Yea the problem is we need bigger trucks to haul all the cool and needed tools around. One of the things I dont see with all the neat welding bed pictures on here is a crane, even the small one with hyd jack comes in so handy. I have allways had one, they just keep getting bigger over the years. Now I have a 6000 lbs cap. full hydraulic with 20' reach, sure takes the hard work out of a lot of jobs.
Tom
I myself, don't really do a lot of welding anymore. Still, on my trailer, I carry the minimum amount of stuff, due to carrying a TON of stuff around for years & never used it. In addition to hand tools, torches & grinders, I have found a Milwaukee hammer drill with a 1/2" chuck to be very handy. You can use it for regular drilling & drilling thru block & cement as well. No need for two drills. I like having an electric 1/2" impact wrench too. A sawzall also comes in handy. I have a vise mounted to the rig & carry a good selection of vise grips & C clamps. I have an additional job box with a spool gun & extra remote cord for it if need be.
Of course, a fire extinguisher is a given. I have a hard hat & safety harness in the job box too.
I usually go by the job I'm doing to determine what I need to take with me. I like having a good bottle jack & pieces of wood to block stuff up if need be. A big die setter's pry bar is nice to have as well. I also have a little Miller plasma cutter & the Maxstar 150 TIG in separate job boxes if needed. My gas powered air compressor can run smaller carbons for CAC & I just put it in the bed of my truck if I think I'm going to need it. These days, my machine holds down the concrete in the drive more than it runs, but I don't owe anything on any of my stuff, so that's just fine. Not a lot of descent maintenance jobs around here. Too many hacks working for $35/hr.
I make a lot more working on welding machines besides.
FWIW S.W.