Horst Construction's Long and Tall Aluminum Framing Trailer
RIG DETAILS
| USED FOR | Framing |
| BODY | Enclosed Trailer, V-Nose |
ORGANIZATION
Jonathan, of Horst Construction, uses their framing trailer for roofing, additions, siding, and large building construction in Sodus, NY.
The trailer is quite large at 16' long, 8.5' wide, and with 7.5' tall walls. He took ideas for the build from both Gingrich Construction and Ron Paulk.
After a year of use, Jonathan found that he didn't need to update the tool trailer very much. There were just a few tool changes due to theft and the addition of a generator required some repositioning to make everything fit.
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All Aluminum
The trailer is all aluminum, and Jonathan notes that their previous steel trailer needed to be replaced due to rust. The frame, panels, ladder, and roof rack are all aluminum and are skinned with OSB in the floor and walls.
The aluminum ladder on the front of the trailer allows roof access and was constructed to span the frame rails in front of the V-nose. It's located specifically so that the trailer can be backed into tight spots without worrying about contact between the tailgate and the ladder. The ladder also has a high first rung so that it doesn't interfere with the manual trailer jack behind the coupler.
Long Storage
Since the trailer is so long and wide, it has quite a bit of storage space plus a wide walk-in area. To take advantage of this space, adjacent to the walls of the trailer are 16' long storage slots that hold lumber, ladders, and work tables.
They also have a unique overhead storage space. The ceiling was framed to drop it by 5 1/2" and then reinforced with cross bars. This provides long slot storage for commonly used materials like 1x lumber, siding, trim, and some miscellaneous materials.
This modification results in a ceiling height of 6'6", which is the same as Jonathan's previous trailer.
Handy Trailer Workbench
The long workbench along the driver side wall of the trailer is backed with a long whiteboard that can be used with dry erase markers. This is a great place to note out-of-stock items or write to-dos. Tools and spare saw blades are mounted here for easy access.
Also in this space are some quickly built drill holders that hold multiple drills. These holders are simple slots that drills hang from, made of PVC pipe and wood. Masonry, spade, metal, and driver bits are all exposed in cases and holders that make them easy to grab - no drawers or cases to open.
There are cheap plastic organizers filled with colored screws they use for roofing. Within a bin, the organization is simple: 1 1/2" screws are in the front and 2 1/2" screws are in the back.
Simple organization systems like making drivers, bits, and fasteners fast to grab are great for speeding things up at the start and end of a job.
Under the Workbench
The bottom of the workbench has several drawers for tools. Every drawer is labelled with the tools it contains. Jonathan says that he installed Kaizen foam in many of the drawers and it was money well spent. Kaizen foam is layers of foam adhered to each other that you can carve out to make tools fit perfectly. Because it's layered, it's easy to make any tool fit cleanly.
It's easy to see if a tool is missing as well as where it needs to go at the end of the day.
Not So Many Ladders
There are not as many ladders on this trailer as you might expect. There are two 28-footers on the roof rack, two 6' step ladders inside, and two multipurpose ladders.
Jonathan points out an increasingly popular point of view, which is that multipurpose ladders are "the way to go" since they are so flexible, take up less storage space, and are easier to handle than larger ladders.
Parts Bins
On the passenger side of the trailer, large parts bins hold fasteners, clips, and small parts. These bins can be filled from boxes or tubs and it's easy to gauge inventory levels from a quick glance. Above these, they keep a siding brake. Jonathan says he likes to keep it on the trailer since they sometimes need a weird bend on a re-roof or remodel job.
Electrical Setup
The trailer connects up to the grid through a heavy-gauge, reel-mounted extension cord that runs through a PVC pipe and out through the floor. All of the circuits that run through the trailer are switched, including:
- Microwave
- Lights
- Battery chargers
- Heat
Lights
Most tool trailers have either 12V or 120V LED lights setup. This trailer has both! The 120V lights can be run when plugged into the grid. The 12V lights are wired and switched separately and are used when they don't otherwise want to run a cord to plug in somewhere.
The battery is simply an old Makita battery wired in - it doesn't take much to power the 12V lights.
Battery Charging Setup
Many of the tools on the trailer are battery-only, and this is a trend that some contractors are starting to follow to cut down on dealing with extension cords.
Most of Horst's tools are Makita and Metabo, and so they have a dedicated cubby for all the chargers and batteries they need. A small heater also sits in the cubby to keep the batteries warm in the colder New York temperatures. Jonathan says it can be a problem to get the batteries to take a charge in the cold.
Worker Cubbies
Everybody that works out of the trailer gets a spot for things like rain gear, tool belts, hard hats, and extra tools. This ensures that nobody needs to remember to bring these things on the job site, they're just there for any situation.
DIY Shingle Cutter
Jonathan built a shingle cutter that he says saves a lot of time cutting starters when they do an asphalt roof. These are available commercially, but they are a bit pricy.
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