper
And you are correct....I should label the large endcap "screw-tainer" shelving to better find what is on there. The top three or four shelves are very predictable but below it gets a bit random.
There’s plenty of passionate tradesmen out there. You just have to do your homework to find them.
Very nice trailer set up !! Been doing this a long time and that’s a nice set up.
Thanks for the compliment! I have been a part time contractor since 1990 (full time in summers as a student then as a teacher) and have never had anything but a pickup with a cap and a load of tools. Having a trailer is a blessing I never knew I needed. Thanks to Ron and the other trailer guys and gals out there who had the hard job of coming up with the cool ideas for me to appropriate! All the best to you in your business! Stay safe
Very cool trailer concept! I am a teacher in upstate New York as well, and I too have a trailer and truck that I do part time carpentry work. I love what you did with your trailer! Congratulations on a job well done!
Thank you very much for the comment! Hope the teaching is going well this strange year and best of luck with your carpentry! If you ever post your trailer, let me know. I am always willing to thief an idea or two
Absolutely beautiful and inspiring job on that trailer. I just picked up a 6X10 and am getting ready to do a similar build out. Very cool!
Thanks for checking out the video and best of luck with your build. If you document it and post, please let me know!
Great set up. Thank you for sharing.
I really appreciate your comment and compliment! Thanks. All the big credit to Ron Paulk for the design and making the plans available. He took the guess work out of it and it became a neat lesson in fabrication and modification.
I like your video, very nice trailer.
And yes people in iraq dont want strangers destroying their land.
Have a great day 😊
I found the local Iraqis to be very friendly and as a member of a 4-man special ops team, we had an interpreter so we had a lot of interaction with our locals from north of Baghdad to Just south of Tikrit. Insurgents and crime lords made it tough. In the end…we were just the next round of guys with guns driving the streets. Largely, if left alone, the people of Iraq just wanted to keep on going with their lives. I hope we did some good to offset some of the bad. I hope it is better for them as a people now that we are gone and they are autonomous (as far as I know) and that some of the people I personally interacted with are doing well and experiencing success and happiness. The kids in Iraq were amazing! Just goes to show that kids are kids no matter where you go. Thanks for commenting! I guess I strayed a bit from a trailer video.
if you pull out those drywall screws on your vertical support brace, you can put double ended course threaded & machine threaded bolts, think maybe for dining room table legs, and get you a couple of wing nuts. Then, the bolts holding the support for your table saw remain stationary, you can drill a couple holes in your support, and you dont have to find a tool to remove the support, just unscrew the wing nuts.
That is a really good idea! Thanks for commenting. Take care.
Nice job! And thank you for your service.
Very appreciated for the comments! Serving was an honor!
SIMPLY AMAZING, I APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORT, THOUGHT AND EXPLANATIONS 💪🏼👏🏼👍🏼
Thank you for the comment!
Awesome trailer set up! Does it have 16” center walls?
Thanks for commenting! I believe the aluminum stud framing behind the walls is at or close to 16" on center but could be a bit wider. The ceiling support joists are wider than 16 on center.
That’s awesome! I just bought an older 6x10 trailer and been looking for a nice setup to do. I love yours! Do you have a video step by step how you put it together?? Thanks! New sub here!
Hi Denis. Thanks for commenting! I wish I had a "here is how I did it" video series but as you can tell from the quality of this video tour, I was new to videos and youtube and had no video editing software at the time and I couldn't even turn the screen/phone camera around as I shot the video so this is why I am not in this video at all. Just the pause button was all the editing I had.
Ron Paulk has two great video series about the build for his ART trailer and the new one (that mine is built like) SMART trailer. I would recommend you look up his channel and go to his playlists and find the SMART trailer build. He offers great insight.
In a year or two (which doesn't help you today) I am getting a larger trailer and will do my best to do the build-out video series you were inquiring for.
@@sdsconstruction thank you so much for the response!
Mine is 8.5' wide, 7 1/2' tall inside and 15 1/2 ' long. It has a light over a workbench with a vice. We have a large power tool box, shelves with all of our containerized equipment, etc.
My trailer has a ladder rack and can fit 2 full pallets in between tool storage
I am envious Tom Sanders! It sounds like an awesome setup! I am hoping to graduate to a 7x12 or 7x14 tandem next spring and have plans for the ladder rack system, interior buildout, and lighting/electrical throughout. I would love 8.5ft wide but am between full size trucks to pull a wide trailer with trailer mirrors and all. If I can attend to the truck first, then the 8.5ft wide is back on the “need to have” list. Congrats on your trailer and if you have video up, please let me know where to look! Stay safe
Great video, thank you for sharing. Thank you for your service as well.
Thanks for checking out the vide! Serving in the Army for all those years was an honor. Thanks!
I have a similar trailer, always fun watching other professionals setups.
I agree! Thanks for the comment! Stay safe.
Someone had asked about the labeling material....I used Fastcap edge-tape that is a PVC material that is adhesive backed and used on shelf and countertop edging. They have 40 colors...I chose the high contrast yellow because I have trouble with color. I bought a large roll at the time and still have 1/3rd left after all I have labeled.
You "have trouble with color".
You can't see it? Or don't agree with it? Or can't figure out how to get appealing
combos? Don't get along with it? Or?
I get tired of orange very quickly. Purple, too!
