Cold weather is around the corner so I thought I’d get prepared to work in the garage this winter. I have a detached 2 car garage but it isn’t insulated or heated. I plan to do a bit of work to the XS this winter and also get my ‘57 VW beetle back on the road. Decluttered the garage as best I could, without throwing out all of my treasures. Moved a lot of stuff into 200 sq ft of additional storage space created in a new stand alone shed and under a new deck I built.
Have a Rubbermaid service cart that I’ve had forever, that I just transformed into a rolling work bench, as my main work bench is in the basement. New swivel, locking, phenolic casters we’re added to make it easier to move about. I then added a plywood top and mounted a spare 5” vise. The cart is made from plastic but has an impressive load capacity of 500 lbs. Top dimensions are 29.5” X 45.5”.
The garage needs better heat ( have several small infra red heaters hanging from the ceiling but that only provides localized heat. I bought an 18,000 BTU, Mr Big Buddy, propane fired infrared heater last year, but found the heat just went straight up, not heating the garage working space that well. After looking at all the hacks on YouTube, I decided to buy a Peltier effect fan and mount it on the Buddy heater. With a lot of measuring and bending of a coat hanger, I fastened the fan to the top of the heater. The fan now distributes the hot air much more effectively, and does this without batteries or an external power source. Would like to get more air floew but this isn’t so bad now.
If you have a cold garage or shed you use to work on your bike in the winter, these heaters are great. Caution - a carbon monoxide detector and fresh air source are a must as well as keeping the heating unit away from combustibles.
I’ll share a picture of the garage later this week.
Last picture is my garage a couple of years ago, before I got the bike and before I loaded the racks for an upcoming move.
Have a Rubbermaid service cart that I’ve had forever, that I just transformed into a rolling work bench, as my main work bench is in the basement. New swivel, locking, phenolic casters we’re added to make it easier to move about. I then added a plywood top and mounted a spare 5” vise. The cart is made from plastic but has an impressive load capacity of 500 lbs. Top dimensions are 29.5” X 45.5”.
The garage needs better heat ( have several small infra red heaters hanging from the ceiling but that only provides localized heat. I bought an 18,000 BTU, Mr Big Buddy, propane fired infrared heater last year, but found the heat just went straight up, not heating the garage working space that well. After looking at all the hacks on YouTube, I decided to buy a Peltier effect fan and mount it on the Buddy heater. With a lot of measuring and bending of a coat hanger, I fastened the fan to the top of the heater. The fan now distributes the hot air much more effectively, and does this without batteries or an external power source. Would like to get more air floew but this isn’t so bad now.
If you have a cold garage or shed you use to work on your bike in the winter, these heaters are great. Caution - a carbon monoxide detector and fresh air source are a must as well as keeping the heating unit away from combustibles.
I’ll share a picture of the garage later this week.
Last picture is my garage a couple of years ago, before I got the bike and before I loaded the racks for an upcoming move.