Truck tool box over bed cover...pics!

[jesse72]

Hi, not sure if this is in the right sub-forum.

Anyways, I have this bed cover that is metal and rectractable and also locks. It takes up about 10" of bed space on my short bed truck. It is great having a cover that can lock since I can lock my tailgate as well. But with all that, I still have always liked having a tool box for easy storage and also better orginization of the little stuff that usually rolls around in the bed or back seat area.
Combining both wasnt possible withough losing a ton of precious bed space so I thought of this....

I got a $50 aluminum diamond plate tool box off of craigslist and had my brother in law chop it up and weld it together for me at his shop, SamCo Fabrication.

So this is about as much as I can put in it: Just a simple Cresent brand tool kit, jumper cables, some tie downs, bolt cutters and the always handy hooligan type crow-bar. And my triage kit for medical emergancies.

So now I can still lock my entire bed up and the tool box too.

And the dog still fits in the back with room to spare

Now I also did this to keep the pup in place and not get to excited over those tasty looking squirls and smaller dogs out there...

So those are my few ideas for the day. Hope you like them and can use the ideas someday if you need to.

 

[bullfrog123]

That is slick as heck!!!!! Great idea.

 

[atotalnincompoop]

great idea, i have always wanted a tonneau cover, but because i need the tool storage, it never happened, until now.
did you buy that box or modify your existing unit?

 

[jesse72]

Thanks guys and Im glad I could pass the idea on.

-atotalnincompoop: I couldnt find any boxes that were built like that from a factory so I got a cheepo off craigslist and had it cut up and welded by my brother in law. Im sure a muffler shop could do it for a decent price.

 

[archirelic]

jesse72: that is an awesome fab job and I've always imagined how something like this might be done w/o looking terrible. Good job!

 

[c_mccann]

Great fab job!! Add hasps on the tool box cover to keep the homeboys out of it.

 

[Demon4x4]

That's a pretty nice install, and clean look. Reminds me a bit of the American Work Cover, except you have a bit more bed storage space left. And I'm sure it was cheaper.

http://www.truckcoversusa.com/html/toolbox.html

 

[jesse72]

-Demon 4x4: I have never seen that, but it basically the same thing I ended up with. Thats a little more cleaner than mine too.

I only have $50 in mine though cuz the truck came with the bed cover and the fab work was free by my brother in law. Cant beat that! Haha thanks for adding the website for referance too!

 

[NUTTSGT]

So is the box only 4-6 inches deep now ?

 

[cgv69]

That's cool - I like it!

 

[jesse72]

-NUTTSGT: yeah the box is about 6" deep. Not enough room if you were a contractor/builder or something like that, but just enough for the average joe like me. I like my back seat to be free of the 'essential tools' and hate them rolling around the bed. I used to use an old milk crate strapped in the bed but that was too easy to steal out of.

 

[jesse72]

The box that Demon4x4 mentioned: American Work Cover, looks like it has a deep part of it, about half of a normal box.

 

[paullie]

that's slicker than minnows ****

 

[NUTTSGT]

-NUTTSGT: yeah the box is about 6" deep. Not enough room if you were a contractor/builder or something like that, but just enough for the average joe like me. I like my back seat to be free of the 'essential tools' and hate them rolling around the bed. I used to use an old milk crate strapped in the bed but that was too easy to steal out of.

That would be good enough for me, big enough for the stuff but not to big for the junk.

 

[805gregg]

Nice for tortillas.

 

[KPalm7]

Jesse,

Saw your truck around Reno, and after searching high and low for a pre-built toolbox I realized yours was custom made. I decided to do the same, though I probably just should have went and talked to Sam, he sold me the Tonneau cover in the first place off his white F250.

Anyways, I'm adding to your post so people can have more ideas.

If the photobucket images don't work, please add an extension to your browser, I use Chrome with the free Extension "Photobucket Embedded Image Fix" which allows me to see all photobucket images better, including Jesse's above and sometimes my own.