@@paulortiz2035 Good one!
Steven, I'm unable to locate you're response. If this is a 6 x 10, wouldn't the inside be shy of that? perhaps 5,6" ish?
Hi Joseph! Each cabinet bank (L and R sides) should have an overall depth of 24in +/- 1/4in. My isle is about 23 1/2in. So yes, a little less than 6 interior feet. I am sure that it is not off from these measurements by more than an inch, if that. The 6x10 should be nominal interior measurements.
Also -- I had made responses to questions you had on other videos - and that may be the set of responses you are looking for and cannot find. One was on the video for "Small SMART tool trailer Pros and Cons - 6x10 V-nose" and the other response was on a video for "My Ron Paulk SMART 6x10 tool trailer deep dive tour - part 2".
And the last response -- on a video "Fixing a Detached Cabinet Bank in the TOOL TRAILER" where you asked about trailer width.
Look there for your other responses if they did not come to you through the YT notifications system. Hope you find them!!! Or ask again, and I will copy/paste responses.
Mines not as neat but I install multiple doors a day and I have to have the right side available to haul away all my old doors and debris everyday, I keep my latter ratchet strapped to the right side, it comes out then at the end each old door goes against the wall and all trim and trash and then when it’s in the latter goes back against the doors and gets strapped so the debris doesn’t bounce or move. Nice build you’ve got!
Sounds like you have a great system and as importantly....it works for you! I struggled for efficiency for a long time until I stumbled on the whole trailer-buildout idea. I am always impressed at how many different ways contractors can make their situation work for them and how diverse they are. Very cool to see such diversity. Great for ideas.
@@sdsconstruction thanks, I would LOVE a setup like yours but wouldn’t work for my doors, I do however have the front v framed with shelving for tool boxes and saws floor to ceiling and in the middle of that is a cutout for my mobile table saw on wheels, left side is a rack for trim and chop saw is under it.
Very Nicely Done
Thanks!
Thanks for the video and your service.
It was an honor to serve! Thank you for checking out the video and your comments! It is appreciated.
Awesome setup! Any idea what the trailer sits at fully loaded? I run a similar size business and I'm debating over a new dual axle 6X12 vs a single axle like yours. Thanks for posting!
Hi Romand! Thanks for checking out the early deep dive video!
The trailer is around 4200lbs as it sits now. I had a 5000lb axle installed last summer for the weight. If you are in the market for a trailer, I would recommend a dual axle and go with the 5000lb axles if you can. No crime having more possible weight than you will ever carry. My next trailer is set to be a 8x12 (with at least 7ft ht) duel 5000lb axles, ramp door. Now that I have lived with a trailer build out, I know what I need but I needed to have this trailer to learn on.
Best of luck and thanks for the compliment. If you document your purchase and build out, let me know. I am a junkie for trailer videos.
Quick lesson for the "part time contractor" full time teach-5'5"= 5.416 5'6"=5.5- so measure twice cut once- Sorry couldn't help myself. Great build out.
Good one!!! Well-played williamking638. Well played......
Thanks for checking out the video. It is one of my first and so it is what it is but at least the trailer built out well. Not a job goes by that I am reminded how thankful I am to have a good level of organization with that system.
Hey brother, good vid. Im commenting 7 months after, so you probably found a work around, but here it is, that little problem with the right side where your non passing restrain!, whre yoy have to unscrew the stock... Maybe you can do a frame with hinges on the right side, 1 inch frame (picture frame if you will) and a latch that way you can just remove the stock that holds the shelves anytime you need to get your miter saw out,.
That is a very clever idea that never occurred to me. I have gotten so used to the support brace with the two screws that I have not bothered to explore any other options but yours is a good one! It is passive in as much as it would only have a latch of some sort to keep it in place while not needing to remove screws to get to the saws. Nice. Thanks for the comment!
What size(s) and type of plywood were you using? The inflation of lumber prices have been keeping me from building out my trailer this year.
Thanks for checking out the video. I used 3/4in A/C plywood and 1/2in A/C ply and a bit of 1/4in for the cubby slots. I did not use birch and I did not have access to any light weight ply. (3/4” = 18mm and 1/2” = 12mm).
Lumber prices are now falling! And falling fast. June 20th, 2021!
Go buy some lumber!
Great video. Very detailed 👌
Glad you liked it!
I'm blown away!
Thankfully, there are some good people out there with really great ideas to offset my lack of imagination and augment my so-so ingenuity.
Can you show how you made the sliding shelves. I couldn’t quite make out the mechanism of how it slides and locks.
I am planning on revisiting with a new trailer video to address some requested details. I will include that! Thanks for the question. The shelves work exactly like the drawers without the sides and front pull. They use the dado slot in the cabinet sides and the Paulk passive drawer restraint system with the small piece of hardwood that the shelf or drawer has to be lifted over to be pulled out.
@@sdsconstruction looking forward to it
What is the tall brick building in the backdrop?
Thanks for commenting Mike! It is an old single family home from back in the day when 7000sqft was single family, and is now refurbished into an apartment complex. Progress is not always real progress in my personal opinion.
Great job Steven, great work in a small space, if you ever by Rochester ny we can compare trailers lol
Would love to! If I ever take a job close to Rochester, I will message you and we can trailer it up over a soda
@@sdsconstruction I think they call it POP around here lol
Art of compromise.......how about a soda-pop! Have a great day!
