I’ve been trying to come up with a good system to organize the trillions of boxes, large and small, of fasteners I carry in my van. It occured to me that a small tool chest lower section with drawers would be just the ticket. This way I can remove it when I need a little extra space, or push it around as I need to rearrange things.
I went to Sears and was about to buy a relatively cheap one and the salesman told me that even the ballbearing ones wouldn’t last long as the constant jostling in the truck would destroy it in no time. I appreciated his candor but… whatdya think?
PaulB
Replies
I think he is right, those toolboxes are weak. They are OK if used in a shop. Somebody could make a fortune if they marketed a real truck tool box.
Something else, those drawers are prone to jamming if something gets out of place, like a bunch of screws. Jams the glides up, then you have to about tear the toolbox up to get th
e drawer to work.
Edited 6/7/2008 7:42 am ET by MarkH
Should I suggest a couple of these latched together?
You could carry what you need on site/switch them around as jobs change.
And you'd be supporting a nice German company :)
Keine grune... you know me better than that ;) there's principle here.
The principal being that I refuse to pay those prices...PaulB
he's right...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Paul,
MarkH is soooooo right! I am trying to unjam one of my Craftsman boxes right now! Seems a hammer handle has everything messed up. $#!%
How about this company?
http://www.masterack.com/vaninterior.htm
There is also one called Work Van accessories or something close that sellls the same stuff. I haven't bought anything from either but they send me their catalogs.
Mike
Paul,
FWIW, maybe it's a good time to rethink the strategy of carrying so much around all the time.
I have a lousy memory, yet with the help of a pocket digital recorder and a good system of organization in the garage, I've always managed to plan my day to day needs on the fly.
Living in a rural area where work is often scarce has taught me to be very frugal about business expenses. When economic pressures, similar to now, made it necessary for me to drive 80-130 miles per day to make a living, I cut back on gas by driving a smaller vehicle and carrying only what I needed for that day's work.
Using a pocket recorder allows me to think through each job while driving or while on site, making "notes" about what to bring, who to call, what measurements need to be taken...anything that comes to mind.
Having a well organized garage with everything in plain sight makes it easy to unload and load the vehicle while listening to my earlier "notes".
BTW, I carry my misc. hardware in coffee cans or similar containers which are kept in cheap plastic tool boxes and/or stackable plastic tool trays with handles, all labeled with masking tape and marker pen. Hardware is organized by job type.
Me and the other carpenter/contractors who live in my area have been driving four cyclinder cars and trucks to work since the original oil crisis back in the seventies, when gas doubled in price from $.29/gal to $.59/gal. It didn't take long to do the math and see what had to change.
The best system I ever had were 8' Morrison boxes that run the length of the sides of the bed. I kept the face of the boxes flush with the sides of the truck. Then I would slide in a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood on the supports above the wheelwells. This combined with the locking tailgate kept things outside the boxes secure.
they make drawer boxes that fit bewteen the tailgate and the wheel well, in a diamond plate material
I sold Sphere one of those that I had last year. Darn good box. Goes better in his van but worked fine when I had it in my truck.
Ghey unicorns????
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-VBpLQSPD8&feature=related
I've had a cheap 5 drawer Lowes' box in my truck for years now with no problems. I think the box was $50 or $60 bucks new so even if it only lasted a few years I wouldn't care. I keep almost all my fasteners in it as well as some tools in the top drawer.
Ditto. I had a couple cheap chests that lasted a lot longer than I thought they would...including falling out and spilling everything on the road! Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
I have a cheap version of one in my 1-ton box van. been there for maybe 8 years. Only problem I have had with it is when I forget to drop the drawer locking bar and take a corner too fast. all the drawers pop open .
I also have a buddy who uses the same van as I do and he works as a mobile mechanic, both sides of his box are lined with these 6 drawer style tool boxes . He has no problem either.
find a place that sells used work trucks.
there's a couple around here that U can buy used factory bins/racks.
adrain steel type stuff.
way cheaper than new.
they usually get utility company trucks in and strip them for resale.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Our plumber uses these, they look super handy.
http://www.weatherguard.com/van_storage_equipment/view_products.php?subcat_id=27
His vans have one facing back and one facing the side door.
Could build platforms between them to keep a uniform height, I'd look at weathergaurd and see what they have to offer.
I probably posted this before, but here's a picture of the tool chest in my van. It's raised off the floor to allow clearance for sheet goods which lay flat on the floor.
I secured it to the side of the van (and no, the screws don't poke through to the outside) because I don't want anything rolling around back there since I don't have a safety partition.
Despite all of the bouncing around, I haven't had any problems with the tool chest, but as others mentioned, it is important to load the drawers carefully or something can get knocked out of position and prevent the drawer from opening. This happened once so far. The solution is to completely remove the drawer above, which is easily done, and re-position the errant tool.
View Image
I bought a shelf and bins(plastic) system at sams club for a 100$ has lasted 4 years in a single axle trailer driven every day.
Still very satisfied with and I call pulla bin out at a time to carry with me if needed and the bins are big enough to pack 2 boxes of nails(gun).
ANDYSZ2
WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST