Out in the Paddock Mobile Work Trolley/Bench Designs
 

Hello All,

I have just bought my first welder and I would like to solve an issue I have as my first project. This will be a mobile work bench - tool trolley, that can be wheeled out over a paddock that has rough ground.

Has anyone developed a design which may incorporate a foldout out work bench-top and storage in shelves for tools and parts? Something that is also very stable.

I will be using some wheels off some ride-on mowers to make the workbench portable. The main frame material will be steel. Not sure at this stage whether the bench-top will be a laminated timber or a square hollow section frame with a sheet metal top. Plus a couple of tiers of shelves and trays.

The other aspects will be stability and maneuverability for when it is sitting out in the paddock and moving it to and from the shed.

I have been using a Gladstone bag sitting on a moving trolley to transport the tools and parts. I use two sawhorses and an old plastic table top for the bench top.

Most of my spare parts vehicles are out in the paddock away from electrical power or secure storage. So it means having to unpack and then pack up all the tools and parts at the end of the day. The terrain is not smooth or that level.

Any suggestions will be most gratefully accepted!

Kind regards
Lionel

Big, wide, large diameter wheels. And someone else or something mechanical to pull it.

welder
 

Can you give us more detail about the size of the welder and how it is powered? If you have a long mains electrical power lead you will lose power over its length.. For your application a diesel engine driving a generator might be a better setup. :smoker:

Hello Mike,

Thank you for the reply Mike. The welder will be right next to the power point in the shed. The construction of the Mobile Work Trolly/Bench will not be an issue. The trolley/bench is the thing that will be venturing out into the paddock.

I would like some assistance in the design of a portable work trolley/bench that I would appreciate the most.

Kind regards
Lionel

Hello Bruce,

Thank you for the reply. Yes I was thinking about two sets of rear ride-on mower wheels. I have a bit of a collection of dead ride-on mowers.

I was just thinking this morning of mounting one set of axles on a pivot point and constructing a fold-up triangular draw-bar. This would allow the trolley/bench to be pulled along by a living ride-on lawnmower.

For stability I also thought of some fold-up telescoping square hollow section legs positioned on the outside corners of the fold out work bench. It would make it adjustable and more stable on uneven ground.

Kind regards
Lionel

Lionel, the obvious to me is a ute. Maybe not road legal, but with a flat deck and a tool box. Then you dont have to use time creating another project that takes you away from your priority projects. Drive it out there and drive back. Put an inverter in it maybe?

Hello Lynn,

Not without a large degree of irony... I am working on a tray back ute for working in the paddock. It is in the paddock. No it is not being towed into the shed. I did that once before and my good road registered daily driver was left sitting out in all types of weather.

I made a rule that the only vehicles going into my shed are ones that will be able to move out under their own power.

I also found myself working in the shed today and not having a work bench in the new shed - I was putting things down on a shelf. Then I was distracted. After I had absentmindedly put a nut and washer down on a miscellaneous shelf I had to go search for the right shelf. Also, why I was working on an engine I had mounted on an engine trolley I though how handy it would be having a mobile work trolley/bench right where I needed it. It would also prevent me wasting time finding something I had randomly put down somewhere.

There are workshop trolleys with a work bench available to be bought in the shops. However, they are not really suitable for use in a paddock.

I am still looking for where the hell I put my sun glasses after I took them off somewhere. Maybe I need more than a mobile trolley.

Kind regards
Lionel

Hello All,

Back in the late mid 1980s I worked at a plant nursery. I just remembered the string of steam sterilisation media or potting-up-trolleys we used. After the contents of the trolley was steam treated to sterilise the media; each trolley was unhooked and towed out to where the potting-up was planned for the day. There were two sides that dropped down to form work tops. From memory they were made out of stainless steel sheet. My work-bench trolley will not be that salubrious.

A picture of the trolley work-bench is starting to become clearer in my mind.

Kind regards
Lionel

Hello Lynn,

I appreciate you concern about being distracted by divergent projects. However, in addition to being handy the workbench trolley will allow me to practice welding. I have not done any welding for decades. It would be good to have recent welding proficiency before tackling rust repairs on a chassis cross-member or foot-well/bulkhead panels. It would be good to practice on something a little expendable first - like a mobile workbench trolley.

They reckon practice makes perfect!

Kind regards
Lionel

Hello All,

I just found my sunglasses! Now that I am not going driving anywhere anymore today!

It has been an interesting day today. After driving around to various places - squinting because I had mislaid my sunglasses I got home. I was sitting down at my study desk and glanced through the kitchen at my back door. I then thought... "why is it a bad thing that the back door is open?".... think ... think...

OMG where is the rag doll cat ??? Zorro is very much an inside cat. Sure enough the little sod had bolted. I live on acreage with lots of trees. Plus a getting increasingly busy road at the front of my house.

After a while of intense searching I found the cat under our house. It is a Queenslander; a timber weatherboard clad house raised on concrete stumps. The cat and I then played run and crouch from different vantage points for at least half an hour.

When will it get dark so I can go to bed! I have had enough excitement and hunting for lost things for today!

Kind regards
Lionel

power
 

If you are depending on the 240V mains for your welding... you may be limited as to what you can do. Its OK for light jobs but I find its rather a pain , after 4 pm the voltage drops where I live and welding is a nightmare,

Amount of Overhang on Workbench's Top
 

Hello All,

What size overhang - wider than 30 mm - have you found to be user-friendly when clamping things to the front and back of your workbench?

I am going to replace the particle board sheeting top that came with the pallet rack-based workbench I bought about a year ago. I have been using the bench regularly for the past couple of months. In this time I have found that the current particle board overhang of 30 mm is not wide enough when clamping. The workbench is currently open to all the elements.

I went one of the timber yards and had a browse of their stock. I found some 120 mm wide and 25 mm thick hardwood that I will replace the particle board with. After receiving some responses I will be able to work out the dimensions of the front and back overhang and know how much timber to buy. After fixing the timber down I am considering covering the timber including its edges with some metal sheeting.

No - this is not intended to be a welding table that was discussed in a previous thread.

I appreciate your input.

Kind regards
Lionel

Sleds
 

For a long time in remote Canada, sleds were a common oversnow, farming and woods-work feature. They don't need a smooth hard surface road. They are low to the ground for equipment like generators, welders, tool boxes, etc. Stable to tow to a job site. Easy too for one or two men to load objects like supplies, fuel cans, logs, stones, or dead animals. Easy to build with a couple of long planks and some sort of perpendicular deck. And above all - cheap to make and replace. Research "stone boat" and "komatik".

Putting wheels on something that might move a few miles/kilometers over its lifetime might be a misuse of effort. Likewise, inflatable tires might be just another problem to resolve when you need the utility out of the trailer the most. Perhaps the only advantage of a waist high bench is the worker doesn't need to bend at the wait.

Some very good points Terry. There is no reason that a work bench couldn't be mounted on skids and as you say it won't get a puncture every time you want to move it. It will also be more stable without the give that tires would allow.

David