Are you mounting the wood directly to the metal of the trailer as you would to a wooden stud?
Thanks for checking out the video. I have the factory ply installed but I think it is very thin so I mount through to the metal studs with self-drilling screws of appropriate length so I don’t punch through the exterior. Before building I marked all the studs so I could locate them quickly. 2 years in and it has worked out well. No issues.
Hard wax your drawer sliding surfaces and tool decks (table saw top, miter saw top and such). You will never regret it.
Nice trailer. Any chance @ standing your table saw on its side or back to make it easier to get in and out?
Great advice. Any specific wax your would recommend for tool surfaces? As far as ease of getting the table saw out….I have been doing it this way for so long that I don’t think about it and truth be told, getting it out is actually easy once my vertical support is removed (which can be screwed in for active support but I have found that it stays in place without being screwed so it is easy to remove for tool access and put back). Thanks for commenting and for the advice!
@@sdsconstruction I use Johnson’s paste wax on all my wood work bench surfaces (where appropriate) and saw tables.
@@Saltshaker2016 I appreciate the recommendation! Thanks
So honestly how much do you insure your trailer for. I'm about to purchase a 7x14 and will deck it out too. My worst fear would be to have all that stolen. Like what would be a ball park value you would apply for all that. I currently only have renters insurance and have found that doesn't cover squat unlike having a homeowners policy. Also thank you so much for taking the time to create this video. Helps us all keep moving forward.
Cost of the trailer replacement less a deductible and several thousand dollars for the tools. It is also why I video the trailer and do tours and deep dives. Not only do I get a video to post for fun but it is documentation of what is in my trailer. Great question! And thanks for checking out the videos. Best of luck.
Dudes wife: bet you can't use the word Genesis in your videos.
Dude: game on
Howdy The9Pauls! Same game for the comments too and finally, the opening I have been waiting for.
"Genesis!"
Score!
Dou you feel like the trailer handles the weight well, how much would you say is in it? I'm thinking about getting a very similar trailer but am a little concerned about the rough roads I work on.
I feel the trailer weight because I am pulling it with an SUV (in between trucks currently) but the SUV is rated for double what I am pulling so I am okay with it. Most roads around here are not bad and I drive carefully when pulling the trailer just in case. So far, I haven't lost a tool out of a cubby and have never had a drawer or shelf open up while in transit. Fingers crossed but Ron Paulk's system works well. (and the roads here are not a war zone, to be fair.)
I work on rough roads quite a bit. I have a 7x14 currently, and used to have a 6x10. My current 7x14 is built out halfway Paulk style and I rarely have anything fall out/off inside. I have left open coke cans sitting on my workbench multiple times and have never spilled one in transit. They don't bounce as much as you think, especially a tandem axle
@@benshell8662 my experience too. I hope to upgrade to a tandem 7x14 soon!
Awesome job! could you let me know the gross weight full loaded? I am planning ahead and want to make sure I don't exceed my weight limit of 6,500 lbs. My trailer is a 16x7 and weighs 1,000 lbs. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for commenting! At last weighing at our local transfer station, I was just under 3000lbs on my 3500 max wt trailer. Needless to say, I won't be adding anything more to it!
How wide is your walkway?? Looks nice and very organized!
Howdy Jay. Thanks for checking out this real early video of mine on the deep dive. The isle is just a little under 24inches. The left drawer bank is 24 deep, the large tool garage on the right is 24 deep, so what was left out of just under 6ft width became the isle.
Next trailer is going to be 8ft wide so I can get a real wide isle and a better designed right side of trailer for big tools.
Thanks for the question! All design credits to Ron Paulk of SMART WOODSHOP for his video build series and his plans I purchased to build this out.
@SdS Construction thanks for the reply, I just picked up a 6x12, excited to get started on it
@@jaypence1911 best of luck with your build out! I am already excited for my next (and last) build out and it is 2 years away!
Love your videos. I have a 6x12 and starting the SMART conversion. I am worried about the width and if I should make the drawers shallower that the 23 ⅞" in the plans. My inside width is 69" inside wall to wall. I will need to do something like you did on the right side as a mod as well because I think I want the door as an option. Did you keep the full depth of the drawers? and what is your aisle space now? Thanks!
Howdy RS. I went with his plans for the drawer banks on the left so mine are full depth but I did change the width as a customization to my 10ft length. I might change the depth if I did it over but I really confess to liking the countertop space in front of the cubbies and the end counter and this is driven by the cabinet depth. Best of luck with your build out. I am thankful every time I go in my trailer that I took the time and that I found Ron with his plans.
@@sdsconstruction Thanks for the reply! I am going forward with the full depth on the left side. What depth did you go with on the right side (i.e. DB-3) and how wide is your isle now? Thanks again, I have been binging all your videos :)
@@robertstephenson9720 no problem. Glad to be help. The right side is around 23 1/2in give or take. The depth is driven by the large tool garage and the table saw/miter saw needs. I believe my isle to be around 23in. I am so used to the narrowness of my trailer that I won’t know what to do when I (hopefully) upgrade to an 8ft wide trailer in a couple years. I might put in a disco ball and rent out the isle for Raves.
How do you go about getting the plans you guys are talking about?
