Toolboxes?

Hey all, what are your thoughts on and experiences with truck toolboxes in the beds of your rigs?

I have a short bed, so it would limit bed space even further, however I wouldn’t mind the extra lockable cargo space for tools and gear.

Provide pictures if you have any!

 

I’ve had a uws for about 5 years still functioning as good as the day I got it. There have Been a couple times the extra bed room works have been nice but I worked around it. For me the lockable storage is a lot more valuable the the space it takes up but like most things it all depends on what your needs are.

 

This is a highly subjective and personal decision. You can get one that is only a couple inches above the bed rails, or one that comes a third way up the back window. Some are about 12" wide thus shortening the bed effective by a foot. Others are about 22" which would shorten the effective use of the bed by almost 2 feet. You can get premiums ones, Weathercraft I believe, or budget ones like Lowes Kobalt brand, and quality in between. Some have a lifetime warranty, others have a set number of years. I bot my access cab in 2013,....looked at home improvement centers, farm and fleet type stores, 4 wheel parts type stores, on line, etc. Decide what you want to use it for. After a month decided on the Kobalt. Reasons....low profile so no visual rear window impairment,; the narrow model so takes up less bed space, but admittedly holds less stuff; the warranty is iron clad (life time),; it is light weight; it is relatively cheap; and I love it. All boxes are easy to break into, so keep mostly low value stuff in it, a few low end hand tools in a tool bag, bunge cords, rags, gloves and rope, extra quart of oil, 4 way lug wrench, jacket, sun screen, gallon of antifreeze, the bed rail cleats, dog dishes, trailer hitch ball, Frisbee, etc. I keep the value stuff on the floor behind the drivers seat....cordless tools, etc. Mine is still big enuf to get stuff lost or buried, but not deep enuf that I can't find anything while still standing on the ground. The bottom of the box stops about a foot up from the bed of the truck, creating a great place to keep a shovel, a few hunks of lumber for under the jack in case of a flat. Good luck with your search.....

 

I appreciate the insights! I have looked into Kobalt toolboxes and I do like them more than some of the others

 

For work I had two tundras over the years. The first was long bed and with a good sized tool box it still left plenty of room for work stuff. The second was a double cab short bed. Even with a fairly narrow but deep tool box I lost most of the bed and a lot of box space.

So now I'm retired and just bought a short bed Tacoma. Looking for a solution I found the Swing Case. It fits behind the wheel well. It doesn't take up any bed and you still have the full width between the wheel wells.

Take note. Swing case says only the passenger side will work on 2020's because they don't have the driver side cubby. I'm working on that. Right now the plan is to put a spacer to provide the standoff from the bed, and Then drill and attach the hinge and latch to that. This may change as I keep coming up with different solutions. I just have to pick one.

https://www.swingcase.us/

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...gen-tacoma-today.6499/page-4994#post-13375306

 

I also have a short bed and haul a lot of furniture and random crap and still have plenty of room for stuff with the tailgate down. I keep all my recovery/winch gear, high lift jack (when not mounted on my roof rack on the trail), tools, shovel, cables, and I’ll stuff anything else I need to keep waterproof that won’t fit in the cab. I like to be prepared and I really have no idea what I would do without one

Mine’s a H&H (made by UWS) that I enamel painted black

 

I have a Weatherguard chest in the back of my short bed.

https://www.weatherguard.com/products/truck-tool-boxes-equipment/boxes/AllPurposeChest/654-5-01

It is massive. It sits up on top of the fenders and blocks most of the back window. The quality is amazing though. I highly recommend WG if you can swing it. Mine is also aluminum so no rust concerns being in New England. Also being aluminum and spanning across wheel wells, I did add metal bracing underneath.

I just sold a house with a basement and garage full of tools and moved into a small apartment with limited storage. The idea was to keep the stuff I didn’t think I could part with. Now that I am a few months into that transition, I have thinned our what it is the chest quite a bit and can store some more things for travel now.

I can fit a full socket set, recovery bag and straps, tie downs, highlift jack shovel, full electrical kit, misc tools, and three duffel bags as luggage. There will still be room for traction boards when the time comes for those. I don’t regret the size of it yet, it has proven to be very nice to have. In the bed of the truck I can still fit a 48 gallon and two 24 gallon action packers.

It works well for me but I also have adapted to it. I may have been fine with a smaller box but still, no complaints!

 

Both look great @pdaddy and @Slobber!

 

on my previous truck I had a UWS. Loved it. That ended up being my sleeping platform for years. Don't think I could deal with the bed loss on my short box, but I miss the storage!

 

And it is a big loss on a shortbed. Luckily without a house, the need for a truck bed has gone down and has not been an issue. There is no way I would have been happy with this setup a year ago though.

 

I have a truckcovers USA roll cover added a work cover jr tool box...The tool box, roll cover and my tailgate all lock.....

 

Get one! I have a basic Husky, simple one compartment box. Love it. I also have a short bed, so yes, it makes storage when it's in the bed limited, but it's super helpful when you need secure storage, and when you don't, take it off. Mine is currently full on my camping gear in my garage due to moving a few months ago, but also-very helpful to securely store things in the garage!

 

@Truck Chick Do you have pictures of your set up by chance?

 

I'm looking at the DuHa Humpstor as a possible low-profile toolbox. It's an odd choice, but I think it can be modified to mount on the header rail under a tonneau cover. It isn't very big, but should be suitable for storing wheel chocks, a grease gun, fluids, and a few tools. It'll also leave enough dead space underneath for me to store emergency supplies, like my trauma kit, litters, and various other items. This should only take up around a foot of my bed, leaving me with 5 feet to work with (the benefits of having a long bed).

DU-HA 70200 Humpstor Truck Bed Storage Unit/Tool Box/Gun Case

https://www.amazon.com/DU-HA-70200-Humpstor-Truck-Storage/dp/B00HQZ8QE4

I'll probably have to chop the lid off, since I doubt there will be enough space to open it when stuffed under the forward end of my BakFlip G2. I think it'll do the job of keeping the bulk of my vehicle equipment out of my living room, which is all I really need.

 

not anymore sorry!

 

There was a weather guard on mine when I first bought it. I knew I was going to get a tonneau though so I sold it.

Having said that, I had a super cheap one on my full size Chevy and the weather guard is in such another league it’s amazing. If I were to buy another one or need one for work it would be that one.

 

I bought mine used from a local to me company that sells new and used camper shells and tool boxes. It's a Husky. $125, the lock didn't work, and the lock had no key. Another $30 for a key to be made, a little silicone spray, and I was in business. Eventually I'll paint or wrap it black.

Later I built some sliding sheetmetal trays.


DCLB!

 

DCSB here as well. Love having the lockable storage, hate taking up 1/3 of the bed! Its pretty easy to remove if needed so...

 

No worries thanks!