Make A Portable Garage From A Truck Topper
Make A Portable Garage From A Truck Topper
It gets hot out here in the summer and it can be quite unbearable to work in the sun. I often would like to work when its raining as well but I cannot find rain gear that can hold up to the abuse I put it through.
I have tried many different temporary shelters, carports and storage tents but they are all made to be biodegradable and most are flimsy at best. Any light wind or snow will destroy most of them. And most will break down and disintegrate in a year or two. I got tired of wasting money on tents and canopies.
So I made a portable garage from an old truck camper topper that I got for free. It is a full 8 foot long truck topper which is perfect for a mobile garage.
Bringing Home The Truck Topper
Building The Frame
I was going to saw up some lumber for the frame on my sawmill but it was quite hot outside already and I wanted to do this fast. So I grabbed some bent 2x4s that I had laying around and cut them to size. I made the entire shelter to be 7 ft tall at the top so I could stand under it comfortably and work. But I also did not want it so high that it could become top heavy and blow over in the wind.
Framed In The Mobile Garage
To begin with I simply made a square frame to fit the camper topper. Basically the frame replaces the truck bed it would normally sit on. Then I sawed up four legs and fastened them in place.
The next step was to use some scrap lumber and put cross bracing on each leg. This makes it stable so the legs will not buckle on me when moving it around. I also put them at sharp angles so I can still walk under the shelter without the bracing being in my way.
Making It Mobile
I got some tires at Harbor Freight and some long carriage bolts from the local hardware store. To secure the wheels in place I took two more pieces of scrap lumber and drilled holes in them for the bolts. I then fastened these pieces onto two of the legs on one end of the shelter.
Next I put the bolts through and then put on the wheels. They hold the weight just fine and the entire shelter rolls nicely on them. This turned out better than I had imagined.
The final part in making this mobile was to put a long piece of lumber on the other end from one leg to the other. This acts as a handle, sort of like a wheelbarrow but in one piece.
Trying Out My Mobile Garage
The final thing to do was to try it all out. I backed myself up to the handle and grabbed it. I lifted up a bit to pull the legs off the ground and pulled it behind me. It moves surprisingly well. I am very pleased with this.
Moving The Mobile Garage
The link below shows a video of me during the process of building the shelter as well as moving it and using it. But one thing I did not share on the video is that I prefer to actually go inside the shelter and pull it behind me while facing the wheels. This gives me more control of the shelter and also lets me see where the wheels are when I am moving it around.
Next I pulled my log splitter into my new mobile garage and gave it a try. I am very pleased with this. Now I can take my hat off and let my head cool off better. Without the shelter I need a hat to keep the deer flies, horse flies and gnats off my head. Inside my shelter I am protected from those pests entirely. They do not enter a shelter for some reason.
It is actually cooler inside my mobile garage because the sun is kept from hitting me and the wind can blow around me from head to toe. I can open the windows of the truck camper top and let even more air flow. Even on a hot summer day this helps more than you can imagine.
Other Uses For The Mobile Shelter
I can think of many ways that I can use my new shelter.
Of course, as seen in the video I can now split firewood using my log splitter during hot summer days or even when it is raining. This will keep the sun and rain off me. I have not yet found a rain coat that will hold up to the abuse of processing firewood. Nothing will last more than a few days with this type of work. Not in my budget anyway.
Using The Mobile Garage
It also protects my log splitter from the elements. The sun will dry rot the hoses and tires and parts of the engine. While the rain and moisture will cause the entire thing to rust out eventually. With the shelter now my log splitter is protected as well. And when I am running it, the entire machine will run cooler without the baking heat of the sun on it.
I can also use this for working on small engines such as lawn mowers. It will help me be able to do small engine work in any type of weather as well as performing general maintanence like oil changes.
I can also pull this over a car or truck to work on the engine. Or even when I am working on trailer lights and wiring, which always seems to be going bad with the heavy use they go through in my line of work.
This portable garage also makes a great shelter for welding outside. It keeps the sun and rain off me while I work.
And when not in use you can park your garden tractor under it. Or log splitter. Or anything.
You can watch the video here:
About the Author
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Troy Reid |
