When I was in school, there was a local landscaper in town who transported all his tools on a bicycle. He carried everything from hand saws to weed whackers, pole saws, and chainsaws. Every day after class, you'd find him enjoying a cigar outside the neighborhood cigar store. Complete legend

You might want to try using it to tow a bike trailer. That would keep the center of gravity low be more aerodynamic and give you much better balance. In addition to being able to ditch the trailer and use the bike for other tasks.

Thanks for the shoutout, glad our Zip-Tites could help! Super creative!

I'm a dedicated cyclist and so far this is definitely my favorite episode of The Tool Show! The Packout container solution you came up with is robust and practical. 👍🏽

Of all the years watching this has to be the best episode 🏆

First of all, congrats for even exploring this. I can tell it's outside your comfort zone, and I don't think many pickup-drivers would consider even giving this a go. I've been using e-bikes as a partial car replacement since 2017 in the extremely hilly city of San Francisco, mostly for hauling, and I have a lot of advice. In 2020 I built my own DIY 'e-bike tractor' as I call it (as in tractor-trailer, not John Deere). It weighs 117 pounds dry, and is a dual-motor, dual-battery beast; but the bike I used for years before that was a 250W Bosch CX-powered bike. It didn't do as well as the DIY bike does, but it was stil sufficient to haul many heavy loads around town, and in some cases to or from another city nearby. I prefer the tractor-trailer approach to a cargo bike, because a) when it is unloaded, it still rides like a regular bike, and b) you can actually haul a lot more with a trailer. I found a way to fit both Surly axle nuts and a Burley trailer hitch to my rear axle at the same time, allowing me to swap out a 5' Surley Ted trailer for heavy-duty hauling and a Burley D'Lite either for hauling my dog, or lighter hauling duty. I even tried fitting a Gorilla cart as a trailer (don't recommend) and a sidecar (can recommend but with certain modifications). So here is a fraction of what I've learned over the years, some of which you've learned already via experience: - Loads on the top of your rear rack should not be excessively heavy, tall or wide. Any of those things will make it fish-tail wildly and should be avoided. Put any lighter, narrower and shorter loads up there. The sides are better for heavier weight; basically, you want the load as close to the center of axle/center of gravity of the nearest wheel (my bike also has a front rack). You could have, for instance, stacked either that backpack or the packout box onto the box on your right at any time during the ride. - As you already rightly reckoned, heavier loads work far better on a trailer. I use a Surly Ted, with a roughly 5' x 2' bed and M6 braze-ons welded into it so you can build whatever custom construction you like on top of it. It is steel-framed and has a capacity of 300 lbs. They make a shorter option called the Bill. Another great option are trailers from Bikes@Work. Their trailers are aluminum, but can carry up to 600 lbs. due to the use of molded wheels instead of traditional spoked wheels. You mentioned a powered trailer; you can make your own, or buy a Carla Cargo, which is exactly that: an e-trailer with battery-powered motor assistance that does double duty as a hand-truck. They are however very expensive (about 4x the cost of that Himiway) and still kind of hard to come by in the US (they mostly sell the non-e version here atm). - Speaking of overrun brakes, most trailers do not have them, so if hauling a heavy load with one, pay special attention to braking distance behind cars. If you brake too fast in such situations, you will certainly stop, but at around 5 MPH, the momentum of the trailer load will catch up with you, ram you from behind, and flop you on your side like a ragdoll and possibly taco your rear wheel. I learned that the hard way. - Straps, bungees and cargo nets are your very bestest friends. - You should have two batteries. It sucks, a little bit, to carry the extra weight and not need it; but it sucks a lot to need it and not have it. With a second battery (and a trailer), there is no reason whatsoever that bike cannot be your new work truck for most jobs unless you need to haul more than 300 lbs. of gear or materials and need to go more than 30 miles away. Also, if you know you will be somewhere most of the day that has electricity, bring your battery charger. They tend to be very light, and by the time you're done for the day, you may very well have two full batteries for the ride home. For the scenario in your video, this would have given you 60 miles of range for your home trip. A little bit of smart forethought and planning can make a huge difference. Some people even carry 3 batteries. - Tailor your load to your trip. You have a modular, configurable e-bike system there, so use that to your advantage. This is different than the car-based ethos of tossing everything in that you might remotely want to use, because it's trivial to do with a car. It takes some adjustment, but becomes second nature before too long. I don't know that kind of handyman your are, so this might be a poor example, but for instance if you're doing a job that is all carpentry, do you really need to bring along all of your electrical wiring tools? Probably not. For a given trip, this might give you substantially more range and manueverability. - E-bike range estimates from manufacturers are a best guess of a best-case scenario with flat terrain, little to no cargo, and no head-winds. Steep grades, heavy loads and strong winds will all diminish this. Hence the two battery recommendation (+ charger and maybe even a third battery). - E-bike weight capacity includes the rider. However, you can tow much more than this, just like with cars and trucks. On flat ground you could probably get up to the 600 lbs. of Bikes@Work trailers; for steep grades you probably want to cap it around 200 lbs. - I highly recommend upgrading to 4-piston brakes with large master cylinders and pistons like Magura or a similar brand. I also highly recommend disc rotors and PO-variant pads from Trickstuff. The latter are made for racing, but I've found that their exceptional performance translates well to heavy, fast e-bikes. - You might want different tires if you will mostly be on-road, something more road-friendly with less rolling resistance. If it gets snowy and icy where you live in the winter, you'll want to switch to studded tires for the winter. Some fat-bike winter tires even have removable snow studs. I keep could going about things like security, but that's probably good enough; if I share anymore I'll have written a book.

