wheeled tool bags / boxes suggestions?

More and more lately, my work has been taking me out of the shop and into c ustomer sites to diagnose / repair / modify their machinery and control sys tems.

I have been using this tool bag

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to carry the majority of my take-along stuff, and adding various other boxes and bags for other s tuff as I need it. It's all getting pretty unwieldy.

The main Husky bag alone weighs well over 50 pounds, and I sometimes have t o carry it substantial distances. (background info: I'm pretty much the sam e age as Gunner, but I've NEVER done a one-handed pullup. My body is gettin g older and creakier every day and I don't anticipate my schlepping ability to be improving any time soon.)

So, I've started looking for something better. Ridgid has this http://goo.g l/0jU31h which has a few other components that stack and lock on top of it (scroll down the page to see them) which is a very nice idea - I could put the main stuff in the main box and more job-specific tools into the stack-o ns. Also, having it come apart like that (and the latching looks very secur e) is a big plus since I would have to lift the whole thing into the car at once.

The problem with the Ridgid stuff is that the boxes are just plain boxes. O ther than maybe a tray, there are no pockets or compartments for anything. I do electronics - I have a half-dozen wire cutters, a half dozen strippers , three or four crimpers and a whole bunch of other stuff (some of it prett yu delicate) that HAS to be organized, or I'd spend half my time looking fo r tools.

So... Any suggestions? My back thanks you in advance.

Reply to
rangerssuck
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A very light hand truck, with stair rollers if needed. That way you can keep your customized bag, and stack some more on top if necessary.

Something like this maybe, only 7 lbs. Make some custom straps so you can quickly break down the rig as needed. Add bigger wheels if that would help.

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Reply to
whoyakidding

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Used a couple different versions of cases from these folks. Not cheap but they are VERY high quality. You can select different pallets for the larger cases.

Reply to
Steve W.

I carried something like this for most of my electronics repair career:

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Paid a similar amount ~30 years ago, without any tools. Looks professional and held up pretty well. I still have/use it, stuffed with pretty much the same things.

I usually needed that case, a watt meter and my service monitor for most jobs. The case & monitor probably weighed 40 lbs each, one under each arm worked okay due to my build and the balanced weight. Carrying one was more difficult than both...

One of our other techs use to take in pretty much the same equipment but used a hand cart that looked like this:

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It was just a cheapy, probably HF's version of same. Hauling all that gear 1/2 mile through a GM plant wasn't his thing. Sometimes he used it like a dolly, depended on what needed to be taken in.

Air tires are nice, roll well over rough surfaces and seem to be quieter in use. But of course they can get punctured.

A folding dolly would probably work well too:

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With a separate hand truck or dolly you can use any tool case when you deem it necessary. You sure have a lot more affordable choices nowadays than I had 30 years ago. Decisions, decisions ;-)

Reply to
Leon Fisk

customer sites to diagnose / repair / modify their machinery and control s ystems.

y of my take-along stuff, and adding various other boxes and bags for other stuff as I need it. It's all getting pretty unwieldy.

to carry it substantial distances. (background info: I'm pretty much the s ame age as Gunner, but I've NEVER done a one-handed pullup. My body is gett ing older and creakier every day and I don't anticipate my schlepping abili ty to be improving any time soon.)

.gl/0jU31h which has a few other components that stack and lock on top of i t (scroll down the page to see them) which is a very nice idea - I could pu t the main stuff in the main box and more job-specific tools into the stack

-ons. Also, having it come apart like that (and the latching looks very sec ure) is a big plus since I would have to lift the whole thing into the car at once.

Other than maybe a tray, there are no pockets or compartments for anything . I do electronics - I have a half-dozen wire cutters, a half dozen strippe rs, three or four crimpers and a whole bunch of other stuff (some of it pre ttyu delicate) that HAS to be organized, or I'd spend half my time looking for tools.

Thanks all for your input. I already have the magna cart, and it's pretty g ood, but when I load it up with everything, the pile is just too high - I h ave to be able to expand horizontally as well.

I also already have a cart like the Milwaukee that Leon suggested, good for moving bigger things, overkill (heavy and too large to go into the car com fortably) for everyday use.

To that end, I just ordered one of these:

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Amazon had a used one for $67.44 and it's on its way. I figure I can use my current bag , and unload the heavier, less often-used tools and put them in separate bo xes. There's really no need to drag the hammer drill along when I'm going t o fix an electronic instrument (OK, sometimes the hammer drill would be use ful to fix the guy who broke the instrument, but that's another story).

After this cart gets here I'll put my current bag, my oscilloscope case and laptop bag on it and get an idea of how things will fit. I'm hoping to be able to use some of those modular Ridgid boxes or their DeWalt equivalents to fill out the package.

I had forgotten about Jensen - I carried one of those cases for a couple of years a long time ago. At the prices they're now charging, I could just hi re a Sherpa to carry my stuff ;-).

Reply to
rangerssuck

The only problem I see with that is the small wheels. I really like big diameter wheels. They don't get hung up in elevator doors, thresholds, doormats... like small ones do.

I had a separate toolbox that held all my heavier, construction type tools. Drill, bits, angle grinder, hammer... Depending on the job I would snag a few things from that box and stuff them in my everyday case. It was comforting to know that most everything I might need was somewhere in the van...

Those Jensen cases have always been expensive. Only the factory techs carried stuff like that. I was single and my US General case looked like a Cadillac compared to what the married guys were using. None of us were that well paid :)

Reply to
Leon Fisk

Good point about the wheel diameter. More than one reviewer on Amazon said that they had replaced the wheels with something larger. I'll likely do the same.

When I carried a Jensen case, I was an indentured servant (employee), and the company paid for it and its contents.

All things considered, the Sherpa idea is sounding better & better.

Reply to
rangerssuck

That should do a pretty good job then.

Always had to provide my own hand tools and any other helpful doo-dads. Company only provided the more expensive test equipment and some special tools.

You get one of these hitch scooter carriers:

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so you have a place to put your custom Sherpa:

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Then you can just have your tools tag along behind. It suppose to even climb stairs ;-)

Reply to
Leon Fisk

I use the tried and true Remin Super 600, even hauled gas cylinders on it. The thing just won't wear out. It has some formed steel bars on the rear to act as stair glides in a pinch too. There's some weird wheel kit so it can prop itself up, making it a Super 800. Never got that though.

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It's a bit clunky to use, but there's nothing as strong. There are no load bearing plastic parts to snap off, or wheels to shimmy around.

These used to be the standard for photocopier repair type folks, until the cheaper chinese carts appeared at home deport and the like. These still have longe handles than any of those things.

Reply to
Cydrome Leader

[ ... ]

I got one of those -- the version *with* the lean-back wheel kit installed -- decades ago. I use it mostly for going to hamfests.

The lean-back is nice, when I have it loaded with a lot of heavy stuff on the platform, plus a heavy canvas bag hung from the top for smaller things.

However -- two negatives:

1) On grass or gravel, it is a real pain to two. 2) After a number of years (or decades? I probably got it in about 1978 or so) one of the plastic wheel hubs has developed a crack -- but not enough to keep it from rolling fairly smoothly still on a smooth surface.

And it does fold up into a quite compact bundle for storage, or when driving to/from the hamfest.

This was sold by a local electronics store, but it was marked as for luggage in air travel.

Enjoy, DoN.

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

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