I've been doing field service work for 6 years now, the last 4 years for myself owning my own company. I work on various equipment from vocational trucks (even some fire trucks/ambulances) to skid-loaders to large mining equipment. I've got a nice service truck but lately I just can't shake the thought that a large, built-to-suit enclosed trailer would be a slicker setup than any truck. Think about it, you'd have an indoor workbench, the ability to have a nice large solvent tank, and you could carry more shop tools that are difficult or impractical to keep in a traditional service truck, ie: shop press, drill press, transmission jack, floor jack and jack stands. Not to mention that all of these things and all of your regular tools would be totally inside. 2 winters ago was pretty harsh here NW Missouri and about the 5th transmission or steering valve I cleaned out standing out in single digit temps I thought, "you know an enclosed trailer with a heater and bright lights would be way better than this".
So I'm asking for opinions, I know there's drawbacks but I just wanted to see what some guys with more experience than I have are thinking. Have any of you guys gone to a setup like this or thought about it?
P.S. I'd be pulling the trailer with my topkick so I could still have my crane, but will probably just mount the crane on a flatbed and sell the service body. Then I'd also have more large object capacity for engines, pallets of pads, pallets of idlers/rollers, etc.
So I'm asking for opinions, I know there's drawbacks but I just wanted to see what some guys with more experience than I have are thinking. Have any of you guys gone to a setup like this or thought about it?
P.S. I'd be pulling the trailer with my topkick so I could still have my crane, but will probably just mount the crane on a flatbed and sell the service body. Then I'd also have more large object capacity for engines, pallets of pads, pallets of idlers/rollers, etc.