A good cheaper top box for road service.

[bobcatdan]

My 6 drawer craftsman that has rode in the back of my truck is on its way out. For $100 in the clearance section 10 years ago, I'm happy with its service life. Slides are failing bad as well as the lock mechanism. In a perfect world, I'd love the reintroduced SO kra 60, but I don't want to beat something like that up. Right now I'm between a 26" griplatch craftsman, a masterforce or Menard's lower line performax. I looked at the homark top box at Northern, but the lack of one deep drawer killed it. If the top box was available separatly, I'd even consider the HF 26" top box. 10 years of life before it is scrap is what I'd like. CL is an option, but so far haven't seen anything I spend the money on. I'm not a fan of Montezuma's. I have seen them in person and they simply don't fit my taste. Any thoughts on which way to go. Standard size 26" top box. A drop front would be awesome.

 

[Farmall 1066]

Around here, the old, panel front KRA's bring $150-200 tops.
Used mine as road box for years and held up fine.
I think the HF ones might hold up fine in a shop, but as you know, road duty is murder on boxes.

 

[Farmall 1066]

Was going to ask, what don't you like about the Montezuma?
I ask, because I'm sorta in the same boat. I own one, but I'm kinda on the fence with it.
In some ways, I really like it...but lacking in small piece storage, and I feel the need for drawers!

 

[bobcatdan]

Was going to ask, what don't you like about the Montezuma?
I ask, because I'm sorta in the same boat. I own one, but I'm kinda on the fence with it.
In some ways, I really like it...but lacking in small piece storage, and I feel the need for drawers!

They look great for sockets and wrenches. Where do Allen and torx sockets go? Punches and chisels? It seems a lot of stuff would just be laying in the bottom.

 

[crewchief888]

i know what ya mean bobcatdan

banging around in a service truck will kill any reasonably priced top box.

one of our guys has a top from menards that seems to be holding up so far for a couple years.

one thing i've found over the years in service trucks is to keep the box from being able to "twist"

after it's last rebuild i've got mine secured to the back wall of the compartment in the body as well as through the bottom of the box. so far no more broken welds

 

[bobcatdan]

When I was on the road, my truck had a company supplied friction slide, standard grade craftsman, not the el cheapo, but what was the common level craftsman. The boxes were bought around 2008 when the truck was new. Those boxes held up great.. No structural failure and the slides held up good. If those boxes were still available, no question I'd buy one. The box in my pick up is the ball bearing version of the friction slide grade boxes. It is mainly the slides failing on it as the case still seems good. My truck has a hard tonneu cover so it is pretty shielded from the elements.

 

[crewchief888]

They look great for sockets and wrenches. Where do Allen and torx sockets go? Punches and chisels? It seems a lot of stuff would just be laying in the bottom.

^^^ i'm with ya on this one...

 

[sk farmer]

^^^ i'm with ya on this one...

sockets goon rails between the pegs. punches and chisels go in rolls between the pegs.

i own 4 of them. one of them has logged somewhere around 10,000 hours of off road use. it has hung on tractors, combines, planters and grain drills and in the back of a pickup. from -30 to so hot you couldn't hold on to the tools. if you had a montezuma (one of the older ones anyway) it would be the last road box you ever bought or wore out. the older ones have no no slides, lifts or locks to wear out. if i wore out a latch i could grind it off and replace it with a new one.

the newer ones have lifts, locks and latches that are more pretty and stylish but may wear out in time. other than repaints, reapplying weatherstrip and welding a wrench divider in the bottom of two of them none of them required any repair.

 

[zkling]

For a true road box there are about 3 options
a.) Cheap and disposable or heavy mods (crewcheif is the master of this).
b.) Long lasting, but heavy, large and $$$$$
c.) Something without drawers, at the low to mid price range (ex. Montezuma).

A small percentage of drop front boxes are actually true road chests contrary to popular belief.

Your best best is a cheap friction slide box and build a cage for it. The problem with super cheap ball bearing boxes, is that their slides are only riveted on and the impact loading of road bumps will shear them off pretty quickly.

 

[sk farmer]

box number # 1

this is the one i have had the longest, a junior. similar to the 200 series. something close to 25 years. it has logged over 10,000 hrs off road. repairs.......new paint and weather seal.

 

[sk farmer]

box #2

a little newer but pretty much the same as #1. for a while they were offered with a coating similar to bed liner. it came off of some boxes but has stayed on mine. it now lives on my caterpillar tractor. repairs...... weatherstriping.

 

[sk farmer]

box #3.

this is probably my oldest box. i have no idea how old because i picked it up old and neglected from a junk yard. it is an old senior box similar to a 300 series. it has well over 100,000 road miles, it probably had 100,000 befor i bought it. repairs....... i added a little steel strip for extra weatherstripping. it had some white paint when i started and has been red, grey and is now white again. i know it will outlast this truck and as many more as i care to repaint it to.