I have this humerous idea that this is going to be good- and funny too! This person isn't working across town. LOL!!!

I have a cargo e-bike. It has 20” wheels so it carries stuff with a very low center of gravity. Stacking weight that high is going to feel super unsteady on a bike with large wheels. But for that much weight, you should be using a front loader style e-bike.

The Human Evolution at work!!! From Duck Tape to Zip Ties to Zip Tite BLESSED BE THE BARREL GRIP

A double kickstand (mainstay of cargo purposed bikes) would be a big help. Extra batteries inside your giant side boxes could help. Bullit/front loader cargo bikes are the kings of cargo. It is not yet made in the affordable hub motor category. Your trailer idea is a winner.

I literally had this idea in a dream

Awesome video! 👍 Would love to see this setup on a dedicated cargo bicycle.

They have a cargo trailer with a 132.2 lb capacity on their site for $249. It's not aerodynamic in the least, but a quick fix for hauling tools. You could put an XL tote on the rack and max out your 400 lbs on the bike. Great idea. The Milwaukee wrap looks great. Watching the intro- I thought they were coming out with their ebike. lol.

Love you guys. You got over an illness Rob, don't push your luck.

I LITERALLY JUST Thought about buying an ebike last night. Then thought to google milwaukee battery ebike.. Then down rabbit hole here we go... SPOOKY!

A trailer in the back, and an extra battery will help 🙂 Loved the video

That was fun and you just got to get a little kid trailer and bolt a sheet of plywood to it with two mounting brackets and you're golden. Super fun to see though.

As someone who rides with a messenger basket on the front of their bike, why didn't you just put the fourth box in the front? It would also balance you out & help with stability. You should also add reflectors & lights to the backs & sides of the boxes. You want to be seen when overloaded. I've overloaded my bike lots of times & I've learned to keep the weight low. Pannier type boxes around the front tires would also help rather than stacking up to your back or out to the sides. Cowls on your rack mount that the boxes click into would help. That plywood's a lot of unnecessary weight. Just use rubber strips to protect the frame & attach your rack mounts directly to the frame. I've also done the trailer. Don't forget aerodynamics on that, too. You'll need something to act as a cowl on the front of the boxes or your always going to get drag. Great idea for those smaller boxes, though. Just like stacking up, the farther you go out also effects your stability, which is why most panniers are close to the bike, rounded, & slope away from the pedal & wind. If you halved your weight & tried the smaller cases & used storage on a front basket & rack, I think you'd find it pretty doable. I carry 10 - 20 pounds in my front basket pretty regularly. &, as far as balance, I feel more in control loading up the front before loading up my rear rack. It gives me more control holding the bike up when stopping rather than having to muscle the extra weight behind me through the hinge of the handlebar. Heavier stuff always on the center racks & low. Plus, you don't want to stack to high in the back so you can swing your leg over. I have a heavy duty tube rack that mounts to my shocks on my double battery electric 20 inch fat tire that I use when overloading. I put a large basket on top of that & small panniers on the side & then I load up the rear rack top & sides. My backpack fits perfectly in my front basket & I love getting the weight off my back & down to a lower center of gravity. & a heavyweight double leg kickstand is a must when overloading. I have a Tavoy trailer that carries a lot, too. Not too wide, which is important to keep in mind for a bike trailer. I have a camping trailer & those few inches on each side have me hitting the curb all the time. Usually I prefer 26 inch tires, which is what I ride every day on my commuter with a front basket, but carrying that much weight, you'd want 20 inch fat 3 to 4 inch tires for the lower center of gravity & air pressure for the tires. &, like I said, you'll probably need 2 batteries to cart around that much weight & a high watt motor. I'd say mid drive to keep more weight in the center & you'll probably get better torque & mileage. Bakfiets are also designed to carry this much weight & the design works really well. Weight is centered, low, & in front. Don't forget storage on the inside & top of the tube. A medium thin Milwaukee case could be rigged in there for smaller stuff & a small box could be wrapped to the top front of the tube as well as above the handlebars. I've dreamt of some kind of lightweight, aerodynamic hard shell storage system that snaps on & off of my bike racks with built in lighting centrally controlled & built in solar on top. & then having them snap together like tool systems? Yes, please. Mine are all soft shell velcroed on & then strapped together when I take them off. Very unwieldy & not aerodynamic.

