Detailing carts

[JGdetailing]

Looking into getting a detailing cart. Of course there's a Meguiars cart and another company one.

[davey g-force]

Re: Detailing carts

The "other" one reminds me of a photocopier!

[cfilly]

Re: Detailing carts

I bought one like the first one you posted at Home Depot for around $100.00 I have added some stuff to it, (power strip, hooks, dividers) and it holds alot of stuff.

[BillyJack]

Re: Detailing carts

Here's a post from another forum about the one I recently homebuilt. Had I not had the pans and rails to work with, I would have used the 16" X 30" three shelf cart from Harbor Freight. I've only done one full detail with it so far, but I'm very happy with the layout. Maybe it will give you an idea or two you hadn't thought of.


Since it rained most of the holiday weekend, I used some of my idle time to get my homemade detail cart far enough along to be functional.
I had originally planned on buying and modifying a three-shelf cart from HF, but when a friend offered me a couple 24x17 inch aluminum pans and lengths of 1 inch angle, I took to the garage to build it all from stuff I had lying around.

The base is a piece of coated hardboard, with some short 2x4 blocks screwed to the corners, both to mount the casters and the uprights. The bottom compartment, dedicated to MF storage, is walled on three sides with storm-window plexiglass to keep 'em clean. I haven't decided on a front door yet, so I just have a clear curtain in place, weighted by a wooden dowel at the bottom. Dividers cut from foam signboard keeps the stacks separated into three categories: premium, mid-grade and utility.

The center shelf, lined with rubber mesh shelf liner, has canisters filled with applicator pads and a tray for gloves and finger pockets tucked to the sides, leaving a lot of space for a polisher or two.

In the upper compartment, also lined with rubber mesh, I hung a piece of aluminum flashing over one side to which I had glued a bunch of plastic pipe scraps as brush holders. Across the back and opposite side, I cut a few pieces from a heavy 4 inch mailing tube and attached them with binder clips to hold spray bottles, clay bars in baggies or even tuck in mf towels to keep them segregated while in use.

In theory, it should serve my needs well, but I'm sure a test drive or two may show where any revisions or improvements are needed. Since I had so much of the odds and ends already in stock, total construction cost was less than $25.

Thanks for viewing.
For those who have worked off something similar, any more ideas?

Bill

[weedsnager]

Re: Detailing carts

Do you have a harbor freight near you?

[BillyJack]

Re: Detailing carts

Here's the one I was considering until I scored some free aluminum trays: http://www.harborfreight.com/16-in-x...art-61165.html
I liked the extra utility of a third shelf. When you're on the floor or on a rolling stool while polishing, it gives you a convenient place to set down your polisher without disturbing all the stuff on the top shelf.

Bill

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Detailing carts

Having a detailing cart is a great idea as they let you keep everything together and moving around the car with you. And you don't have to keep bending over to pick up your liquid product from the ground all the time, or to put your buffer down while wiping off residue, etc. Overall they just make things a bit more ergonomic. Find one that fits your budget and space requirements and you'll immediately find your detailing life getting easier. Mounting a power strip to any cart is a great idea, too. I added one to my cart with a few large zip ties, and it lets me plug several buffers into it without having to swap cords. I tend to have 3 or 4 different tools hooked up and ready to go when detailing a car, and cord management can be a real pain sometimes!

[Jarhead0754]

That harbor freight cart looks good, but as always my pick is go with meguiars. The durability of the plastic than metal, plus the plastic won't heat up like the metal will.

[weedsnager]

Re: Detailing carts

That harbor freight cart looks good, but as always my pick is go with meguiars. The durability of the plastic than metal, plus the plastic won't heat up like the metal will.

Harbor or freight has a couple plastic ones as well

http://t.harborfreight.com/16-in-x-30-intwo-shelf-industrial-polypropylene-service-cart-61930.html

[JGdetailing]

True! I was hoping it would have the name Meguiars in color on the cart. It does have there name by the handle. Good thing I have some Meguiars decals. Gonna put one on it.

[weedsnager]

Re: Detailing carts

Good idea with the decal !