Benjy's Practically Perfect 8x18 Framing Trailer

Why the Beauty?

Benjy clearly likes things that look good. Walking into the trailer looks more like walking into a tool display than a working framing trailer. Most of the plywood in the trailer is painted gray or black, visual clutter is hidden away, and even PVC gun-style holders are painted gray to bend in with their mounting boards.

While these things might seem excessive, his attention to detail serves many purposes. First, he believes that his trailer build helps him get more work:

I figure, if I spend the time working on this trailer, to make it to where people are going to like it, I'll get more jobs.... And a lot of builders are always complimenting my trailer, and I think that has helped me land some of the jobs that I've had.

Many in the trades like to say that a dirty, disorganized trailer or work van means that you work a lot. Realistically, those folks lose significant amounts of time looking for tools and inventory during the workday, and some will need to use personal time to clean their vehicle out on a weekend.

Benjy's trailer shows that he runs a clean business with a tight crew. He's invested into his tools and trailer and won't vanish halfway through a job. He's also invested in his employees and has made accommodations to keep them comfortable and working efficiently during the day.

Working With a Crew

Benjy took some inspiration for this trailer from Ron Paulk, but he also has a different set of requirements.

He only does framing work, which means he's more specialized than a typical remodeler. He also has a crew working for him, so he needs to consider how they will work with the trailer. This means that tools and inventory need to be easy to see, and that the trailer needed to be able to withstand heavy use.

Color-coded Tools

Benjy buys tools for his workers, but they're responsible for each tool that is theirs. Benjy says:

If you assign a tool to each person, this person will take better care of this tool now that he knows if there is any damage to this nail gun, it's not going to look too hot when he comes and tells me that he broke his nail gun because he wasn't being careful with it.

He says the crew takes better care of tools and tools last longer with this arrangement. It also eliminates interpersonal problems like:

• One worker wanting to use their favorite nailer or saw.
• A worker using a saw that "belongs" to someone else.

Everyone has their own tools and they are responsible for them.

To "assign" tools, he simply wraps colored electrical tape around tool handles. Tools that everyone frequently needs, like circular saws, framing nailers, and coil nailers are assigned, but less frequently used tools aren't color-coded.

Tools are also mounted in color-coded locations so that everyone has a specific spot for his tools.

Solve Personnel Problems With Better Systems

One of the themes in this build is that Benjy built the trailer for his workers, not for himself. He found that the DeWalt battery chargers were breaking from having batteries slammed into them.

Some employers might say something like, "No more mounted chargers!" or "You pay for every charger you break!" Both of these things are bad for efficiency and morale.

Instead, he built a better battery charger mount that would withstand the force of batteries repeatedly being slapped in through the day. Efficiency on the job site stays up with always-on, easily-accessed chargers and Benjy doesn't ever need to expend mental energy on broken chargers again.

This is a great example of solving what could be a personnel problem by just building a physically better system that works with the realities of a labor-intensive job site.

No Fastener Bins

There are a few fastener bins on the trailer, but Benjy found they didn't work well. The crew doesn't always put things back in the bulk bins where they belong, so hardware would become mixed. This is a huge time-waster, so they're managed off the trailer.

Mobile Breakroom

The trailer is used not just for tools, but also as a mobile breakroom. The front of the trailer has cabinets for food, a microwave, and a small fridge/freezer combo. The countertop here even has a decorative backsplash!

Since the trailer has an air conditioning unit, he and his crew can come into the trailer on hot summer days and enjoy a break from the heat. He normally keeps chairs in the trailer, but plans to create built-in seating with tool storage underneath.

Benjy ordered the trailer with insulation, but only the roof was insulated! He plans to insulate some of the forward walls to regulate temperature in the heat and cold.

Lift-up Counters

The passenger side of the trailer has a length of workbench below the tools mounted on the wall.

Under the counter lip, Benjy mounted a row of DeWalt battery chargers that are screwed to butt a ledge under the chargers. The ledge keeps the chargers from breaking after having batteries slapped into them all day long.