Just a recommendation; Bike geometry actually makes it better to load the Front than the Back, in regards to how load effects stability. The recommendation for bicycle touring is 60 to 70 % of the load should be on the front fork.

This was a blast!

I think you're onto something with the trailer idea. It would still be hauling the weight of the tools but be on wheels to help mitigate that. Also buying an extra battery is a must for any E bike , provided they are a separate unit and not built into the frame. Cool idea, keep working on it!

You two are so funny. This was great to watch, thank you.

I forsure would spend the 1300 or so dollars on it. Can't wait for the video rob n sarah!

The RAD wagon would be the ideal ebike for this. Tons of mounting points and space to carry things plus a dual kickstand

Tools and bikes!! I can’t be the only one to love this.

I loved this. You really went for it! I think it could be a great concept for the right person in the right situation.

400lbs. That'll even hold Rob with a hammer 🔨 and a flask of "apple juice"‼️🤣🤣

Three things: 1. Simply amazing and inspiring idea! 2. Milwaukee should watch this and think about expanding the M12 and L4 line up and other handtools that are smaller, lighter and more powerful that could occupy less space. 3. I definitely want to see the next version with a bike trailer and auxillary battery for the bike. Have been thinking about doing something similar with my Burley Nomad trailer. There are countless videos using tool batteries as an auxillary battery source for bikes and power stations in a box on KZfaq.

I've said for some time that this is a perfect solution for like the local handyman type or such in small towns. In our small town, if I'm in my truck, my kids can beat me home or really anywhere else in town, on their bikes.

May be try with a “Rungu” trike. 2 front wheels could help with stability and they have a duel battery 160 mile range (if I am remembering the details right). Still looks like fun and reminded me of the day I carried 3 X 5 gallons of paint back to the shop without using an e-bike.

My dad is a retired machinist from GM in Baltimore. He had a three wheel bike to ride tools back and forth. That's the only type of bike that should be used to haul heavy items.

Luv u both, would really like to see you put together a trailer. My 76 yr old father has this exact bike and uses it every day to run errands around town,never had a problem since owning it

that was a fun and inspiring experiment. cool stuff, R & S!

Thanks for beating ur self up for us that bike is AWESOME 💯🇺🇸💪

Absolutely smashing and fantastic idea

Awesome!! I think a dual sided kickstand would be handy for loading and unloading safely. also I think you could get away with much thinner say 12mm ply on the mounting plates. should save a few lbs.

Gotta do 50/50 load on front and rear wheels. That's why front panniers exist.

Cool video. At first, I thought Milwaukee had an E-bike and started frantically looking for one, lol. I love their tools as well!