Hey there Guanacoboi! My apologies for taking a year to reply (to a question I assume you found the answer to a year ago)! I never received a notification of your comment and just ran across it.
Just in case..... my trailer build out is based on Ron Paulk's plans for his SMART tool trailer. Just head to TheSmartWoodshop.com and look up the plans in his store. They are under $30 last time I checked and once purchased, are immediately downloadable to your phone or computer as a PDF. I printed mine off at Staples on 11x17 and still have them (and the PDF on my computer too of course.) I easily modified his plans for my smaller 6x10 trailer. His trailer is 8x12 with a little extra head room. They modify easy.
How do you transport large items like appliances, cabinets or anything that will not fit in the isle?
Thanks for the comments SB! If the large items are not delivered, I will pick them up in my truck. At times I have free access to a open high wall utility trailer and use that for larger orders. Once in a great while I will rent a trailer for transport of large items, materials, etc. and the cost is passed on to the customer. When possible though, I try and have the items delivered. Our local hardware store will also take old appliances away free of charge but will not take appliances that I would try and drop off so sometimes delivery comes with a bonus!
Sorry if you mentioned this and i missed it, but do you know about how much this build out cost you in materials
materials....about $1100 all told with lumber, hose reels, etc...
Towards the end of your video, I think I could see a smart bench out the back of the trailer. Does that travel in the aisle way?
Thanks for the comment and good eyes! I build myself a Paulk compact bench but call it my semi-compact bench since his is 3x6 but mine is 3x7 (I wanted a 4x8 but it won't travel as well in the trailer). As soon as I can find a supply of the light weight plywood Ron talks about, I will build a new compact bench and I will also build a total station. When I take the bench with me, it indeed rides in the isle.
Nice work! Beautiful!
Thank you very much for checking out the video and your compliment! stay safe
awesome storage but i couldnt do that... i like space to actually work in my trailer
Howdy Brian! Thanks for commenting. I know what you mean! Space in a trailer to work (get out of the sun, rain, etc...) and be self contained. Now that would be cool!
I am 5 years into this trailer and bought the trailer before I discovered amazing buildouts like Ron's and others. Once I found Ron Paulk, I went with his plans and modified for my smaller trailer. I quickly realized it would only ever be a tool hauler and was okay with that. I saw where he outfitted a box truck to be a fully functional mobile shop and that looked great but am not sure how I could make my workflow into that type of build.
The next trailer will be larger, 8.5ft x 12ft x at least 7.5ft tall but will still be just a tool hauler. For me to get a usable shop on wheels, the trailer would be so big that I would have no where to park it and could not get it on most jobs I take on.
Best of luck to you with your trailer. If you have any videos up, give me a title to search for and I will check it out! I love trailer videos!!!
@@sdsconstruction i havent made videos of my trailer but its a 24' unit ... yes it is hard to get to some jobs but i always find a way
man where do yall find the time to do this , i wish i did it to mine.. good stuff.
Prior to heading out of state for that remodel we were hired on for, I took a week and a half of 10-12 hr days to do the initial build and got it done but for the drawers. I built those after the job was over. In the end, it was time well spent. I am on a 30K bathroom remodel now and it is worth all the time spent on it to have it up and working on a job. I would do it again in a heartbeat for the work that I do!
@@sdsconstruction amazing trailer though 👌🏼 one day ill do mine.
Great video great trailer very similar to mine!
Thanks! I really like the arrangement I have now but wish I had an extra 2ft for another bank of cabinets, and just a little more isle width. Easy work around but still would be nice. I hope your trailer is going well for you! Let me know if you ever give a video tour!
@@sdsconstruction i also wish I would have went with an 8.5 wide instead of 6. But 12 deep works for me!
@@Warren3carpentry 12 deep! I am envious!
This looks great. What’s the total weight? And what kind of truck do you pull it with?
Thanks a lot Ian for commenting! The total weight of the trailer is around 4000lb and I originally pulled it with a 2012 VW Touareg (max tow of 7700lb) but I now pull it with a 2018 GMC Canyon (tows up to 7k lb). My mid-size truck does very well with the trailer. Last spring, I had the trailer axle swapped out to a 5k lb axle with stiffer suspension. I am really happy I did it!
Wow, truly amazing! What do you teach?
chemistry and physics.
Nice video. I may have missed it but how does the single axle fare with the weight of all your tools and shelving?
Do you haul materials in it as well? If so, how does the trailer handle that additional weight?
I'm asking because I can't decide if I want to purchase a single axle or tandem. I like the single axle for the weight savings. But I don't won't to overload it. I also like the idea of a tandem axle due to having brakes on the trailer as well.
Decisions, decisions....
Thanks for the comment! Single axle handles fine with my build and tools but am close to max. I would prefer tandem and next trailer will have them either 7x12 or 7x14. I haul basic materials in small quantity because this is my only trailer and I am in between trucks. It still hauls fine with a few sheets of drywall or ply or .... whatever with no difference in handling. If I were buying my first trailer knowing now what I am doing, I would definitely go 7 x 12 or 8.5 x 12 tandem and know I will never overload with the build out or any materials I would haul. And yep........decisions, decisions........
Beautiful.
