Moving Your Toolboxes - By Yourself.

[Zrexxer]

As I'm moving into the house I bought, the time had come to get my boxes moved. I wasn't too stressed about it though, as I'd moved them all before and I can move 'em all again. Since this is just my personal hobby at this point, there was no justifying a flatbed wrecker or anything like that. I had time to futz with it and do it myself.

While I didn't want to empty them completely, I did want to get the real heavy high-density items out. Sockets, ratchets, hammers, air tools, all went into five gallon or cat litter buckets to lighten the load.

The BIG wrenches up to 2-9/16 were next...

Then the method of my madness is an enclosed trailer, with a very important feature - a rear ramp door.

The boxes roll right up the ramp and sit against the long wall of the trailer. (The other side of the trailer has an access door, so the e-track isn't as long there.)

The first key to this process is screwing a 2x4 cleat to the trailer floor where the wheel is to stop. This serves two purposes - one, it gives you a stop to halt the box's forward momentum so you don't get squished between it and the front of the trailer if something goes wrong, and second, I found out that the box will saw back and forth in the tiedowns regardless of how tightly it's strapped, unless the wheels are chocked.

Once it's in place, it gets moving blankets over it and is strapped to the e-track. A second chock is added on the other side of the fixed wheel.

At the destination, the trailer outriggers are lowered again to keep from overstressing the back of the light-duty frame...

And the all-important ramp door is lowered., and the box is unstrapped, the wheel chocks removed, and she's rolled right down the ramp.

Then, just sit back and marvel at how good your box looks on your new epoxy floor! Then head back, and get the next one.... rinse and repeat! Regardless, it was a LONG day. I did all this by myself.

 

[chrisa7164]

I keep my big work box in a trailer exactly like that. I don't unload mine though. I mounted a tie-down on the floor in the front and use a com-a-long for a little extra "ummph" pulling it up the ramp.

 

[Harrison2]

that's a sweet pair of boxes, thing like this can be done on your own they just take longer. save your self a pretty penny in renting a flat bed or lift truck, more money for tools!

 

[GarageWarrior]

I moved my toolboxes by myself on a cheap 4x8 flat-bed utility trailer - tilt the trailer to the ground, winch the box up on the trailer, use a couple 6x6's take the weight off the wheels, strap things down and Go. Did not have to take any of the tools out either.

 

[Rsharp66]

I am doing a long distance move soon and I was planning on putting the boxes in the trailer, jacking them up with a floor jack and setting them 6X6s and strapping them in like ^^^. It has worked in the past for me and nothing is going anywhere

 

[kbs2244]

Can you not just take the drawers out?

 

[Zrexxer]

You can on the Snap On, the Matco you have to take two screws out of every drawer and work them off the slides. In any event, while time wasn't strictly an issue, taking out and carting 18 drawers separately was time I wasn't willing to spend.

Plus, I'd like to see you lift the drawer that had the big wrenches in it... let alone get it back in, without emptying it

 

[crewchief888]

i've moved my (multiple) boxes several times by myself..

one 1200 mile trip, in a heavily overloaded uhaul truck,
more short trips with my truck and an open trailer than i care to count.


my boxes keep multipling
every time i move there seem to be another one...

 

[ZRX61]

Can you not just take the drawers out?

That's been my method.

 

[Zrexxer]

Add the Kennedy machinist's boxes and the Syncrowave to today's satisfied clients of the inclined plane

 

[BigAl62]

I've had to move my toolbox by myself. In 2002 I moved it 5 times in a month and a half, SUCKED! I have a Snap On KR650/655 combo with 2 side boxes, not the easiest setup to move by ones self - tall and thin, not like the OP's box.

 

[justin1795]

i moved my matco box recently. i was worried about it getting stuck between the ramp and the trailer. we had some old 1/2 plywood strips it broke threw but got it on. screwed it to the floor like you did. the only concern i had was when we unloaded it theres about a 2 inch gap to the garage. my father inlaw got a running start at. it was just waiting for the wheels to bust off but they didnt.

 

[sloppy]

Can you not just take the drawers out?

Some of my drawers need two people to lift

 

[EJM02]

Clean work. Well thought out, cheers!

 

[kbs2244]

I was just wondering about taking out the drawers.

I have never had a SO or Matco type tool box.
Most of my work has been out of carry around boxes.
When I did get a shop box it was a repurposed IBM Card cabinet with long skinny drawers that are easy to take out.

I can see how those wide drawers might be a problem.

 

[diggerrick]

If you wrap your tie-down(s) completely around the cargo it minimizes the "sawing" motion.

 

[Zrexxer]

If you wrap your tie-down(s) completely around the cargo it minimizes the "sawing" motion.

That's a good tip, I'll try that on the smaller stuff next time. Problem is with the Snap On box, it's 6 feet long and 2 feet deep, so wrapping completely around it and having enough to tie down to the E-track requires a tie-down over 26 feet long.

 

[MG44]

nice set of boxes for home use. Always a pain to move big heavy objects lol.

 

[Silver6.0]

Heres mine. I moved it exactly like yours, enclosed uhaul but did not use a top strap and FORGOT TO LOCK THE BOX !!!!! within 50 miles the box was tipped over inside the uhaul trailer. Took a few guys to get it uprighted, no bent drawers but broke and bent several ball bearing slides and the plastic locks. Snap-on warrentied all.



<a href="http://s114.photobucket.com/user/crazyhausk1500/media/IMG_20130206_235352_zps64871f32.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n246/crazyhausk1500/IMG_20130206_235352_zps64871f32.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_20130206_235352_zps64871f32.jpg"/></a>

 

[diggerrick]

That's a good tip, I'll try that on the smaller stuff next time. Problem is with the Snap On box, it's 6 feet long and 2 feet deep, so wrapping completely around it and having enough to tie down to the E-track requires a tie-down over 26 feet long.

