My tool chest upset on me

[WVBrady]

I have a 40" tool box with a smaller box on top that I got from Sam's Club. I had dutifully put the heaviest items in the bottom drawer and filled it from bottom to top. This evening I was getting something out of the bottom drawer when the upper drawers suddenly started drifting open because the floor has a slight tilt for drainage to the center drain. This cascaded with all of the drawers sliding open until the box upset towards me. I grabbed the lid, but the brackets to which the shock tubes attach broke loose and I had nothing left to hold to. Fortunately the floor was open behind me and I was able to jump back out of the way. The only casualty was the bed of my truck, which got scraped by the lid as it fell.

It never occured to me that this might happen; I am usually quite aware of dangerous situations and always try to work safely. The drawers slide very easily, too easily. I think I will put some heavy wheel bearing grease on the rails and see if that slows them down. I don't remember how much slope there is to the floor, but when you walk across it, it is hardly noticeable.

 

[nate379]

Had a girl do that at work a few years back but she pulled out EVERY drawer and then used the bottom couple at steps to get something in the top couple. Box wasn't even tall but she was like 5ft tall and too stupid to ask for help or get a step stool.

 

[Scout Driver]

Happy that you didn't get hurt. It's really something how quickly a small situation can escalate into something dangerous.

Scott

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

 

[crewchief888]

i had the same problem with a couple of roller bearing drawers opening up, a couple square pieces of 1/4" plywood under the front casters did the trick.

glad you didnt get hurt,

 

[DHCrocks]

I leveled off my box by placing two wheels on 1/2" plywood. you can also nail a piece of wood to the front edge of the plywoood to create a lip so the wheels can't roll. hard part was getting the the box on the plywood, I think it weighs around 450lbs empty. I used a scisors jack to lift the box so I could slide the board under.

 

[Brad54]

Damn... I'd have never thought that would happen.

Glad you're okay, and thanks for the warning!

I wonder if a piece of 1/4-inch flat stock under the front lip on the top box would cure that... just a liiiiitle something to tip the top box back a couple degrees.

-Brad

 

[LawnDart79]

My former supervisor had an old KR model Snap-On box that he had propped up in the front to keep the drawers from coming open for this exact reason.

Glad you're okay.

 

[WVBrady]

Thanks for all the replies and the good wishes. I was just thinking today that I would put some plywood spacers between the wheels and the chest for the two front wheels to make it lean backwards a little; I just have to decide how thick. I also may fasten a section of 2x4 or something similar that would just clear the ground on the bottom just at the front edge, so that it would have to pivot on that instead of back where the wheels are.

I was just out looking at it this evening. Ideally, I would like to mount the wheels out in front a little, like an outrigger. It would be a little awkward, but safer.

i had the same problem with a couple of roller bearing drawers opening up, a couple square pieces of 1/4" plywood under the front casters did the trick.

glad you didnt get hurt,

I leveled off my box by placing two wheels on 1/2" plywood. you can also nail a piece of wood to the front edge of the plywoood to create a lip so the wheels can't roll. hard part was getting the the box on the plywood, I think it weighs around 450lbs empty. I used a scisors jack to lift the box so I could slide the board under.

 

[LSVLance]

I've got the same box you have...and fight my top drawer all of the time which likes to open on it's own. I'd rather not put anything under the front wheels to tilt it back so I've been looking for other solutions. I'm going to investigate the grease on the roller idea tomorrow to see if it's feasible.

Thanks for the warning...

 

[2oolhound]

Re: My tool chest upset on me Boy, you must have got pretty upset on it too.

My drawers have a similar problem but it's reversed. The drawers won't stay open and roll shut on their own. This has really bothered me .....until now.

I work in video production and have 7 - 7' tall equipment racks full of gear. The heavy equipment inside is all on sliders so you can pull the equipment out for servicing and connecting the cables on the back end. The rack units have anchor points near the bottom and you can get 3/8" steel plates that fit under the rack on the floor and have a 4" high lip that sticks up and bolts to the anchor points on the back of the racks. This big flat plate is anchored to the floor also. This works great but then you rarely have to move these equipment racks. I think tool boxes get moved around more so you wouldn't want to have to keep mounting these plates to different spots on the floor.

Another cool thing about the racks is they have adjustable feet that screw down once they are in position. The feet are on the extreme edge so they give good support.

 

[Sterff]

I would just chain it fast to the wall. I did that once on my older Craftsman box.

 

[WVBrady]

I would just chain it fast to the wall. I did that once on my older Craftsman box.

That is a possibility. I would rather lose the mobility than have to worry about it upsetting again. After further checking, I think that the slope of the floor didn't have that much effect. The wheels are just too close to the center of gravity. I was able to get the lower unit to start to upset just by pulling out the lowest drawer without any of the upper drawers out.

