Tool Caddie Under Car?

[Tscott]

I had to crawl out from under my tractor 3 times yesterday in the span of 30 minutes to get the right tools from my tool cart. All this aerobic exercise got me thinking that I needed some sort of basic tool set that I could grab and drag under the project with me that would give me a reasonably high chance of having what I needed. Obviously it can't have everything, but it should have a basic range of standard and metric wrenches and sockets along with a multi bit screw driver and a few types of pliers and maybe a pick or 2. I've looked online and it seems that most "tool caddies" are just plastic cleaning product carriers. It seems like these would be less than useful under a car on my back as I can' see whats in the bottom of each of the sides.

Have any of you come up with a something to solve this age old problem?

The real solution is a car lift. I have the space, I just don't have the cash yet. However I'm sure I will still run into the odd situation where I need crawl under some dead piece of equipment and remove a widget.

Tom

 

[CJ7VFR]

I have a small flat metal tool caddy thing that has 4 wheels on it and a folding handle. It is about 18 inches square and no more than about 4 inches high. There is a flat sheet magnet mounted in the center of it to hold the tools in place.

When I am working under the car, I load this caddy up with the tools I think I am going to need, and wheel that baby under the car with me.

I don't know where I got it, but it works great. And the flat sheet magnet really helps keep things in place as well as keeping sockets from rolling away!

I bet you could build a simple flat rolling caddy out of some plywood and a few pieces of 2x4 and some wheels.

If you made it yourself, you could make it any size and shape you wanted, and you could use some wood to make short sides on it to keep things from rolling/sliding off of it.

Jim

 

[4Kings]

I use one of these for that exact use. Works great.

http://www.harborfreight.com/19-12-in-x-14-12-in-200-lb-capacity-polypropylene-dolly-61164.html

 

[CarsonConcepts]

I built this using some bed frame angle iron, 5/8" plywood, HF casters, and a couple HF magnetic rails and some rubber matting I had around. Tray area is 10.75" x 17.75" which was determined by the rubber width and magnetic rail length. It's been painted since these pictures. Combined with my Lisle Jeepers Creeper, it makes working under the car much nicer. Or makes a great rolling pup bed, depending on who you ask

 

[captain14]

I got one like described above from the Craftsman line. About 12 inches in diameter with sides, handle , magnet and four caster wheels.

 

[CarsonConcepts]

Found an after picture with it painted and the staples coloured in.

 

[Tscott]

I like those designs, but was thinking more along the lines of something the tools lived in all the time. I could then just grab it an swing under the car. It could sit on my workbench or on the top of my tool cart and always be ready to go. I see the wheeled car as more of a big job cart, a place to keep all the specialty tools and parts you accumulate over a long job.

Tom

 

[CarsonConcepts]

In that case, something like a 2-3 Drawer intermediate chest with a low caster frame under it may work. How much height room do you normally have under the vehicle while you're working?

 

[rande]

I was thinking something like this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/mechanics-roller-seat-3338.html
but leave off the seat.

 

[wrench409]

I went cheap......

I used a simple food tray from the school cafeteria. No wheels needed, it slides easily. Round parts like sockets never roll away.

I used another as a parts tray for brake parts, bolts and nuts, etc.

$3.00 for two, hell some schools chunk those with rough edges. Probably just give them away.

 

[404]

My wife knows the name and location of every tool we have. And we have a LOT. She gets them out of the tool boxes and hands them to me.

Get a good wife, or upgrade the current wife to a better wife.

 

[Beemer533]

Get a good wife, or upgrade the current wife to a better wife.

Lol, it would probably be cheaper to get a lift...

 

[Farmall 1066]

Dad has an old push mower, with the deck turned upside down, and chunk of plywood bolted over where the engine was.
Not the greatest setup, but he's been using it for 40+ years.

 

[slip knot]

My wife knows the name and location of every tool we have. And we have a LOT. She gets them out of the tool boxes and hands them to me.

Get a good wife, or upgrade the current wife to a better wife.

My wife just laughs when I ask her to **** a tool for me. Unless I'm working on her ****.

