Diy truck office


How to Turn Your Work Truck Into An Office

Construction pros spend more time than most in their trucks. Turn your truck into a productivity hub with just a few of these handy gadgets.

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Construction has alway been considered a classically blue collar job, and for good reason. But that does not mean that a construction pro never has to do any white collar work. Being able to “wear two hats” is in many ways an essential skill for anyone running a construction business, especially if that business is relatively small.

However, renting an office space is expensive and not economically feasible for a lot of construction companies. The good news is that with just a few gadgets and gizmos, any pro can turn their trusty truck into a fully-functioning mobile office.

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Many new truck models come with built-in outlets for connecting devices to the trucks’ electrical power supply. But if yours doesn’t, just buy a power inverter and connect it to your truck’s battery.  A single power inverter could change the way you operate on the road and is an essential part of turning a truck into an office-on-wheels. Charge laptops, phones, tool batteries, all from the cab of your truck.

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Doing office work without being connected to the internet in 2019 is like canoeing upstream without a paddle. Sure, it could be done, but it is going to seem slow and inefficient. The internet is the most powerful tool in the history of humanity- put it in your truck. There are several ways to get Wi-Fi in your truck. Mobile hotspots can be generated through most smartphones and dedicated devices like the Mighty WiFi M1 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot. Most new trucks will also have models available with built-in cellular data connections, so keep that in mind if you are upgrading any time soon. Just remember, data plans will come with a monthly fee.

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Trucks do not run without gas. In the same way, many construction pros just do not “run” without coffee. Get a portable and durable coffee maker for your truck like the COFFEEBOX that will allow you to brew hot coffee on the jobsite. Thermoses are great, but nothing really beats that fresh-brewed taste. If you are feeling nice, you could even share some with your crew.

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Doing paperwork in the cab of a truck is, at the very least, a pain in the neck- unless your passenger seat happens to double as a desk. The AutoExec Front Seat Car Desk creates a professional workspace without taking up too much space in your cab. Car desks like the AutoExec provide storage space, organization options and attachments for mounting laptops and phones.

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Getting a stand-alone GPS might seem a little redundant at this point. If you have a cellphone, you have access to multiple apps that can get you directions to where you need to be. But what happens when you are on a phone call and a turn comes up? If your phone is pressed against your ear, you might miss your turn, making you late for a meeting and looking unprofessional in the process. A dedicated GPS can save you a lot of headache, and come at a relatively inexpensive cost.

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Having a printer on the road for printing out invoices and project plans at the last minute could be a lifesaver. Printers are not massive, bulky machines anymore, either. CANON makes a mobile printer that prints in full color and can print photos and documents directly from a mobile device, completely wirelessly.  It does all of that all while being about the size of an encyclopedia.

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No office is complete without a bulky storage system. The CargoDeck from TruckOffice is a filing system built directly into the back seat of your truck. CargoDecks can double as both tool and file storage, with wide compartments and sturdy, level platforms that support anything from folders full of invoices to power tools. If you are planning on running a business successfully, organization will be essential. With just a CargoDeck and a few file storage boxes, you will be well on your way.

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Every product is independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our links, CPT may earn an affiliate commission.

Turn Your Car or Truck into a Mobile Office with These Essentials

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Stay productive and connected no matter where the job site is with these must-have office supplies for your car.

By Hearst Autos Gear Team

weBoost

Now more than ever, productivity is the key to a successful career. With the increase in remote work, more of us need to find ways to stay busy and up to speed, no matter where we are or where the job takes us. Truck drivers, construction workers, and employees in other fields who travel for work know exactly how tough it is to stay connected and productive when you're on the road all the time. And if the boss is trying to reach you? You'd better pick up.

Luckily, thanks to remote work becoming the new norm, there are lots of great new products on the market designed to make it easier and more comfortable to work from the driver's seat. From tech to organizers, here are some of our favorite must-have mobile office essentials for the modern worker who's always on the go.

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Hearst Autos Gear Team The Hearst Autos Gear Team is dedicated to bringing you the very best in automotive tools, parts, and accessories, based on the expertise of the editors of Car and Driver, Road & Track, and Autoweek.  

