Anyone had a rollaway tip over?

[Zeke]

I didn't see a title of that in a search, but I'll bet it's been discussed.

Anyway, I have this new tool box and it has those latches that you have to move to open a drawer. As much as I'd like to disable them, I do remember the time when I inadvertently had a few drawers open on an older box and the thing started to tip. Of course the drawers all wanted to slide out. I caught it at the front and saved the day. This was maybe 30 years ago when I was younger and a lot more stupid.

Now I'm old and still stupid, just less so with less brain cells to fvk up with.

 

[crewchief888]

i saw the aftermath of 2 tip overs.
i salvaged what was left of the single bank SO box out of the scrap dumpster at work.
dipstick that dumped it over tossed it out.
2nd one was a double bank that mangled a lot of drawer slides, and bent a couple drawers.
the guy was picking up sockets for days that had rolled several bays away.

i dont open more than one drawer at a time.

 

[Steevo]

I had a Snap-On rollaway in the back of a pickup that had a tie down on each side, and on a long gradual curve, the inside tie down let go, allowing the box to swing away from the cab, hit the wheel well, and flip onto it's face, sliding back onto the floor of the truck bed with all drawers remaining closed, but lying face down.
Had to go to a friend with a gantry crane to put it upright, then spent all day wrestling drawers to get the contents settled enough to open them.
Ended up removing a few drawers to free up those above/below them, and wasted a whole afternoon that should have been spent unloading the box and rolling it into place, followed by beer consumption.

 

[quick60]

While at work we happened upon a mechanic that had a giant bottom box that looked about 6 feet long and top box strapped (sorta) to a open trailer. He took an off ramp from the interstate and flipped the whole operation over on the ramp. We pulled over and gave him a hand uprighting the boxes and loading as much as we could get back in. The rest we laid in the trailer and back of his truck.

 

[srmofo]

I saw a fairly large bottom roll cab start to go when it hit a drain, he was able to catch it and hold on until a few of us in the shop made it over to put it upright. Big dude, looked like shrek ...ear hair and all

I saw one of the smaller MAC (SS slide open top)carts tip over when the wheel broke off. He wasnt able to save that one and it slammed on its face and damaged it pretty badly considering its much smaller than a box.

I shimmed the front wheels of my boxes so the drawers want to slide shut instead of open. disabling the locks is not worth the risk IMHO. Tool boxes weigh more than cars and once they start to go over there's not much that can be done about it.

 

[KermitFrog]

Not any of my personal boxes but in another life just a few years ago I had two tip in my presence.

I used to inspect airworthiness of items about to go on military aircraft (I was Air Force). One of the airmen who I was training opened a conex (ISU90 for you military types) and the bottom drawer of a SO box slide open, he reached down and went to push it open and as he was bending over pushing that drawer back in another came open then all of the sudden ALL the drawers started coming open and he was rushing trying to push them closed but they kept opening back up. It was like some sort of comedy. Finally I saw the box start to teeter and I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him back with the box just missing him. It would have snapped his wiry little body like a twig.

So you current Air Force Crew Chiefs, I hope you remember to secure your boxes inside the ISU's. It used to be part of my training when I trained the entire base on how to pack their pallets. This group of maintainers missed out on my class obviously.

 

[RVDan]

saw one go over when a motorhome bumped it. It was locked so it didn't open but it was a write off. The top box wasn't bolted to it so it came off and hit the ground at an angle bending pretty much every piece of metal on it.

I think it would be pretty tought to get my Snap On boxes to go over, half the drawers are open most of the time just because everything doesn't always fit in the drawers, but the base is pretty heavy anyway

I think they used to advertise them with a girl standing in the open bottom drawer

 

[rt dak]

Almost. I don't what the hell I was thinking but I was cleaning my KRL1022 during lunch break and had the all the drawers open. As soon as I pulled the top one open a couple inches it tipped over towards me. Someone how I caught it and held it from falling all the way over until my bosses came over and helped me tip it back. Talk about feeling like an *******.

 

[DanCo]

I shimmed the front wheels of my boxes so the drawers want to slide shut instead of open. disabling the locks is not worth the risk IMHO. Tool boxes weigh more than cars and once they start to go over there's not much that can be done about it.

