Iam thinking of buying one of these creepers from micromark what i would like to know is how far in you can go on a layout, would you be able to cover an 8ft wide table with it so you don,t have to make hatches?

Eight feet across would be an extemely long reach, even with the topside creeper. I can reach in a little over 4' with mine. I'm 6'3" tall and 4' is the maximum width of my layout.

The total reach inward will also depend on how tall you are. Standing on a rung and bending over the hip and belly pad allows the reach of the rest of your upper body (waist up) and extended arms. Best to do some lower back and stretching exercises!

This tool was made for mechanics who work on large truck engines, as well as with small aircraft. With it, one can safely reach fairly high as well as inward. If assembled correctly, it folds to about half its full depth for easier movement through doorways and for storage.

Ed Bommer

Ed maybe i should have said if i could reach 4ft on each side thanks

You have to take in account that the bottom frame extends under the platform a coupl of feet. This can be a problem if that area under the platform is not clear to allow for this.

HO friends use one all the time for doing scenery on thier layout. It can be a very handy and worthwhile investment.

I would also imagine that the floor needs to be flat. My basement floor slopes downward towards a center drain.

The slope doesn't make a difference, the creeper has wheels that lock to keep it from rolling. I could not get by without my topside creeper. I can dangle out over the belly cushion pretty far so I can reach the middle of my layout at it's widest point of 12', but that is just to pick up or put something back. If I want to work on scenery I'd say 4' from the edge is a good estimate of working distance.

Is the thing hard to put together? I got one two weeks ago and it's still in the box in the garage. The box weighs 79 lbs. I'm not too psyched about lugging it down to the basement. Would i be better off deboxing and assembling in the garage, or nearer the layout? Thanks!

Nick

Open the box and take it downstairs and assemble it. It's really simple to put together.

Paul is right, it is pretty easy to put together. It is heavy though, I opened the box and took the pieces upstairs and assembled upstairs. Much lighter in pieces.

This looks like an ideal solution for those that have to get around under really BIG layouts.

Couldn't help but share this crazy motorized kit-bashed creeper on " There I fixed it dot com".



VIDEO

Please don't try this at Home !!!

Tom

TOMK You have way too much time on your hands!
But it does look like FUN

I have the two-section auto creeper that splits across the middle. The head end rises and falls by pneumatic cartridge. It is invaluable for lying under a table and raising up my back to do overhead wiring.

I saw one of these creepers and gawked at the price. I found some instructions on how to build your own. I have them at my office on my pc there. I'm going to set a reminder to post them up on here.

Hmm, can't find the instructions but I have the pic.

SolarEclipse2,

It took me awhile, but I found the materials list in a forum called TheDieselStop.com. I registered just so that I could verify that it was the same picture that you are showing. Here is the materials list:
Pressure treated 2x4's in the following quantities and lengths:
(2) 8' for the horizontal base
(4) 6' for the diagonal cross supports
(2) 6' for the top horizontal platform
(6) 2' for the pieces between the two sides, can adjust lengths
For the top platform, I used a 2'x4' plywood board with a heavy wool mover's blanket, sometimes with a foam mat underneath for extra cushioning. Because of this, I used a 2' width between the two sides, but maybe 3' would have been more stable. Adding additional pieces between the two sides also helps with stability.

To give credit where it is due, the screen name for the guy who posted this in the truck forum was InetDev. He said that it cost about $20.00 for the materials.

Rick

Rick,

Thanks for posting that, I was going back through my history to try to find that just as you made your post.

True the topside creeper is a costly investment at $250.00 and the DIY unit for $20.00 is attractive but the main advantage of the store bought creeper is that its foldable and more compact.

quote:

Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua:
True the topside creeper is a costly investment at $250.00 and the DIY unit for $20.00 is attractive but the main advantage of the store bought creeper is that its foldable and more compact.

Eh. Loosen up a couple of bolts and it folds right down!

quote:

Originally posted by SolarEclipse2:

quote:

Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua:
True the topside creeper is a costly investment at $250.00 and the DIY unit for $20.00 is attractive but the main advantage of the store bought creeper is that its foldable and more compact.

Eh. Loosen up a couple of bolts and it folds right down!

The DIY unit is starting to look attractive but its reach (limited by the crossarms) is more limited. I guess that you could build it using bolts and wing nuts that can be hand tightened. I would also assume that hardwood needs to be used for its superior strength. I'm not sold on the DIY unit but it is an option.

It's attractive because of the cost differential and because of the actual amount of use. A creeper definitely comes in handy at times, but for me it is hard to justify the $250.00 based on the number of times I use it. And though it does fold down, it still takes up room to store. So far, I have been able to do without one, but if and when I do, I think I will go with the home made model just for the sake of an accomplishment, much like the layout itself.

Rick

The points that Dennis and Rick make were the reason I researched it and I was impressed with the result. I haven't made one yet but from the way the picture looks the top arms could easily be extended to 8 ft instead of the 6 ft and not lose any stability.

I would like to make one of the topside creepers, are there blueprints available? If i use the materials described above, how high will my creeper be?

I found this on thedieselstop.com, just as Rick did when he posted the material list. We don't have the blueprints, and I don't recall the person who created it having posted a blueprint only the materials.

My guess is that it would be about 5 feet tall,but certainly no less than 4' considering the truck in the picture and it is absolutely not taller than 6'. Seeing as how the supports are made of 6' 2x4s and they are in an X shape. The angle at which you make the X ultimately determines the height and contributes to the stability.

The truck in the picture is the best height reference. If someone had an F-350 and could measure the height of the engine bay that would be great otherwise I can go home and measure the height from floor to the top of the engine bay on my F-150, which will be slightly lower.

If you make one, can you use a protractor and mark the angle you use for it or make a note of how far apart the top and bottom for the diagonal supports are.