 

[sk farmer]

box#4.

a crossover that lives in my shop. no repairs as of yet. the latch works well but the lifts may be a little weaker than when new but it is loaded pretty heavy. an easy swap if i need them and could be sourced from a multitude of places.

 

[sk farmer]

My 6 drawer craftsman that has rode in the back of my truck is on its way out. For $100 in the clearance section 10 years ago, I'm happy with its service life. Slides are failing bad as well as the lock mechanism. In a perfect world, I'd love the reintroduced SO kra 60, but I don't want to beat something like that up. Right now I'm between a 26" griplatch craftsman, a masterforce or Menard's lower line performax. I looked at the homark top box at Northern, but the lack of one deep drawer killed it. If the top box was available separatly, I'd even consider the HF 26" top box. 10 years of life before it is scrap is what I'd like. CL is an option, but so far haven't seen anything I spend the money on. I'm not a fan of Montezuma's. I have seen them in person and they simply don't fit my taste. Any thoughts on which way to go. Standard size 26" top box. A drop front would be awesome.

i can understand your concern of it not fitting your tastes. that said, boxes 1-3 that i posted all have 1/2 drive sae, 3/8 drive standard and deep sae and metric , 1/4 drive sae and metric. 3/8 sae swivel sockets, a full assortment of ratchets, breakers, extensions and adapters. sae wrenches to 1 1/4 and metric to 19. a pipe wrench, hammer and punches and chisel. several pry bars at least 5 pliers. allen wrenches picks and countless other items. even loaded like that there are still places to pack in extras. all with the added bonus of being able to do a quick visual inventory. your experience may vary but i could not imagine working without those three.

 

[Parrothead]

For a true road box there are about 3 options
a.) Cheap and disposable or heavy mods (crewcheif is the master of this).
b.) Long lasting, but heavy, large and $$$$$
c.) Something without drawers, at the low to mid price range (ex. Montezuma).

A small percentage of drop front boxes are actually true road chests contrary to popular belief.

Your best best is a cheap friction slide box and build a cage for it. The problem with super cheap ball bearing boxes, is that their slides are only riveted on and the impact loading of road bumps will shear them off pretty quickly.

Depending on the box and of course the slides, you can often add rivets to them. Additionally if you drill out the rivets and use stainless, they last much longer with less chance of sheering, though they're a pain to put in.

 

[zkling]

Depending on the box and of course the slides, you can often add rivets to them. Additionally if you drill out the rivets and use stainless, they last much longer with less chance of sheering, though they're a pain to put in.

Not a real great solution though. The better boxes, including the (wait for it) HF red boxes, use bent tabs and corresponding holes on the drawers to engage the drawer instead of purely relying on the riveted joint.

 

[crewchief888]

For a true road box there are about 3 options
a.) Cheap and disposable or heavy mods (crewcheif is the master of this).
b.) Long lasting, but heavy, large and $$$$$
c.) Something without drawers, at the low to mid price range (ex. Montezuma).

A small percentage of drop front boxes are actually true road chests contrary to popular belief.

Your best best is a cheap friction slide box and build a cage for it. The problem with super cheap ball bearing boxes, is that their slides are only riveted on and the impact loading of road bumps will shear them off pretty quickly.

Yes I'm a.cheap ******* !
I'm not buying a.new box for my . service truck.

 

[Parrothead]

Not a real great solution though. The better boxes, including the (wait for it) HF red boxes, use bent tabs and corresponding holes on the drawers to engage the drawer instead of purely relying on the riveted joint.

Oh, I know most boxes have both, as does my HF 44 (you knew that was coming), but I have looked at the slides in that, and in my Craftsman and Husky and you could easily add rivets in other parts of that slide for additional strength. Drill and a rivet gun is all it takes.

 

[bobcatdan]

Oh there is a temping one on CL. A SO Kra 61, the box known early on as the super chest. I have been wanting one for my KRA 300 rollabench. This chest looks to good of shape to match the 300 for the "they have always been together look". Do I dare see how much he flexes on his $200 price. Do I make a sow of a 31" box my road box. Decision, decisions.

 

[zkling]

You will destroy a KRA61 as a road box, they are not built very heavy.

 

[bobcatdan]

You will destroy a KRA61 as a road box, they are not built very heavy.

Huh, I figured they would be along the lines of a 59 which would up to the task. Yeah its no 62. Main strike is size, loaded I'd wouldn't be able to move it by hand. That's where I like my craftsman. Full loaded I can still lift it in and out of the truck.