 

[eborcim]

Glad you didn't get hurt. Those tall shallow boxes need to be secured to the wall with some light chain.

 

[mdbeck1]

Instead of putting a plywood wedge under the front how about shimming the front wheels a little bit. Maybe put a couple of washers under the front roller assemblies?

 

[justanengineer]

I too would look into shimming the front casters. Its always the small things in life that get us, rarely the big things.

 

[Stephenw]

This is the reason many Snap-on boxes have a latch under the handle that must be moved before a drawer will open.

 

[srmofo]

Ive seen a cart turnover when a wheel broke off the front and a 2 bank bottom chest almost tip over when the tech opened too many drawers and then gave it a little push out of his way. HE managed to hold it upright until we got enough people on it to save it. when a box falls, it falls hard. Sorry for your loss.

Take a look at the casters on the bottom of my large blue box. My yellow box next to it also has wood under the front casters. Its not much just a couple of scrap pieces of 1/4 OSB. I really thought water would have destroyed the OSB a little quicker, but its been there for a few years and its still good. Plus its tilted back just enough for the drawers to glide back in with a very light nudge.

Yes those boxes have latches, but I dont like drawers that fully open themselves if you just want them partially opened. And sometimes I dont close them all the way if Im in a hurry

 

[Joe B.]

Instead of plywood, you should consider using commercial grade floor tiles for shims. You can stack then as high as you need and they won't compress much and are designed to take that kind of pressure. In addition, they are not very expensive if you just buy a standard color at your local big box store. I have about eight stacked up to level out some metal shelving and it has been fine for years.

 

[padronanniversary]

Could you imagine the safety warnings now in the instruction booklet. A man jumping out the way as the tool box falls.

 

[johnnybentwrench]

Could you imagine the safety warnings now in the instruction booklet. A man jumping out the way as the tool box falls.

That made me laugh out loud.
@op bummer, luckily you move quick. hope you can buff the truck out?

 

[TOOL MASTER]

Years ago we heard a noise one night.....didn't really know what it was..a couple days later i found out..my big snap-on top and bottom tipped..tools everywhere......just fell out of the blue..
About a year later it tried to tip on me.....took ever ounce of my strength to push it back up....close one

since i stuck 1/4" shim plates under both front casters.(between caster and box)..gives it a little rear tilt...and ran a safety cable to the wall...

 

[William Payne]

Could you imagine the safety warnings now in the instruction booklet. A man jumping out the way as the tool box falls.

Ive seen that somewhere! A warning pictures saying only open one drawer at a time. Yip I new I had seen it, it doesn't have a picture of a guy getting out of the way but clearly shows a box all drawers open with a big x through it. The page its on in my catalogue also shows alot of other no no's that ive seen or heard people try and say is ok to do.

To the original poster hope your toolbox wasnt to damaged glad you are all good. Thats alot of weight to have come down on you lucky you got out of the way.

 

[TOOL MASTER]

This is still my favorite box..wish i still had it..if you tipped it you were driving up an embankment...

 

[Aberdale]

Sorry to hear about your accident, but am glad to hear no one got hurt. Thanks for sharing.

This sounds like another good reason to avoid floor drains . . .

 

[ibedayank]

damn happy noone was hurt
level that box and chain or bracket it to the wall

if you have to regularly move the box i would make it so you had a bar on the front that kept the drawers shut

 

[KCarGuy]

I was setting up a Trade Show at McCormick Place in Chicago just a few Months ago and I heard someone yell, followed by a big Crash.
I looked over and A Nice Shinny Rolling Tool Cabinet had fallen over.

I went over there to help pick it up, Same thing...more than one drawer opened up, and it fell straight over.

It looked like a Menards brand Kobalt type rolling Toolbox.
After it was all upright and tool-supplies put back in, 20 minutes later the same thing happened.

The problem with with boxes that multiple drawers can be opened at once, and smooth roller bearings on the slids...now add the fact that it was sitting on Very thick padded carpet in a booth...Once it tipped a Hair...it was all over!!!

The Guy finally got smart after picking it up twice, along with all its contents...he strapped it to the closiest Column.
Didnt hear it fall the rest of that day.

 

[ajchien]

*%#>!!!!!!!!!!!

This just happened to me yesterday. I wasn't paying attention and opened one too many drawers and my 40" kolbalt went toppling over. The pliers drawer fell out with the slides bent, and I had hundreds of sockets scattered all over the floor.

Had to hammer and bend the slides back into acceptable working condition. Lost a few of the ball bearings who knows where. I did find all my sockets though. Took about 1.5 hours to clean up. Of all things, the wrench drawer has about a dozen dents in the door. From the inside out!

Live and learn I guess. Yikes.