Why?
My tonneau cover is an electric bedlocker retailing for over $2k, and my truck is treated like a truck... I wanted to protect my bedlocker when it's open, from motorcycles and anything else I might toss in the back. Concurrently, I wanted a firm way to hold motorcycles in the bed even with the cover and toolbox.
Tool storage is a lot more than I expected, but I started with a different style WeatherGuard toolbox than Jesse's.

Inside, I currently have
6 Ratchet Straps
4 Cam-Buckle Straps
5 Pairs of various work/snow/mx gloves
1 hard hat, with Hi-vis vest and safety glasses stuffed inside
1 crescent 170 piece mechanic's tool set
1 Husky tool bag supplementing the crescent kit plus multimeter and electrical tools
3 spray cans
1 impact driver + bits + battery
1 drill + bits + battery
1 Ryobi car charger
1 steering-wheel lock
1 motorcycle wheel chock
1 tow strap with d-ring
1 set of jumper cables
1 tire inflator and plug kit
1 set of goggles
1 tow hitch with all three ball sizes
1 Flashlight, towel roll, bag of microfibers
3 motorcycle wheel chocks, 1 extended for center position, see pics below:

So... I'm really happy with how much I can fit in there, got the essentials of a truck and when I actually need work tools they go under the tonneau and in with me on-site anyways, but I always know I've got base tools at the ready.

I started with a $50 toolbox as well, I went with steel because I don't have a spool-gun for my MIG to weld aluminum yet, so steel would be easier to fab.

I didn't get good pics of the fab work, but basically went to a buddy's to use his plasma and cut out the bottom, then shoved it back in the top so it set on the original upper rib around the box. I welded it in place, and added a piece of 1x2x1/4" angle iron across the bottom inside of the box. This would be for added strength and a single beam to take the stress of motorcycle tie-downs and wheels.

To help clear the bed cover canister and side rails, which sit slightly above the bed-side height, I welded 1" wide bar stock to each end of the toolbox and added sealing foam for better grip and a little formation around the plastic bed rail tops.

and

For the motorcycle capability, I decided to make my own version of something called a BedBuddy I found online...
https://www.discountramps.com/bed-buddy/p/BBLT/
with the center-bike extension to allow for three bikes without hitting handlebars/radiators:
https://www.discountramps.com/motorcycle-tie-down-rack-center-extension/p/MC-BEDRACK-EXT-V2/

Their design seemed more complicated than necessary, and I wanted quick release for all of them, so I just used 4" angle for the wheel chock and some rectangle stock and voila. Made them mount via wing nut and got some hole covers for when they're not in use. Found a 10 pack of some 1000lb rated tie-down hooks and spread them out so each bike gets as wide as possible without crossing the next one's wheels.

Even better, I made sure they cleared the cover so I can close the cover anytime the bikes aren't in the back, protecting ramps and gas cans while we ride.

Once I was pretty much happy with my result, I recoated the inside white and used U-Pol raptor liner spray-on bed liner on the outside, which turned out pretty damn well. Still kicking myself for forgetting to do the wheel chocks while the gun was dirty...

The wheel chocks work awesome as well, I'll try to add pics next time she gets loaded up with bikes.

Anyways, hope this gives someone some ideas. As of right now, March of 2018, there's still no easy toolbox you can buy and throw over a roll-type cover, but if you're looking for both there is a company that integrates the two:
https://www.realtruck.com/truck-covers-usa-american-work-cover/


-Kevin

 

[jesse72]

Kevin, that looks awesome and is well thought out for your uses! Someone you know Sam from Samco Fab? It's a small world, great work and thanks for adding it to the thread!

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

I have wrestled with this issue and my hard bed cover a few times.

a word of caution, Please be 100% sure if your pet jumps their body cannot get outside the bed resulting in a beloved friend getting hanged by the chain.

 

[jeepinerdeep]

These are very cool guys. I always have tonnoue covers but lust after toolboxes.

I could really see the value in the effort on the regular cab trucks for sure.