Advice on Brand of Truck Bed Tool Box

[Gate Monkey]

Hey All,

I am looking for some advice on truck bed tool boxes for my Ranger. Any recommendations for brands to look at. I don't want something really expensive but not really cheap either. I was looking on-line earlier and I saw a lot of brands. Thought I might see if any one wants to suggest a brand to look at that strikes that ever elusive line between price and quality.

Thanks,

[Funrover]

Lowes has some good prices on contractor boxes.

[Brody]

Actually, you will get better prices from Pep Boys or Advanced Auto than Home Depot or Lowes. Tool King usually has good boxes and prices, too, but the sales are at the auto parts stores. Northern Tools and Summit Racing both have tool boxes that are reasonable. Materials are all going to be about the same. The quality comes in on how well they are sealed from the weather, the hinges and the locks. ALL TOOLBOXES LEAK....PERIOD. It is a known fact of life.....Expect this and you won't be disappointed. Just take extra measures to keep the stuff dry that you want dry. Heavy duty contractor trash bags work great.

A word of advice: get the absolute deepest tool box you can find. You'll be glad that you did in the long run. I currently have the bottom of one tool box grafted onto the top of another because I needed the extra depth. Also, you might want to get one of the ones that you can access from either side with seperate butterfly type doors instead of a single door. I have (and have had) single doors on the last number of tool boxes I have had and have hated them..don't even ask why I bought another single door box for this rig....

[Funrover]

Yeah my parents got a hell of a deal at Lowes. I like the craftsman boxes also. Pete brings up a great point though.... They all leak a little unless you buy one of the uber high end ones ($1000+). My only recommendation is don't get the plastic ones

[Gate Monkey]

Thanks Brody, all I ever needed to know and more! :) Now I just have get prices and get pathrat to buy it for me.

[Gate Monkey]

Thanks for the advice. I will see what lowes has listed on line and maybe drop by the store this weekend. Thanks again!

[Brody]

I totally forgot to mention the absolute POS plastic tool boxes. I think so little of them that I can't even picture anyone I know buying one...Sorry..

Anyway, don't buy the crappy things! The best thing about them is the cool colors they produce when you get so PO'd at them that you burn the ******* things....They don't even make good sounds when you punch rounds through them either..yet another disappointment...

[Roostercruiser]

when you get dont loose the keys because it sucks trying to open it with no keys and no tools becuase they are in the box (not the keys just the tools) Craigs list always have the on there for decent prices

[solid rock]

i have a good used one if you want to look at it.
i'm in castle rock (maybe to far)
aluminum diamond plate that has been painted flat black(previous owner)
and has one small hole.
two keys are included.
if your interested i can get the mounting dimentions.

$100.

jim

[SCRubicon]

Like Pete said, keep away from the plastic ones. The over the rail models tend to get droopy in the middle when they are packed and sit out in the sun. The P.O. of my CJ5 had a custom stainless steel box made for the back. Full with, lockable and as high as the top of the tail gate. I still have it, but I think it would be a little smallish for a pickup truck bed. I'll take a pic or 2 and put it up.

[Patrolman]

Just some of the same advice as others have given, and some fresh advice as well.

No plastic boxes. Just crap.

Benefit of the side open boxes is you only have to unlock 1 side instead of walking around. Easier to get stuff in/out. Also, if you have bike mounts on the box lid, you only have to take 1 bike out of the truck rather than 2-3 to open the lid. Downfall is that anything long (shovels, hi-lift, etc) won't fit in where it would with a single lid.

Make sure that you think about rear vision. Even a box that sits as low as the rear window will cut off your vision. If you have ANY trouble seeing over your right shoulder now, it will get worse. Look for a low profile if you want to avoid that. My box sits pretty high and blocks a huge area over my right shoulder.

It is nice to have a deep box, but by the same token, I like to have room to slide stuff under the box. Since my box sits higher, I can put stuff underneath the box. Mostly junk, but also the occasional plywood, drywall, or 2x4's. With a low box, it might not slide under.

[SCRubicon]

35 1/2" wide, 12" front to back, 11 1/4" tall. Yeah, it would probably look itty bitty in the back of the Ranger.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c174/SteveChabala/Random%20Junk/toolbox001.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c174/SteveChabala/Random%20Junk/toolbox003.jpg

[Brody]

Hey Steve

How do you manage to keep your garage so clean, nice and organized??

[SCRubicon]

Hey Steve

How do you manage to keep your garage so clean, nice and organized??

I'd like to say diligence, but it's mostly OCD.

[Gate Monkey]

Thanks Brody, I am not going to consider anything other than metal.