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How to make a truck out of cardboard and paper: do-it-yourself model creation technology, templates

Making crafts with your own hands is a developing, educational process. Receiving positive emotions, the child learns to model, create, fantasize. A self-made model is a source of pride. Brings more joy than the most expensive toy. The boys love making cars. We describe in detail how to make a truck out of cardboard, other materials and where to start. nine0003

  • The necessary materials and tools
  • varieties of mock -ups and crafts
  • How to make a truck from paper and cardboard
  • Video MastKr Class
  • Military Trucks
  • Little van
  • Floods for children
  • Large of the boxes
  • Ideas for decorating
  • Templates and stencils for cutting

Required materials and tools

Initially, it is determined what the truck model will be made of. For these purposes, materials that can always be found at home are suitable. nine0003

The basis for crafts can be:

  • corrugated cardboard from packages of household appliances;
  • boxes;
  • matchboxes or other boxes;
  • heavy cardboard for making models;
  • make crafts from colored paper.

For the manufacture of wheels, a piece of dense foam, caps from plastic bottles is suitable. You will need steel or aluminum wire, with which the wheelsets are connected. nine0003

Basic tools:

  • ruler and pencil for drawing truck diagrams;
  • sharp knife, can be a construction knife;
  • glue gun;
  • scissors;
  • paints or markers.

Use of additional materials - creative improvisation. Buttons are used to highlight the wheel disk, headlights. A beverage can could be the prototype for a truck tank.

Varieties of layouts and crafts

In order to make a craft, you need to decide which model to make. Choose the scheme of interest in the gallery, print it on a printer and cut it out. Or use ready-made templates for making crafts, purchased in specialized stores.

There are different models of trucks, flatbeds, vans. The main parts of the tractors are the body and the trailer on the carrier frame.

Types of car bodies:

  • flatbed;
  • container,
  • tilt trucks;
  • dump truck;
  • tank;
  • tractor with open platform for cargo.

Craft templates differ according to material specification. You can make a truck out of cardboard, plywood, colored paper, polystyrene. This fact is taken into account when choosing a layout scheme. The layout instructions indicate what materials the model is made of.

How to make a paper and cardboard truck

Heavy cardboard is the most popular material for making trucks. The models are voluminous, the material is easily cut, glued, painted. nine0003

Cardboard truck manufacturing technology:

  1. Cut out the model template. We attach it to a sheet of thick cardboard. Outline with a pencil.
  2. Use a sharp knife to cut through the cardboard, thus cutting out the details of the truck.
  3. We manufacture wheelsets. They can be made from styrofoam. Use a cap from an aerosol dispenser. Push the foam with it, correct the perimeter of the circle with a sharp knife. To make the wheels look natural, they are wrapped with colored tape or electrical tape. The second option is to make wheelsets out of cardboard. To do this, you need to cut several circles of the same diameter for each wheel, about 4 pieces. Then glue the cut pieces together. nine0006
  4. We connect the wheels with wire. Cut off the length of the desired size, string the wheels. We make a bend at the end of the wire so that they do not fly out.
  5. Let's start making the frame. This is the main element to which the cabin and all other elements will be attached. Cut out a rectangle of the desired size. With the help of overlays made of cardboard, wheel pairs are fixed. For the reliability of the design, the frame can be made from a double sheet of cardboard.
  6. The cab of the truck is then assembled. To do this, glue all the elements in sequence and attach the finished body to the frame. nine0006
  7. Let's move on to the manufacture of the body. We collect all the details, glue them, attach them to the frame.
Video master class

The video shows how to make KAMAZ on the control panel, but we can do it without electronics (the layout design is identical).

The finished model is painted, supplemented with details. For example, headlights made of buttons, a bumper can be bent out of cardboard or given an unusual shape from plasticine. Such crafts are suitable for labor lessons at school for grade 3 students. nine0003

Military trucks

Making a military truck with your own hands is more convenient according to the scheme of a specific model. The manufacturing sequence is preserved.