I bought these for the rail several years ago:

http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/tie-downs/2-inch-x-27-ft-ratchet-tie-down-95106.html

I've strapped a lot of appliances and furniture down with them too.

 

[ptschram]

That's a good tip, I'll try that on the smaller stuff next time. Problem is with the Snap On box, it's 6 feet long and 2 feet deep, so wrapping completely around it and having enough to tie down to the E-track requires a tie-down over 26 feet long.

Where did you learn your math? By my math, you'd only need slightly more than ten feet.

The tie downs in my truck are only 12 feet long and tie down toolboxes easily.

 

[Zrexxer]

Where did you learn your math? By my math, you'd only need slightly more than ten feet.

The tie downs in my truck are only 12 feet long and tie down toolboxes easily.

I learned my math at the university where I achieved my engineering degree, for whatever that's worth.

Where did you learn your reading skills?

Because wrapping something completely around a rectangle that is 2' x 6' cannot POSSIBLY be ten feet.

 

[Zrexxer]

I bought these for the rail several years ago:

http://www.harborfreight.com/automo...ns/2-inch-x-27-ft-ratchet-tie-down-95106.html

I've strapped a lot of appliances and furniture down with them too.

Thanks, I'll keep those in mind. However, I planned to stay at the last house 5 yrs, and it ended up being 15. This house is just supposed to be until I retire in 12 years, so it will probably end up being 36... so I may never have to move this box again!

 

[ptschram]

I learned my math at the university where I achieved my engineering degree, for whatever that's worth.

Where did you learn your reading skills?

Because wrapping something completely around a rectangle that is 2' x 6' cannot POSSIBLY be ten feet.

Why would you possibly want to wrap it around the entire box?

When I saw your trailer with the E-track I thought for sure you'd use that-it is how your box was strapped down in the truck before you bought it.

And folks used to say I wasn't a real engineer because I was an environmental engineer.

But what do I know, it's not like I move bigger toolboxes than that on a daily basis or anything.

 

[Zrexxer]

Why would you possibly want to wrap it around the entire box?

Since you're obviously not following the pertinent conversation in this thread, I'll present the Cliff notes version for you:

I found out that the box will saw back and forth in the tiedowns regardless of how tightly it's strapped, unless the wheels are chocked.

If you wrap your tie-down(s) completely around the cargo it minimizes the "sawing" motion.

with the Snap On box, it's 6 feet long and 2 feet deep, so wrapping completely around it and having enough to tie down to the E-track requires a tie-down over 26 feet long.

There... now you're up to date.

 

[ptschram]

Since you're obviously not following the pertinent conversation in this thread, I'll present the Cliff notes version for you:








There... now you're up to date.

Somehow you aren't understanding either.

I have FAR more expensive toolboxes on my Snap-On truck than those you have. I use an approximately 12 foot tie down to secure them to the E-track on the walls of my truck. In the 28,371.9 miles this truck has traveled, there has been NO problem with boxes moving once they are secured.

A box like yours would require no more than a 10 foot tie-down to secure it sufficiently to satisfy Snap-On's insurance company.

I doubt that there is a Snap-On truck on the planet with boards screwed to the floor to secure the boxes therein.

 

[Zrexxer]

I have FAR more expensive toolboxes on my Snap-On truck than those you have.

Ooooh, what was I thinking? You win.

A box like yours would require no more than a 10 foot tie-down to secure it sufficiently to satisfy Snap-On's insurance company.

I don't give a flying **** what Snap On's insurance company requires. These boxes are 100% owned by me, bought and paid for. I'll transport them any way I please.

I'll tell ya what, I'll just concede - you know more than anyone. There. Now that you've proven your expertise and your knowledge of ridiculously expensive boxes, feel free to find another thread to **** on.

 

[ptschram]

Wow.

This is how you respond to someone who moves toolboxes more than 600 miles per week and does it in a far less intensive manner than you?

You had the E-track on the trailer but for some inexplicable reason you chose not to use it and when it was suggested that was more than sufficient you respond like this? I see now that you did indeed use the E-track. Your box must be magic in that it moves around even though it appears to be securely strapped down.

For the benefit of anyone else who might be contemplating moving toolboxes, strapping them down to the wall of the trailer or truck is sufficient to keep the box stationary without damage to the box, the trailer or personnel involved.

 

[Zrexxer]

Wow.

This is how you respond to someone who moves toolboxes more than 600 miles per week and does it in a far less intensive manner than you?

You had the E-track on the trailer but for some inexplicable reason you chose not to use it and when it was suggested that was more than sufficient you respond like this? I see now that you did indeed use the E-track. Your box must be magic in that it moves around even though it appears to be securely strapped down.

For the benefit of anyone else who might be contemplating moving toolboxes, strapping them down to the wall of the trailer or truck is sufficient to keep the box stationary without damage to the box, the trailer or personnel involved.

So you not only can't read, you can't look at pictures, either? Go back and look at the pictures of the box strapped to the e-track. And then tell how you decided that "I chose not to use it." Oh, and I don't give a **** how many precious boxes your Snap On truck hauls.

 

[Zrexxer]

OK, problem solved, ignore activated. Got sucked too far into that vacuum to begin with. Thanks everyone for their positive comments and suggestions.

 

[diggerrick]

OP is right about the length of tie-down required. You actually have to cover more than 4 sides - try it. And when you wrap all the way around you still tie back to the e-track.