The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Luxury Under $100?

Last year, I broke down and bought a creeper. I cannot believe how much I've used and enjoyed having it. It was cheap ($35) and made a world of difference - especially since I can roll right under the trucks without having to jack them up.

I bought my Dad a rolling stool with a pneumatic adjustable padded seat with a tool tray on the bottom ($15). After spending the last 30 years sitting on a milk crate, a chunk of a log, or a dirty cardboard box - I didn't know what I'd been missing.

I got myself a $6 magnetized bolt dish and a telescoping magnet wand ($10) that has saved me a lot of cussing and lost screws over the past year.

Anybody else have some low cost items that have enhanced their shop experience?

Maybe you shouldn't look at this then: The Kreepster.

Now THAT is a nice addition for a shop! The price isn't bad either .

Oh Kim, you cuss? I'm so dissolutioned.

Only in the garage or when the horse squashes my toes. :p

My crepper has paid for itself many times over, I used it when working on my trucks(both big and small) all the time, a couple weeks ago it came handy as a dolly when I had to move a large cabinet. My magnetized bolt dish is an old pie pan with a large magnet in the center.

The best piece is an old T.V. stand that I got from the school dist. Its about 5 ft. high at the top shelf, with another shelf below that around 2 ft. high, its on wheels and moves easily, there is a power strip on the back of the top shelf, good for pluging in work lites or your C.D. player. I lay the tools that Iam not using on the stand and not on the fenders. And my magnet wands(I have three) are stuck to the bottom side of the top shelf, easy to get to and out of the way.

The best I've gotten is a 30" x 60" desk from the county where I work. $5 at an online auction. Decent workspace, lots of drawers, and the thing'l probly hold 17 thousand pounds...

jay

I had bought a cheapo creeper and like many of you I bet the stinky caster come loose and then fall off and then the screws get buggered and they won't tighten or stay tightened.

First thing I did was weld them on. But then finally they started to break off.

The creep frame is fine, but they save money on the casters. So I went to northern and got the cheapest rubber ball bearing casters they had - like $15 for the set. The are of course too wide, so I just welded the continuous edge around the caster. And I only used 4 of them instead of 6 crummy ones like it came with.

Now my creeper can roll over tools, concrete holes and seams, cables, and its great. Rasied the whole thing about an inch.

I highly recommend removing the crap casters on your creepers and welding on some bigger ones. I think each caster is rated at like 200 lbs or so. What a difference!

I bought a couple of moving dollies for rolling some of the heavier things around the shop with out having to break the crane out everytime. I've had complete bodies on them, make life much easier. I also got some of those car dollies for moving dead vehicles around. Much smoother than using a floor jack. Anything that save time and my back I'll all for,
Scott

Nice,but the beer cooler's kinda small...
Speed

I have worn out or broken several creepers over the years, I think my next one will be home made from tubing with some heavy duty casters and 3/4" plywood deck. Then in a pinch I can use it for and engine stand, or rolling around a non running vehicle. Probably will only be around 6" high, but I will only have to jack the patient up another 6". I mostly use my service pit for under vehicle stuff, it is well worth the cost when I built my shop.

I rebuilt my creeper with a 3/4" plywood deck also. It had that cheap 1/8" paneling with a crossmember every foot or so. After I finally broke through it, I replaced it with the plywood. It weighs 4 times what it used to, but I guarantee it'll never break again!

ive had a creeper for years,just no concrete to roll it on.