Hi Gang! Here are a few photos of my latest van "build". The driver's size consists of a full-length bench for hauling around oversized tools, such as vacs, saws, and Sys-Maxi cases. Under the bench, I have room for a pair of MFT/3-Kapex tables, an air compressor, and five Sys-AZ mobile cabinets.

The drivers side has a platform to clear the wheel well, supporting four fixed Sys-AZ cabinets, which are in turn capped with a long (temporary) cubby for transporting levels, tracks, etc....

Thus far I've been quite happy with the setup. The mobile Sys-AZ cabinets are great because they allow me to quickly swap out "modules", allowing me to cater my load out to the work to be performed on that day. They also allow me to quickly and easily set up a work shop in a customer's garage or home. I hope this helps give you some ideas!









<<EDIT:  Rotated images and reinserted with permission of the OP - P.Halle>>

Sorry for the confusion.  I was certain that there would be interest and I rotated the images and posted them rather than risk messing up Tom's posts.

Peter

Thanks Peter!! Please feel free to correct the images in my posts if that's easier.

Cool idea of using portable systainer ports along with the van-based shelving system to give you flexibility by job.

Do you use a ramp to get the ports in/out of the van or just pick them up by hand?

Thanks for sharing, Tom -

Thanks!! The cabinets themselves (minus casters) are ~30" tall. Fully loaded with Systainers I can pretty easily pick them up and load them in and out of my van without the need for a ramp. If I remove the Systainers, the cabinets are easily transported up and down stairs for large projects where I want to set up in a basement or 2nd story.

The Sys-AZ drawers are not meant to be used in a vehicle, they're not rugged enough to stand the forces involved. Workshop only.

This is with emphasis mentioned in the "manual".

(Attachment Link)

Noted, though many of these drawers have been banging around in the back of my van for over a year loaded with heavy Systainers with no ill effects. It has been my personal experience that the drawers, properly installed and not overloaded, are plenty rugged for my needs. Others may have different opinions or experiences...

It was explained to me that "technically" any manufactured vehicle storage solution is supposed to be metal, thus the obligatory note from Festool.

Nice and organized looking setup ,Tom .   Congratulations on that shiny new Mafell Erika saw .

Thanks much! Yup, the Erika is an awesome saw!! Next on my list is to modify the upper cubby on the passenger side to accommodate the table extensions, sliding table etc....

Tom, nice work on the van! I like the closed cell on the roof, I need to insulate my roof and have been putting it off. There is an awful lot of vertical space not be used, time for a few more tools! Is that a Skillers tool vest hanging up on the bulkhead? How do you like it? Where did you get it?
Cheers
Curt

The closed cell foam is nice, particularly since my van has a very dark paint. My insulation contractor performed the work, a couple hours and he was done. My only complaint was he actually sprayed a little thicker than I'd wanted (I want to skin over it with FRP).

Yes, that's a Snickers/Skillers vest, good eye!! I have a handful of these 4294 vests from when they were sold in North America under the Skillers brand. This particular model has been discontinued, but there are a handful of them still in stock at various European distributors. The new model is the 4254, which does away with the removable Flexi pouches and you lose the mesh and extra pockets on the vest itself. I've stockpiled several extra 4294 vests, hopefully enough to hold me over until Snickers releases something similar sometime in the future.

Tom, you wouldn't be willing to part with one of your extra vests for a nominal fee would you? I have the Sawstop JSS mounted in my truck which I like for the most part. How's the Mafell? Power? Weight? Why not use plywood for your roof instead of FRP, so you can attach hangers for brooms, guide rails, and ladders.
Cheers
Curt

Hi Curt!

I sent you a PM regarding who still has some of the 4294 vests in stock.

The Mafell Erika saws are amazing!!! I have the Erika 70, 120v. At 2200 watts, it has oodles of power. I particularly like it because it pairs nicely with a track saw (in my case, MT-55cc or KSS-400). I use the hand held saw to break down larger goods (plywood, for instance), then use the Erika for final dimensioning. The ability of the Erika to rip AND crosscut means I can leave my Kapex in the shop, only taking it out for crown moulding projects. With the table extensions the Erika will rip 24"+, with the sliding table I think you get roughly 36" crosscut, and you can add infinite sections of fence and stops for repeated crosscuts. At 70lbs, the saw isn't light, but I don't have a problem carrying it up or down stairs, and I installed the wheel kit so it's easy to move around once it's all set up.

For the van ceiling, the insulators sprayed the foam a little thicker than I'd like. As I have time, I've been trimming the foam back, with the ultimate goal of lining the ceiling with FRP, then running some LED lighting. I'm 74", and I think the van ceiling is 72", so I'm wary to install anything that would further reduce headroom.

Steve in my last van been in 55mph crash and they were just screwed down with 4 screw 5x80 and two 4.5x 35mm on the side stayed exactly where it was before the crash and everything else was smashed and up against the bulkhead so I bought 4 more sets of 5 for my new van and have them loaded up no issues what so ever I do how ever recommend you grease the runners ever so often

It's not exactly if it had anywhere to go as it was up against a double layer of 18mm mdf bulkhead glued and screw to bottom bed and roof but all the draw runners still pulled out and worked perfectly but I build my draw housings solid, I use this kind with a small gun as it's easier to apply it. I think if you build the boxes to house the draw units and fix them properly they should really go anywhere unless you were hit or you van crumpled up

Love your set up. Did you use the same caster on the rear of your rolling systainer drawer stack? Any pictures of them in use on the job site?

I have 5 units that go in the trailer. They normally get unloaded into the garage on site.

They have held up well over the last few years, have about 75,000 miles on them. Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm not the easiest driver in the world.

Picture of a unit, one loaded for transport, exposed drawers for access to tools.

Tom

Possibly one could repurpose the operating sides of butterfly locks to grab directly into the rails of the van (or attach their conterparts onto the wall)? Might be easier to deal with (attaching and removing) than straps...

I need this in my life