Thanks! I built it but am still amazed at the efficiency and organization it offers.
where can i get the plans?
thanks for commenting and with an easy question at that! Go to Smartwoodshop.com and look for the tab for all Ron Paulk's plans. They are inexpensive and once you pay you get an email with a link that allows you to download immediately. I used his SMART workshop trailer plans and modified them for my shorter/narrower trailer. Easy to do!
I am about to embark upon my own 6x10 SMART Workshop. You mention you only have 23 inches in aisle. What are the widths of left and right. My trailer has 69". Doing 18 on left, 24 on right, leaving 27" aisle.
Thanks for the comment! I will try to remember to get accurate measurements tomorrow but I believe the left cabinet bank is a full 24in and the right was driven by the end tool garage needs that hold the table saw and mitre saw. That side is more like 26 or 28 in. My isle is just about 23in as you walk in at the counter height. It is tight but it works. I like your wider isle idea for sure but in my build, I really appreciate the two banks of tool cubbies at the two different depths which allows for a narrow but full length counter which is I find very convenient. For me, any narrower on the left drawer bank would have shorted me the counter. But.......the neat thing about these trailer builds is that whatever you do will work and you will discover a really good work flow with the trailer and it’s organization! My next trailer, a spring purchase, I hope, will be a 7 x 12 allowing for a wider isle just as you are talking about. Best of luck with your build and if you post any video or pictures, please let me know. I am shameless at stealing good ideas.
Nice trailer!
Real world carpentry Remodeling -- thank you very much! It was a fun build and is now an absolute necessity on my job sites since my workflow is incorporated into having the trailer/tools present. I am looking forward to the next trailer in the spring. Likely a 7x12 or 7x14.
Stephen Spencer . I’m having a 7x 14 x7 high built now. Ill have it next week. I am also doing a Paulk style trailer. With a bunch of stolen ideas from others . Including yours lol. It will take me some time to build because I’m flat out with work . I’m going to post the build video once I’m done. Maybe I’ll have ideas for the next guy or your next trailer , and the evolution will continue :)
I look forward to seeing your build series. I will likely steal from you on my 7x14 build!
Nice set up!
Thank you very much! I really like it for my work flow and am looking forward to a new trailer next year.
How to your drawers Stay in place ? Do they lock in like your shelves
the drawers and sliding shelves all have a dado-ed notch about two inches long and 3/8in deep at the front of each drawer bottom (which is also the slide for the drawer since the bottoms are wider to fit in the dados in the cabinet sides). This notch drops behind a small piece of glued in hardwood and the hardwood piece stops the drawer or shelf from moving or sliding out during transit. To open, I simply lift the drawer or shelf about a quarter inch before pulling forward over the small piece of hardwood. Ron Paulk calls it "passive restraint" and it works perfectly.
I made my trailer very functional with little time , as I worked I would change things as I seen a need an hour here and there I would never spend a ton of time building all that stuff in a trailer to look pretty I focus more on function my time was better spent on job sites crafting but the trailer was organized
Thanks for commenting! I certainly understand your approach and it is a sound way to go for having tools/material and efficiency on a job site. I was headed in that direction enthusiastically when I stumbled onto Ron Paulk’s videos on his trailer buildouts and really liked the organization method. After watching other contractors and their build outs based on Paulk’s ideas, I committed to going with a more involved design rather than the open shelves I was initially looking at.
I was very lucky to have a week and a half to start from an open trailer shell and build it out without sacrificing not being on a job site earning money so I could take the time and make it what you saw here. For me it has nothing to do with the aesthetics (although it was what got my attention with his first video I saw) and all about the organization that comes with the build out. Within reason, I have everything I need tool-wise when I pull in to a site and more so for me, (being inherently disorganized) I can find what I have very quickly.
We all have different systems and most of them work very well for us individually and keep us in business earning money and keeping the craftsmanship first and foremost where it should be.
I am really happy to hear your system is very dialed in and makes the job site a very productive place.
Thanks again for commenting!
reallylike the video and I am wondering what your actual weight is after the build with all the tools? I am guessing ou are likely well overweight for the trailer axles? I am guessing your max weight shoud be 3500 Lbs on the trailer axle unless you went to 5000 Lbs axle then you may only be slightly overweight.
I am at 2800lbs give or take what I put in the isle that would be job specific. Weighed it at the local transfer station.
Al of these smart traikers look great. But as someone who has towed daily for almost 20 years, they look really heavy. Replacing trailer suspensions gets old fast.
I can imagine! So far so good with this one. Thanks for commenting!
How much material cost and how long did it take to build ?
Hey there John! Thanks for checking out the video and for commenting. As for material, I think I have somewhere around 15 to 17 sheets of A/C plywood (mostly 3/4) and at the time, I paid around $70 a sheet. The half inch and quarter inch was less.
As far as the build, I initially had 10 long days (10-14 hr days) to get it three quarters built before I had to load it and go out of state for that big job. When I got back, I rebuilt the right side (3 days) and then set to making all the drawers which took a couple days.
When I build the next trailer (8 1/2 x 12 ft) I will plan on it taking two solid weeks (14 days) to build and finish. This will actually take longer because I plan to make a number of videos on the build and that always takes a lot of extra time.
The time spent away from jobs building this trailer is well worth it since an organized built out will always pay for itself time and time again. I would not hesitate to block off time to make a build a priority knowing this.
