Richard's Independent-Power Handyman Trailer
RIG DETAILS
| USED FOR | Handyperson |
| BODY | Enclosed Trailer |
ORGANIZATION
Richard does handyman work out of his 7'x16' Ron Paulk-style aluminum trailer.
And wow, he's got a great, clean build!
If you're planning a trailer build, he's got a great series of videos that will absolutely help you out. He clearly put a lot of thought and research into his build and goes into more depth than the typical build video.
Richard says he's got about 100 hours into this build and this is about typical for a Ron Paulk-style build - most people should expect to put in 2-3 weeks of work.
He did do some updates after using it, which included building a Paulk Total Station.
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30 Days of Power
Richard's trailer is set up to be cordless - he has no corded tools. Even large tools like his Makita miter saw and his table saws are battery powered.
He says he can run his trailer for about 30 days, with a normal workload and not going crazy with the microwave.
How?
He has a battery bank (4 deep cycle batteries), power inverter, and 120V outlets distributed throughout the trailer. He does usually charge the trailer's battery bank every week or two from a grid hookup. Check out his battery bank load test here.
Rear Workbench
The rear of the trailer opens up to a workbench with easy access to bits on a magnetic holder, batteries, 120V outlets, USB outlets, tape measures, and the battery charging station.
While some have settled on one tool brand and run 3-5 chargers for that brand, he's got DeWalt, Milwaukee, and Makita chargers.
43 Drawers
This trailer has lots of drawers: 43 of them!
Four 8' long drawers at the rear of the trailer hold tools and supplies for plumbing, painting, DirectTV installations, and demolition work.
He waxed the bottom of the drawers to allow them to open with one finger.
His other drawers holds lots of supplies and tools, but he removed and reconfigured some of these in an update.
Tools
Tool cubbies hold all of Richard's battery-operated tools, and he has a ton of them!
In the Ron Paulk style, cubbies can be resized with divider slots, and consumables are stored with some tools in their cubbies.
He uses Veto (and other) tool bags that are dedicated to plumbing, low voltage work, general electrical, and miscellaneous. These bags just sit on a shelf, and are simply held in place with a plywood block.
Other Stuff
He uses 12 DeWalt ToughSystem storage boxes for small parts storage. Most of these are labeled (they all look alike) and all of them are easily detached from the DeWalt racking to take on the job if necessary.
Richard has a dry erase board up on the front of the trailer to keep lists of tools or materials that he needs to buy.
He organizes squares and crow bars on his side cargo door. Gravity and creative wedging hold them in place and keep them straight. This is a setup he really likes because, they're easy to see and easy to grab.
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