I have this bike. It's a great bike and I like it that it's 26in tires. the wife has the 20in big dog model. I don't like the smaller tires but if you have smaller tires you have a lower center of gravity. I might zebra bike with 26 in tires I carry two kids around town and to school. The backend hangs way over the back tire and it is kind of sketchy sometimes. Like you said you can't really take your hands off handlebars otherwise they wobble. With two kids on the back it's 80 lb it is her to stop at a stop sign. With the load of two kids it does make it harder to turn. Only tipped over two times so far. The double kickstand would be good for a set up like this. On the big dog I have a stadium seat on the back for my kid to ride also

Really Rob the My name is Earl opening line

advanced engineering the world has never seen before from ROB the Tools Show God and Sarah the Tool Show Godess

HILLARIOUS!!! They do this in other countries all the time on bicycles. Less weight (less tools and diet-just kidding!! 😁)-to top heavy, Balance weight out on the side, and keep the weight as low as possible!!! Keep up the good work and have some more fun!!!

I've wanted to do this with my motorcycle just out of curiosity. I have a truck so necessity hasn't triggered me to do it

When I lived in South Philadelphia I had a 3-wheel bike and jerry-rigged milk crate on the sides and back of it, to hold tools and I did handyman work in my neighborhood... love that bike it would be great for you guys to do the same

How did I not know you guys are in my town 😂, guess I just assumed you lived in Hollywood with the on point production. Love the channel, keep it up.

This was my first video of yours. It was so Phun. I used to be a handy man back when battery tools were just beginning to come out. I’ve ridden bikes all of my life (all kinds, road , racing, mountain). Loved your quick adapted ways of attachment, Phun attitude, just the willing way of let’s see if this can work. I Was also a carpenter/ painter for some years so I’ll be enjoying your tool videos. Thatnks again for good information and Phun loving entertainment.

No training wheels I'm impressed‼️🤣 I think I've been reading too many Philly Fixed comments on the videos.🤣🤣

FYI Street lights don't work with your weight they work with a magnetic loop that senses your vehicle

Use flush cutters on zip ties and cut them all the way down. That's how you will not cut yourself on them From a contractor to a handyman with love ❤️

I have been thinking about this for a while now however, it would be awesome if you could use power tool batteries as emergency backup and while at the job site use a small solar array to put a little charge back in while you work! Awesome job!

Perhaps I'm being silly... first thing that came to mind was a tool trailer made out of the Pack Out dollies and hand trucks. Solves the riding dynamics issues, to some degree.

Cool idea ❤❤❤❤❤ the paint job/vinyl wrap.

You could add 12” swivel casters with pneumatic tires under the pack out boxes on both sides. Should give you more stability and still be able to turn well. Basically turning it into a Trike. Of course you could also build off of a Trike platform.

I live in the mountains of Switzerland, we need a repairman like you😂😂😂👍

The 4" tires are nice but they make pedalling really difficult mostly because of tire inflation, you are right about the weight being carried too high. Also if you have a flat good luck fixing it, not sure if its just me but I've only had flats on the rear tire on an ebikes. The trailer idea is much better, but forget about packouts they all add wweight, just open bins, the back is good to keep hand tools in, also I didn't see your milage, but its no where near what they say. On mine with a 10 amp battery be lucky to get 20 kilometers.

I did this last year to my lectric XP 2.0 ebike ,mounted my pack out on it radio and all.its a little hevey but great versatility.

I had an electric scooter ("ebike") on which I attached a platform at the back. I had my Milwaukee toolbox hanging off the rear fender and 2 milk crates with power tools (circular saw, jigsaw, orbital, planer, belt sander) on the platform. Worked well and was balanced (so long as tools in toolbox were balanced). To that I had a heavyweight bike trailer which held my chop saw. I could probably have added a portable table saw but never tried that :). The range was good for about 20km which for me was sufficient to get to any job site. It is doable but takes creativity. This is a good start now.

This one just calls out for development part two 😮 come up with plan B 😊 can't wait to see it..

Instead of a trailer, consider looking at an electric cargo bike. Cargo bikes being more extended and their weight being lower means a lot more stability. Having cargo in the front also helps visualize your weight and remember it's there, so you never forget and do a sudden lean because you think you're lighter :P

Rob how can I get my hands on some of your pack outs 😊. Ha you don’t need all that pack out 😂. Love you @toolshow

Well this is awesome! Considering my lifestyle I love this!

I wonder if there'd be a way to place a solar panel on the rack and possibly charge while riding?

This is awesome

Looks good have you thought about auditioning for the New Village People dress like that the Milwaukee Village People😂❤

I'd love to see a trailer setup and see how this works. I bet it would work better.

I totally want one!