You mentioned that you have plans for this, but I didn't see the plans anywhere. I have pretty much the same trailer and would like to build this in my own, where can I get the plans for this?
Thanks for checking out the video. The plans I mentioned are Ron Paulk’s plans for his SMART trailer that I purchased for $25 from his website as an immediately downloadable PDF. His plans are set up for a 8.5ft x 12ft trailer with a ramp door. I modified his plans using a ruler and graph paper for my trailer to make sure the math and the measurements worked in then6 x 10ft. My graph paper plans would not be very useful to,anyone so I would recommend Ron’s plans as something to copy or to use as a starting point for a trailer build with your own modifications to make it fit your tools and work flow and way that you organize. For my next trailer, (a 7x12 or 7x14 next time) I am planning on using his SMART trailer plans for the left side build out but using some of his other trailer plans he calls ART, to better build out the right side to accommodate work benches and my big tools. I will have to buy his ART plans at that point. Best of luck with your build and if you post pictures or any video, let me know please! I would like to check out the build.
Ah awsome thanks for the quick reply, if you dont mind me asking roughly what was the material cost and time investment in building one of these beasts?
The time.....first build was about a week and a half with some long days to get 2/3rds of it done before the out of state job. I ended up removing the right side cabinets at that job for trailer space and had to rebuild it when I got back but did some redesign so it was a win. Another week to rebuild but then I was able to at last, build the drawers. So all told.....maybe two solid weeks with some long days including the learning curve I needed for the build. Cost? Sheets of ply were around $50 or so a sheet for A/C at the time. So all told, maybe around $1000 to $1250 for what I have into it currently materials and electrical.
Is there a "part 2" to go with this video?
Thanks for the view to the video! If you are interested, just search for the same video name just change out the 1 for a 2 after "part." There is a final part as well because I just can't seem to either talk faster or talk less and I am not accomplished yet at video editing. Stay safe!
hi where do you buy the plan i have the same trailer and would like to buy it.
I bought Ron Paulk’s plans for his SMART trailer which is set up for an 8.5ft x 12ft trailer and them modified it for the 6x10. Basically, on the left side,I eliminated a cabinet bank. I also eliminated the middle bank of tool cubbies (Ron has 3 banks, I have 2). My reel system for power and air had to move to the V-nose wall since I did not have room to mount it to the left side end cabinet like Ron. The right side was much more original to the build since I had to do an end vertical large tool garage. This caused me to rearrange the rest of the right side into the current configuration. I did keep the end tall cabinet drawer bank. I do not have plans for my build but you can find Ron’s plans for his SMART trailer by going to his SmartWorkshop site. Once you pay, it is an instant download. Thanks for the question!
@@sdsconstruction thank you so much I going to buy this plan ty again.
Don't forget Undercoating and high quality bed liner for cheap chip board flooring
Very true! I have yet to undercoat but it is on my long term list of to-dos. And yep......I have had problems with the OSB flooring. I am anticipating a durable runner for my isle and ramp to avoid further issues. Thanks for the advice! Stay safe
@@sdsconstruction Ours started developing problems on he second year of use. Go thicker than factory spec for undercoating
(after phosphoric acid wash to convert rust) and double thickness for top of floor. Since we are a restoration painting contractor [Wet Paint], ours must be waterproof and chemical proof. Also, one of our benches is stainless steel topped to be used for various epoxies (finishes as well as injection/ consolidation resins) and paint mixing
Thanks for the heads up and advice on undercoating. Your business sounds fascinating. As a general carpenter, I dabble in a lot but have little chance to master much but have always appreciated the trade in all its facets. My wife and I live in an 1870 constructed home and are only the third owners. We very much value the integrity of maintaining the house and complimenting it, maintaining it, without altering its structure and history in as much as we can. Thanks for all you can do at your professional level to keep that history standing and restored and desired by homeowners.
@@sdsconstruction My wife and I lived in a Victorian built in 1862 for a couple years. A breeze would blow out a candle with the windows closed. I dedicated decades to trim duplication and refinishing of these gorgeous homes.. When I was called about the Tomek House, I didn't know it's historical significance and told them 1906 was too new for me to be interested. A week later, they offered to pay for consultation. Contactor's lesson: Hoof in mouth tastes bad! I worked there for 4 years exclusively.
@@sdsconstruction If you own your old home, convert it from a balloon structure. It can be hidden with crown moulding or plaster crown moulding.
Beautiful work and the fact you made it work for you . Would like to build this as well that organized work space, trailer , shop or job site makes for detailed outcome , thank you for sharing and wish you well .
Thanks for commenting! I think you are onto something in that this idea for a trailer organization is very adaptable for a fixed shop application. If a trailer and a shop were really made with some thought in mind, drawers/cabinets/parts could be transferrable between the two.
Hi , I have been following you for a while. You really have a vision about the trailer set up. Please let me
Know if you figure out a beneficial for you way to help me or share ideas how can I design. The best set up for my newly designed expandable work truck and trailer
Hi Rick. Thanks for checking out my channel and thanks for the kind comment. As far as helping you, I must say that the only buildout I have done is the trailer in the video and one workbench, both of which I am incredibly happy with and hope to have a second chance at another build of each. I would strongly recommend Ron Paulk’s channel. He has two very detailed video playlists of the build out for his earlier 7x14 ART trailer (awesome rolling toolbox) and of his most current 8x12 SMART trailer (where I got my idea from). He offers for small money, PDF plans for each of these trailer builds and his plans are scaleable for different trailers like my 6x10, and adaptable for fixes shops or trucks/vans. You may find some really adaptable opportunities for your build. Also……Ron re-posted a video from a guy named Luis, who built out a Sprinter Van using Ron’s ideas and it turned out fantastic! Ron found it was such a valuable video, he reposted the whole 30minutes of it. I hope this helps!
