My grandpa's cabin was built in 1970, and keeping it running is his job. He's good at it.
Over the years he's collected a lot of machines. A 1971 Ford 3000 tractor that's almost as old as the cabin. A 1997 Polaris Sportsman he still calls "the four wheeler." A Norwood sawmill, a log splitter, a Honda generator, a couple of chainsaws, a pressure washer, and a couple of trucks.
He's always known when everything is due. For most of those years it lived in his head. Now it lives in LookOver. He's logged over 40 services and set up reminders for all of it, right down to the barn and the cabin themselves.
The trouble was that nobody else could see it.
He has three sons who want to help keep the place running, and none of them knew what was done or what was coming up. Was the generator serviced before winter? When did the tractor last get its fluids changed? You'd have to call Grandpa and hope he remembered.
So we set up a shared garage
Grandpa is the only one who needs Pro, because he owns the garage. His sons don't need Pro of their own. They join free.
Here's how it goes:
- Grandpa invites each son by email, or texts him the invite link.
- Each son taps the link and makes a free account.
- He accepts the invite.
- He installs the app, and there's the garage. Every machine, with every service and reminder Grandpa has logged.
That's it. Grandpa picks what each person can do. Somebody can log services and edit machines, or just look without changing a thing. Anything a son logs shows up for Grandpa too, with his name on it, so nobody has to ask who changed the oil.
Now when the sons are up at the cabin, they can pull out a phone and see exactly what needs doing on the tractor, the sawmill, or the generator. And once the garage is on their phone, it works with no signal. Good thing, because cabin cell service is basically a rumor.
Cabins, ranches, and a dad and a kid with two bikes
This works anywhere more than one person keeps a machine running. A father and son wrenching on bikes together. A family with a ranch and a shop full of equipment. Brothers splitting a pair of sleds.
When the history lives in one head, everybody else is guessing. That's how you get the classic "wait, did you already change that?" text. Or worse, nobody does it because everybody figured somebody else did.
Put it in one garage and everybody sees the same history. You can read more about how shared garages work, including roles and running more than one garage.
Grandpa still runs the show
Nothing about how he does things had to change. He still knows every machine better than anybody. The family just finally knows what he knows.
A cabin from 1970, a tractor from 1971, and an app on everyone's phone.
If your family has a place, a garage, or a pile of machines that too few people understand, set up a shared garage and invite them in. The trial gives you 14 days of Pro with no credit card. Get LookOver free.
This is the first of a series on shared garages. Next up: how a race team keeps every bike on schedule, and how a rental shop keeps the wrench and the counter on the same page.
Common questions
Do family members have to pay to join a shared garage?
No. Only the garage owner needs Pro. Invited family members make a free account, and what they can do in the garage follows the owner's plan, not theirs.
How many people can share one garage?
Up to five people can share one garage in LookOver.
Can a family member see the records without changing them?
Yes. Viewers see every machine, service, and reminder and can't change a thing. Members and admins can log services and edit machines.
Does a shared garage work at a cabin with no cell service?
Yes. Once the garage is on your phone, LookOver works with no signal and syncs when you're back in range.
Can I track a tractor, generator, or sawmill in LookOver?
Yes. Alongside dirt bikes, ATVs, and other powersports, LookOver tracks tractors, generators, trucks, and other equipment, each with its own service history and reminders.
Ride safe,
Derek
Built by a rider in Belgrade, Montana.
