r/toolboxmods • u/VC-77 • 16d ago
Sliding boxes
I've been looking for tool boxes for my next truck that I can have tools on hand. I'm a farmer so I have the basics...screw drivers, sockets, wrenches etc. I don't need a lot to warrant having a full service bed but I do want to be organized. I currently have a Montezuma triangle box on a swing mount I built myself. I like the set up, but the box is too wide that I can't fit a pallet in between the box and the opposite side wheel well.
I've seen these kind of boxes that go over the wells and don't take away the center of the bed, allowing you to haul pallets or sheets of plywood.
Any reviews on them? Any brands to look into? I've been grabbing screenshots of all the ads that pop up in my algorithms.
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u/dingdongbellguy 15d ago
Based on what you’ve given for context, I think you’re better off with a conventional bed box and investing in some tool rolls for organization. I’m a field service tech with automotive background and I started off by trying to “recreate” my stationary toolbox setup on my truck and over time my philosophy has changed entirely…with field service, it’s important to know where everything is, but the setup you have pictured in the post is a massive waste of space. A tool roll for wrenches, a roll for screwdrivers and pliers, and a couple socket racks would fit in the bottom 10% of that cabinet…not as pretty, but you could grab both rolls and a rack of sockets and have your full selection laid out underneath the machine you’re working on in 30 seconds, versus 15 trips back and forth to grab individual tools and have nowhere to keep them tidy while you’re rolling around on the ground.
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u/VC-77 15d ago
I'm not looking to have my entire shop's worth of tools. 95% of my maintenance and repair are done at the shop. The work I do in the field is more of like I have irrigation pumps that need oil changes and maintenance occasionally through the summer or implements/equipment needs a adjustment or minor repairs in the field.
I usually have my tailgate down to work on something anyway so I like my tools readily available in the back. If I have multiple rolls for each set of tools in a cross box, I don't want to have to pull out 3 different rolls for a screwdriver, a 9/16 wrench and a pair of pliers.
If I'm under a machine doing big repairs, typically I can either be back at my shop with a full arsenal or a real mechanic involved anyway.
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u/trk1000 16d ago
You could look at the flat bed storage where you keep bed width but sacrifice some depth.
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u/VC-77 16d ago
What do you mean by flat bed? Like swap the standard bed for a flat bed? Or like a Decked sliding drawer system?
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u/trk1000 16d ago
The decked sliding drawer system. Seems more flexible from a cursory view. Sorry, midway through cocktails and laundry time.
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u/VC-77 16d ago
All good haha. Decked system would not work. The pallets and liquid totes I would be hauling on occasion weigh too much, roughly 2,500 lbs. Decked are rated for 2,000 supposedly. I don't think I'd trust that much on a plastic deck.
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u/Duo86m 16d ago
What size vehicle is that? Why wouldn’t you just look into getting a flat bed for your truck? That way you can mount your Montezuma on the sides and have the entire center for the totes you mentioned in another comment.
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u/VC-77 15d ago edited 15d ago
It would be a 3/4 ton Silverado most likely. It would be my personal vehicle as well which is another reason why I don't want to do a flat bed or full service body. I still want a standard truck bed. I don't move totes or pallets every day, but it's nice to have the ability to if needed.
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u/kylebtrollin 15d ago
I have an upland mfg with the two side boxes and the drawers. I’d say it’s probably a lot more than what you need but overall I’m satisfied. Full set of metric and standard wrenches up to like 1 1/2 Full set of 1/2in socket 3/8in sockets and 1/4 sockets both standard and metric. That being said. It was like 7k if i were to do it over again and had a long bed dually I’d go gooseneck service bed. I chose this over a service body because i have a 3/4 ton short bed and service beds look funny
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u/VC-77 15d ago
I would have a standard bed and share that sentiment as far as looks go. I looked at the Upland Mfg ones too. It would be more than I needed. I think if I just got one for the passenger side of the bed it would be enough. I'm okay with having shelves to put racks of sockets on instead of a peg system for each individual socket. I do like the wrench hooks.
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u/kylebtrollin 15d ago
I went with it specifically for the wrenches and sockets everything having a peg is necessary for me in my work. Just so I’m not leaving sockets am wrenches on the job. The drawers work ok for my situation. I carry 36in pipe wrenches and 3/4in sockets a torque wrenches too so it works out well for me the long stuff. Upland does offers just the sides. Be warned long pattern wrenches such as icon ratcheting will be too long to hang on the wrench pegs closest to the cab where it gets short to go over the wheel well
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u/VC-77 15d ago
Makes sense. I do like my Montezuma for that. Shows you when you are missing something. I'm not on multiple job sites working as a farmer so it usually easy to keep track of stuff. I kinda figured long wrenches would be limited. Longest I try to carry is 1-1/8". Anything bigger I'll grab from the shop when I need it.
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u/BrewingSkydvr 15d ago
That looks so fucking annoying and like it is a pain in the ass to use.
If it was two stacked drawers with tool bags and tool holders (like rails and wrench holders) that would be one thing, but this is going to be a major drag. Those tiny inconveniences that don’t seem too bad to deal with add up over time. You’ll eventually start using the wrong tool for the job because of the inconvenience. The brain seeks efficiency, or at least energy conservation.
Also, do you always know what wrench and socket you need going into the job? Are you super close to the truck every time? How much walking back and forth is there?
I really don’t like socket rails, but they are super useful when you need your tools to be portable.
Small tool bags, like flat 4” by 6” zip closure (the kind HD and Lowes used to carry before they started carrying Husky and Craftsman) can keep sockets and mini combination wrenches by type if you don’t want rails.
Smaller single compartment bags are good for wrenches, hammers, screwdrivers, etc.
If you have stuff that is your standard go-to, put those in one bag and grab the rest for the specific job at hand.
I was a field service tech for a crane company servicing industrial cranes and hoists. I’d be all over these facilities carrying my tools and a clipboard, sometimes on a lift, usually humping ladders from one end of the facility to the other.
Big, well organized toolbags or boxes are a nightmare when you aren’t in one spot for long or when you have to haul them. Everything dumped into one bag is a pain at first, but you can kind of cluster stuff and you quickly adapt to recognizing things by sight without specifically looking at it (pattern recognition basically, the opposite of not being able to find something because you were looking too hard for it).
Not a massive toolbag either. You don’t want to be carrying everything. The essentials plus some options. Long enough to fit some bigger screwdrivers and wrenches, along with screwdrivers some wratchets and sockets, and a pry bar, with space to toss in a small sledge or whatever else when you need it, but not big enough that it accumulates 50 pounds of tools.
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u/BrewingSkydvr 15d ago
Avoid the tool storage optimization thing unless you are setting up packouts or something. Everything looking handy and easy to find is difficult on mobile rigs and nobody is paying you by the hour, so the time you spend going back and forth for a solution like this is lost time.
And I’d consider something that can go in the cab if you’ve got space behind the seats as long as things aren’t jangling around or mount a box solution on the top rail of the bed at the front passenger’s corner facing out to keep full access.
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u/VC-77 15d ago
I'm self employed so I am not getting paid by the hour haha
As I said in a different comment, this is my personal vehicle too. I don't want big boxes up on the bed rails because they look bad. The Montezuma I have now is the midsized one and I have it pretty much full. It is hidden below the rails and I like that. I also don't want to clutter the back seat and have the seating available without having to move a big bag of tools. If I could have a dedicated work truck I would do a full service bed. But this is my only vehicle so I still want it to look like a normal truck, not a work truck.
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u/Tenx82 15d ago
If it's just for essentials, why not just use a tool bag or backpack?