I like that how much the price for all that?
3500 for the new trailer before taxes and then ten to twelve sheets of plywood (half inch and three quarters altogether) and one sheet of quarter inch ply. When I built this, A/C ply was around $50 a sheet for 3/4, less for half inch. Maybe all told, over $5k, under $6k. Before tools. No labor charges of course.
Literally just bought a tall 6x10 & Ron’s SMART plans... my question on this build - what are the depth dimensions for your build vs Ron’s SMART plans?
Thanks for checking out the trailer and congrats on the plans purchase and your build. Good luck. From the ramp door looking in, left side- base cabinet dimensions are 24" deep by 36" wide with dado drawer slots exactly as the plans and drawer construction per plans allowing for the increased width of my cabinets. The first two cabinets needed to hit on the long drawer cabinet they sit on and run the same length. The narrow height third cabinet above the compressor is same width and height allows for two narrow drawers or one deeper drawer. The length of both tool cubbies are about 84" to allow me to have some usable front counter and the viewtainer shelving above. Bottom cubby is then 14" deep x 12" tall, top cubby is 20" deep by 16" tall. I did not have room for the third cubby (which is the middle cubby on the plans).
The right side only uses Ron's DB3 drawer bank and is to spec per plans. My large tool garage and all others builds on the right are custom to my build since his design did not work for my tools and trailer size (6x10x72"). His trailer is 8' wide, mine is 6' wide. His is taller and longer too. My right side is 24" deep on all cabinets. LTG is about 60" tall and about 32" wide for the mitre and table saw. They sit on a 49" x 12"x12" med-long drawer and level garage (build to Ron's plans but not as many levels and only to 4' level depth.)
This left me with 23" for an isle-way and it is indeed narrow but I am a hobbit so it is not so much of a big deal though I cannot store much in the isle, like big barrels, table saws on roller-stands, and such.
My screw organizer bins are on a 17" wide x 48" tall cabinet with 3/4" dado shelf slots every 3" and the shelves are really drawers without sides or ends.
My viewtainer shelving for hardware and chemicals generally runs 4 1/2" to 5" deep usable shelves for jars and chemicals by whatever width and height I can get in the location I put it.
Let me know if you have follow up questions!
My next trailer will likely go 7x12 or 7x14 (with a hope to actually score an 8ft wide rather than 7' if possible). When I purchase and build, I will use a combination of Ron's SMART (l;eft side of trailer) and ART (right side of trailer) plans to make the best build I can for what I do and what I want to haul. I will also incorporate Renovations and Repairs trailer ideas of the use of long drawers for materials storage (i.e. plumbing, electrical, paint, etc.). I will still have to modify Ron's plans for the loss of 8' width on a 7' trailer but it will be better than my current 6'.
SdS Construction silly question... what did you use for labeling on the face of your drawers? Is that electrical tape?
I used Fastcap edge-tape that is a PVC material that is adhesive backed and used on shelf and countertop edging. They have 40 colors...I chose the high contrast yellow because I have trouble with color. I bought a large roll at the time and still have 1/3rd left after all I have labeled. It was expensive but well worth it and real durable.
@@sdsconstruction This information was exactly what I was hoping most to find!! You have made some AMAZING choices and I am grateful for your kindness in sharing your hard work and design ideas! You are a craftsman Sir! I know your father would be very proud!! Keep up the good work!
@@sdsconstruction Love the Video by the way. I am in the process of ordering my light plywood. I have the extract size of trailer what is the dimensions of the battery cubby? thank you in advance.
Any chance you know what the loaded weight is on the trailer ?
just under 3000lb as it is loaded here using the transfer station scales. I am actually getting it measured for a 5000lb axle package so I can reliably put things in the isle on my way to jobsites that are more than just the tile tools bin. Thanks for commenting!
@@sdsconstruction thank you. Do you know off hand what the trailer weight is unloaded ? I am looking at doing a build and trying to get a feel for how much all the stuff inside will weigh
@@xdmatt1320 not sure what the trailer wt is right off the lot before the build. It should be around 1300lb at a guess. It is certainly over 1000lbs and I am sure it is not over 1500, since the trailer is rated at 3500 gross, including the trailer due to the axle size. If I am correct, my build plus tools is just under 1700lbs.
Knowing what I know now, I would buy at a minimum 7x12 but more like a 8x12 or 7x14 with all the height I could get and a dual axle. HOWEVER - if I had to stay with a 10ft trailer, I would go with a tandem axle and get the 7000lb gross. It is the best of both worlds for small trailer and carrying capacity. Hope all this helps with your build! Best of luck.
@@sdsconstruction thanks
I am looking to do a 7x16 or 7x14 currently. With the 7,000lb dual axle setup.
How much do you think it weighs with everything inside of it?