The chargers are mounted on the front of the cabinets below the countertops. Normally, a tool trailer will have drawers in this location, and the chargers block access to the useful storage space behind them.

To access this space, Benjy's solution was simple: he made rear-hinged countertops that lift up so that items can be stored underneath.

The lift-up sections are short, so if the countertop has tools or boxes of nails on it, it wouldn't be hard to shift those few items to the next-door countertop so it can be lifted.

Hide the Clutter

Benjy likes things to look neat. Air hoses, extension cords, and tool belts don't really look neat when you hang them from a hook in your trailer.

Hose and Cord Cabinet

Air hoses and extension cords are stored at the back of the trailer, but you can't see them right away. That's because they're hidden!

You'll find them on the driver side of the trailer. At the rear of the trailer, there is a narrow wall with several power tools mounted. The trick here is that this is just a cap over a rear storage area.

Pull this wall open and the hanging air hoses and extension cords are revealed. The cabinet also covers long slots for extension and step ladders that are stored behind the driver side tool wall.

Besides just looking good, the genius of this idea is that Benjy gains a large flat space for storing power tools at the rear of the trailer.

Tool Belts

Benjy also didn't like how tool belts looked simply hanging out in the trailer. He built another cabinet just for tool belts.

Cabinet of Shame!

Most of Benjy's tools are DeWalt, but he does have a lot of Milwaukee tools! The DeWalt tools are on display, but he hides the Milwaukee tools in a cabinet near the front of the trailer.

The Milwaukee cabinet houses both the tools and a small battery charging station for all the Milwaukee batteries. He refers to the Milwaukee cabinet as the "Cabinet of Shame", but he truly is a pragmatist. With several of his tools he simply prefers to use the Milwaukee version, he just doesn't want everyone to know it!

Is That a Tv?

The Milwaukee cabinet swings out on wheels to reveal a TV and a Playstation! Benjy says sometimes he and the crew will play FIFA on the Playstation.

Tool Mounts

A typical Ron Paulk-style build uses tool cubbies for individual tools, but Benjy has a couple of different ways he does it.

Most of the tools are mounted on black pegboard. Each tool has a specific location, and many (like circular saws) are supported with some additional structure to keep them from banging while driving. This method of mounting takes up lots of space compared to Paulk cubbies, but Benjy has good reasons for his methods:

First, he only does framing and has plenty of space. Many contractors use a large variety of tools, but he doesn't. Tools in a cubby aren't easy to see - you might confuse a driver and a recip saw just looking at the handles. This problem is compounded when you have a crew using a lot of tools that might not put everything back where it's supposed to go.

By hanging tools on pegboard, tools take up more space, but it's easier to see what tool is where. In this way, he knows if something is missing, and his crew always knows where to find or put away a tool.

He also uses PVC pipe mounts for things like framing nailers. These stick straight off the wall and are cut with a slot to holster in a nailer.

With specific mounts for tools and color-coding, every tool will go back where it's supposed to every time.

The Attention to Detail Everywhere

For a great example of Benjy's attention to detail, take a look at his description of the air nailer mounts here.

He cuts a cradle for the nailer from PVC, then paints it gray. The inside is lined with foam. On the wall he mounts a rubber bumper so that the nailer won't damage the paint.

These kind of small details, such as a kickplate for the extension cord/air hose cap wall and the Milwaukee cabinet accent light, show that Benjy has put a lot of thought into making, and keeping, the trailer looking good.

Lots of Paint

Most tool trailers are left as bare, unfinished plywood. Benjy painted most of the trailer's surfaces and tool mounts. While this helps to protect the inside, the dark wall colors make red Milwaukee and yellow DeWalt tools stand out significantly. This only makes it more obvious where a tool goes and whether one is missing.

The bright lighting in the trailer minimizes shadows and dim areas and contributes to the feeling that you're actually in a tool showroom, not a just a job site work trailer.

Conclusion

Benjy's tool trailer build is a great example of taking some ideas and making them your own. His experience running framing crews comes through how he manages tool use by his employees. This is the type of trailer that, when you see it, you can be confident that the builder will do great work on your job site.