I mean I would never do this in a million years but what a brilliant idea. Would be great for a handyman in the city I suppose.

Glad i seen this video love the ingenuity looking to do something like this to help do food delivery on my stealth bomber frame

Brill show best one yet👌 Not what expected but fricken awsum. Wrap 1st class too. Cant wait for trailer, maybe stick battery on trailer too to help with the pull. 🎉

Great idea and video I would look into building a small light weight trailer. I see people making deliveries in nyc with small enclosed trailer on bikes.

That is actually plausible! Maybe we all don't need an F-250 😅

Great video, but you should have got the frame mounted front rack from himiway. Then you would have been much more equalized in your weight distribution.

I plan on doing something like this. Putting a front rack on and having some of the weight at the front would make it a lot more stable.

4:48 - Rob's about to pull a wheelie... 😀

Flush cutters, my man! Flush cutters!

I think we can do this. It needs to have a foldable bike rack that attaches for transport or heavy duty wide kick stands to be able to unload it safely. And aluminum shelf brackets that go lower to the ground on the side to be able to have 2-3 drawer units on each side, instead of the vertical mount panels. Lowering the center of gravity... Or tiny enclosed bike trailer. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We need a packout motorcycle next....

The 80 mile range is at 10 mile an hour with pedal assist. I’m running dual 20 ah batteries with essentially the same motor on a competitive brand. Writing the way I like I can get maybe 60 miles. I’m not big into paddling a lot and I like to keep up with traffic.

It's an amazing Idea!!Especcially working in historic center of an European City..Fantastic 🌟 No trafic Jam, no Fines to pay, easy parking everywhere... ecc..Great..👍💥

The last thing I expected from an American tool channel would be a bike. I am European-proud of you.

It's a cool video. A low profile flatbed trailer would enhance your confidence I reckon. Would be cool if the pedal action put amps back into the battery.

great review, been looking for something that would support a larger guy... as for my input on your idea, 2cents... small trailer, just big enough for the tools with a flat wood top to use as a mobile workbench.

This is epic!

awesome build - love it!!! - but a bike trailer is a great idea!!!

Lol I already had a pack out setup on my bike last year but just on my rack not the sides

Looking forward to the trailer episode, or a trike.

9:00; It's not excessive, well done. Damn right!

Bro u are THE MANNNN. I haven’t seen nothing like this on youtube. Super inventive u are. I didnt even know about this bike….im wondering if you can unlock it for faster speed ?? Ty for the video😅

Seriously, not loading it down this much, this could be useful in something like an Amazon warehouse or a factory where a mechanic needs to get around quickly. The trailer would make it pretty ideal

Great video. I love my Lectric Xpedition Cargo bike with dual batteries. Payload 450 lb. And I can buy extra batteries to swap out if the dual batteries aren’t enough.

So I had put "spa music" on to help calm my dog while I watch with afterShokz on, the music became noticeable right when Rob was giving his conclusion making it feel very emotional.🤣🤣

Haha, no way! You will like my video I filmed last week 😂 I think it is scheduled for next week. Great video, really nice job!

I got fast deep into e peddle assist cycles last fall. I've got 4! Things are moving so fast , but that is what i expected on the battery 30. I've got 50 on some rides but less weight, less assist, always 0 assist downhill and even trying the regen on downhills. WE ARE moving forward fast on this amazingly clean quiet natural form of transport, being able to hear birds, smell the grass, it's way way way better for the ecosystem. great demo, what's the cost of it, the bike?

The traffic lights are triggered by a magnetic field not weight. The amount of metal in the underside of vehicles is enough.

I have a tout terrain mule behind my electric bike with a shock absorber. It can carry almost 100 pounds of load and the weight is situated very low to the ground. With this combination I can go as fast as 28 miles/hour and go as far as 40 miles on a fully charged 983Wh battery. And it feels very reliable and sturdy. The tout terrain mule has it's own kickstand, so the bike will never fall over and the bike kickstand isn't overloaded. In my case I can take a lot of tools with me and weekly do all my groceries with the bike.

I NEED IT!!!!!

Anybody know what is the torque of this bike if they do it in a UK 250watt version ?

Now if we could get reviews from Bike Channels this good!

Where did you get the Milwaukee stickers or wrap for this bike?

You could also use the ‘MIK’ system to effortlessly attach and detach the frame system