I with you on this one, I stack washers (2 high) while the box/cart is empty on the front casters. I've seen it happen to a tech who had his top drawer full extended loaded with sockets, with the front wheels locked. His service cart got bumped from behind, the box had nowhere to react. whole thing tipped over. he spent the next hour digging his sockets out from 2 bays.

Dan

 

[9GUY9]

I witnessed a former coworkers box go over and trap another guy under it. Top and bottom box with no locks on the drawers. A couple upper drawers were open, then the box slowly started leaning forward and more drawers started sliding open untill it went over. The guy who was knocked over and trapped under it all was ok, but a bit startled. The mess it made was incredible. Hanson socket trays have little shear resistance, I think every one of them broke.

Think of throwing every tool you own in a pile on the floor, and banging up your tool box at the same time.

 

[browntown]

I need to be more careful about having 5 drawers open at once. It is something I'm known to doing. I do have the front wheels shimmed up at least. You guys that are trying to catch your box are lucky it didn't fall on you. That's gotta be a trip to the hospital at the least.

 

[CJKaz]

Mving my stack (roller, mid & largetop - 7' tall) onto a lift gate (moving van), caught an edge on the driveway & the whole thing went over, caught it on the way down & somewhat gently let it hit the ground. Tools all over the place, jammed in the drawer slides, into the locking bars etc. Worst thing was a large drill index, probably 500 drill bits went flying.

Got the tools somewhat rearranged, but the drills went into a plastic tub, finally a year later got them all back in their drawers (damn those stamped numbers are hard to read, finally resorted to using a mic to sort the small ones).

Lesson learned, one box at a time.

 

[James Aiello]

My son had my box in the driveway last summer and it tipped on him... broke about 5 drawers, I was able to fix a couple of them... new rivets and they worked half way decent. The rest I have to lift to pull out, they kinda just rest on the one below... *****...
He was scared sh!tless that I would be so mad at him. Spilled milk.. but I'm sure it will never happen to him again.

He works at Firestone now and this month is getting me a HF 15 drawer cabinet to replace the Kobalt he broke.

 

[Rag Roc]

I saw two go over. One was at a drag race in the back of a pick up chase truck. They took off after the car left, the drawers came open, and everything hit the starting line. They were picking up tools for awhile. The other was at a boat race. The boat was backed down the ramp with a roll cab in the back of a cube van, drawers opened and everything hit the ramp. All the round stuff began rolling into the water. We managed to save some of it.

 

[Falcon67]

I feared all such disasters when we moved, so I took off the top box and pulled every drawer (14) out of the roll away and stacked them inside the truck. It was a PITA, but it all went back together nicely. And no spillage.

 

[ajchien]

I had my 40" almost tip over. Caught it about half way down and found some way to push it back up, but one drawer fell completely out (the slide is now back in but wobbly, it lost a few ball bearings), and another drawer is dented from the inside from wrenches. Hundreds of sockets all over the floor. I did find all of them.

 

[Octarine]

I saw a KR1000 tip over at a golf course maintenance shop. The tech was about 5'4" and weighed 120lb soaking wet and he actually tried to push it back, I pulled him out of the way by his collar

Got it righted, had to reset a couple of the drawer glides but aside from the tool soup, there was no damage to the box.

 

[stripped]

I made the mistake that so many have in opening too many drawers. Fortunately damage was repairable but left scars on the drawers. The applause that come from your co-workers is usually the worst part. I think that we've all had a box go over or seen some who has.

 

[Torque1st]

They make file cabinets so only one drawer at a time will open. Why not build tool boxes the same? The right design could also be retrofitted into older boxes. The mechanism could even close the open drawers if that was wanted.

 

[ZRX61]

Friend of mine lost his out the side of his truck taking a cloverleaf freeway exit a tad too fast. Took HOURS to pick everything up....

..This is the same guy who lost a demo ball for a crane off a trailer in the middle of LA....When he got back with a forklift to pick it up, all he found was a dent in the road because someone had stolen it.... it weighed about 4000lbs...

 

[Syndicate]

Yes it has happened 1 time, not my fault. I am in my work bay, my cart is at the truck I am working on. The rookie shop steward is yelling "look out" to anyone in ear shot, elderly driver going about 15mph through our 100,000 sq ft shop decides instead of exiting out the back to turn left into 3 boxes. Mine is the middle box, the first which is knocked into mine, mine tips over all on the front, and the 3rd is pushed into the truck I am working on.
The short end: Myself and 2 co workers not only get to keep damaged boxes, the dealership insurance pays for 3 new boxes. And, I might add, Mrs. Jennings 74 yrs young, is not hurt in the accident, and the next day arrives with 3 of her daughters with about a gazillion home made chocolate chip cookies.
True story.