Main types of military trucks:

  • for transporting people and food;
  • ambulances;
  • tractors for transporting military equipment, missiles;
  • Armored vehicles;
  • retro cars from World War II.

Military vehicle parts are made according to the chosen model. Trucks for transporting people and food are painted in camouflage colors. Models of missiles and launchers are made separately for tractors. Guns and other weapons are mounted on armored vehicles.

Small vans

Small vans come in two types, mini truck and bus. In the manufacture of the model, design features are taken into account. A mini truck is made according to the general scheme, separately the body, the cargo part. Bead models are solid, that is, the main contour is cut out immediately on one sheet of cardboard, paper. nine0003

Applications for children

Making models is a difficult process for preschool children, it is more correct to invite the child to make an application.

What and how to make a truck out of paper.

Need to prepare:

  • cardboard
  • thick sheet of paper, such as drawing paper;
  • colored paper;
  • glue;
  • pencils, markers.

Make a template for the appliqué out of cardboard. Attach it to a sheet of colored paper, circle it. Then the parts are cut out and glued to the base of a white sheet of thick paper. First, the main large parts, the body and the cargo part of the car are glued. These include small elements, wheels, bumpers, headlights and others. nine0003

Big ones out of boxes

For kids up to 3 years old, you can make a car, a mini truck out of big boxes. For him, such a model will not only be a craft, the layout will become a place for games.

Large boxes, TV boxes, household appliances are turned into a toy truck. Openings are cut out on the sides of a large box - an imitation of doors. A cardboard frame is attached in front in the form of a cabin glass. If you reinforce the bottom of the box with several layers of cardboard or thin plywood, you can attach wheels. Wheel sets from utility carts will do. nine0003

Interesting. Such a model of the car can drive around the room with the baby.

A fertile material for large dump trucks - shoeboxes of different sizes. The small one will become the prototype of the body, the large one will become the cargo compartment.

Design ideas

Designing a truck is a creative improvisation. Among mom's household trifles, there is sure to be a bag with buttons. Choose several pieces of different sizes, large ones can become wheels, small ones can become headlights. If the body of a tin can become a tank, then the opening tongue can become a headlight. The figurine of a little man, from a kinder surprise, is put behind the wheel of a truck. Plastic plates can be used as an imitation of wheels in a box car. And from a straw for a cocktail you get a bumper. Military trucks are painted in the appropriate camouflage colors. A plastic star, a flag made of colored paper, and fabric on a stick are attached to the body. nine0003

Truck model with cap wheels, tank, headlights from a can

Templates and stencils for cutting out

It is easier to make models of trucks using templates, stencils, ready-made schemes.

Exclusive conversion of a GAZ 52 truck into a pickup truck or DIY car assembly history

Exclusive conversion of a GAZ 52 truck into a pickup truck or DIY car assembly history - Car BLOG

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Pickups assembled from other cars are very popular among fans of private tuning

If you have the opportunity to buy an old truck for a very small amount in a faulty condition, be sure to take this opportunity. We want to tell you about the exclusive conversion of the GAZ 52 truck into a pickup truck. This is an interesting and different DIY car assembly. It stands out for its approach, creativity and small budget. Such an unusual auto-tuning is not unique. It is made on the basis of the existing body, nodes, the rest of the spare parts are bought. Thus, the new car combines retro and the latest components and components, delighting the owner with exclusivity. nine0003

What else is good about altering a car with your own hands based on a registered car? The owner will have the opportunity to re-register it and use it as a full-fledged road vehicle. Such operations when assembling a car with your own hands “from scratch” are difficult. Some examples of alterations can be seen in the video below.

I must say that this type of autotuning pickup truck from Gaz 51, 52 and 53 is very popular, you can find many similar projects on the net. You might like the idea. And assembling a car with your own hands will help you become the owner of an exclusive car. nine0003

Truck in an exclusive pickup - where to start?