Thank you very much for checking out the video and for your question! Currently, 4000lbs. Tools, build out, everything. This summer I had the axle exchanged for a 5000lb axle so I am still within weight limits.
You own 6 caulk guns for the same reason I own 3 grinders
Trade ya....2 for 1? Thanks for watching.....stay safe MFA!
What’s with everyone owning 3 grinders 2 Milwaukee 1 makita all corded 🤦♂️
Great Question. For me, I own multiples of some tools because on a jobsite, I can set up the same tools differently for a multiple step production (like three drill and two drivers with different drill bits and different drivers). I also own multiples on tools that if they broke during a job, I could keep on working with a replacement. Granted, I mostly buy bare tools to keep costs down so I can afford to have 3 drills. Others have multiple employees and need more tools to keep larger crews going. I do confess to only having two grinders though. I would like a third. Doing tile work, having one set up with a diamond hole saw, one with a diamond tile cutting wheel, and one with a finger milling bit would be very efficient with tile work around plumbing and electrical.
Good Lord, I thought I kept a lot if screws/nails etc in my truck and trailer
I know, right? I was real surprised when I got all of my fasteners stock out into one place and sorted it and realized how much I had. I was impressed. Nothing in big quantities but several 1lb size boxes. Having a rolling hardware store really helps me to avoid breaking into a day on a job to go to Lowes for screws and nails. If I leave the job, minimum an hour goes by and it breaks my momentum. Before the trailer, I did not have a good system to store and organize so I had multiples of a lot of stuff. Can’t say how happy I am to have this system. Keeps as efficient and productive as possible in my perpetual second gear pace I inherently have. Thanks for commenting! Stay safe.
@@sdsconstruction Totally agree. I try to keep enough in the truck to keep me going while either I or my helper can go if we run out and the other can stay to keep working
Screw your jar lids to the under side of your shelf you can see and reach in and undo The jar you want to maybe use a little glue to stop it rattling.
Thanks for checking out the video and for your advice! I had thought of that but in that area around the cabinet, the space is tight and am not sure if it would allow me to get to all the stock I have. I am thinking when I outfit a part of my walk out basement as a small shop to use that system in some way and have them connected to the underside of a sliding shelf for mobility and accessibility.
Is that 3/4 inch plywood?
Thanks for checking out the video.......Most of each cabinet is built from 3/4 ply but there is a lot of 1/2 in but primarily with the drawers and shelves. 1/4 inch for the dividers in the tool cubbies.
What is your trailers carrying capacity? I have a 6x10 single axle that is rated for about 1650 lbs. Sometimes i feel i have to much in it.
It is 3500lb gross and I am carrying just under 3000lb.
Do You mean your trailer has 3500lb single axle
Or is it a 5000lb single axle minus the weight of the trailer equals what you can pack ≈ 3500lbs
Howdy Brayden. Sorry for taking 3 years to reply! I would love to say that my channel is that busy but the subscriber numbers don't tell the same story. In truth, I never got a notification of your post back in the day and only stumbled on it tonight.
In answer to your long ago asked question: In its original configuration, I had a 3500lb single axle on the trailer and the weight, trailer and all the tools and build out, was just under 3500lb back then. In fact, it might have been over. Finding this out, I immediately had my trailer sales yard order me a 5000lb replacement axle and when It came in (with two new, larger tires), I had them swap it out. As it stands today, fully outfitted, The trailer weighs around 4400lbs with tools (some new), the buildout, and the new (heavier) axle.
I really appreciate your comment!
My hardware store is 150 shoe boxes and 450 small peanut butter jars. Won't fit inside of my much larger trailer
As a video-documented fan of hardware, I can say I am envious of the span of your variety of hardware. Maybe you could tandem a second smaller trailer for just the hardware like the UPS trucks I see on the highway. Thanks for the comment! Stay safe
@@sdsconstruction As an award winning master finisher (1991 Chicago's Finest Painted Lady) and world famous restoration artisan (F.F. Tomek House),n most of my hardware store is 1850-1925 new, old stock.When I take my trailer out to a project, it is fully stocked with new hardware, unless we are going to a restoration project. That is when we bring job specific hardware.
Hey Tom, Im not sure what area you work in, Therefore, this comment be may be this comment is obsolete. However, Do you need to carry that amount of Hardware with you on jobs?
Could any of it be thinned out and left in a static location and topped up as required?
My trail of thought is less weight means less fuel used and less wear and tear on your engine and brakes, which inturn means less out goings.
@@Nathan-H We only carry universal hardware in trailer unless a project is period or style specific. Our main assortment stays in the studio. Our trailer is 7,000 before we get materials. We can fit 12' sheet goods or countertops or an entire kitchen (except big ones). One project had us carrying a over dozen hundred year old 2" doors.
@@Nathan-H Chicago's North suburbs. I only carry project specific hardware. I am building a walk in utility body trailer for a mobile hardware store
I TOTALLY feel your caulk gun pain. I have 5.
We should start a therapy group! Thanks for commenting. I appreciate you taking the time
@@sdsconstruction - LOL....YES! A "Crap, I have to buy another caulk gun because I forgot it" group. Bet it would be a massive group. Take care.
Awesome crib
My only man-cave .... but it has a lot of tools, a stereo, and a small bank of colorful LEDs! I am very happy with it! (and it helps me earn money!)