Garage storage ideas

Fall is always the time that I convert my garage from a general junk storage area back to a place to park the car. But with lots of junk, and only a single car garage, that is always a challenge. Storage must be optimized.

Trailer storage

One of the things I keep in my garage is a car trailer. I don't use it often, but sometimes, like when reshingling the garage it comes in very handy.

During the summer, if I use the trailer, it usually just ends up parked in the garage for the rest of the summer. But when I need the space back for parking, I have to get it out of the way.

So I put the trailer upright against a wall. I use a block and tackle set to hoist it up. First I remove the trailer hitch, tip the trailer back, and then prop the front of it up with a sawhorse. This reduces the distance that I have to hoist the trailer up by. Otherwise, my block and tackle set would be too short. The block and tackle set is not ideal, but it was cheap.

Removing the trailer's hitch is a bit awkward though, and is actually more work than hoisting the trailer upright. A much more convenient solution would be something like this motorized trailer lift that a friend built. It would be tempting to build something like that, but my garage is not high enough.

Push mower hanger

Although I have a gas-powered lawn mower, I came across a brand new 20" push mower in the garbage, and I actually like to use that one more. Problem is, where to put it in the winter?

I thought of just making a hook for the handle on the wall, but the problem is that the mower sticks out quite a bit from the wall, and if I hung it by the handle, the wheels and mower would inevitably be at a height where I'd bump into it when sneaking past my car.

So I had this idea of making a hanger that would allow the actual mower part to be hung near the top. The mower has a guard above the cutting drum, and I was able to build a sort of holder that hooks onto this guard.

You can see a little better how the mower hooks onto the hanger in this photo. This is actually on my workshop floor when I had just made the hanger.

My gas powered mower actually takes up more space than the push mower, and I keep that one in my storage shed under the lawn chairs. Years ago I had the brilliant idea of hanging up the gas mower, only to find that, because it was oriented vertically, the oil leaked out of it over the winter. What a mess that was!

Dolly hanger

I also needed to stow away a moving dolly. The wheels and platform at the bottom of this dolly present a similar problem as the lawn mower. If I hung it by the handle, they would stick out too far from the wall, and I'd bump into it. I was able to just hook the platform of the dolly over the top of the framing in my garage, but it was only held in place by friction, and would surely come crashing down on me or my car eventually.

So I made a pair of hooks to hold it. These hooks hook onto the sheet metal of the dolly's platform.

Car ramp hanger

I have some car ramps that I also made some holders for.

The shape of these holders is a bit complicated. I made this holder many years ago, and it has served me well.

And finally, the stepladder is also hung from a hook. Of course, I could just lean it against the wall, but then there'd be the risk that it might tip over. And this way, I can still keep smaller junk on the floor!