Relocating a Mechanic Workshop: Tool Chests, Engines and Hydraulic Jacks

The landlord has given the workshop until the end of the month. Outside, a customer's car is half stripped on the ramp, two apprentices are arguing over whose spanner is whose, and a second-hand engine sits on a pallet that has not moved in two years. A mechanic's workshop looks like chaos, but every corner of it holds something that earns money, and most of it is heavy or messy.

Moving it well comes down to three jobs: finish or return the cars, drain and secure everything that can leak, and load the heaviest steel first.

Clear the customers' work before anything else

You cannot move a customer's car on a truck full of tools. Set a cut-off date and tell people. Finish what can be finished, hand back what is ready, and move any half-repaired vehicle to a neighbouring garage or its owner's compound. Collect the keys and write down who owns which parts lying around the bay.

Customer parts deserve their own corner. Wrap them, tag them with the owner's name and load them separately from your own stock, so nothing goes missing in the confusion.

Tools first: sort, label and count

Tools are small, valuable and easy to lose in a move.

1. Empty the loose spanners, sockets and screwdrivers into labelled tool chests or sturdy boxes.
2. Lock every drawer on a tool chest, or tape it shut, and take the heavy drawers out if the chest is very heavy.
3. Count the power tools, grinders, drills and welding machines and write the number on a list.
4. Coil cables and welding leads loosely and tie each one separately.

Keep one person in charge of the list at the old workshop and another at the new one. When the last box is on, both should agree on the count.

Engines, gearboxes and heavy parts

An engine block is dense and awkward. Do not lift it by hand. Use a chain hoist, an engine crane or a strong, practised crew, and stand it on a pallet or a thick board so it does not shift.

Drain oil, coolant and fuel from loose engines and gearboxes before they go on the truck, then cap every opening with a plug or thick plastic. Put old oil in sealed drums and keep them upright. Follow the manufacturer's guidance for anything that holds fuel or pressure.

Weigh the load honestly. Engines, anvils, vices and steel benches add up quickly, and a pickup van has a limit of 2,400kg. A load of heavy workshop steel often belongs on a truck even when it looks small. Our guide on moving building materials without overloading the truck explains how to think about weight.

Jacks, compressors and the machines that roll

Hydraulic jacks should travel with the handle removed and the ram fully down. Trolley jacks can go on the truck bed lying flat or standing in a corner with straps across them.

An air compressor needs its tank drained and the pressure released before it moves. Disconnect the hoses, tape the ends and strap the machine upright. If it has wheels, chock them. Welding machines and bench grinders need their leads tied and their bodies wrapped.

Never leave a loose jack or a loose vice on a moving truck. In a sudden stop, a small steel object becomes a large problem.

Loading order and securing

Load the heaviest steel against the cab wall and low in the bed: anvils, vices, engines and benches. Put the tool chests next, then boxes of small parts, and light items last. Place cardboard or old tyres under anything that could scrape the truck floor.

Strap everything, and strap it twice if it is heavy. Wrap the bed in a tarpaulin so a rain shower does not put rust on your steel. Our post on securing a load with straps, ropes and tarpaulins covers the knots and tension.

At the new workshop

Before the truck arrives, mark where the ramp, benches and heavy machines will stand, and check the floor can carry the weight. Power is the first question in a workshop: confirm the sockets, the earthing for welding equipment and the position of the generator. Unload the heavy items first while the crew is fresh, then the tool chests, then the small stock. If you stock parts too, the plan in relocating an auto spare parts shop is a useful companion.

How to do this on Sphere

Open the Sphere app and choose a truck for a full workshop, or a pickup van for a smaller bay with light equipment. Add the pickup and drop-off, then describe the load: "2 tool chests, 1 engine on a pallet, 1 compressor, 2 steel benches, 6 drums of oil, 4 boxes of parts". Say if heavy items need a hoist. Propose a price, and nearby verified drivers will accept or send counter-offers. Agree loading and offloading help with the driver before you accept an offer.

See also truck hire in Lagos and business moves in Lagos.