Jeep and parts stowage

[Nikkormat]

Today I put a down payment on a super clean 78 Cherokee body to eventually replace my crusty 74 body. But, I don't have anywhere to store it or my growing parts collection. So I need to find some affordable storage for my tools, parts, an 18ft boat, and a Jeep. I'm trying to look at storage units but I don't have any experience to draw from of what it's like to have your stuff stored in one.

Do large storage units have power?
Do storage places get mad if you work on things inside the unit?
Is theft a major concern?

Have you ever put a jeep in a storage unit before? If so what advice can you offer me?

[Cheap Hobby]

You will have to define large storage unit. If you are talking about one of the national chains large is about the size of a one car garage. Local area or mom and pop operations often have a wider variety of sizes. Are you looking to store everything till you are ready for it or are you looking to do the project there as well.?

Power varies, some have lights on a master control but no power to keep cost down and discourage illegal activity. Local ordinance also plays into hours of access and what you can do on site. Building shelves or overhead storage is generally not allowed for safety.

Theft is always a concern. The managers should be willing to cover what systems they have besides the code at the gate. The best security is limited shared knowledge of what you have in the unit. 24 hr wide open Un fenced facilities have the highest risk. Used to provide security for an open 24hr place, we had 3 types of people there at night. Those that lived in a unit, those that ran a second business there and thieves. They all looked the same.

You may want to look for real shop space or a spare out building for rent but you will have to add in the cost of utilities and make sure you have insurance coverage for you tools and vehicles.

[pyro]

Find someone with some land and go in on a rent to own steel building.

[rocklaurence]

I see it all the time. Jeep goes to storage just until I can restore it. Jeep sits for years and the rental fee exceeds the value of the Jeep. Jeep gets sold to Rocky in order to stop making rent payments on the storage unit-stop wifes nagging. If you can, keep it at family or neighbors until you have room for it

[ArchitectJS]

Build yourself a simple pole building- I spent maybe $5k, probably less, to put this up. Built it myself; stone floor, metal roofing / siding was most expensive element.

It's 14x24 to the poles - 17' under cover with the overhang. While I didn't build it for this reason, I think I'll be able to tuck my Cherokee into it, when I need to. Vary the dimensions as you need to be more accommodating to your project. Change the materials and it you could even do it cheaper...

IMG_6534 by Jerome Siedlecki, on Flickr

[Nikkormat]

I would love to just put up a shed and it would be easy enough to do with a gravel floor. But I don't have any land to do that on. This jeep and all of my tools, equipment, and parts need to be stored inside to keep the jeep in the great shape it is in now.

I could park it in a friends horse pasture but then it'd be sitting out in the weather for the next three years and by the time I could get to the project it would be too rough for what I want to do. I already need to store the tools, so increaseing the storage space by the footprint of the jeep would only raise the cost by $50 or so.

[serehill]

Get a good tarp & put the tools inside the jeep in a field. done.

[Nikkormat]

Well, it's hard to work on a jeep or get tools out when there's a foot of snow on everything.

[Dr. Marneaus]

You'll likely run into trouble trying to work in the storage unit.

However, last landscape company i worked for operated out of a U-Stor-It. We had 3 or 4 RV parking spots where we kept a 40 yard dumpster, several trucks, pallets of pavers, all out equipment, etc. We also rented 2 full size ground level drive in type bays. In those we built a ton of shelves and work benches, had power, etc. We didnt like rebuild cars and stuff in there but it was where equipment was stored and maintained, etc, until we were able to purchase a property with a shop and land.

You might get lucky. My personal experience on the otherhand was the exact opposite, but that could be based on the area of town. I couldnt keep a vehicle that wasnt insured AND registered at any of the "decent" storage units i called. Also, they wouldnt let me park different vehicles in the spot, so for exampe if I wanted to drive my jeep for the weekend i wouldnt have been able to park my truck or my wifes nova in the spot that I was paying for.

I got lucky and found some super mom and pop joint that was run by this little old lady. but she let some shady characters in there and I never really felt good about it. Crazy people yelling at me, people who were clearly living out of the storage units when the place was open, etc.

[Nikkormat]

Dr. Marneaus gave me an idea with his post, so I started looking at RV parking places. I've found one that allows light work, no spills no trash. So I'm going to stash it there for a while with a tarp.

Thanks for your help guys!