# cap or trailer



## [email protected]#e (Jul 5, 2007)

Hey guys, finally looking at replacing my dodge ram. It'll be a sad day cause i love that old girl. I've got a leer cap on it now for all my framing tools. I had a 5x10 enclosed trailer in the past but it was stolen luckily after i had emptied it into my truck and shop. Anyway trying to decide on wether to put a aluminum contractor cap with side doors on the new truck or buy a new trailer. Price works out about the same. Like I said I've had a trailer in the past but I did not like it as it was a pain to always be hooking it up and unhooking it from the truck. Always worried it was going to get stolen or broken into especially when your tempted to leave it on a job. Plus finding space to park it and having to move it for someone as soon as I unhook it and so forth. The cap on the other hand. You always need to go back to the site if you leave to load up thee tools from the guys. Its harder to get lumber and other various material in the truck. Theres less space for bulky tools. You have to crawl in on yours hands and knees as opposed to walking in. What would you guys do? By the way, a van is out of the question. I need 4 wheel drive and space to haul around the guys and family. Thanks for your input


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Painful as it may be (been there, done that), if you want a halfway efficient work vehicle, you have to give up on the idea of hauling family around in it. Run a clunker for that if you have to.

I wouldn't consider a truck cap personally; as you say there's a lot of knee-crawling involved with one of those, even one with outside access. The solution that fits me is a van (with one passenger seat always available) and an open trailer for hauling materials. They are available in 4WD if you have the bucks. You already know the pros and cons of an enclosed trailer.


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## s. donato (Jan 23, 2008)

i can't agree more with tin. 

I had a cap with side access on my dakota and it was never big enough so i was constantly putting stuff on the racks. never mind all the extra trash runs and such. back then i wish i had a trailer and should have had one!!!

Now i have a van and an open pickup bed on my truck. for me parking is pretty bad right now, so i can't have an open trailer plus i would still need the 4x4 truck for the winters. i am happy with my setup for now, but can't wait till i buy an open trailer for trash and material pickups.

personally you know what the pickup handles - are you going to be okay with another pickup? i am not a fan of enclosed trailers b/c of all the stuff you mentioned about them. you wind up needing to haul them all the time!!! even to do little jobs unless you are moving your tools all the time. i used to fit alot in my bed/cap setup so i am sure you can make do and get a trailer for trash and such down the road. definatly get the side doors.


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## tcleve4911 (Mar 26, 2006)

[email protected]#e said:


> I need 4 wheel drive and space to haul around the guys and family. Thanks for your input


A few of us work out of the Versatile Suburban......


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## Greg Di (Mar 12, 2005)

I've run every setup mentioned in this thread thus far.

No solution is perfect. They all have downfalls and benefits.

Probably the best route is a utility body van with compartments accessible from the outside. Second would be an enclosed trailer. A pickup with a cap is distant third.

I am doing the trailer thing now and the only real drawbacks are moving around and getting into sites. Not impossible, just different. Towing it is no big deal. Hooking up is no big deal either so long as you have a backup camera that you can spot the ball mount in and have a heavy duty dolly wheel on the trailer to "massage" the position. I can hook up in 15 seconds tops.


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## FRAME2FINISH (Aug 31, 2010)

i started with a pricey alum cap, looked good but thats where it ended, 

people scratching the sides of the truck getting out tools gets old, then the crawling hahaha, atleast in my van i can get there from the front or back


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## Mike's Plumbing (Jul 19, 2010)

I love my Spartan cube van but parking it can be a real PITA. It's a mobil shop for me so I just love it but it does have some drawbacks.


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## tcleve4911 (Mar 26, 2006)

Mike's Plumbing said:


> I love my Spartan cube van but parking it can be a real PITA. It's a mobil shop for me so I just love it but it does have some drawbacks.


Where's mother sit when you go to the Mall?


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## FRAME2FINISH (Aug 31, 2010)

drawback as in its 1/2 full of fuel so there is no room for tools????????? hahahaha


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## A. Spruce (Aug 6, 2010)

I vote for the truck and cap with a rack. I gave my set up some long and hard thought. Before being out on my own, the other contractors I worked for had vans - each carpenter set them up the way they liked, or open truck with rack and simple behind the cab tool box.

I absolutely HATE vans, they're noisier because you get to listen to all your stuff rattling around as your driving down the road. There is just as much if not more crawling around in a van, the only difference is a van has more vertical space for you to crawl in.

My choice was a full sized truck with custom tool boxes built into the bed to the top of the wheel wells, and a vertical piece of plywood on the drivers side of the box that went to the bed rail, which provided storage along the drivers side of the vehicle for things too large to fit in the bed boxes. I could still carry full 4x8 sheets in there as well as any extra tools, job debris, whatever. I wish I had a pic to show. The cap had side wing windows and I could reach about half way across the truck from either side, so it was rare that I had to crawl inside to retrieve anything. The rack I had cut down so that the truck would still fit through a standard garage door.

Top reasons for a truck.


Better ride quality
Quieter and easier to keep the cab clean
Readily available in 2 or 4wd
resale is easier and the value higher

I thought about going the route of a utility bed and decided the expense, damage in the event of an accident, and resale value, weren't worth it. 

The problems I had working out of a van was getting to the tools when there was debris or materials in there. Bed boxes made this somewhat easier, but it always seemed what I needed most was trapped under whatever else was in there. If the van has a lumber rack, it was a PITA getting stuff up and down from it. About the only positive I have for vans is that they tend to be a bit more water tight than a truck and cap, which tend to leak around the corners of the tailgate/cap hatch.