 

[Ray-CA]

I use one of those black plastic concrete mixing tubs (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Plasgad-...gclid=CMD9pdL-3scCFdKFfgodqaUCbw&gclsrc=aw.ds) for crawling under the house. Load it with all the tools I think I might need and either push it ahead of me or just leave it behind then drag it to me with an attached rope.

Something like this should work for you. It's wide enough not to tip over and big enough to hold most of what you might need. Plus, it's CHEAP.....

Ray

 

[rsnip988]

I built this using some bed frame angle iron, 5/8" plywood, HF casters, and a couple HF magnetic rails and some rubber matting I had around. Tray area is 10.75" x 17.75" which was determined by the rubber width and magnetic rail length. It's been painted since these pictures. Combined with my Lisle Jeepers Creeper, it makes working under the car much nicer. Or makes a great rolling pup bed, depending on who you ask

Love This! I'm Stealing the design!

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Looks more like a poodle caddy to me!

 

[wrench409]

for crawling under the house

I have just the thing for under the house too. It's a Domino's Pizza production storage tray. Basically it just just like the cafeteria tray I use under the car, but it's 3 1/2 inches deep. These are used to transport dough balls from the production facility to the stores. Yep, I just strolled up to the store delivery tractor trailer driver and asked if he had any that were to be scrapped. He gave me four. They also make for a nice shallow parts cleaning tray.

It's my 'deep dish' tool tray.

 

[404]

Lol, it would probably be cheaper to get a lift...

My lift did cost less than my new wife upgrade. How did you know?

 

[steel 35]

Right in the middle of the shop with the rest of the pile today.

This side is Standard the other Metric & a tray from your favorite fast food joint may or may not fit in the bottom

 

[PelicanPines]

My wife knows the name and location of every tool we have. And we have a LOT. She gets them out of the tool boxes and hands them to me.

Get a good wife, or upgrade the current wife to a better wife.

My wife organized the light bulbs... I was hanging near our bathroom ceiling when I asked her to get a 23 watt cfl from the collection... 10 minutes later I get down from the ladder, cross the house, down the stairs to find her thumbing around the bulbs... I point to the 23 watt bulbs when she said... yea, they looked too big... so I was looking at the smaller ones... but I asked for a 23 watt... she replied but those looked too big.

Won't trade her tho.... she has other special talents. Getting the right tool or item ain't one of them.

 

[404]

Won't trade her tho.... she has other special talents. Getting the right tool or item ain't one of them.

 

[MrBreeze]

Found an after picture with it painted and the staples coloured in.

Like.

You've inspired me to do a lazy-man version using the small HF dolly:
http://www.harborfreight.com/19-12-in-x-14-12-in-200-lb-capacity-polypropylene-dolly-61164.html

and mount a baking tray on it:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001MS400/?tag=atomicindus08-20

or as someone else mentioned earlier, a food tray:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000638350/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Of course maybe a steel tray rather than a aluminum or poly would be better as then I could stick a couple of the freebie HF magnetic parts trays on it for the smaller parts/sockets.

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-magnetic-parts-tray-90566.html

In any regard, thanks to the OP and the suggestions, something I could use when under the Jeep.

 

[npotter]

I believe i have the answer! A start up company called American Garage Innovations has just patented a new tool called the "CreeperCaddy". Unfortunately it's not yet entered into production but they have just this week began accepting orders. This really is the best thing since sliced bread!

http://facebook.com/creepercaddy

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?u...1&disp=safe&realattid=9725c207edd801ef_0.1&zw

 

[cdestuck]

Just make yourself a wood box. Say 12" x 18", put 2 or 3" sides on it. A set of small castors and you're in like fin.

 

[maxpower_hd]

I go through this all the time at work climbing out from under trailers and tractor. For PM's I use the steel tray from the top box and it is loaded with the stuff I use every time and I just slide it under with me.

For jobs that aren't as typical and don't warrant their own dedicated tools I use a simple cardboard box or a trash can lid and load it with everything I MIGHT need for the job.