Cabinets in enclosed trailer…What do we like?

I need some kind of cabinets in my enclosed to keep all my crap when I go to the track. Right now, it all just on the floor in the front and it's a mess. What are you all using?

Can you get some pallet racks and narrow them to fit the width , they come apart if you need the room for a longer car some day , 

my friend just took out his floor cabinets so he could fit 2 cars in the 30ft trailer to haul them both to Amelia Island show.

I've got a Husky toolbox that was on sale at Home Depot sitting on cribbing and screwed to the front wall.

That sits next to a cabinet that I built out of wood using scraps I had laying around.

I did buy the fancy latches.  Latches are really important when it comes to trailer cabinets.

In reply to APEowner :

That's awesome! I might have to copy your design. Thanks

In reply to gsettle :

Thanks.  You're welcome.  Steal away.  I posted the construction pics so you could.  Let me know if you have any questions.

In reply to gsettle :

Totally agree - that looks great.  

The front wall of my trailer is angled back, so I can't do a full height cabinet.  On the one hand that gives me a wider workbench, but on the other I lose a bunch of potential cabinets.  I think on balance I'd rather have the cabinets, but hard to say.

I like having the toolbox strapped to the side wall between the car and the bench so that I can roll it out the back door into the paddock if I want.

My trailer has a single cabinet space all the way across the front, with the generator on the left, trailer equipment in the center (battery, winch, spare tire, fuse box, etc) and other storage on the right.  At a high level that works, but really the generator box should be sealed off from the rest of the cabinet, because otherwise the generator can get exhaust fumes into the trailer.  I used a cut-ot-size PVC curtain kit and some heavy duty velcro to make some flaps that will close most of that space off once it has been slid out, but it's not a great solution.

Think about using some of your tall cabinet to make a closet space you can use to hang clothing like race suits and jackets.

I bought my trailer with just the overhead cabinets, because I wanted some specific things for the bench.

I built a two-piece bench, with a modified HF tool cart in the center.  The tool cart clears the winch, and can be rolled out if necessary.  

My original plan was to enclose the areas under the bench, but it's turned out to be pretty useful to have them open for larger, bulkier items like cones and jackstands, etc.  The tool cart has never moved, and so far I've had no need or desire to roll it out into the pits.

If I were to do things over, the tool storage would just be built-in, and I would like to have a tall cabinet/closet for race suit/helmet storage.

I don't have a generator, but as Codrus noted, if I did I would want it in an enclosure sealed off from the inside of the trailer.  I do eventually plan on adding a couple solar panels, a second battery and an inverter... I've been saying that for 6 years, so now that I'm retired I may actually get around to it! 

So many folks put a lot of "stuff" at front of their trailers, sometimes finding out they have too much tongue weight for their tow vehicle.   My cars are always pretty low so I install stuff on the walls over the axles of the trailer.  I've even had tire racks crossing over the hood ahead of the windshield.    I shift the car around to get my needed tongue weight (750#).

My tool box is on rollers, so I can roll it out near the car in the paddock and not be constantly jumping in and out of the trailer.

YMMV

Rodan's photo reminds me -- you really want to put the spare trailer tire somewhere that you can get to it without unloading the car.  Changing a trailer tire on the side of the road in the dark/rain sucks enough as it is without adding that. :)

In reply to Purple Frog (Forum Supporter) :

QFT.  That was why I built my benches out of aluminum.   My trailer is long enough (24') that I have some flexibility in loading, and I've mapped out my typical loads to figure out where the car needs to be.  A trailer scale is a nice thing to have, and a worthwhile investment, IMHO.  

In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :

I've never understood putting a trailer spare in a sub-floor compartment...  that's just asking for trouble!  But some high end trailers are set up that way.

In reply to Rodan :

I mounted my spare on the front of the trailer between it and the truck. I fabricated a faux spindle so I have a complete spare hub assembly as well.

Purple Frog (Forum Supporter) said:

So many folks put a lot of "stuff" at front of their trailers, sometimes finding out they have too much tongue weight for their tow vehicle.   My cars are always pretty low so I install stuff on the walls over the axles of the trailer.  I've even had tire racks crossing over the hood ahead of the windshield.    I shift the car around to get my needed tongue weight (750#).

My tool box is on rollers, so I can roll it out near the car in the paddock and not be constantly jumping in and out of the trailer.

YMMV

Those are two very good points. One should be very aware of tongue weight when mounting or placing anything in or on a trailer.

I had my tool box on wheels in my old trailer  I decided to try mounting it in the front of my current trailer and I'm finding that I do prefer that but only by a slight margin.

I had the spare mounted under the deck in my old trailer.  I had enough room that if I rolled the car forward I could get the spare out without unloading.  I may build a basement in my current trailer for the same thing but so far I've been pretty happy with it strapped to the wall just in front of the wheel well.

codrus (Forum Supporter) said:

Rodan's photo reminds me -- you really want to put the spare trailer tire somewhere that you can get to it without unloading the car.  Changing a trailer tire on the side of the road in the dark/rain sucks enough as it is without adding that. :)

 

I you have e-track in your trailer, they make spare tire mounts that pop right in the track.  They're around $13 on Amazon.  I got 2 of them, and it's nice to have the spares out of the way, yet accessible.