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## mehtwo (Nov 14, 2010)

A. Spruce said:


> My choice was a full sized truck with custom tool boxes built into the bed to the top of the wheel wells, and a vertical piece of plywood on the drivers side of the box that went to the bed rail, which provided storage along the drivers side of the vehicle for things too large to fit in the bed boxes. I could still carry full 4x8 sheets in there as well as any extra tools, job debris, whatever. I wish I had a pic to show. The cap had side wing windows and I could reach about half way across the truck from either side, so it was rare that I had to crawl inside to retrieve anything. The rack I had cut down so that the truck would still fit through a standard garage door.


Can we get pics of this setup? Sounds interesting.


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## Mark Siders (Dec 11, 2010)

There is no one perfect set up that I have found.

So I have a 1ton van with a roof rack that spans the hole length of the van that I can get up and walk on witch really comes in handy it holds a lot of weight.

I also have a 6x10 inclosed trailer witch comes in handy for haling big stuff.

Then I have a Tahoe thats 4x4 for the days i'm just running around and don't need many tools. Plus Hauling the family.

Then I have a 8x24 inclosed trailer that I use as a delivery trailer.

They all have there pros and cons so its real hard to pick just one.:thumbup:


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## A. Spruce (Aug 6, 2010)

mehtwo said:


> Can we get pics of this setup? Sounds interesting.


I really wish I had pics, unfortunately, I don't. The tool box was absolutely basic, but it was built to accommodate the tools I hauled on a daily basis and still had all the room I could want for materials or debris. There were only a few times where material loading was an issue, and only because it was a stove or washer and dryer, which if it didn't fit inside I'd just strap it on top with ratchet straps.

The left hand box was 16" wide and loaded with hand tools and some small fasteners, the center box was 8" wide and housed containers of every fastener imaginable, and the right hand box was 16" wide and where the power tools lived. The bottom of the box was 1/2" plywood that was the width/length of the bed, the tool box/drawers were 7', which left a cavity between the boxes and the tailgate for buckets, compressor, etc to live and not slide around in transit. The drawers themselves were also sectioned both for strength and for organization. On the bottom of the drawers I cut up and installed refrigerator rollers. I put the rollers on the back of the drawer and on the front of the box. At full extension, a sticker stopped the drawer from coming completely out and the weight rested and cantilevered across the tailgate.

As earlier stated, the cavity created over the drivers side wheel well is where I kept an organizer tower for screws and misc things, extension cords, 6' ladder, and a few other items that didn't fit in the drawers. The cap had side wings that gave me great access to everything. If I didn't say it earlier, I'm only 6' tall and the sill of the side windows was about at my arm pit, I could still reach about half way across the truck to get to stuff, so access really wasn't too difficult. The only time I had to crawl inside was when I had more than a couple bags of redimix or similar heavy/bulky item that wasn't easily retrieved from the side.


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## nailkiller1 (Jan 15, 2009)

I have both 
If I did not frame new houses or have to split the crews up once in a while
I would get rid of the trailer
Moving it around and security is always an issue
I like a fiberglass topper with doors on the sides 8' box
I rarely have to crawl in and get anything
If loaded properly I can have enough equipment to frame or trim an entire house


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## Calla UK (Nov 22, 2010)

I'm in a similar position. Van or trailer. (pickups over Here in the UK cost an arm and a leg) Trailer here would be much cheaper to run and purchase etc but I do alot of jobs round town so parking would be a nightmare. 

Probs look like van for me with a decent rack for ladders and timber and a hitch for when I need the small trailer to take away debris etc.


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## Osito (Mar 4, 2008)

This is my rig. It works for me. Best of both.


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## ranagent (Feb 11, 2010)

Osito, how long is that single axle trailer? Never seen one so long with just one axle. What's the weight rating?


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## mehtwo (Nov 14, 2010)

Osito said:


> This is my rig. It works for me. Best of both.


I haven't see a single axle trailer that long, is that a 14'?


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## Osito (Mar 4, 2008)

6x14 Hualmark low rise, 4500lbs. Heavy Duty Springs. I need a low rise so it will fit into my garage.


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## mnjconstruction (Oct 5, 2008)

tcleve4911 said:


> A few of us work out of the Versatile Suburban......


 
Do you have any pictures of the back loaded up with tools? Ive always liked the idea of using one of these. How much room you got back there??


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Osito said:


> 6x14 Hualmark low rise, 4500lbs. Heavy Duty Springs. I need a low rise so it will fit into my garage.


Wow  I also never seen a single axle that long.


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## 3bar (Jan 14, 2011)

Mike's Plumbing said:


> I love my Spartan cube van but parking it can be a real PITA. It's a mobil shop for me so I just love it but it does have some drawbacks.


you cant beat a cube van, as long as you have a place to park it.


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

One warning I found out about utility bodied trucks. The bed is darn near exactly 48" inbetween. That is NO GOOD. MDF and my hardwood ply comes in 48 1/2" or larger width sheets which can't fit in there. So if I need to go out and grab up a few sheets they would end up wedged in tight and hard to removed. Stupid design....


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

I have a 3/4 suburban and a 8'x20' enclosed trailer.

I can work out of either if I need to want to. A suburban with the 3rd row seat out and the second row folded down is just like a pick up truck bed, just climate controlled.

All tools for a custom trim job or kitchen install fit easily in it with just the 3rd row out. Thank you systainers.

Plus I need it to haul around the soon to be 3 kids.


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## mehtwo (Nov 14, 2010)

TBFGhost said:


> One warning I found out about utility bodied trucks. *The bed is darn near exactly 48" inbetween.* That is NO GOOD. MDF and my hardwood ply comes in 48 1/2" or larger width sheets which can't fit in there. So if I need to go out and grab up a few sheets they would end up wedged in tight and hard to removed. Stupid design....


I've seen some that are 50+ inches in between boxes, but they were mostly on dually utility beds.


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