 

[DanCo]

Of the daughters or it didn't happen.
Dan

wait a minute...she's 74. So you figure her daughters are in their 40's.

 

[coldfusion21]

They make file cabinets so only one drawer at a time will open. Why not build tool boxes the same? The right design could also be retrofitted into older boxes. The mechanism could even close the open drawers if that was wanted.

Not sure. All our lista/vidmar cabinets at work are setup to open one drawer at a time. Can sometimes be a pain if a drawer is jammed open though. I'd imagine these weigh as much as any tool box drawer. One drawer has probably ~200 er32 collets. Others full of MT4 and MT5 drills.

 

[Syndicate]

Yes her daughters were like 38-42. I am sure the daughters baked the cookies. She was embarrassed a bit. But it all worked out, and she got her car back after 2 days in the body shop with fresh paint.

 

[WVBrady]

My toolbox upset on me last year, and I only had the bottom drawer open:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101361

 

[onewaydave]

...When he got back with a forklift to pick it up, all he found was a dent in the road because someone had stolen it.... it weighed about 4000lbs...

Boy Scout thief? Always prepared, with a crane?

Dave.

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

I was in London Ontario visiting friends when in hobbles my friend Peter. We was moving his Snap-ON box when all of the drawers opened and the box toppled over on him doing some nasty damage to his foot.

Most toolboxes, except for Lista's, do not have drawer interlocks that prevent more than one drawer at a time being opened. All cabinets, mobile or stationary, should be positively latched before moving them.

 

[G_P]

..This is the same guy who lost a demo ball for a crane off a trailer in the middle of LA....When he got back with a forklift to pick it up, all he found was a dent in the road because someone had stolen it.... it weighed about 4000lbs...

Somebody is driving around with a HUGE pair of truck nuts

 

[Txchevy18]

I have one of the Stainless Steel CSPS 40" boxes from sam clubs. It was my first box box back in 08' when I had just started turning wrenches for a living. It was end of shift and I was cleaning and putting away of all my tools for the day. No one else was in the shop and the service manger was up front closing out. I open the very bottom drawer that I kept my impacts in and then the top wrench drawer slides out. All of the sudden it started to tip. I had no chance to stop it and wasn't able to get out of the way. My box was directly in front of the lift and I had a brand new 08 f250 with less than 20 miles on it in the bay. The box crushed me between the front end of the truck. I was stuck their for almost 15 minutes before my service manger came looking for me. He saw me and took off running for the back shop to get help. No damage to the truck or box but, I was beaten and bruised after that. That box has now been retired to small parts and shop supplies.

Just an fyi one of the guys at work has this napa box and it has safety latches that only let one drawer open at a time. I've always hated it , but now it kinda makes sense why they have it.

 

[Herb]

One of the techs here at work had a big Snap-On box, I think it was the largest made three years ago, that the smart-***, mf'ing, do nothing, " lot boy" decided it would be fun to open all the drawers on. After the first few drawers were open it started to tip and the rest of the drawers opened making it tip faster. It ended up going almost all the way over and would have crushed him badly if it hadn't hit the corner of a lift. The punk *** didn't even help pick up any of his tools, he just walked away with his tail between his legs and was quiet for the rest of the day.

 

[RRmech]

We had RR tracks all over our heavy repair shop.
So yeah, it was NOT uncommon there.
I had extra large casters on my Kennedy box, so I was spared the indignity of a tip-over.

Steve

 

[crewchief888]

One of the techs here at work had a big Snap-On box, I think it was the largest made three years ago, that the smart-***, mf'ing, do nothing, " lot boy" decided it would be fun to open all the drawers on. After the first few drawers were open it started to tip and the rest of the drawers opened making it tip faster. It ended up going almost all the way over and would have crushed him badly if it hadn't hit the corner of a lift. The punk *** didn't even help pick up any of his tools, he just walked away with his tail between his legs and was quiet for the rest of the day.

with a broken jaw he'd have to be quiet