The car shown in the video looks like an exclusive pickup truck. At the same time, it is very comfortable and functional. Its only drawback, in our opinion, is a small clearance (ground clearance), which makes it similar to a sports car. But otherwise, it is quite technologically advanced and convenient in daily use. The pickup truck moves quickly and has good maneuverability. What characterizes the master well, when the assembly of the car was carried out on their own and without experience. nine0003 An amazing alteration of a car: a pickup truck from GAZ

The front part of the body of the GAZ 52 is completely preserved, the car is recognizable. Meanwhile, it has its own face and harmonious design thanks to the author of the project. He can be seen driving his brainchild on the streets of Tomsk. Assembling the car with his own hands made him a famous person in the region.

Our pickup from GAZ-52 and Toyota Crown fully answers the question of how to assemble a car with your own hands

Creation history

The history of this pickup is worthy of a cinematic scenario. First, the guy bought a Gazelle in order to build a car based on its chassis. But later the developer abandoned this idea and learned about such a car as the Toyota Crown. It had good suspension, a chassis suitable for the project, and an engine. These spare parts have found application in autotuning. nine0003

Alteration of the car began with the purchase of a Japanese car Crown. Then the GAZ 52 body was attached to it. On this basis, the first version of the car was assembled. But the owner also had a good mechanic who recommended changing the engine. This was necessary due to the nature of the design. It turned out that the turbine rested against the lever.

Tomsk pickup truck without trunk

As a result, I had to buy a naturally aspirated engine. Subsequently, all the insides were repeatedly rebuilt. The author was not very good at automaking and learned everything as needed. In addition, the interior trim and the creation of individual parts took a lot of time, which also increased the cost of creation. It took 2 years to create a pickup truck. nine0003

Specifications

Most of the parts remained original, and the naturally aspirated engine complemented the "innards" of the car very well in appearance. Alteration of the car is clearly a success. Now it is an exclusive retro pickup. It has an expensive interior trim. And it's nice to look at inside and out.

The car has an automatic transmission, rear wheel drive, typical for sports cars. In this case, it is necessary to increase the carrying capacity, given the compact dimensions. It has a 300 hp V8 engine. nine0003

Prototypes

Dynamics and static stability

During assembly, special attention was paid to the rear part of the body, completely welded by the owner with no experience in such work. I had to additionally think over aerodynamics, since high speeds, such a cabin and the cargo part did not really fit together and affected handling. Especially at high speeds. Despite the shortcomings, the alteration of the car was a success, the pickup behaves very confidently on the road. Drift stability is impressive for self-tuning. nine0003

Interior

Interior designed in retro style. All original elements of the dashboard are preserved, leather seats are made, wooden and chrome-plated interior parts are added or restored. Additional work was carried out with the seats, firmware was used, which had a positive effect on comfort.

Comfort figures

The pickup has a low seating position that was traditional in the 60s. But this reflects positively on the review.

The vehicle is not so well soundproofed and does not always pass obstacles unnoticed. This is due to the retained original suspension and rather stiff shock absorbers, but this issue can be improved. Now a pickup made from GAZ 52 and Crown looks like an exclusive retro car that has everything it needs. And it reflects the spirit of the 60s. nine0003

What is the result?

The owner does not reveal all the features, also there is no video of the autotuning process. But we can show a video of another similar, but already foreign project. The conversion was based on a 1960 Chevy C10 and a 1938 Buick coupe.

As a result, we can say where to start assembling a car with your own hands. It is worth listing the steps:

  • You need to follow the path of the first racing drivers, the same Enzo Ferrari, to select and purchase a chassis. In our case, this is a used car. To spend less on spare parts, it is better to choose a prototype with good mechanics. nine0006
  • Next, it is desirable to choose a body, but you can do it yourself.
  • After that, put everything together and highlight the design flaws, it is better to consult an auto mechanic.
  • At the next stage, spare parts are monitored and, if necessary, replaced with more modern ones.
  • After assembling the structure, you will need to make calculations and analyze the stability of the car drift (you can read about stability and other useful things at the link). This is necessary so that the car does not roll over and behaves predictably. nine0006
  • As a result, the interior trim is being carried out, which is also not worth saving.

And most importantly, you can start small. It's okay if the first version fails.

Spare parts for restored cars and a full consultation on deep car tuning you can get in Elite Auto.


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